Alison Mackinnon has worked for Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) since its inception in 1996. She has held the role of SEPA’s Data Protection Officer since 2002, and was SEPA’s specialist lead for Information Governance activities until 2018, in her post as manager of the Information Governance team.
Since 2018, Alison has concentrated full-time on data protection matters. In June 2020 she was formally appointed to the new dedicated post of SEPA’s Data Protection Officer. During her career with SEPA, Alison has also been involved in the implementation of successive compliance regimes relating to Information Governance, including access to information legislation (EIRs and FOISA) and Records Management. She sees the role of the Data Protection Officer as being both an inward and outward facing role, which ensures that the needs and requirements of customers and regulators are met, while delivering advice and support for colleagues.