About the NHS (Scotland) Pension Board

Pension boards for the schemes administered by SPPA were established in 2015. We have four Pension Boards covering our Police, Firefighters, NHS and Teachers Schemes.

The boards have equal number of employer representatives and member representatives and are each led by an Independent Chair and Independent Vice-Chair.

Pension Boards are responsible for assisting the Scheme Manager with the governance and administration of the Scheme. This includes ensuring compliance with the Scheme regulations, and any other relevant legislation and requirements as set out by The Pensions Regulator (TPR) in relation to the Scheme.

Every individual who is a member of the Pension Board must be conversant with the rules of the Schemes; in other words the Regulations and other legislation governing the Schemes; and have knowledge and understanding of the law relating to pensions. The Pension Boards meet four times a year.

NHS (Scotland) Pension Board members

Brian Barbour, Independent Chair

Brian Barbour is an experienced Pension Trustee. He’s been a board member of the Standard Life Staff Pension Scheme for over eight years and is also a trustee of the Standard Life Excepted Life Group Assurance Scheme.

Brian has significant experience in technology and cyber security and was previously Chief Information Security Officer at Standard Life as well as holding roles in IT and group risk. He also spent 20 years with IBM in software and quality assurance roles and served as a member of the Scottish Police Authority from its inception until 2015 and chaired its Audit and Risk Committee for three years.

David Vallery, Independent Vice Chair

David is currently the Chief Executive of Lothian Pension Fund, the local government pension scheme for the City of Edinburgh, the three Lothian councils and 68 other employers. David’s previous roles include being Chief Finance Officer and Chief Risk Officer at Police Mutual and a Financial Services Partner at KPMG.

David started his career at Scottish Amicable and has also worked at both AXA and HBOS. David has extensive Board experience in his recent roles and has advised banks, insurance companies and asset managers on corporate governance, risk and regulation.

He is looking forward to bringing this experience to bear and support the Pension Board and SPPA in the oversight and administration of the NHS Scotland pensions.

Tom Wilson, member representative

I have been an employee of NHS Lanarkshire for the past 33 years.

I have been a steward with the RCN in Lanarkshire for 15 years, which includes a period of 18 months as an officer.

I have also held a variety of Governance and Partnership roles both locally in NHS Lanarkshire, Nationally and within the RCN in Scotland.

These include 10 years on RCN Scottish Board, currently I am the Chair person. I am the National Staff Side lead for volunteering in NHS Scotland. Within Lanarkshire I am the NHSL Staff Side Chair for the South IJB, former chair of the HRF and a member of the Joint Policy Forum. I am also the staff side lead for Job Evaluation in Lanarkshire.

Graeme Eunson, member representative

Elected representative of BMA at both Scottish and UK level for 20 years. Deputy to BMA pensions committee for 5 years.

Actively involved in lobbying on pensions at both Scottish and UK level for last 2 years, including meetings at Scottish and UK Parliaments around NHS Pension scheme, scheme financing and pensions taxation.

Raymond Marshall, member representative

Raymond is a lead for Pensions in both his role as a Unison Representative and Partnership facilitator for NHS Tayside, sitting on a number of key strategic groups within Health i.e. Staff Governance, performance and recourses and Endowments advisory Group.

He is also an attendee on NHS Tayside Board, a Non-Voting Member of Dundee Integrated Joint Board and Co-Chair of the Health and Social Care Partnership Forum with the Chief Officer for Dundee.

David McColl, member representative

David McColl is the Chair of the Scottish Dental Practice Committee, Chair of the Area Dental Committee of Greater Glasgow and Clyde LDC and Vice Chair of the GP sub-committee of Greater Glasgow and Clyde Local Dental Committee. He is also the Scottish representative on the BDA Pensions Committee. He is a practice owner and runs a busy NHS practice in Govanhill in Glasgow.

Graeme Ferguson, employer representative

Graeme has worked within NHS Scotland for over 16 years in senior HR and management roles, currently working as Deputy Director of Workforce in the Scottish Ambulance Service, and has a keen interest in pensions provision and policy direction.

Craig Black, employer representative

Craig has been employed within NHS Scotland since 2000 working in a payroll capacity throughout this period. His current role is as Payroll Manager for the Scottish Ambulance Service and Deputy Payroll Manager for NHS Lothian. During this time he has gained a wide ranging knowledge & experience of the NHS Scotland pension scheme on an operational day to day basis.

Claire Pullar, employer representative

Claire is a national officer and since 2005 looks after MiP members working in Scotland and Northern Ireland. An occupational therapist since 1993, specialising in neurosciences, and then as an operational manager, she specialised in turning around failing clinical teams. Claire’s areas of special expertise include job evaluation, workforce planning, organisational change, pensions, mediation, coaching and professional development. Away from work, Claire co-runs a holistic care support group for people with thyroid health issues.

Ailsa Paterson, employer representative

Ailsa has worked in the HR profession since 1997 in roles within both the public and private sectors. This has included working within the NHS in Scotland for over 15 years. Ailsa also has experience as a Trustee of a Final Salary pension scheme whilst working in the private sector. All roles have required Ailsa to have knowledge and experience of relevant pension schemes.

Further reading

NHS (Scotland) Pension Board Terms of Reference

Related documents

Please contact us if you wish to access previous reports.

Minutes and agendas

2023

2022

2021

2020

Please contact us if you wish to access previous years minutes.

Was this information useful?
Your feedback helps us to improve this website. Do not give any personal information because we cannot reply to you directly.