Sunday 21 January 2018

Six new members have been appointed to the Advisory Committee of British Council Scotland following an open application process. They join their colleagues on the Committee in acting as advocates for the British Council’s work in Scotland, advising senior staff, and helping Scotland connect with and contribute to the wider world. 

The new members (listed below) represent a variety of backgrounds, and in doing so demonstrate the reach and scope of the British Council’s work across the arts, education and society sectors.

  • Beth Bate, Director of Dundee Contemporary Arts
  • Janette Harkess, Director of External Relations for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
  • Marcus Herbert, Head of Online and Learning at BBC Scotland
  • Steven Kidd, Professional Advisor (Scotland) at UNICEF UK
  • Dr Bill Maxwell, Education Consultant and former Chief Executive of Education Scotland
  • Angela Morgan, Chair of the Scottish Community Development Centre and former Chief Executive of Includem

The Scotland Advisory Committee is chaired by Willy Roe CBE, a strategic consultant and facilitator, with 30 years’ experience in education, public services, partnerships, and leadership development in the UK and internationally. 

Welcoming the appointments, British Council Scotland Director, Jackie Killeen said, “We were honoured to receive a high number of strong applications from a wide range of individuals. We were further encouraged by a clear common theme shared among applicants, namely the need for us to work together to make sure that Scotland continues to benefit from having open and mutually beneficial international relationships, however uncertain the wider environment may be. 

“Through their breadth of knowledge and experience, these new members will enrich our work in bringing international and intercultural experience to life for people and communities all across Scotland.” 

In 2018, British Council Scotland will be engaged in activities which include bringing an international focus to the Year of Young People, delivering the Future News Worldwide 2018 youth journalism conference at the Scottish Parliament, and working to engage Scottish organisations with exchange and mobility programmes such as Erasmus+. 

ENDS.

Notes to Editor

Full biographical details are available on the Scotland Advisory Committee webpage.

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We work with over 100 countries in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Last year we reached over 65 million people directly and 731 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. We make a positive contribution to the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. Founded in 1934 we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive 15 per cent core funding grant from the UK government. britishcouncil.org