Sheila Voas was permanently appointed to the role of Scotland’s Chief Vet in 2012, having been in that role on a temporary basis since June 2011.
She joined the Scottish Government in 2007 as a veterinary adviser, and then as deputy CVO, having previously worked for the State Veterinary Service as a field based veterinary officer. As part of this role Sheila was seconded to Health Protection Scotland where she further developed her interest in Veterinary Public Health and all things zoonotic. Prior to joining the government services Sheila spent almost 20 years in private practice, in a variety of jobs in the Scottish Borders and the North of England, including 15 years in a mixed practice based between Biggar and Peebles.
Sheila qualified from the “Dick Vet” college 1988, having never considered a career other than veterinary medicine. She is passionate about the veterinary profession and its role in society, and was humbled to have been awarded both a Fellowship of the RCVS in 2020 for Meritorious Contribution to the {Veterinary} Profession and an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Edinburgh in 2023. Sheila is an Honorary Associate of the Royal Highland Agricultural Society, a Fellow of the Moredun Foundation and has recently been awarded a fellowship by SRUC.
Married with two sons, Sheila lives in the Scottish Borders near Blyth Bridge, a home which she shares also with 3 cats – and keeps her horse in a nearby field. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, reading and knitting, and enjoys active holidays skiing and scuba diving (but not together!!!)
