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Rosemary Agnew and Aaliya Seyal will take up post on 1 September 2025.

The SHRC has a general duty to promote awareness, understanding and respect for human rights to everyone in Scotland, and to encourage best practice in relation to human rights.

The SHRC has powers to:

• recommend changes to law, policy and practice;
• promote human rights through education, training and publishing research;
• conduct inquiries into the policies and practices of Scottish public authorities.

Terms of appointment

Both appointments are for a single term of six years. Each post attracts a daily fee rate of £320.03 which may be reviewed by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The time commitment is four days a month, 48 days a year.

Biographical information

Rosemary Agnew:

Rosemary Agnew was most recently the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. During her time in office Rosemary led on the introduction of child-friendly complaints approaches, enabling Scottish public bodies to handle complaints from and about children in line with their UNCRC rights.

Before her Ombudsman role, Rosemary was the Scottish Information Commissioner, CEO of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission, and held a senior role with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman in England. She was also vice-chair to the Administrative Justice Council and sits on the World Bank’s Access to Information Appeals Board.

How rights are applied in practice, embedded in governance systems, and accessed - particularly by under-represented or those experiencing vulnerability - is a thread running through Rosemary’s roles. This reflects her professional and personal commitment to promoting understanding and consistent application of Human Rights.

Aaliya Seyal:

Aaliya brings over two decades of senior leadership in the third sector, with a career dedicated to advancing legal rights and embedding human rights in policy and practice, particularly for communities facing systemic disadvantage.

She is currently Chief Executive of the Legal Services Agency, a law centre committed to protecting legal rights and promoting social justice.

Aaliya has extensive governance experience across the public and voluntary sectors, influencing national policy on equality, social justice, and community empowerment.

She currently serves as a lay member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Access to Justice Committee, is a Trustee of the Baring Foundation, and a member of the Consumers in Vulnerable Circumstances Committee of Consumer Scotland.

She has also contributed to the Law Society’s Equality and Diversity Committee and Civil Legal Aid Quality Assurance Sub-Committee.

Previous roles include Joint Vice-Chair of the Scottish Refugee Council and Committee Member of the National Lottery Community Fund in Scotland.