Published: 08 Feb 2017
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in Scotland has announced the appointment of four new committee members to progress equality in the country.
The new committee members are Professor Nicole Busby, Professor of Labour Law at the University of Strathclyde; David Crichton, Chair of NHS Health Scotland; Claire MacGillivray, Development Coordinator for Edinburgh Tenants Federation and Naomi McAuliffe, Amnesty International Programme Director - Scotland and Manager of Human Rights Consortium Scotland.
Welcoming their appointment, EHRC Scotland Commissioner Dr Lesley Sawers said:
"We are delighted to have appointed such a broad range of talented people to our Scotland Committee. The committee brings considerable expertise and knowledge, to work alongside the EHRC Scotland team, to help drive forward the equality and human rights agenda in Scotland.
"Equality and human rights are at the heart of Scottish civic life and we are rightly proud of our inclusive society, however there are still challenges to face and obstacles to overcome. As our 2016 report ‘Is Scotland Fairer?’ indicates, for some Scots, young people, disabled Scots and gypsy travellers in particular, inequality and discrimination is still of significant concern.
"We look forward to working with colleagues and partners across Scottish civic society to ensure Scotland meets these challenges and delivers our potential as a global standard on equality and human rights."
Notes to editors
For more information contact Sarah Thoms on 0141 228 5974.
Biographies of each new committee member can be found below. They will start their terms today and will be in post between two and five years. They join existing committee members Emma Ritch, Lorraine Barrie, Des McNulty and Colin Young.
Nicole Busby has worked as a legal academic in Scotland for over 20 years and is currently Professor of Labour Law at the University of Strathclyde. She lectures and researches in the areas of equality, human rights and employment law and has specific expertise in EU law. Professor Busby has led several renowned research projects on the employment tribunal system and work-family reconciliation. She has also led on the promotion of gender equality within Higher Education throughout her career.
David Crichton is Chair of NHS Health Scotland, having been appointed in December 2016. Health Scotland is a public health body with a particular focus on reducing health inequalities.
Before joining Health Scotland David worked as an international development advisor for nine years, primarily in Afghanistan where he led economic development projects for the UK, US and Canadian international development agencies.
Earlier in his career, David was Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian.
Clare MacGillivray is Development Coordinator for Edinburgh Tenants Federation. As chief officer, part of her role was establishing the human rights in housing project to empower residents using a human rights based approach. She also worked for the Tenants Information Service for nine years and is a Commissioner for the East Lothian Poverty Commission.
Naomi McAuliffe is the Head of Amnesty International’s Scotland Office. She has campaigned on an extensive range of human rights issues including the poverty and human rights programme covering maternal health, housing rights and Roma and Gypsy Traveller discrimination. She also ran the Stop Violence Against Women campaign for Scotland.
Naomi manages Human Rights Consortium Scotland, a network of civil society organisations who work together to protect and promote a human rights based society in Scotland, which is currently hosted by Amnesty Scotland.