Natalie Don-Innes

The pair have been appointed by Natalie Don-Innes, minister for children, young people and the Promise, for a further four-year term running from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2029.

Mr Austin has had a long executive career in the UK, Europe and USA, during which he held senior roles at Boots, Budelpack International, Kerry Group and Paterson Arran. He is now an experienced board adviser, non-executive director and chair. Previously, he was chairman at Border Biscuits.

Currently, in addition to his role with CHS, he provides strategic advice and consultancy to manufacturing businesses, and he is a trustee, treasurer and finance committee chair at Inflammatory Neuropathies UK.

Mr Austin brings a range of skills and expertise to his role at CHS including corporate governance and financial control, audit and risk management, strategy development and organisational transformation. He is a former Children’s Panel member.

Ms Docherty, in her previous role, worked with children and young people as the chief executive of Scouts Scotland for five years, and currently volunteers as a Scout leader.

She brings extensive governance and board experience as a third sector leader as the current chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, and a chair of the board of trustees of the Association of Chief Officers of Scottish Voluntary Organisations (ACOSVO).

Children’s Hearings Scotland is one of a number of organisations that work as part of the children’s hearings system.

This care and justice system is unique to Scotland and exists to protect the safety and wellbeing of infants, children and young people.

The system is made up of a number of partners who each have a different role; Children’s Hearings Scotland’s role is to recruit, train and support volunteers to become panel members who listen and make legal decisions with and for children and young people involved in children’s hearings.