Jane Ryder

Jane Ryder was appointed by Scottish Ministers in December 2003 to establish the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). She was reappointed as chief executive on 27 December 2006 following an open civil service selection process, and in May 2011, stepped down from the role.

Ryder graduated from St Andrews University with a First Class MA in Medieval History.  She qualified as a solicitor in both England and Scotland and for 11 years was a partner in a commercial firm in Edinburgh, where she specialised in maritime law. 

She was a member of the Council of the Law Society and was the Convener of the Insurance Committee, responsible for the mandatory professional insurance scheme for Scottish solicitors.  She is the author of the textbook Professional Conduct for Scottish Solicitors.

From 1995 to 2003 she was the Director of the Scottish Museums Council, the membership organisation (and registered charity) which is the main adviser to the Scottish Government and main channel for Scottish Government funding to non national museums. 

She was at the forefront of developing national museums policy, including the drive to develop museum standards and performance management for museums.  

She was also the Scottish Board member of the UK-wide Non Departmental Public Body (NDPB)  the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, and sat on the Finance and Audit committee. 

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