Raymond Young, the Chair of Architecture and Design Scotland, today announced the appointment of the first Chief Executive of the new public body which is being established as Scotland's national champion for good architecture and design in the built environment.

The new Chief Executive is Sebastian Tombs, who has been Chief Executive/Secretary of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) since 1995. The appointment is fulltime and permanent.

Sebastian Tombs is a Chartered Architect who worked in Philadelphia, USA before settling in Scotland in 1975. His experience includes working in private practice, a community Housing Association, the Housing Corporation and Edinburgh District Council Housing Department. He has worked for the RIAS since 1986, where he has been instrumental in the adoption of a new Charter and a partnership agreement with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA); initiated the Accreditation Schemes for Building Conservation and Sustainable Building Design; supported and encouraged interdisciplinary working through the Urban Design Alliance (UDAL) and encouraged sketch competitions for members, students and schoolchildren in association with the annual RIAS Conventions.

Sebastian was founder (and is a past Chair) of the Scottish Ecological Design Association, and the Association of Planning Supervisors (now the Association for Project Safety). He has been the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency in elections to both Scottish and Westminster Parliaments.

On his appointment Mr Tombs said "This is an exciting time for Scotland, with Architecture and Design Scotland forming the next key part of the Policy on Architecture and the planning policies matrix. With an able and talented board and an intelligent and responsive staff, I am looking forward to taking Architecture and Design Scotland into a brighter future for Scotland, where design becomes integral to quality placemaking and we witness fewer lost opportunities in our built environment. This is a challenge to relish"