This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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New CEO for Historic Scotland
23/06/2004
John Graham was today announced as the new Chief
Executive of Historic Scotland by the Permanent
Secretary.
Historic Scotland is the executive agency responsible
for safeguarding the protection and presentation of the
nation's built heritage.
Mr Graham will succeed Graeme Munro who is due to retire
in August 2004. Mr Munro was appointed first Director and
Chief Executive of Historic Scotland when it was
established in 1991. He will retire just after his 60th
birthday having been with the civil service for over 36
years.
Commenting on his retiral Mr Munro said:
"It has been an enormous privilege to have been involved
in the creation of Historic Scotland and to have led it
during a period when so much has been achieved, and when
the importance of the built heritage has come to be more
widely appreciated.
"I have enjoyed the support of a great team of
colleagues. I wish them and my successor all the very best
for the future."
John Graham welcomed the challenge of leading Historic
Scotland. He said:
"I am pleased to be joining Historic Scotland at such an
important time. As a keen supporter of its work I recognise
that there are many challenges facing the agency and. I
look forward to working with my colleagues to implement the
findings of the recent Historic Scotland review."
Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport Frank McAveety
welcomed Mr Graham's appointment. He said:
"I welcome Mr Graham's appointment as Historic
Scotland's new Chief Executive. The recent review
recommended a number of changes to the way in which
Historic Scotland operates. Mr Graham will now be charged
with delivering those ambitious plans for how our historic
environment is managed."Historic Scotland has an important
role on behalf of Scottish Ministers in safeguarding and
presenting our built heritage. The heritage is an enormous
asset to Scotland both economically and culturally.
John Graham was born 1950. Educated at the Edinburgh
Academy and Corpus Christi College, Oxford (BA in Classics
and Ancient History). He joined The Scottish Office 1972.
Private Secretary to Minister of State 1975-76.
Various posts dealing with Housing, Electricity and
General Industry Policy. Assistant Secretary in Scottish
Economic Planning Department 1982. Private Secretary to the
Secretary of State (The Rt Hon George Younger MP) 1983-85.
Head of Planning Division 1985. Head of Central Finance
Division 1990. Under Secretary and Head of Local Government
Group 1991. Head of Finance Group and Principal Finance
Officer 1996. Secretary of Scottish Office Agriculture,
Environment and Fisheries Department from June 1998 to June
1999. Secretary and Head of Scottish Executive Rural
Affairs Department (now Environment and Rural Affairs
Department) from 1 July 1999.
Historic Scotland was created in 1991 and is an agency
of the Scottish Executive. Education Department. The agency
is directly responsible to Scottish Ministers. and all the
functions are carried out on their behalf.
The agency's key objective is to protect and conserve
Scotland's built heritage and encourage its appreciation
and enjoyment by the public. Historic Scotland care for
around 330 properties in all parts of the country and which
span 5,000 years of history. Among them are sites of unique
importance, like the Neolithic tomb of Maeshowe which is a
World Heritage Site and internationally-famous icons like
Edinburgh Castle.