Cath Denholm

Role: Independent Interim Chair
Date appointed: March 2024

Profile

Cath has been on the board of the Joint Committee since April 2018, first as the Deputy Chair of, and representative for, NatureScot, and then as an independent member since April 2022. In March 2024, Cath was appointed as Interim Chair. 

Cath brings a personal passion for nature and years of experience of strategic leadership and governance in the UK public sector. She worked for many years in public health in Scotland and, more recently, as Chief Operating Officer and interim CEO of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. She is a member of the Institute of Directors, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and Honorary Member of the UK Faculty of Public Health.

In July 2024 she joined the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) as Managing Director of Integrated Corporate Services for DESNZ and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

She undertakes both roles on a part time basis.