The Poverty and Inequality Commission: form, remit and appointments

Appointments to the Poverty and Inequality Commission

Chair - Douglas Hamilton

Douglas Hamilton is currently the Director of the RS Macdonald Charitable Trust having previously been the Head of Save the Children in Scotland. Between 2013 and 2016, Douglas was a member of the Commission on Social Mobility and Child Poverty, and has also served on the Scottish Ministerial Advisory Group on Child Poverty.

Douglas is a former Chair of the Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights, has been on the board of One Parent Families Scotland and helped lead the Coalition to End Child Poverty ( ECP) in Scotland. He also currently chairs the management committee of the Lothian Equal Access Programme for Schools ( LEAPS) and is Vice-Convenor of the Scottish Grantmakers Group.

A law graduate from Edinburgh University, Douglas' career began at the Scottish Human Rights Centre and he subsequently took on policy and research roles with Children in Scotland, COSLA and Barnardo's. Away from work Douglas helps organise children's and youth activities through his local church and coaches children's football.

Deputy Chair - Naomi Eisenstadt

Naomi Eisenstadt CB has been active in policy and practice in the field of early years for over thirty years. She has a first degree in sociology, an MSc in Social Policy, and a California Credential in Early Childhood Education. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Open University in 2002, and the CB in 2005.

She has acted as the First Minister's Independent Advisor on Poverty and Inequality since June 2015.

Deputy Chair - Kaliani Lyle

Kaliani Lyle was appointed as the Scottish Government's Race Equality Framework Adviser on 6 December 2016.

She is also a member of the Board of the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator ( OSCR) which is the independent regulator and registrar of charities in Scotland.

She was Scotland Commissioner for the Equality and Human Rights Commission between 2010 and 2016. As Scotland Commissioner she led the Scotland Committee which is involved in working strategically with the Scottish Government, Local Authorities, UK Government and Parliament to ensure equality and human rights are at the heart of all work carried out.

She was a member of the Commission on the Future Delivery of Public Services in Scotland (Christie Commission), Sentencing Commission, Signet Accreditation Board, and GMC UK Revalidation Board.

She has been the CEO of 2 charities: Citizens Advice Scotland from 1998 to 2010 and before that of the Scottish Refugee Council (1995-1998). She also worked for Edinburgh District Council as their first Race Relations Officer.

In 2007 she received the Alastair Hetherington award for humanitarian service by the Institute of Contemporary Scotland.