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13 June 2024

Historic Environment Scotland appoints new CEO

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Katerina Brown as our new Chief Executive.

Portrait of Katerina Brown, pictured in front of the Flodden Wall, with Edinburgh Castle in the background.

Katerina joins HES from the National Trust for Scotland, where she currently serves as Chief Operating Officer. She brings a deep commitment to heritage preservation and is highly motivated to further HES’s role in contributing to Scotland’s economy; education and skills development; net zero targets and the wider cultural landscape.

I feel truly privileged and humbled to lead Historic Environment Scotland,” said Katerina. “My experience across public, private, and charitable sectors has provided me with a comprehensive understanding of how to lead organisations for the benefit of all.”

Katerina boasts a wealth of knowledge from both national and international financial services, as well as renewable energy and property. Her background, coupled with her experience in the cultural heritage sector, positions her perfectly to lead HES forward.

Dr. Hugh Hall, Chair of Historic Environment Scotland, welcomed Katerina’s appointment.

Her passion for Scotland, her experience in the heritage sector and her successful track record in business combine to make her an outstanding candidate for the job. Katerina brings a wealth of experience and knowledge and will play a leading role in delivering Scotland’s ambitious heritage strategy, which impacts significantly on many aspects of people’s lives,” he commented.

Katerina is eager to embrace the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. “To care for assets of national significance and international renown, to embrace advances in technology, while at the same time preserving traditional skills so that our future generations can continue to enjoy all that Scotland offers, makes me excited,” she concluded.

Angus Robertson, Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, commented “We welcome the appointment of Katerina Brown as the new Chief Executive of Historic Environment Scotland. She brings a high level of experience and knowledge to the role and clearly has a proven passion for Scotland’s historic environment to match.

We look forward to working with Katerina to help sustain and enhance the benefits of Scotland’s historic environment for people and communities both now and in the future."

Katerina will report to the HES Board and will also be the designated Accountable Officer to the Scottish Government. Timescales for when Katerina will take up her new role are still being finalised. 

Historic Environment Scotland is the lead public body for Scotland’s historic environment. The organisation is committed to caring for, protecting, and promoting Scotland’s heritage for the benefit of present and future generations.

About Historic Environment Scotland (HES) 

  • We are the lead body for Scotland’s historic environment, a charity dedicated to the advancement of heritage, culture, education and environmental protection. It is at the forefront of researching and understanding the historic environment and addressing the impacts of climate change on its future, investigating and recording architectural and archaeological sites and landscapes across Scotland and caring for more than 300 properties of national importance. We are also the lead on delivering Scotland's strategy for the historic environment, Our Past, Our Future.
  • Historic Scotland, Scran, Canmore, The National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP), The Engine Shed, Stirling Castle, and Edinburgh Castle are sub-brands of HES.
  • View our press pack and keep up to date by registering to receive our media releases. Already registered? You can unsubscribe at any time by following the unsubscribe link, included in every email.

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For further information, please contact:

Julia Woolman
Historic Environment Scotland Media Office
07721 959 962
communications@hes.scot

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