Catherine Dyer

Ms Dyer is a lawyer with extensive experience of public sector leadership, policy, strategy and delivery and is the first woman to be appointed as crown agent for Scotland, acting as chief executive of the Crown Office.

She was elected as a director of the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law (ISRCL) in 2010 and is a founding member of the Justice Board for Scotland and an inaugural member of the Scottish Sentencing Council. 

She also acted as diversity champion for Scottish government and was chair of the Public Sector Employers’ Diversity Network. 

Following her retirement, Scottish ministers appointed her as independent chair of a Review of Child Protection Systems and announced acceptance of all the recommendations of her report in March 2017. 

Later that year she was appointed independent chair of the Expert Group on Preventing Sexual Offending Involving Children and Young People, issuing that report in January 2020. 

As a member of Lord Bracadale’s reference group she assisted his Independent Review of Hate Crime legislation in Scotland which reported in May 2018.

Catherine was chair of the Audit and Accountability Committee supporting the Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC) from January 2019 until October 2024 Chair of Community Justice Scotland from January 2022.