Advancing Diversity in Public Appointments: Our Current Research with the Ethical Standards Commissioner

At Leading Kind, we are proud to be working with the Ethical Standards Commissioner (ESC) to deliver a comprehensive research project aimed at shaping the future of diversity in public appointments across Scotland. This work builds on the foundations laid by the 'Diversity Delivers' strategy, with a focus on understanding progress to date and identifying new opportunities for meaningful change.

Our first stage output:

The State of the Nation Report:
We analysed a wide range of existing data sources, including Census data, progress reports related to 'Diversity Delivers,' and public appointment records. We also interviewed a range of people with experience of, or an interest in, non-executive appointments. The State of the Nation report was published on 11 September 2025 and can be accessed here. The supporting Annex document is also available for download.

Next steps
We are now collecting feedback to the findings in the State of the Nation report and you can share your thoughts and sign up to take part in future workshops by completing our feedback survey.

Why this work matters:
Good governance is critical to the performance of public bodies. Our research has found that diversity of thought and experience can contribute positively to governance and that Boards need to take active steps to create the conditions to attract and nurture diverse talent.

Next steps:
We are now starting the work to develop a draft strategy for diversity in public appointments. This will be released by the Ethical Standards Commissioner for formal consultation in 2026.