Policy Scotland Advisory Board Member Paul Grice has been awarded a Knighthood (KBE) in the New Year Honours 2016 for services to the Scottish parliament and voluntary service to higher education and the community in Scotland.

Paul has sat on the Policy Scotland Advisory Board from its inception, June 2013. As Clerk and Chief Executive of the Scottish Parliament Paul leads the Scottish Parliamentary Service which is responsible for delivering all services to the Parliament and its Members. The Parliament employs around 450 staff and has an annual budget of around £75m.

Paul joined the Scottish Office in 1992 working on Housing and Urban Regeneration Policy, then headed up the Management of Change Unit. He joined 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. Paul was appointed Director of Implementation for the Scottish Parliament in 1999 and set up parliamentary organisation and the associated support systems. He was appointed Clerk and Chief Executive of the Parliament in summer 1999.

Paul served as a Member of University Court at Stirling, 2006-13 (Chair of the Finance and Resources Committee, 2008-12), and as Secretary to Scotland’s Futures Forum, 2005-13. He has been an Honorary Fellow of RIAS since 2006; an Economic and Social Research Council Member since 2009 (Chair of Audit Committee, 2010-13, and Chair of Methods and Infrastructure since 2013); a Bank of Scotland Foundation Trustee since 2011; and an Edinburgh International Festival Board Member since 2013.