Mental health director chosen to chair Scottish Human Rights Commission

A mental health programme director with a prior career at Oxfam is to be the next chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission, if the Scottish Parliament approves the choice.

Holyrood will this week be invited to nominate Judith Robertson to the Queen for appointment as the successor to Professor Alan Miller, who stands down from the post in March.  

Ms Robertson has had a long-standing involvement in international issues, in social justice issues and in advocating for change and for the rights of many disadvantaged groups. Currently the programme director of See Me, Scotland’s national programme to end mental health stigma and discrimination, she previously spent 17 years with Oxfam, first as programme manager for Oxfam’s poverty programme in Scotland and then as head of Oxfam Scotland.

The appointment is full time for a fixed period of six years, with a salary of £70,000. It follows an open recruitment process which sought candidates with senior management experience as well as a commitment to promoting and protecting human rights issues.