Three people were selected by Scottish ministers this week

A third sector policy expert and others with charity experience have been appointed as a Land Commissioners by the Scottish Government. 

This week the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon MSP, announced the appointment of two Land Commissioners and a Tenant Farming Commissioner of the Scottish Land Commission.

Among those is Dr Calum MacLeod senior policy and public affairs officer for the Mental Health Foundation in Scotland. 

Dr MacLeod is also a freelance sustainable development consultant, and worked as policy director of Community Land Scotland. 

In 2010 he led post-legislative scrutiny of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 on behalf of the Scottish Parliament. 

Dr MacLeod has a PhD in public policy implementation and has taught sustainable development and public policy courses at several Scottish Universities. 

He is also a Board Member of MG ALBA (Gaelic Media Service) and was previously a Board Member of the Harris Tweed Authority, championing sustainable, community-focused development.

Dr Lucy Beattie will also take up the Land Commissioner role. She is a farmer and land manager in North-West Ross, and a rural development consultant. 

Dr Beattie has a background in rural land management and worked for a former public authority in 1999 as part of her professional exams.

This was foundational to the experience which has been developed over the last 25 years working as a consultant in land management and community development. 

Dr Beattie’s academic interest lies in science communication having worked as a social scientist to explore perceptions and behaviours relating to land use, conflict resolution and the advance of policies to achieve practical solutions to address the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. 

Dr Beattiee also has experience within the third sector, having worked with the Scottish Crofting Federation.

The Scottish Land Commission (SLC) is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) established on 1 April 2017 as a key measure in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016. 

The SLC is at the forefront of the Scottish Government’s ambition to ensure that our nation’s land delivers prosperity and sustainable growth for Scotland.

They are all appointed by Scottish Ministers and approved by the Scottish Parliament.

The Commission has five Land Commissioners, one of whom is the Chair, and one Tenant Farming Commissioner (TFC). 

The TFC appointed is Robert Black, who brings nearly 20 years experience as a self-employed agricultural adviser with a background in rural science and agricultural business. 

He has extensive experience in rural consultancy supporting farmers and tenant operators across Scotland combining practical expertise with a deep understanding of the rural sector. 

He runs North West Rural Consulting having previously been a development manager for the Isle of Luing Community Trust, where he oversaw projects including the reactivation of Cullipool Slate Quarry, community housing, and net-zero carbon objectives to support economic growth and tackle rural depopulation.