Senior Management Team Meeting - Minutes - 24 June 2025

Attendees

  • Alison Irvine, CEO – Chair

BAAT

  • Bettina Sizeland (BS) - Director

FCS

  • Kerry Twyman (KT) – Director
  • Danny Chalmers (DC)
  • Andy Pope (AP)
  • Joanne Demarco (JD)
  • Steven Wyllie (SW)

Ferries

  • Chris Wilcock (CW)- Interim Director

ECS

  • Morna Cannon (MC) - Interim Director

Major Projects

  • Lawrence Shackman – Director

Rail

  • Bill Reeve (BR) – Director

Roads

  • Hugh Gillies (HG) – Director

TSA

  • Margaret Marshall (MM)

CE Office

  • Mark Dunlop

Apologies

  • Fiona Brown, Interim Director Transport Strategy & Analysis

Updates

New Special Advisor – AI to have a discussion with Colin McAllister next week, info circulated and to be shared with teams.

Risk

AP introduced this topic, risk register meeting held last week with full reports to follow over the next month for review.

AP confirmed all new Audit & Risk Committee (ARC) members are now on board with one remaining set of paperwork to be finalised. Allocations of ARC members to TS directorates to follow.

Road asset management:

HG spoke to the road asset management risk card, focusing on mitigating actions underway to manage this risk.

HG commented there was a stabilised position on this risk due to actions taken and currently underway. BR highlighted the changing legal context and expectations of the asset manager questioning the risk description. Following discussion SMT concluded the risk description was currently accurate and the issues BR has raised are best addressed under the long-term plan for asset management which will return to SMT for discussion later.

Significant incidents:

SMT considered the significant incidents risk card. AI questioned the risk description; this should be broadened out to cover all modes. This risk addresses failure to prepare which is being the responsibility of the resilience board. AP suggested rewording.

Discussion on the followed on the likelihood of incidents concluding with outcome that two risk cards are required one on civil contingencies and a second on resilience response. HG to take this away and return with a revision.

Communications

DC provided a verbal update on the Cab Sec’s summer programme which focuses on delivery in transport. DC has discussed this directly with Cab Sec last week and is looking for announcements to attach to the planned visits, highlighting some of the sensitive issues to be considered when planning.

DC asked for Director support for briefing from Directors and teams, mentioning there was a clear steer from Cab Sec on the visits she wanted to undertake. DC mentioned announcements could and should be focused on progress and delivery could be

AI asked for a list of successes to be prepared – MM to action with TSA stakeholder team, using the data in the portfolio performance reports as the basis for development of a narrative to support it – DC offered to prepare the narrative once the data and info has been supplied. DC raised preparation for the portfolio meeting for next week – priorities for September through to December – Directors to provide these to DC and MM in preparation for this meeting (complete).

Finance

KT provided a verbal update on progress with Spending Review, budget monitoring and path to balance. AI asked for clarity on future finance papers, this is due to financial reporting requirements.

Well-being

MC provided an update on progress within the Wellbeing Workstream of ‘Transforming Transport Together’ seeking agreement on next steps, including actions relating to data and leadership.

On data, note the work being done by TS HR to explore options for improved HRMI, and the possibility to circulate 11-day trigger reports more regularly.

On leadership, SMT agreed to update the SMT Leadership Charter is updated to reflect Directors’ chosen wellbeing practices – not to be taken forward.

Each Director should write a Saltire article within 25/26 discussing their personal approach to well-being. This was agreed as an action.

Lightening the load – picked up under prioritisation workstream and transforming transport together structural actions.

Actions

Line management training – LS to provide a date for roll out of training programme. Explore how we can use AI to make an impact on routine and mundane tasks. MC and MD to support and pick up with DS.

MC to create a schedule for articles from each SMT member. Changes to themes to be picked up via correspondence post meeting (underway).

Directors to feedback on people survey build for 2025.

AOB

There was no other business.

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Published Date 24 Jun 2025 Type Topic