This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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New deputy chair for environment agency
31/01/2003
The appointment of Mr Nick Kuenssberg as the new Deputy
Chair of the Board of the Scottish Environment Protection
Agency (SEPA) was announced today.
Deputy Environment Minister Allan Wilson said:
"It is important that the Chair of SEPA is supported by
a Deputy who has the relevant depth of knowledge and
experience in corporate management. Nick Kuenssberg's
skills and expertise at senior management and board level
in the private sector are invaluable to SEPA.
"I believe that in his new role he will continue to make
a positive contribution to developing the work of the
Agency as it moves forward to face new challenges following
its recent organisational restructuring."
The post is part-time and currently attracts an annual
remuneration of £8,668 (including the Board member's salary
of £5,779 per annum) for a time commitment of 3 days per
month. This salary is subject to annual review by the
Scottish Executive.
Mr Kuenssberg's appointment as Deputy Chair of SEPA runs
from January 21, 2003 until December 31, 2003, when his
present term of office as a Board member comes to an end.
Mr Kuenssberg has served as a member of the SEPA Board
since January 1999.
Nick Kuenssberg is a businessman from the west of
Scotland who is chairman of Iomart Group plc, GAP Group
Ltd, Stac Affinity Services PLC and Canmore Partnership Ltd
and non-executive director of Chamberlin & Hill plc and
RingProp plc. He is also chairman of ScotlandIS, Scotland
the Brand and Scottish Networks International. Previously
an executive director of Coats Viyella plc and Dawson
International plc, chairman of Stoddard International plc
and non-executive director of Standard Life Assurance
Company and Scottish Power plc amongst other companies. Mr
Kuenssberg was also formerly a Visiting Professor at
Strathclyde Business School, chairman of the Institute of
Directors, Scotland and a member of the Secretary of State
for Scotland's Advisory Group on Sustainable Development
from 1996 to 1999. He has also been a Board member of the
Scottish Legal Aid Board since 1996 for which he receives
an annual remuneration of £7,600. Mr Kuenssberg has not
been politically active in the last five years.
SEPA was established as an executive non-departmental
public body (NDPB) under the Environmental Protection Act
1995. It became fully operational in 1996, has a total
projected expenditure of £45.275 million for 2002-03 and
employs around 870 staff at 21 locations across Scotland.
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The agency operates within a framework agreed with the
Scottish Ministers. Its aim is to provide an efficient and
integrated environment protection system for Scotland which
will both improve the environment and contribute to the
Executive's goal of sustainable development.
This Ministerial Public Appointment was made in
accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Office
of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA). The
post has been vacant since the end of last year following
the resignation of Deirdre Hutton, but the appointment of a
replacement was held over until completion of the recent
round of SEPA Board appointments which was announced on
17 January 2003.
All SEPA Board members were invited to apply for the
Deputy Chair post. Candidates were then assessed and the
process was audited by an independent assessor. A statement
of validation from the independent assessor confirms full
compliance with the OCPA Code of Practice at each stage of
the appointment process.
The other SEPA Board members are Ken Collins (Chair),
Brian Clark, Susan Clark, Stanley Dagg, Fred Edwards, Bill
Furness, Bill Howatson, Russell Imrie, Barry Rose and Susan
Walker.