The Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs Gillian Martin MSP has announced the appointment of Emily Johns as a member of the Cairngorms National Park Authority board. This appointment will be for four years and will run from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2030.

Emily Johns is a chartered accountant with experience in governance, finance, audit and risk management, as well as nature restoration and strategy. Having started her career in finance with Unilever, she currently works for SSEN Transmission, leading the development and delivery of large-scale nature restoration programmes, including peatland, woodland and biodiversity enhancement projects across the north of Scotland, as well as leading the development and delivery of the overall nature strategy.

Sandy Bremner, Convener at the Cairngorms National Park Authority, said: “I am very much looking forward to Emily’s contribution to a Board which has a laser focus on delivering for people and nature. She joins us at an exciting time as we work with our partners to finalise a new plan to scale up and speed delivery of actions to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing rural Scotland.”

Additionally, the nomination process for the election of Deputy Board Convener closed on Monday 3 August at 12 noon. One nomination for Eleanor Mackintosh was received from Sandy Bremner and seconded by Jackie Brierton. 

In line with the Park Authority’s standing orders, as only one candidate has been nominated, Eleanor Mackintosh has been re-elected as Deputy Convener. Eleanor Mackintosh will continue in her role until 8 September 2029, providing there are no changes to her position following the direct elections to the board in March 2027.