Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism Jim Mather announced today the appointment of five new members to the Highlands and Islands Enterprise Board.

The new members being appointed are Professor Mary Bownes, Professor Lorne Crerar, James Royan, Craig Spence and Steven Thomson.

Professor Mary Bownes is Vice Principal and Professor of Developmental Biology at the University of Edinburgh with strategic responsibility for post graduate students, widening participation and recruitment of undergraduate students and community relations. She was previously Head of the Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Edinburgh and has undertaken research in Germany and California. She is a member of the University of the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute Research Committee, a member of the Scottish Funding Council Skills Committee and has, until recently been Chair of the Studentships and Fellowships Panel, and a member of the Strategy Board for the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

Professor Lorne Crerar LLB (Hons) NP is a founding partner and Chairman of leading Scottish commercial law firm Harper Macleod LLP, which has offices in Glasgow, Edinbugh and Inverness. He has held the part-time Chair of Banking Law at Glasgow University since 1997. Lorne has broad experience of public sector operations. He was formerly Deputy Chairman of Scottish Enterprise Glasgow and one of three Chairmen of the Housing Improvement Task Force with his group completing their work in 2002. He sits on the appointed implementation team for the single survey process, one of his task force proposals. He was appointed as Convener of the Standards Commission in June 2003 (under the Ethical Standards in Public Life (Scotland Act 2000). Lorne resigned from this office in September 2006 to take up the Chair of the 'Independent Review of Regulation, Audit, Inspection and Complaints Handling of Public Services in Scotland' which reported in September 2007. Lorne is a non-Executive Director of the Scottish Government Justice Programme Board, and resides in Glasgow and Gairloch, Wester Ross.

Jim Royan operates Scotland's oldest family butchers business in Elgin. He was a Commissioner in the Meat and Livestock Commission from 1978-95 and for the last fourteen years has fulfilled leadership roles in the NHS in Scotland including that of Chair of NHS Grampian from 2001- 2007. Jim has extensive experience in the private and public sectors and is currently a Governor of the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen and has recently been appointed to the board of Quality Meat Scotland.

Craig Spence was raised on his family farm just outside Kirkwall. In 1997 he graduated in Accounting from Napier University in Edinburgh, and returned to Orkney. A former hotel co-owner, he is a partner in a property and high-quality self-catering business based in Kirkwall. He also has business interests in Europe and Canada. Craig is a non-executive director of NHS Orkney, Chairman of Orkney Children's Panel and a member of the Orkney Public Sector Reform Board. A keen football fan, he is also a member of Orkney Flying Club.

Steve Thomson has followed a career in consulting and investment banking with Burson Marsteller, USB Philips & Drew and then latterly as Managing Director of Credit Suisse First Boston. Following a global career located in a number of countries, in 1999 he took over a small business providing international clients with intelligence and analysis of the Russian and CIS aviation sector. The business has employees on a global basis and relocated to Tiree with Steve and his family in 2004, where it continues to operate. Steve has become increasingly involved in a number of community ventures including Tiree Community Broadband and Tiree Renewable Energy Limited and Our Power based in Cairndow run by local charity 'Here We Are'.

Appointments to the Highlands and Islands Enterprise Board will be staged, with members commencing appointment as follows:

Professor Mary Bownes, Professor Lorne Crerar and Jim Royan appointments will run for a period of three years from April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2011.

Craig Spence and Steven Thomson appointments will run for a period of three years and six months from October 1, 2008 to March 31, 2012.

The posts are part-time and attract remuneration of £10,065 per annum for a time commitment of two days per month.

Jim Royan has recently been appointed to the board of Quality Meat Scotland and will also take up this post on April 1, 2008; this is a part time post for which he will receive remuneration of £155 per day for a time commitment of eight - 12 days per year.

Craig Spence was appointed by Scottish Ministers as member and Chair of the Children's Panel in Orkney for which receives no remuneration and as a Non-Executive Director of NHS Orkney, a part time post which attracts remuneration £5,230 per annum for a time commitment of eight hours per week.

None of the other appointees hold any other Ministerial appointments.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise is the Scottish Government's main agency for economic development in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The Scottish Government provides the Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise with a clear strategic direction through the Government Economic Strategy.

These Ministerial public appointments were made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees' political activity (if there is any to be declared) to be made public. None of the appointees have declared political activity.