Following the successful integration with Iberdrola, ScottishPower today in Edinburgh held the inaugural meeting of its new Advisory Board, made up largely of prominent Scottish public figures. Also present at today’s meeting were the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP, First Minister of Scotland, and Ignacio Galán, Chairman of Iberdrola and ScottishPower.

The nine person Advisory Board is chaired by Charles Miller Smith, Chairman of ScottishPower from April 2000 until April 2007.  Joining the Advisory Board are Samantha Barber, Susan Deacon, Sir Tom Farmer CBE, Lord (John) Kerr, Lord (Gus) Macdonald, Sir Muir Russell and Ramón de Miguel. ScottishPower’s Chief Executive, José Luis del Valle, will also be a member.

Commenting on this new Advisory Board, Galán said “I am delighted so many eminent and esteemed individuals have agreed to join the new ScottishPower Advisory Board. They are all leaders in their respective fields of UK business, finance, public policy and academic research”.

 “Iberdrola has used the Advisory Board model to great success, ensuring that as one of the world’s largest energy providers, we at the same time emphasise a local commitment. The ScottishPower Advisory Board will be an important link in ensuring our activities are globally coordinated and implemented in the most appropriate way within the UK and Scotland.”

“Today the new Advisory Board begins its mission of providing excellent counsel on ScottishPower’s activities and assisting with the social integration of the Group into the UK and Scotland in particular. The Board’s advice will be invaluable in the implementation of the 2008-2010 Strategic Plan for Iberdrola and ScottishPower.”

“We announced our intention of creating an Advisory Board on completion of the transaction back in April, and being able to realise this commitment today with such a first-rate group of people further underlines the merger as a model transaction”.

In closing the meeting, First Minister Alex Salmond commented, “Scotland has a vast future as a green energy powerhouse for Europe. We have the natural resources to succeed, the skills base to drive research and development, and a government with the will to ensure that renewables generation is allowed to thrive.
 
“ScottishPower are well placed to take a central position in Scotland's greener future. The significant investment in renewables, outlined in their latest strategic plan, sets ScottishPower on the path to enjoying the success our global potential has to offer.
 
“Capitalising on Scotland's talent and abundance of clean energy sources will bring rewards not only for ScottishPower, but for people across the country, our economy and the fight against climate change. That's why I am so pleased to see the advisory board up and running with such a distinguished membership. With foresight and expert advice combined, ScottishPower can look forward to a bright future.”

Notes To Editors:

Sir Tom Farmer CBE
Sir Tom Farmer founded Kwik-Fit in 1971 and grew the business to become the largest independent automotive parts replacement parts business in the world. Following the sale to Ford for £1billion in 1999, Sir Tom resigned from the business and now has a number of business interests which include property development and investments in new business start-ups. His present appointments are Chairman of The Trustees of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Non-Executive Director – MyTravel Group plc, Trustee of the Clerk Maxwell Cancer Research Fund, Honorary President – Young Enterprise Scotland, Trustee of Scottish Business Achievement Award Trust, Honorary President of the Entrepreneurial Exchange and Deputy Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh.

Sir Muir Russell
Sir Muir Russell became Principal of the University of Glasgow in October 2003, following an open competition. Prior to his appointment he was Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Executive since its establishment in July 1999, following devolution. He was Secretary of the Scottish Development Agency on its establishment in Glasgow in 1975, and Principal Private Secretary to The Secretary of State for Scotland (then George Younger) from 1981 to 1983.  He was seconded to the Cabinet Office in 1990, to be Head of the Home Affairs and Legislation Secretariat.  On returning to The Scottish Office in 1992 he was appointed Head of the Housing Group.  He also became responsible at that time for handling constitutional matters within The Scottish Office.  From 1992 to 1995, as part of the civil service drive to give senior staff greater experience of business, he was a Non Executive Director of Stagecoach Holdings plc. In February 1995 he was promoted to be Secretary of The Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department.  He was appointed Permanent Under Secretary of State at The Scottish Office in May 1998, following open competition.

Lord Kerr of Kinlochard GCMG
John Kerr was Foreign Office Permanent-Under-Secretary, from 1997 to 2002, after spells in HM Treasury (where he was Principal Private Secretary to Chancellors Howe and Lawson), and as Ambassador to the EU (1990/95) and the US (1995/97). In 2002/3 he was Secretary-General of the EU Convention under President Giscard d'Estaing; and in 2004 he became an (independent) member of the House of Lords, where he serves on the EU Committee. Lord Kerr is Deputy Chairman and Senior Independent Director of Royal Dutch Shell plc, and a Director of Rio Tinto and the Scottish American Investment Trust. He is Vice President of the European Policy Centre in Brussels; and a Council member of the Centre for European Reform and Business for New Europe.

