About us

Malcolm Burr - the Convener

Malcolm Burr, Chief Executive and Returning Officer of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, was appointed Convener of the Board in July 2018, taking over from Mary Pitcaithly OBE, the Board’s the first Convener.

Malcolm has been Chief Executive in Western Isles since November 2005. He was previously Assistant Chief Executive and Depute Returning Officer of Orkney Islands Council and began his career in Legal Services (including Elections) in Strathclyde Regional Council. Malcolm is a former Chair of SOLACE Scotland, the representative body for Local Government Chief Executives, and is currently a member of the First Minister’s Standing Council on Europe.

Malcolm hails from Edinburgh and has degrees in Law from the Universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge.

Annemarie O’Donnell

Annemarie O’Donnell was appointed as a Returning Officer member of the EMB from 1 July 2022.  She is the Chief Executive and Returning Officer for Glasgow City Council, taking up her post in January 2015.

Annemarie has over 30 years experience in Local Government and has managed elections since 2004, counting the Local Government elections in 2022 as her 42nd !

Annemarie O'Donnell

Annemarie is a qualified solicitor who previously specialised in planning, environmental and construction law, supporting the delivery of many significant projects.

Jim Doig - Vice Convener (ERO)

Jim qualified as a Chartered Surveyor in 1995 and after 6 years in private practice in North West England, joined the Assessor and Electoral Registration Officer for Dumfries & Galloway. He was appointed Assessor and Electoral Registration Officer in 2016.

He is a member of the Association of Electoral Administrators and holds the Certificate in Electoral Administration. Jim has been a member of the Scottish Assessors Association since 2008 and is currently the  Vice Chair of the SAA Electoral Registration Committee.

In August 2023 Jim was appointed as Vice Convener (Electoral Registration Officer) of the EMB, to support the Convener and add resilience to the EMB's work.

Pete Wildman

Pete is the Assessor & Electoral Registration Officer for Central Scotland, having being appointed to that post in 2014. He is also the Chair of the Scottish Assessors Association’s (SAA) Electoral Registration Committee, which comprises the fifteen Scottish Electoral Registration Officers and their senior staff, He joined the SAA in 2005 and is currently Vice President of the Association. He is also an examiner for the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA).

He qualified as a Chartered Surveyor in 1991, having trained in private practice in London. He then specialised in valuation for rating and Council Tax at the Assessor’s Office in Central Scotland.

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Andrew Kerr OBE

Andrew Kerr took up post as Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council on 27 July 2015. He has previously been Chief Executive of Cornwall, Wiltshire and North Tyneside councils, and Chief Operating Officer in Cardiff.

A former international athlete, Andrew’s professional background is in Leisure and Sport and he was Director of Leisure and Culture at Birmingham Council (2000/2004) and Head of Participation at Sports Council for Wales for six years. Known for his work on Social capital, with an interest in developing communities, a reputation for his approach to change management and large scale joint ventures for economic benefit, he is one of the most experienced local government leaders working today.

In June 2021 Andrew was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, for services to the public sector.

Jim Savege - Vice Convener (RO)

Jim started his career training as a teacher in Liverpool before working in management consultancy across a range of sectors including defence and utilities. His career in local government spans nearly two decades with previous roles at Staffordshire County Council and Cumbria County Council.  
  
Jim took up post as Chief Executive with Aberdeenshire Council in February 2015.  He is Returning Officer for Aberdeenshire Council and Clerk to the Lieutenancy of Aberdeenshire. 

Jim is Chair of the Scottish Resilience Partnership and a past chair of Solace Scotland.

In August 2023 Jim was appointed as Vice Convener (Returning Officer) of the EMB, to support the Convener and add resilience to the EMB's work.

Mark Adam

Mark qualified as a Chartered Surveyor in 1993 whilst working for the Grampian Assessor and was Depute Assessor & Electoral Registration Officer in Grampian from 2009 until he succeeded Ian Milton, himself a former member of the EMB, as Assessor & Electoral Registration Officer in 2021. He is a member of the Association of Electoral Administrators and holds the Certificate in Electoral Administration. Mark has been a member of the Scottish Assessors Association since 2004 and is currently the secretary of the SAA Electoral Registration Committee.

Pippa Milne

 

Kenneth Lawrie

Kenneth is Chief Executive of Falkirk Council and is appointed as Returning Officer for elections to that local authority and for the UK Parliamentary constituency of Falkirk.  For Scottish Parliamentary elections, Kenneth is Returning Officer for two constituencies, Falkirk East and Falkirk West. Prior to joining Falkirk as Chief Executive in August 2018 Kenneth had held senior posts at Dartford Borough Council in Kent and Scottish Borders Council before being appointed Chief Executive of Midlothian Council in September 2009.

In May 2019 Kenneth was appointed as Regional Returning Officer for the Electoral Region of Scotland for the final European Parliamentary Elections that would include the UK before the state left the EU.  In that role he was responsible for the delivery of the election across the whole of Scotland, overseeing the nomination process, the work of the 32 Local Returning Officers and the collation and declaration of the final results. 

Kenneth was appointed as a Returning Officer member of the EMB for a four year period from 1 November 2019.