Susan Deacon - Former Minister for Health and Community Care
Susan Deacon is Professor of Social Change with Queen Margaret University and is also a consultant and adviser to a number of organisations in the public, private and third sectors. With a background in strategic change, organisational development and public policy making, she is a regular speaker and commentator on a wide range of subjects including leadership, governance, public service reform and social issues.
Educated at Edinburgh University, where she gained an MA in Social Policy and Politics and later an MBA, Susan's early career was in local government where she worked in various service development and corporate management roles. Following a period as a Senior Training Consultant with Eglinton Management Centre, she became MBA Director of Programmes at Edinburgh Business School, Heriot Watt University and later worked as a business consultant and in the development of several major national policy conferences.
Elected to the Scottish Parliament in 1999, Susan served as Scotland's first Minister for Health and Community Care following devolution during which time she led a number of major developments in health policy and practice, changes in the governance of the NHS in Scotland and significant legislative reforms in community care and mental health.
Susan was MSP for Edinburgh East & Musselburgh for eight years before standing down at the 2007 election. She founded and co-chaired the Scottish Parliament's Cross Party Group on Sexual Health and contributed to work on HIV/Aids and reproductive health both at home and abroad. She was also a member of the RSA UK Drugs Commission.
Susan is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a Fellow of the RSA. She is a member of the Board of the Traverse Theatre, the Pfizer UK Foundation Board and the Advisory Board of ScottishPower and is an Associate Consultant with Liddell Thomson.
Susan lives in East Lothian with her partner and their two children.
