Stephen Pathirana will be the new CEO of the SPPA.   

Stephen was appointed after a recruitment process which as well as the usual application and interview, also involved a staff panel who met the candidates to hear about their skills and experience and provided feedback to the interview panel. 

With over 20 years of experience as a civil servant, Stephen brings a wealth of knowledge to the role. His past roles include:  

  • Director of the Lifelong Learning and Skills Directorate in the Scottish Government  
  • Acting Director of Justice  
  • Deputy Director for Trade and Investment Delivery  
  • Deputy Director for Scotland's Grenfell Response  

He has also contributed his expertise to the UK Government and the European Commission.   

Stephen who will be joining us from the start of June said: “I am pleased to have been given the opportunity to lead the Scottish Public Pensions Agency. From my career to date, I know I get great pleasure from delivering tangible improvements to people's lives. With the SPPA serving over 600,000 key workers in Scotland, this feels very real and important to me.  

“I am really looking forward to starting, meeting as many SPPA colleagues as possible, building my understanding of the great work the Agency is delivering, and being part of the SPPA’s next chapter.”