Ally Boyle MBE will take on the role next month.

A former firefighter awarded an MBE for services to charity will head up Public Health Scotland from next month. 

Ally Boyle MBE will take on the position for four years alongside his varying other roles in public life.

His leadership roles have been shaped by personal experience of serious illness and by his work with organisations including the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), Blood Cancer UK, Anthony Nolan, and Cancer Research UK.

Ally is a non-executive director for NHS Lanarkshire board where he is the board vice chair, the chair of the Population Health Committee and a voting member of the South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board. He is also a Non-Executive Director of NHS Education for Scotland. 

He retired from the Fire and Rescue Service in 2014 having held many senior positions across the west of Scotland. Prior to the reform of Scottish Fire & Rescue Services he was the Head of Community Safety for Strathclyde Fire & Rescue and a member of the Corporate Management Team. 

Ally Boyle, incoming PHS chair, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to take up the role of chair of Public Health Scotland. I want to acknowledge the significant contribution of Angiolina, whose leadership has helped shape the organisation’s foundations. 

“I’m looking forward to meeting colleagues across PHS, listening to your perspectives and working together to build on this progress.

"As PHS chair, I will ensure that we deliver on the ambitions of the Population Health Framework while playing our full part in wider public sector reform. By combining our expertise, creativity, and shared commitment, I believe we can make a real and lasting difference for our communities, working with them to improve life expectancy and health outcomes”