Douglas Andrew Connell (born May 1954) is a retired Scottish solicitor and former chairman of

Museums Galleries Scotland Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS), formerly the Scottish Museums Council, is the National Development Body for the museum sector in Scotland. It offers support to 400 museums and galleries, ranging from small local museums to larger regional and ...

, which is the national development body for Scotland's museums and galleries. He is also the former chair of

The Prince's Foundation The King's Foundation (formerly the Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture until 2001, the Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment until 2012, the Prince's Foundation for Building Community until 2018, and the Prince's Foundation until 2 ...

Connell was Senior Partner and most recently a consultant to the private client law firm Turcan Connell of which he was one of the founders. He was chairman and latterly deputy chairman of Tcam, an investment management and financial planning business. His work in charity law included the formation and governance of charities and advice to the trustees of a number of major national institutions as well as private charitable foundations. He also specialised in the national heritage. Connell is a former chairman of the recognition committee of Museums Galleries Scotland, the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the lottery committee of the Scottish Arts Council. He has served as a board member of various arts and heritage organisations including the

Scottish Arts Council The Scottish Arts Council (), was a Scottish public body responsible for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland. The Council primarily distributed funding from the Scottish Government as well as National Lottery funds ...

, Artlink, the Edinburgh International Cultural Summit Foundation, the Historic Scotland Foundation and the

Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially european classical music, classical music) and ...

. For many years he was a member of the Scottish Committee of the Historic Houses Association. He also served as a General Council Assessor on the Court of the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

and is a trustee of many other public and charitable organisations. Connell served as a board member of Hampshire Cultural Trust. In 2016, he was appointed as a Trustee of the Great Steward of Scotland's

Dumfries House Dumfries House is a Palladian country house in Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located within a large estate, around west of Cumnock. Noted for being one of the few such houses with much of its original 18th-century furniture still present, including ...

Trust. He is a trustee of The Prince's Foundation and other related charities. In 2021, he quit his job over claims the charity had accepted a £200,000 donation from Russian convict, Dmitry Leus, with the prince thanking the businessman in a letter and suggesting a meeting. This led to an investigation by the

Scottish Charity Regulator The Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR; ) is a non-ministerial department of the Scottish Government with responsibility for the regulation of charities in Scotland. OSCR is the independent regulator and registrar for more than 25,000 Scottish ch ...

. A former member of the Court of the

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

, Douglas chaired the Audit Committee and the Governance and Nominations Committee. At the Scottish Legal Awards 2015, Connell received the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2015, Connell was awarded an honorary doctorate by

Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University () is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and was subsequently granted university status by roya ...

. In 2016, Connell was made an Honorary Academician of The Royal Scottish Academy. After many years in Scotland and 7 years in Hampshire, Connell now lives in Surrey and London.

References

External links

Scottish Government Recognition Scheme
{{DEFAULTSORT:Connell, Douglas Andrew 1954 births Living people Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish solicitors