BOARD APPOINTMENTS AT CREATIVE SCOTLAND

31st January 2009

Two further non-executive directors for the company that will complete work to merge the Scottish Arts Council (SAC) and Scottish Screen (SS) into Creative Scotland - the new single national development body for arts and culture - were named today.

Chair of Creative Scotland 2009 Ltd, Ewan Brown, welcomed Dr Chris Masters CBE and Peter Cabrelli, who will join the new company's board which meets for the first time today.

Ewan Brown said: "I am delighted that we have been able to attract people of the calibre of Chris Masters and Peter Cabrelli who both have senior business and change experience as well as direct current involvement in the creative sector in Scotland.

"Together with Richard Holloway, who will be our link with the Joint Board of SAC and SS, we are putting together a strong board to implement the creation of the new body. I expect that we will make a further non-executive appointment in the next few weeks."

Minister for Culture Linda Fabiani said: "I welcome the appointment of these board members who, along with Ewan Brown, will set the groundwork for establishing Creative Scotland as a statutory NDPB.

"The process of change often brings challenges but more importantly, it opens up opportunities. In this case, the opportunity is immense - to improve the way in which our creative people are supported and build a truly creative nation.

"This Government is committed to realising all the potential that Creative Scotland holds while guaranteeing that no money budgeted to provide grants to artists will be used for transition costs.

"I have every confidence in Ewan Brown and the board of Creative Scotland 2009 Ltd who will bring about an organisation which is dynamic, responsive and designed to ensure opportunity and prosperity for our creative community."

Non Executive Directors biographies

Dr Chris Masters CBE is currently the Chair of Sagentia AG, a technology consulting and development company based in Cambridge and of the Festival City Theatres Trust in Edinburgh. He also holds a number of other non-executive directorships, including The Crown Agents and the Wood Group PLC. He was previously chief executive of Christian Salvesen, executive chair of Aggreko and chair of the Scottish Funding Council.

Peter Cabrelli is a Director of the National Theatre of Scotland, Chairman of the Scotland Committee of Fields in Trust (National Playing Fields Association) and a non-executive Member of the Court of the University of St Andrews. He was previously Group Human Resources Director at HBOS plc and at Pearson plc, the international publishing group.