Councillor Marie Burns was appointed as a Non-Executive Member of NHS Ayrshire & Arran Board on 30 May 2022 in her capacity as the nominated local authority councillor for North Ayrshire Council.
Councillor Burns was first elected as an SNP representative for Irvine East at the May 2012 Local Government elections. She held the position of Cabinet Member for Economy and Employment until August 2016 before a change in Administration. Councillor Burns was appointed Leader of the SNP Group in North Ayrshire at the end of January 2017.
Prior to joining Local Government Councillor Burns previously held positions as Senior Director of Skills Interventions at Skills Development Scotland and as Director of Skills Development at Scottish Enterprise.
Following the May 2022 Local Government elections, Councillor Burns was elected Leader of North Ayrshire Council and been appointed Chair of the North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership, Staffing & Recruitment Committee, Ayrshire Regional Economic Partnership Board and the Ayrshire Shared Services Committee.
As Council Leader she attends COSLA Leaders and COSLA Convention. She is a member of the Ayrshire Regional Economic Joint Committee and a non-Executive Board Member of NHS Ayrshire and Arran.