With Katerina Brown's exit as CEO, what now for HES?

One thing I am sure the 1600 people working for Historic Environment Scotland want right now is a period of calm and stability as they get on with protecting and promoting hundreds of Scotland's most important historic buildings and sites.

It was the key message made last night by their trade union Prospect as it responded to the resignation of the organisation's chief executive Katerina Brown.

Sadly for them, the organisation has rarely been out of the headlines over the past 18 months from stories of a senior member of staff "twerking" in front of actor Martin Compston, an organisational "civil war", claims of a "toxic culture" and a highly critical assessment of how it was run by the country's public spending watchdog.

Today, HES announced to staff that Stephen Uphill, appointed last December as chief operating officer, to support Ms Brown after she returned to work following a period of sick leave and while she was under investigation after all seven directors launched a collective grievance against her, would take on the duties of interim chief executive "with immediate effect".

Read More:

• Who is the new HES interim CEO after Katerina Brown resignation?
• Trade union welcomes exit of HES chief after turmoil
• Sir Mark Jones 'preparing to step down' as HES chair
• Will McAllan tackle HES crisis after Robertson did not?

Public servants were also told that Ms Brown had been "relinquished" of her duties as CEO by the board while she worked out her notice period.

It's hard for an outsider to contemplate just how bad working relations deteriorated at the top of the organisation during the last year or so.

While Ms Brown did not face any disciplinary action following the long running grievance probe, two directors were not happy with the outcome and appealed against the decision.

I'm told by one observer that Mr Uphill had to act as a "go-between" between Ms Brown and some of the senior leadership team as personal contact became so strained. It will now be down to him to turn things around and to implement recommendations from a number of reviews into the organisation.

David Martin's review of the organisation published in June recommended a significant overhaul of management recommending a new senior leadership structure consisting of a Chief Executive Officer and four Executive Directors.

In his report the former Dundee city council chief executive said one of the four should be a Chief Operating Officer who would also act as Depute CEO and under them would be three "portfolio" Executive Directors responsible for Conservation & Properties, Heritage & Place, and Enterprise & Visitors.

There is talk too of more fundamental changes.

Ahead of the Holyrood election in May the SNP promised in its manifesto: “Through our public sector reform programme we will review the structures of Historic Environment Scotland and take any necessary steps to ensure the recent work of the new chair is supported and can be embedded for the future.”

(The new chair mentioned in the SNP's manifesto Sir Mark Jones, appointed in September last year to succeed Hugh Hall, left in July,  just nine months into his four year tenure with organisation currently recruiting for a replacement.)

Yet there was no mention of HES when the First Minister John Swinney set out his Programme for Government in Holyrood on Tuesday despite the cull of public bodies that his statement promised. Other bodies were earmarked for mergers and restructuring but on HES, Scottish Government ministers and their advisers were quiet.

Perhaps there is a sense in government that the organisation has simply been through enough recent trauma and it is simply time for it to take stock.

Personnel changes too in government could been influencing what is happening with Mairi McAllan taking over a culture secretary - with the added responsibility of education - from Angus Robertson who failed to get re-elected to Holyrood in May.

"I think if it was Angus Robertson it would be full steam ahead for organisational change," said one observer.

"But Mairi McAllan is being a little more circumspect - plus she's got a much larger portfolio than he had."

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But there are questions too for how government acted over the crisis and whether it could have responded more quickly.

Some believe ministers and Scottish Government civil servants should have listened to warnings from the board and former chair Hugh Hall about relations at the top in summer last year rather than persuading the former chair Sir Mark to bring Ms Brown back to work while the grievance procedure was ongoing.

Others feel the reputation of HES has been significantly damaged by the 18 months of controversy and want to see that restored.

As the dust settles, it seems that Ms Brown's exit marks a new chapter for HES, but whether the story continues with further drama or a calm resolution depends much on the actions of the officials and ministers who remain.