A new director for scotland
Maf Smith, currently the Chief Executive of the Scottish Renewables Forum, has been appointed as Scottish Director of the Sustainable Development Commission. He will start his new role in November 2006.
This is the first time the Commission has appointed a Scottish Director, reflecting the enhanced role the Commission will assume as a result of ‘Choosing Our Future: Scotland’s Sustainable Development Strategy’.
Working with the Scottish based Commissioners, Professor Jan Bebbington and Hugh Raven, the Maf will lead an expanded team in Scotland. The Commission’s role will continue to be as an advocate and adviser to the Scottish Executive on sustainable development, reporting directly to the First Minister.
Jan Bebbington welcomed this important development:
“I warmly welcome Maf Smith in his new post as Scottish Director for the SDC. This is an exciting time for the Commission as it grows to take on new responsibilities. Following an open competition, Maf emerged as the best person for this challenging role and I am delighted at the prospect of working with him as the Commission in Scotland moves into the next phase of its life.”
In formally accepting the post, Maf Smith acknowledged the importance of the newly expanded role for the SDC in Scotland:
“The SDC has already established a strong track record for the quality of its analysis and its advice to the Scottish Executive, and I am delighted to be taking up the challenge of further developing its role in Scotland and growing the organisation to create a centre of excellence on the policy and practice of sustainable development.”
About Maf
Prior to joining the SDC, Maf was the Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, the Forum for Scotland’s Renewable Energy Industry. Scottish Renewables has been working since 1996 to support development and provision of a sustainable energy future for Scotland. It works with its Members, Government and regulatory bodies on key issues such as finance, planning and energy distribution. Maf worked at Scottish Renewables from 2002 to 2006, during which time the organisation's representation increased from 50 to over 200, and it secured its position as an authoritative voice on renewable energy issues in Scotland.
Before working at Scottish Renewables, Maf was the Manager of Furness Energy Partnership – a European SAVE agency in Cumbria, England – running a range of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Previous to this he worked as an environmental officer for Barrow Borough Council in Cumbria, and as an environmental researcher. Maf is also the co-author of the Earthscan book “Greening the Built Environment”.
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- News: September 2006