Six leading professionals spanning the arts, education, law and public policy have been appointed as lay members to the Board of Governors of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

The Board plays a key role in the institution, monitoring performance and ensuring the organisation meets its legal and regulatory responsibilities. Board membership includes Conservatoire staff and student representation, as well as external appointees.

Professor Dorothy Miell OBE, FRSE, Chair of the Board of Governors, said: “Following a highly competitive recruitment process, we are delighted to have secured these six excellent new Governors to join our Board over the coming months.

“All bring a wealth of insight and professional experience, as well as a commitment to the performing arts, and I look forward to their contribution to securing the success and sustainability of Scotland’s national conservatoire.”

The new Governors are:

Eleanor Bentley trained as a chartered accountant with KPMG and has extensive experience of corporate governance, risk and financial management in international public companies, having previously held senior positions in the energy sector.

Eleanor is a non-executive director of Celtic Renewables Limited and chairs its audit and risk committee. She is a trustee of the ICAS Foundation and chairs its bursary committee.

Until recently, she was vice-chair of Scottish Ballet, a trustee of the Scottish Ballet endowment fund and a member of court at the University of Aberdeen, where she chaired the audit and risk committee.

Tanatsei Gambura is an artist and culture professional working at the intersection of asset management, governance and the arts. Based in Edinburgh, her career has developed across different sectors, shaped by a commitment to strengthening the long-term sustainability of public cultural infrastructure.

Alongside her artistic practice, Tanatsei works as an investment analyst in financial services, conducting financial analysis and strategic evaluation for institutional investors.

She holds a first-class honours degree in Intermedia Art from Edinburgh College of Art at the University of Edinburgh and has built a practice engaged with questions of cultural memory, public space, and collective experience.

Tanatsei serves as a trustee and member of the finance committee at Edinburgh Art Festival and was recently chair of the board of Catherine Wheels Theatre Company.

Marianna Hay MBE is a charity leader, social innovator and consultant whose career has focused on creating opportunities for young people through the arts, education and community development.

Beginning as a Teach First music teacher in 2007, she went on to found and lead Orchestras for All in 2011, growing it over a decade into a nationally recognised charity that has transformed the lives of thousands of young people through music, for which she was awarded an MBE in 2020.

Since then, she has co-founded Take Note, an innovation lab and consultancy supporting charities, funders and cultural organisations to strengthen strategy, collaboration and social impact across the UK.

Ronald Mackay grew up in the north-west Highlands, studying at Plockton High School (now home to the national centre of excellence in traditional music), before studying law at the University of Edinburgh. He qualified as a solicitor in 1997 and became a partner at leading law firm Burness Paull LLP in 2003, where he still practises.

He specialises in employment and discrimination law and has experience acting for a range of educational and arts bodies.

He sits part-time as a judge in the employment tribunal, tutors in employment law at the University of Glasgow, and is an accredited mediator. Outside of work, he is a passionate supporter of the arts in Scotland.

Ewan McIntosh FRSA is Founder and Managing Director of NoTosh, an international strategy consultancy working with schools, universities, cultural organisations and public bodies in over seventy countries.

His work helps ambitious institutions align vision, governance, culture and long-term strategy, particularly where education, creativity and public service meet.

He brings over twenty-five years’ experience across education, media and the creative industries. Ewan is a member of the Education Board of the Royal Merchant Company of Edinburgh, contributing to strategy, sustainability, risk and stewardship across its schools.

A lifelong amateur musician, and parent of aspiring arts professionals, he brings to the Board a deep respect for the arts and the institutions that sustain them.

Karen Watt OBE has worked in a range of senior executive roles in government policy and funding, economic development, regulation, tertiary education and research, international relations and governance.

She was the chief executive of the Scottish Funding Council for further and higher education from 2019 to 2024 and has served as a non-executive trustee in the culture and charitable sectors.

Karen Watt and Ewan McIntosh take up their roles as Governors this month (June 2026) with Eleanor Bentley, Tanatsei Gambura and Marianna Hay beginning their terms of office from October 2026, and Ronald Mackay joining in April 2027.