4th July 2022
A restructure within the management team at Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) will allow more efficient management and delivery of the organisation’s work.
SDF has appointed a Director of Operations who will oversee the day-to-day work of the organisation and report directly to CEO Dave Liddell.
Kirsten Horsburgh will be well known to SDF members and many stakeholders, having worked with SDF for over 10 years. Initially Kirsten worked as National Naloxone Co-ordinator before her role expanded as Strategy Coordinator (Drug Death Prevention).
Kirsten is enthused by her new role which started on 01 July. ‘There’s a challenge here in ensuring that SDF continues to deliver the outputs and outcomes demanded of it while also creating and making the most of opportunities to support and build capacities within the drug sector and elsewhere that will improve Scotland’s response to problem drug use. Working with the management team and the operational staff, this post will help develop and shape SDF’s future work and the impact it will have on people across Scotland.’
Dave welcomes Kirsten to post. ‘This structural change has come about due to the expansion of both the staff team and the number of projects in which SDF is involved. Scotland is faced with a huge challenge, as people are aware, but there and real opportunities for significant changes and improvements and SDF has to be ready to help ensure these are delivered. Kirsten has significant experience of working with the full range of SDF’s stakeholders in Government, local services and with people with lived and living experience, and I look forward to working with her and the reconfigured management team.’
Other changes see Adrienne Hannah take over management of a newly formed team of staff engaged in capacity building and training who have previously been delivering their work across SDF and Chris Messenger take over management of the Addiction Worker Training Project as well as the Learning Centre.
Dave reflects, ‘This brings about balance in the team structure which had to be reconfigured slightly in the light of changes in funding and capacity. I am grateful to all the staff team for their positive engagement and support for the changes.’