Rt Hon Lord Macdonald of Tradeston CBE
Gus Macdonald served five years in Government as Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (01-03); Minister for Transport, in attendance at Cabinet (99-01);and Minister for Business and Industry in Scotland (98-99). Previously he was CEO and Chairman of Scottish Media Group plc and also chaired the academic publishers Taylor and Francis plc. Board memberships included the development agency Scottish Enterprise.  He has recently been installed as Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University.

Susan Deacon
Susan Deacon was appointed Professor of Social Change at Queen Margaret University in April 2007. Previously she was Member of the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh from 1999 to 2007 and served as Scotland’s first Minister for Health and Community Care following devolution. Her earlier career was in local government, management consultancy and in business education, including a period as Director of MBA Programmes with Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University. She has worked extensively with organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors as an advisor and consultant on policy development and implementation, leadership, governance and strategic change and has contributed to projects at both a UK and international level on a range of social policy issues, including serving as a member of the recent RSA Drugs Commission.

Samantha Barber
Samantha started her career working in the European Parliament in Brussels for nearly four years as a policy advisor on the Economics and Monetary Affairs Committee. She returned to Scotland in January 1998 to take up the post of Director of Business for Scotland.  Samantha joined Scottish Business in the Community as Chief Executive in May 2000 and has a passionate belief in the power of Corporate Responsibility to bring about economic and social change for Scotland.  Over the last 7 years, Samantha has led the significant growth in SBC.

Ramón de Miguel Egea
Graduated in Law from the University of Madrid (Universidad Complutense) in 1969 and undertook further studies at Cambridge (UK), Paris (France) and Munich (Germany). Became a career diplomat in 1973, after obtaining a Diploma of Higher International Studies from the Diplomatic School (Escuela Diplomática).Mr. de Miguel has been in the Diplomatic Service for Spain for 31 years.  After serving in Africa and in the United States, he was part of the negotiating team for the accession of Spain to the European Union.  He then went to the European Commission for ten years where, after working in various roles, was appointed Director General for Energy.  In 1996 was named Secretary of State for Foreign Policy and European Affairs and held that position until 2004.   Since September 2004, Mr. De Miguel is Adviser for International Affairs to the Chairman of Iberdrola.  He is also President of the European Bioethanol Fuel Association –E Bio and member of the Advisory Boards of Climate Change Capital and Indra.  

José Luis del Valle
José Luis del Valle, who joined Iberdrola in 2002, is Chief Executive of ScottishPower and Iberdrola Director of Strategy and Development. A member of the Iberdrola Management Commitment, he is also head of Risk, Environment, Quality and Gas Business Development. He has served as General Manager of Andaluza de Piritas, Senior Vice President of Banco Central, Executive Vice President of Banco Central Hispanoamericano, and at Santander Central Hispano, where he was Executive Vice President, member of the Management Committee and Finance Director.
José Luis del Valle graduated in mining engineering from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and is Master of Science and Nuclear Engineer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He also holds a Master in Business Administration with Great Honor by Harvard University.

Charles Miller Smith
Charles Miller Smith is the former Chairman of ScottishPower, which he has served since 2000. Previously, he worked at Unilever for more than 30 years where he held a wide range of financial and general management positions in the U.K, the Netherlands and India. This included Financial Director of Unilever. Mr Miller Smith was an International Advisor to Goldman Sachs International (2001-2005), Chairman of ICI from 1999-2001 and Chief Executive of ICI from 1995-1999. He graduated in medieval and modern history from St Andrews University. Mr Miller Smith was a member of the Defence Management Board of the Ministry of Defence. He is currently a Senior Advisor to Walburg Pincus and Deutsche Bank RREEF Infrastructure. He is also Chairman of Asia House, a director of ICICI OneSource, Chairman of the Economics Committee of the CBI and a companion of the Institute of Management. He was previously non-executive director of Midland Bank plc and HSBC Holdings plc.

Advisory Boards in Iberdrola

IBERDROLA currently has Advisory Boards in three regions of Spain, Castilla-Leon, Andalusia and Valencia, the first of which (Castilla-Leon) was created in June 2002. The Boards comprise leading figures from the respective regions, representing different sectors of society and the business world, who meet generally twice a year to exchange information and debate issues relevant to the Company. The Advisory Boards in Spain serve the purpose of cementing ties between IBERDROLA and the communities where it operates.

Further Contact:

Simon McMillan
Head of Media Relations, ScottishPower
0141-566-4875
Mobile No: 07753 622257