Passing the Baton
In the year of the delayed Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, it seems appropriate to make an athletics reference as I leave the Sustainable Scotland Network. I will shortly be taking up a new role in the private sector and as such, I have had to tender my resignation from SSN. So I am passing the green baton onto John Wincott (Fife College). John has been Vice-Chair of SSN for the past couple of years and I am confident I’m leaving SSN in safe hands. That means we also have a change of Vice-Chair and I’m delighted to say that Mark Williams from Scottish Water will be taking up this role.
Leaving my roles in both the NHS and SSN has got me thinking about succession planning and its importance in building a sustainable and zero-carbon future. I do believe that those of us who have worked in the climate change and sustainability fields for some time have a responsibility to share our knowledge and expertise with others, and to mentor people who want to pursue this as a career. The term ‘sustainability’ has a number of meanings, but includes the resilience of our ‘green’ workforce into the future. Climate change is not going away – in fact, the journey to zero-carbon has only just begun and vital work will still be happening long after I have retired.
The abundance of expertise within the SSN cannot be underestimated. From the resources on the SSN website to the SSN members themselves, this is a network of world-leading experts who will ensure that the Scottish public sector is seen as exemplar in its response to the Climate Emergency.
It has been a privilege to lead this wonderful network for the last 2 and a half years and I wish John and colleagues every success for the future
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Kate for the tremendous amount of hard work and support she has given SSN over the past few years and wish her the best of luck in her new role!