Chief Executive

Sheila Duffy

MA, Cert.Ed, DipLIS

Sheila Duffy became Chief Executive of ASH Scotland in January 2008. As such Sheila is responsible for the organisation's strategic and operational direction.

Sheila is the primary spokesperson for the organisation. She regularly provides radio interviews, briefings, and presentations on all issues connected with tobacco and smoking. Most recently Sheila spearheaded the campaign in support for the 2009 Tobacco and Primary Medical Services Bill including presenting evidence to the Health & Sport Committee on behalf of ASH Scotland.

Since 2004, Sheila has been Chair of the Scottish Coalition on Tobacco, a group of ten professional and health organisations that campaigns on all matters related to tobacco and health. She also represents ASH Scotland on the government’s Ministerial Working Group on Tobacco Control and on networks such as the international Framework Convention Alliance and the Global Smoke-free Partnership.

As Director of Information & Communications at ASH Scotland from 2003, Sheila was responsible for developing and communicating the evidence in favour of smoke-free public places in Scotland and influencing the development of the Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act of 2005 which ended smoking in most enclosed public places. Over the course of the campaign Sheila gave regular interviews and briefings, and gave evidence in person to the Scottish Parliament's Health Committee. As a member of ASH Scotland's Senior Management Team she participated in government advisory groups such as the age-related sales enforcement group and the Smoke-free legislation stakeholders group.

Between 1995 and 2003 as ASH Scotland's Information Manager and previously as Health Alliances Project Officer, she took a formative role in developing ASH Scotland's policy positions, developing the ASH Scotland and Tobacco Information Scotland websites, and building external partnerships.
 
Before joining ASH Scotland, Sheila worked as a scriptwriter and researcher for Yorkshire TV and Grampian Television, mainly on Channel 4 educational programmes, and in production and European liaison with SPS Audio-Visual Ltd, a corporate video production company.
 
Sheila went to Cults Academy and then attended Gordonstoun School for two years on a sixth form scholarship. She graduated from Cambridge University in 1984 with a joint honours degree in English Literature and Education and a Certificate in Education. Whilst working full time at ASH Scotland, Sheila was also awarded a Diploma in Library and Information Science from The Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen in 2002 which she had studied for through remote learning. She was brought up in Aberdeenshire and Fife where she currently lives with her partner and two daughters.