GLASGOW School of Art (GSA) has appointed its interim chairwoman after Muriel Gray stepped down last month.
Kristen Bennie has been an independent governor at the school since 2019 and will take the top job temporarily while the search for Gray’s successor gets under way.
The former chairwoman’s tenure was marred by two fires that devastated the historic Mackintosh building at the school’s city centre campus.
A graduate of Northwestern University in Chicago, the INSEAD business school in Paris and Cambridge, Bennie is the current convener of the school’s human resources committee as well as director of partnerships and open experience at NatWest.
Muriel Gray stepped down last month
“It is a huge privilege to be selected to take on the role as interim chair of the Board of Governors at this exciting time in the school’s development,” she said.
“Art schools play a key role in nurturing the skills and creative talent that will be required to address some of the greatest challenges we face today; a world that has only recently experienced such a life-changing event as a global Covid pandemic and a climate crisis that threatens irreparable damage to our planet.
“As a global leader in creative education, the GSA is already bringing innovative thinking not only to how we live today, but to the kind of world we want in the future.”
School director Professor Penny Macbeth said: “I am delighted that Kristen Bennie is the interim chair of the Board of Governors.
“Kristen has extensive experience in the areas of design and innovation with particular expertise in driving transformation and developing strategic partnerships, which will be invaluable to the GSA in this pivotal phase of our development.”
READ MORE: Glasgow School of Art chiefs questioned by Holyrood committee
GSA also announced plans to appoint four new independent governors to its board, meaning 12 new members have been put in place since 2018.
Professor Anne Trefethen, Professor Graham Caie, Dr Simon Learoyd and Dr Graham Sharp were announced today as the board’s new members.
“The latest academic and industry experts recruited as governors bring further strength and depth to the board,” Macbeth said.
“Their appointment reflects the reputation of The Glasgow School of Art as a global leader in creative education and research, coming at a key moment as we develop our next strategic plan for 2022-27.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel