Advisory Board

Ann graduated in law from the University of Strathclyde and is a qualified solicitor. After a substantial career in private legal practice, she was elected in 2001 as Member of Parliament for Glasgow Maryhill and from 2005 to 2015 represented the Glasgow North seat. 

During her parliamentary career, she served on several select committees including Scottish Affairs, International Development, Arms Export Control and latterly on the Business, Innovations & Skills committee. Between 2008 and 2010 she was appointed as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Scotland Office and from 2010 to 2011 was Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland in the Labour Shadow Cabinet. 

After leaving politics she worked as Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Scottish Power which she left in 2019 to pursue a portfolio career. She is currently Chair of the Scottish Prison Service Advisory Board and Vice Chair of Public Health Scotland. In addition, she is a member of the General Optical Council Hearings Panel, the General Chiropractic Council Professional Conduct Committee, the board of Smart Energy GB which runs the UK smart metering campaign, and a trustee of EMMS International.

Steve is a qualified accountant and currently Executive Director of Finance & Operations for The Law Society of Scotland.    He has held senior positions in both private and public sector organisations with responsibilities across a breadth of corporate functions including Finance, HR, Estates, IT and Governance.

With over 20 years in consultancy and interim roles Steve also brings expertise in Programme and project management and the delivery of transformational change.  His previous non-executive experience includes 6 years as a Trustee of SACRO including as chair of the Finance & HR committee.

Lynne is an experienced HR and Operations director who has worked extensively in the UK and abroad, across a variety of sectors from financial services to construction. Lynne holds degrees from Strathclyde and Napier Universities as well as professional qualifications in HR management. Latterly in her executive career Lynne held the role of Senior Vice President, HR and Shared Services for KCA Deutag, an international Oil and Gas company based in Aberdeen. Lynne has significant executive experience within HR and shared services including IT and supply chain management.

In addition to SPS, Lynne is a Non Executive Director of Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd and Ithaca Energy PLC where she also chairs the Remuneration Committee. She is also a chairing member of the Children's Panel and was previously a Trustee of a UK wide drug and alcohol charity called 'We are With You'.

With over 25 years of experience in the third sector, including over a decade at RNIB and 12 years in various management roles within the NHS, Billy Watson has served as CEO of SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health) since 2008 and under his leadership, the organization celebrated its centenary year across 2023 and is now poised to embark on its fourth transformational strategy, reaffirming its dedication to providing comprehensive mental health support across Scotland.

Beyond his professional achievements, Billy's commitment to social impact and community engagement is evident through his tenure as Trustee Chair of the Big Hearts Community Trust, leaving behind a legacy of charitable work and advocacy at the end of his term. Billy has now joined the Advisory Board of the Scottish Prison Service as a Non-Executive Director, assisting the Board with oversight on key areas such as health and wellbeing, human rights, risks, safety and performance monitoring.

Gill has been a non executive member of the SPS Advisory Board since 2020. She originally trained as a nurse and is a graduate of Queen Margaret University Edinburgh. She held various clinical roles across primary and secondary care both in Scotland and South of the Border before laterally being the Chief Operating Officer for NHS24 where she led the operational build and rollout of the service across Scotland.

Gill previously held the position of Non Executive Director of South Lanarkshire College where she was the independent member responsible for whistleblowing. Gill was a chairing member of the children Hearing Scotland.

Since leaving NHS 24 Gill has held a ministerial appointment as a safeguarder where she is appointed by children’s hearing panels and court to protect the interest of children involved in the proceedings. 

Gill Chairs the death in prison learning and review group as an independent chair.

John’s career includes CEO and board level roles in HR, Marketing and Corporate Services in a range of sectors and regions. He is currently Deputy CEO of a new third sector organisation.

He holds professional HR, marketing and coaching qualifications and is a graduate of Birmingham City and Edinburgh Universities.

John is also Chair of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Partnership and a board member of Edinburgh Leisure together with being Chair of BATs, a community sports organisation working across North Edinburgh. He co-founded the first Ukrainian weekend school in Edinburgh in mid-2023.

John is an avid sports and arts fan and has played, coached and refereed rugby and football.
 

Ian is a member of the Advisory Board and also chairs the Risk Monitoring & Audit Committee.  Outside of SPS Ian has built his career in financial services having held senior roles with Prudential and more recently with Bupa’s insurance business, where he is currently a key member of the executive team.  Before moving into financial services he spent eight years in the public sector including Audit Scotland and the NHS.  His career has always focused on governance, risk and control. Ian has a particular interest in organisational improvement and developing those around him.

Outside of working life Ian has an interest in how the third sector can influence and improve sustainability and help address the climate crisis. He was a trustee of Circular Communities Scotland for over two years and is currently a trustee of Climate Action Strathaven.