Yvonne Strachan is a Deputy Director in the Scottish Government and leads its work on the Third Sector. She is also the Head of Equality and Human Rights.

Yvonne’s responsibilities include work to support and strengthen social enterprise and social entrepreneurship in Scotland; to support the third sector to play a full role in public service design and delivery; to work with the sector in supporting and empowering communities and to enable it to play its part as a social partner.
Yvonne joined the Civil Service in 1999 to take up the then new post of Head of Equality supporting Ministers to build a strategy and programme of action on equality. In 2011 she took on the role of Head of Third Sector and in 2012 took on responsibility for Human Rights.
Prior to joining the Civil Service Yvonne had extensive experience of working on equality issues and with the third sector. She was formerly a senior trade union official including amongst her responsibilities the third sector and equality. She was formerly an advisor to the Minister for Women in Scotland and a member of the advisory board to the Equal Opportunities Commission. She has held a range of public positions including membership of the Board of Scottish Enterprise – Scotland’s economic development agency. Yvonne was also for a period a Director of the WISE group – a social enterprise based in Glasgow and a Director of the 7:84 Theatre Company. Yvonne received an OBE in 1997 for services to industrial relations and equal opportunities.