Chair of the Commission
Angela O’Hagan was most recently Professor of Equality and Public Policy at Glasgow Caledonian University where she created the current MSc in Human Rights and previously led the MSc in Citizenship and Human Rights. She was also Deputy Director of the WISE Centre for Economic Justice.
Her career encompasses leadership roles in the community and statutory sectors in Scotland, including as Director of Carers Scotland, and Head of Campaigns and Communications with Oxfam Scotland, after a period with the Equal Opportunities Commission.
Throughout her career Professor O’Hagan has focused on integrating equality and human rights analysis in public policy, policy analysis and service design. She has served on a number of advisory and project groups with successive Scottish Governments including currently as the independent chair of the Equality and Human Rights Budget Advisory Group, a member of the National Advisory Council on Women and Girls, and previously as a member of the Commission on Local Tax Reform.
Professor O’Hagan has an international profile, particularly in gender and human rights budgeting, and through membership of academic and civil society networks. In 2019, she was awarded the Jo Cox Award for Public Service and Activity Citizenship by the Political Studies Association.
Members of the Commission and Executive Director
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Shelley Gray
Member of the Commission
Email Register of InterestShelley has 20 years’ experience in the third sector in roles spanning engagement, policy and strategy development and she is currently Head of Policy and Communications at Corra Foundation, where she has a focus on human rights, diversity, equity and inclusion and racial justice.
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Jim Farish
Member of the Commission
Email Register of InterestJim is currently a board member of the Risk Management Authority having retired from the Scottish Prison Service. During his prison service career he held a number of senior positions including having been Governor of four prisons and he was seconded to HMIPS where he held the position of Deputy Chief Inspector.
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Claire Methven O’Brien
Member of the Commission
Email Register of InterestDr Claire Methven O’Brien has worked internationally as a human rights researcher, practitioner and advocate for more than 20 years and currently holds teaching and other positions at the University of Dundee, the University of Strathclyde Business School and the Danish Institute for Human Rights.
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Jan Savage
Executive Director
Email Register of InterestJan leads and shapes the delivery of operational and strategic priorities across the Commission. She has experience in leadership, corporate governance, human rights, communications, public affairs, and participation work, with a particular focus on campaigns to achieve real change.
Legal & Policy
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Cathy Asante
Legal Officer - Rights Based Approach
Cathy is a qualified solicitor and Legal Officer at the Commission. She leads the Commission’s work in promoting a human rights based approach.
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Eleanor Deeming Johnstone
Legal Officer
Eleanor is a qualified solicitor and Legal Officer at the Commission. She provides legal and policy advice to support all of the Commission’s functions and leads the Commission’s work on social security.
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Dr Alison Hosie
Research Officer
Alison is the research officer at the Commission. She leads the Commission's research needs by developing and managing external research contracts and undertaking primary and secondary research.
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Dr Luis F Yanes
Legal Policy Development Officer
Luis is an international human rights lawyer and an expert in economic, social and cultural rights. He leads the Commission’s work in this area and proposals for a new human rights bill for Scotland.
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Oonagh Brown
Policy and Participation Officer
Oonagh leads and delivers the Commission’s participation work with people who are affected by a range of human rights issues. She has an expertise in inclusion, diversity, and supporting people to use human rights to achieve change.
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Eilidh Dickson
Policy & International Officer
Eilidh leads our work on international scrutiny of human rights in Scotland. Eilidh is an experienced policy and advocacy professional with a background in women’s rights.
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Lauren Bruce
Project Worker: Policy & International
Lauren carries out monitoring and tracking of policy, legislative and scrutiny processes and small-scale research at the Commission. She supports ongoing project and planning work across the team.
Communications & Engagement
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Elizabeth Dawson
Head of Communications & Engagement
Elizabeth is part of the Senior Leadership Team, managing strategic communications and engagement work for the Commission. She is a member of the communications working group of the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions.
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Judy Fladmark
Media & Communications Officer
Judy coordinates and carries out media, social media and wider communications activities for the Commission. She is an experienced senior producer and journalist and has previously worked for the BBC News and Current Affairs.
Corporate Services
The Head of Commission Secretariat and Business Support leads a team of business support administrators that help the Commission's work through a range of services including finance, governance support, information and records management, statutory compliance, IT and facilities. In addition to day-to-day service delivery, the team works on development projects that contribute to the on-going performance of the organisation.
The team is the first point of contact for people contacting the Commission via our public enquiries email address: hello@scottishhumanrights.com.