Chief Executive

Ruth Parsons
Chief Executive

Ruth took up post as Chief Executive of Historic Scotland in October 2009. Prior to this posting, Ruth was the Director of Local Government, the Third Sector and Public Service reform in Scottish Government. Working closely with Ministers, Ruth’s Directorate led on the delivery of the Concordat between the Scottish Government and Local Government, the introduction of  Single Outcome Agreements and the development of a new relationship with the Third Sector. Before joining the Scottish Government in 2005, Ruth enjoyed a 21 year career with HM Customs and Excise, now HMRC.

Ruth has extensive experience in driving strategic change programmes and delivering significant service delivery improvements. This experience has built throughout her career which has involved managing operational teams of 30 people to 3000 people across different parts of government and building relationships with key partners and stakeholders.

Ruth has also worked with Cabinet Office supporting the Civil Service Reform Agenda and a programme led by Sir Gus O’Donnell about Improving Leadership Capacity in the Senior Civil Service.

Ruth is a Fifer, born and brought up in the historic capital of Scotland, Dunfermline. She and her son David have spent many happy hours enjoying historic sites across Scotland. Her other interests include football, travelling and reading.