Sir Paul Grice

Appointed Principal and Vice Chancellor of Queen Margaret University Edinburgh from 1 October 2019.

Previously was Clerk and Chief Executive of the Scottish Parliament. Knighted in the New Year’s Honours List 2016.

Graduated in 1984 from Stirling University. Joined the Civil Service through the “Fast Stream”. Worked for the Department of Transport and the Department of the Environment. Subsequently Private Secretary to Virginia Bottomley MP.

Joined the Scottish Office in 1992, moved to the Constitution Group in May 1997 with responsibility for the Referendum on establishing the Scottish Parliament: subsequently managed the Scotland Act which laid the new constitutional framework. Appointed Director of Implementation,1999. Appointed Clerk and Chief Executive of the Parliament in summer 1999.

Current non-executive roles: Bank of Scotland Foundation Trustee. Council Member, Institute for Fiscal Studies; Scientific Advisory Board Member, Behaviour Change by Design research project, Cambridge University; Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh; Advisory Board Member, Scottish Centre for Social Research; Acting Convenor of Universities Scotland Learning and Teaching Committee. Previous roles: Scotland’s Futures Forum, 2005-2013; Secretary to Member University Court at Stirling, 2006-2013; Economic and Social Research Council Member 2009-2015; Edinburgh International Festival Board Member, 2013-2019. Board Member, Policy Scotland (Glasgow University).