Governance Board

Sir Iain Livingstone

Executive member and Chair

Sir Iain took charge as Officer in Overall Command of Kenova in November 2023 from former lead Jon Boutcher who was made Chief Constable of the Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI). 

His most previous role was Chief Constable of Police Service of Scotland, which has more than 23,000 officers and staff responsible for all policing and security across Scotland, from the Shetland Isles to the Scottish Borders - over one-third of the United Kingdom landmass.  Sir Iain was been Chief Constable between 2018 and 2023.

He joined the police service in 1992, serving in Edinburgh and the Lothians as a patrol officer, a detective and ultimately as the head of criminal investigations. He has commanded many major investigations and international events and has undertaken attachments to Northern Ireland and to national government.

Before joining the police, Sir Iain graduated in Law from the Universities of Aberdeen and Strathclyde and worked as a solicitor in Glasgow and London. He also worked and studied in New York City as a Fulbright Scholar where he gained a Masters degree in Criminal Justice.

Sir Iain was a member of the Scottish Sentencing Council and is active across the justice sector in Scotland and beyond.

He was announced as a Knight Bachelor in 2022 and received the award at an investiture conducted by The Princess Royal at Palace of Holyroodhouse on 18 January 2023.

Harold Good

Non-executive member

Harold was born in Derry, Londonderry, and studied Theology in Belfast and USA.

Ordained Methodist minister in 1964, he served congregations in USA, Republic of Ireland and Belfast’s Shankill Road in the earlier years of conflict, alongside part-time hospital and prison chaplaincies. As Director of the 'Corrymeela Centre for Reconciliation' he facilitated relationships which were to involve him in the Northern Ireland peace process. In 2005, with Fr Alex Reid, he acted as an independent witness to the decommissioning of the IRA - a role he also played in the decommissioning of ETA in the Basque country, as well as talks with FARC in Cuba and Colombia. Public and voluntary sector appointments have included membership of the NI Human Rights Commission, Social Security Advisory Committee, Coiste, ‘Healing through Remembering’ and Chair of NIACRO.

He was elected President of the Methodist Church in Ireland in 2001. Awards have included OBE, Honorary doctorates and jointly the Rene Cassin and Ghandi Peace awards.

Father Martin Magill

Non-executive member

Father Magill is the parish priest of St John the Evangelist on Belfast’s Falls Road. His searing sermon at the funeral of murdered journalist Lyra McKee in St Anne’s Cathedral is credited with galvanising Northern Ireland politicians and the British and Irish Governments into re-starting the Stormont talks.
Father Magill was born and grew up in Aldergrove, he went to St James’ Primary School at Aldergrove, and later to St Malachy’s College in Belfast his tertiary education took place at Queen’s University, the Gregorian University and Angelicum universities in Rome, St Mary’s University College in Belfast and the Northern Regional College.
He has been involved in several cross-community initiatives and services over the years, including last year's multi-faith Service of Reflection. Last year saw the publication of a book by Fr Magill about the Poor Clares in Belfast. He wrote it after he 'fell in love' with their 'fabulous story'.

Monica McWilliams

Non-executive member

Monica is Chairperson of Interpeace, an international peace building NGO based in Geneva. She is a signatory of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, having represented the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition in the multi party peace negotiations. She served in the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly from 1998-2003 and was the Chief Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission from 2005-2011. She drafted the advice on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland, consulting widely with civic society and political parties and presented the advice to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in 2008. Monica was appointed to the Independent Reporting Commission for the disbandment of paramilitary organisations from 2017-2021. She is Emeritus Professor in the Transitional Justice Institute at Ulster University and Patron of WAVE. Monica is a recipient of several honorary doctorates and the JF Kennedy Profile in Courage award.

Bertha McDougall OBE

Non-executive member

Educated at Methodist College Belfast, Queens University and the Open University, Bertha has enjoyed an extensive career in the education sector. Her first husband Lindsay, a civil servant and part-time Royal Ulster Constabulary Reservist, was shot dead by the Irish National Liberation Army in January 1981 while on duty in Belfast.

Bertha was appointed as Interim Commissioner for Victims and Survivors by the Secretary of State (2004-6) to review services and make recommendations for future provisions for those who continued to be impacted by the Northern Ireland conflict.

Bertha was a founder of the victims' group, Forgotten Families. Bertha successfully lobbied the House of Commons and the House of Lords on behalf of Forgotten Families, a group of pre-1982 RUCGC widows who had a disparity in pension provision and continues to Chair the group.

