CREATIVE Scotland has become the latest public body to achieve a gender balance on its board.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop announced the arts organisation has achieved the target with the appointment of four new members.

Other boards that have at least 50 per cent female members include Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Accountant in Bankruptcy and NHS Education for Scotland.

The appointments of Professor Maggie Kinloch, Erin Forster, Sheila Murray and David Brew follow a recruitment exercise by the Scottish Government that trialled new approaches aimed at continually improving gender balance on regulated public boards.

It follows First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s call at the end of June for companies, third sector organisations and public sector bodies to make a commitment that by 2020, 50 per cent of their board members will be women.

As well as 18 private companies and 45 third sector organisations, 81 public bodies have now signed up to meet the Partnership for Change commitment by 2020.

Ms Hyslop said: "While all board appointments are, of course, made on merit, the Scottish Government is continually improving our processes to ensure vacancies are attractive and accessible to people from a wide range of backgrounds.

"We are continuously reviewing and improving the way we recruit to ensure that anyone with relevant skills and experience is given the opportunity to succeed.

"These appointments mean Creative Scotland now has a gender balanced board, setting an example to the rest of the organisation and to all employers that we must work harder to achieve gender equality in the workplace and ensure everyone in Scotland is able to meet their full potential.”

Currently women make up just 38 per cent of regulated public bodies’ boards and are less likely to enter senior management positions, and figures show men are paid on average nine per cent more than women for doing the same job.