Exclusive:Historic Environment Scotland CEO Katerina Brown 'to step down' from role at crisis-hit quango
Katerina Brown’s tenure at Historic Environment Scotland has been tumultuous but she had been expected to stay on as CEO
The chief executive of troubled Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is to unexpectedly step down from the role, it is understood.
Only months after returning from a suspension, Katerina Brown has announced she is to leave the crisis-hit quango.
Ms Brown was expected to stay in post to help steady the organisation following months of controversy around compliance, governance and culture.
Insiders said the news has come as a shock to both colleagues and civil servants.
The chief executive officer was appointed in September 2024 with the organisation becoming embroiled in a number of high profile scandals.
It is understood she tendered her resignation on Monday and is now working her notice.
Directors of the heritage quango were accused of procurement irregularities, racism and misusing HES facilities.
Eight directors joined a collective grievance against Ms Brown, alleging issues around her conduct and management style.
Ms Brown was suspended from work before taking extended sick leave.
She repeatedly tried to return to work, a committee hearing at the Scottish Parliament was told, but was blocked by senior management.
Meanwhile, the then-chair of the board, Hugh Hall, stepped down from his role as the Scottish Government moved to investigate his conduct.
As exclusively revealed in The Scotsman, Dr Hall had been accused of misusing HES resources, including photocopying and printing thousands of pages of work unrelated to the heritage body.
A senior manager - who recently left HES - was accused of twerking in front of Martin Compston at a corporate event in Edinburgh Castle.
The same woman was subsequently revealed to have been accused of sexual harassment by a junior member of staff.
Scotland’s public body watchdog issued a damning report into HES, outlining many of the concerns that had been exclusively revealed by The Scotsman.
Her suspension and leave meant HES operated for nearly six months without an accountable officer.
Scotland’s Auditor General Stephen Boyle found “unacceptable weaknesses” in HES’s governance, misuse of company credit cards, misuse of hospitality tickets and allegations of a “toxic workplace culture”.
Documents recently released under freedom of information to The Scotsman show that, at the height of the heritage body’s poor publicity, John Swinney staged an intervention.
The First Minister stepped in to tell HES that the steps outlined by those in charge of the organisation “need to be followed to improve governance and operations”.
He told civil servants to “move with urgency” to resolve the problems with the quango.
An email from advisors to HES says “we wouldn’t routinely share so overtly the views of Ministers in this way” but adds that Mr Swinney insisted on sharing his “expectations”.
The communication adds: “There are complaints that have been raised publicly about behaviours and conduct.
“There must be due process but we need to move with urgency in resolving these issues.
“The public debate is undermining confidence in HES and that must be arrested.”
The First Minister went on to say that the government and HES “must not try to deny there are problems; we should be overt in accepting there are issues that need to be confronted”.
Scottish Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr said: “Under the SNP, HES has lurched from crisis to crisis.
“Now Katerina Brown has gone - and SNP ministers were apparently caught completely on the back foot, unaware that she was leaving.
“This is one of Scotland’s most important public bodies. Taxpayers fund it to protect and manage some of our most precious national assets.”
“Ministers need to explain why the Chief Executive has left, what her departure will cost the taxpayer, why ministers apparently didn’t know it was coming, and who is actually in charge of HES now.
“This shambles is no way to run an organisation entrusted with Scotland’s national heritage.”
A spokeswoman for HES said the organisation does not comment on individual personnel matters.
“Our Chief Executive remains an employee of the organisation,” she added.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “As an employment matter, this is the responsibility of Historic Environment Scotland and its board.
“We have been provided assurance that an Accountable Officer will be identified shortly, in line with the Scottish Public Finance manual.”
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