LIZ SMITH
CBE MSP

Liz was born in Edinburgh and studied Politics and Economics at the University of Edinburgh, where she also gained a Diploma in Education. After graduating she taught in her field at George Watson's College, which she previously attended as a pupil.

Liz worked at George Waston’s from 1983 to 2001 but took a sabbatical term from teaching and came to Corpus as a Fellow Commoner in the Michaelmas Term of 1992, during Michael McCrum’s time as Master. As well as her academic work and assisting College with a “view from Scotland” when it came to the exam structure, Liz was very involved with college sport.

“I was asked to play hockey for the College including for the men’s XI in the Cuppers Competition, which caused a bit of stir when we got to the final against St John’s and I was the only female player! It was an immense privilege to be at Corpus and I shall always be grateful for the opportunity. I was also increasingly interested in giving back service to sport which had been a huge part of both my pupil and teaching career.”

In 2007, after a period of working with Sir Malcolm Rifkind, Liz was elected to the Scottish Parliament as a Member for Mid Scotland and Fife and is now in her fourth term. For 12 years she has chaired the cross-party group on sport, with an emphasis on supporting the grass roots, volunteers and helping to improve accessibility to sport, including for disabled people.

Liz currently has a Member’s Bill in the Scottish Parliament with the aim of ensuring that all pupils across Scotland have access to at least one week of residential outdoor education. “I believe outdoor education is an extremely important and beneficial aspect of the educational experience, especially after the troubles of Covid.”

Following her long-serving role as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, she was appointed Chief Whip in February 2020 and, in August 2020, she was appointed Shadow Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform. After the 2021 Scottish Parliament election she was appointed Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy, later renamed Finance and Local Government. She chairs three cross-party committees: those on Colleges and Universities, Sport and Outdoor Education. She was awarded the CBE for Services to Sport in the King’s New Year’s Honours List 2024.

Outside politics, Liz remains a keen sportswoman with particular interest in cricket and hill-walking. She won seven caps with the Scottish Women’s Cricket XI, is former President of the Scottish Women’s Cricket Association and is an official Munroist on account of her completing all of the 282 peaks in Scotland over 3,000ft.

“Sport has been a very large part of my life from a very young age, and I have both my parents to thank for that. They were both hugely supportive and encouraging, as were my teachers and good friends at school. The sports in which I have participated have instilled in me the importance of being part of a team; of good leadership, of building confidence, resilience and self-esteem, but also that sportsmanship is just as important as the competition itself. Sport taught me how to lose as well as how to win.”