Arts & Business Scotland (A&BS) has appointed four new Trustees to its board. Dr Bridget McConnell CBE, Laura McIntyre, Diana Murray and Barry Nichol join the board which is currently chaired by Sarah Deas, Chief Executive of Co-operative Development Scotland.

A&BS Chief Executive David Watt said: “We are delighted to welcome four new members to the Arts & Business Scotland board. They each bring a wealth of experience in the business, cultural and heritage sectors and are strong additions to our existing board.”

Dr Bridget McConnell CBE helps to change lives through cultural, sporting and learning activity as Chief Executive of Glasgow Life, a charity which delivers services on behalf of Glasgow City Council. Joining the City Council in 1998 from senior positions in culture and sport in Stirling and Fife, Glasgow career highlights have included the £35 million refurbishment of one of Scotland’s leading attractions, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the opening of the £74 million Zaha Hadid-designed, Riverside Museum which was named European Museum of the Year in 2013 and the opening of the £113 million Emirates Arena, incorporating the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. Bridget was instrumental in Glasgow bidding to host and implement the Commonwealth Games, was a member of the Organising Committee (Glasgow 2014 Ltd), Director of Ceremonies and Culture and oversaw the delivery of much of the required sport and cultural infrastructure and is fulfilling a similar role in the inaugural European Sports Championships to be held in Glasgow and Berlin in 2018.

Laura McIntyre has worked within the arts sector for almost a decade. She is Centre Development Manager at the multi-purpose Atlantic Islands Centre on the Isle of Luing, a visitor and community centre with a cafe/restaurant, exhibitions and a strong arts programme. Prior to this Laura was Marketing Manager at Glasgay! Festival and worked with many organisations and venues such as the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival; Luminate Festival; The Arches; Tron Theatre; The Citizens Theatre; Glasgow Film Theatre and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Previous board experience includes four years on Toonspeak Young Persons Theatre. As a writer her work has been published, performed and exhibited across the UK in anthologies, magazines, arts venues, festivals and museums.

Diana Murray was the Chief Executive of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) and recently also joint CEO of Historic Scotland (HS) and continues as a Senior Executive in the new organisation, Historic Environment Scotland,  She studied archaeology at Cambridge University and has devoted her career to Scottish cultural heritage.  She is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and an Honorary Fellow of the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh.  She was for many years a non-executive director of the National Trust for Scotland and is currently a trustee of the Scottish Waterways Trust, The Royal Botanic Gardens of Edinburgh, The Scottish International Education Trust and the Scottish Seabird Centre.  She is a Member if the Institute of Directors.

Barry Nichol is a Partner in the Employment and Pensions Unit of Anderson Strathern LLP.  Barry first qualified as a solicitor in Northern Ireland in 1999 before qualifying a solicitor in Scotland in 2000. In 2011 he was accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in Employment Law. Barry acts predominantly for employers of all kinds and sizes ranging from owner managed businesses to PLC’s. Barry has a particular interest and involvement in the education sector advising a number of Universities and independent schools. Barry deals with all aspects of employment law both contentious and non-contentious. This has ranged from advising clients in respect to disciplinary and grievance matters, redundancies and business transfers, maternity and paternity rights and discrimination and equality issues. He regularly provides bespoke training and workshops on employment law issues to clients.

There are now eleven serving members on the Arts & Business Scotland Board. Full details are on our website.