This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
SEPA re-appointments
20/01/2004
Two board members have been re-appointed to the Board of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
Nick Kuenssberg has been re-appointed as Deputy Chair to the Board while Brian Clark has been re-appointed as a Board member.
Board members are part time and the posts currently attract a remuneration of £5,909 for a commitment of two days per month. The Deputy Chair post is also part time and currently attracts an annual remuneration of £8,863 (including the Board member's salary of £5,909 per annum) for a commitment of three days per month. These salaries are subject to annual review by the Scottish Executive. Both appointees take up appointments which run from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2007.
Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development said:
"SEPA plays a vital role in safeguarding and improving our environment. I am delighted to announce that Nick Kuenssberg and Brian Clark have accepted my invitation to serve as members of the Board of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency for a second term.
"I am also pleased that Nick Kuenssberg has accepted the Executive's invitation to serve for a further term as Deputy Chair. 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's expertise at senior management and board level in the private sector is invaluable to SEPA.
"I very much appreciate the experience and knowledge that Stan Dagg and Bill Furness, whose terms of appointment came to an end on 31 December 2003, brought to SEPA during their time as members of the Board. I am grateful to them for their valuable contribution and personal commitment to the service of SEPA over the years.
"SEPA has faced significant challenges over recent years, as a result both of new responsibilities and organisational changes. I am aware of the key role which the Board has played in enabling the Agency to meet these and I appreciate the contribution which the Board members have made in doing so."
SEPA was established as an executive non departmental public body (NDPB) under the Environmental Protection Act 1995, with responsibility for environment protection in Scotland. It became fully operational in 1996, has a total projected expenditure of £47 million for 2003 to 04 and employs around 950 staff at 22 locations across Scotland. 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.
Nick Kuenssberg has served as a member of the SEPA Board since January 1999 and Deputy Chair since January 2003. He is a businessman from the west of Scotland who is chairman of Iomart Group plc, GAP Group Ltd, Scotland the Brand, Scottish Networks International and Canmore Partnership Ltd. He is Chairman of Glasgow School of Art and non-executive director of Chamberlin & Hill plc and RingProp plc. Formerly Chairman of ScotlandIS and previously an executive director of Coats Viyella 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;
he is due to retire at the end of March 2004. Mr Kuenssberg has not been politically active in the last five years.
Brian Clark is Professor of Environmental Management and Planning at Aberdeen University and with 32 years experience of environmental management and impact assessment in Scotland and worldwide. Founder and former director of Centre for Environmental Management and Planning (CEMP), providing consultancy, research and training in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and capacity building. He is also Chair of SEPA's North Region Board. Professor Clark has not been politically active in the last five years. He is also a member of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) to which he was jointly appointed by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministers of the Devolved Administrations, and receives remuneration of £15,000 per year in this role.
These Ministerial Public Appointments were made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
Currently the other SEPA Board members are:
Sir Ken Collins (Chair), Susan Clark, Fred Edwards, Bill Howatson, Russell Imrie, Barry Rose, Susan Walker and Campbell Gemmell (Chief Executive).