Appointed as a Commissioner for Victims and Survivors (2008-2012). The Commission advises Government by monitoring the delivery of all services and needs of the sector and is an advocate for victims and survivors. Bertha has addressed the United Nations and International Conferences on aspects of victims

Bertha is on the Board of the Victims and Survivors Service and has been a Trustee on the Boards of a number of charities

Liam O'Brien QPM

Executive member

Liam is vastly experienced in major, complex and serious crime investigation, strategic and operational intelligence and analysis, counter terrorism, risk management and public protection. He has led major national and international investigations as well as representing the UK internationally, supporting the development of capabilities across investigations, intelligence, security and protection in Pakistan, New Zealand, Europe, the Middle East and the United States.

He also has a proven track record in successfully delivering significant high risk national organisational business change programmes, working in partnership with stakeholders nationally and internationally within law enforcement, government, intelligence agencies, political, public, private as well as the commercial sector.

Has held a number of high-profile demanding positions across a broad spectrum of policing and law enforcement delivering improvements across organisational performance within business areas of protection and security, serious and major crime, strategic analysis and intelligence, counter terrorism, operational law enforcement, as well as multi-agency major incident contingency planning, major investigation reviews and de-briefs, training and organisational learning.

Keith Surtees Senior Investigating Officer

Executive member

Keith recently retired from the Metropolitan Police Service having served 30 years, 28 of those as a detective officer in numerous roles across London and New Scotland Yard. The last three years he served as a T/Commander and led Operation Kenova as the Senior Investigating Officer.

Prior to this Keith was the Deputy Senior National Co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism responsible for operational decisions on all terrorism investigations across England, Wales and Scotland. He gained experience for this role as Head of Investigations at the Counter Terrorism Command (SO15), during notable events such as the 2012 London Olympic Games and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

From January 2013 to March 2014 he was the Chief of Staff for the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Bernard Hogan Howe.

Notable investigations led by Keith during his career include the 2006 original phone hacking investigation delivering convictions of the News of the World, Royal Correspondent and a Private Investigator, and an appearance at the Leveson Inquiry. He devised and led the last proactive operation into Operation ‘Minstead’ (one of the longest running manhunts in the Metropolitan Police’s history), leading to the arrest and conviction of Delroy Grant for multiple residential burglaries and sexual assaults of very elderly residents across South London over a period of 17 years. He also led a number of national and international terrorism investigations into Al Qaeda and Islamic State inspired terrorists.

Philip Wells

Executive member

Philip has been employed with Bedfordshire Police since 2000 and sits as one of four Chief Officers in the force as well as being the Chief Finance Officer for the county's Police and Crime Commissioner.

He is a qualified Accountant and MBA graduate as well as graduating through the Police Strategic Command Course. He has been involved with Kenova since its inception and continues to provide financial and professional advice as its investigations progress.

He has been the Senior Responsible Officer for a number of successful large scale, multi-force change programmes that have been complex, sensitive and had both political and community dimensions to them. He is also a Non-Executive Director for a Mental Health Trust in the Midlands where his role is to support and challenge the Executive in delivering the best possible services to its in-house and community patients. He states that he is privileged to be part of Kenova.

Sir John Chilcot (deceased)

Non-executive member

Educated at Brighton College and Pembroke College, Cambridge (Open Scholar, Hon Fellow).

After six years in academia, Sir John moved to Whitehall, serving in the Home Office, the Civil Service Department, the Cabinet Office and finally the Northern Ireland Office as Permanent Under-Secretary of State from 1990 to the end of 1997. Appointed by the Prime Minister as Staff Counsellor (ethics adviser) to the Security and Intelligence Agencies, 1999-2004. Served on or led a number of independent public  inquiries including the 1998 Jenkins Commission on the voting system for the House of Commons, the 2004 Butler Committee on the intelligence on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, Royal and VIP Security, the use of intercept intelligence in criminal trials 2007-9, and finally chaired the Iraq War Inquiry (2009-2016). Chairman, later President, of the Police Foundation think tank 2001-16, appointed to the Privy Council in 2004, member of the Awards Council of the Royal Anniversary Trust, 2003-16, elected an Honorary Fellow of the British Academy in 2019.

He sadly passed away in October 2021.

Jon Boutcher - Officer in Overall Charge

Executive member