Maggie Chapman

Chapman's father Neil Chapman was a classical musician and an expert on the Shona and Ndebele music of Zimbabwe.^[3]

Age

Chapman was born in 1979.^[4]

Siblings

Chapman has a sister named Catherine. ^[3]

Education

She went to Dominican Convent High School.
Maggie Chapman holds a degree in Zoology from Edinburg University. She completed a Masters in Environmental Management at Stirling University before returning to Edinburgh University to start doctoral studies in environmental ethics.^[2]

Career

Education

She lectured at Napier University in cultural geography, environmental ethics and social justice from 2006-2015. Chapman was the Vice President of the Educational Institute of Scotland's University Lecturers' Association, the higher education branch of Scotland's oldest trade union.

She has been Rector of Aberdeen University since January 2015 and chairs the University Court. Chapman has campaigned for a cut to the rents charged in student halls and prevented staff redundancies.^[2]

Political Career

Maggie Chapman was co-convener of the Scottish Greens from 2013-2019, was lead list candidate for the North East region for Holyrood 2016, and party spokesperson on Social Justice. She was Councillor for the Leith Walk Ward in Edinburgh from 2007-15 and was the first-ever convener of the Petitions Committee. She convened the Leith Neighbourhood Partnership twice and was Green spokesperson on Health and Social Care.^[2]

Chapman was the lead candidate in 2014 when the Scottish Green Party achieved the greatest number of Green votes in a European election. She has been co-convenor of the Scottish Green Party and a director of the Scottish Independence Convention. She is a former Edinburgh City councillor where she introduced participatory budgeting. She has campaigned for employment rights, gender equality, equal recognition for all LGBTQ+ people, animal welfare and peace.^[5]

In 2019, Chapman was once again selected as the Green party's lead candidate for the European Parliament election for the Scotland constituency.^[6] She was not elected.

In the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, Chapman led the North East regional list for the Scottish Greens. Her successful election to Holyrood was announced on 8 May 2021, two days after the election. This made her the first Green MSP in the North East since Shiona Baird lost her seat in 2007. Upon being sworn in, Chapman repeated her affirmation in Shona.^[7]

Philanthropy

Maggie Chapman is the Chief Operating Officer of a Rape Crisis Centre and has worked as a strategy and communications consultant. Prior to this, she was CEO of a charity that campaigned and lobbied on behalf of the vision impairment sector in Scotland. She has also worked for another women's rights charity and supported active citizenship in a variety of third sector organisations.

As a community activist, she is a founding member of the transition town and land reform group PEDAL in Portobello, and she won cross-party support in the Council for the Transition Town movement. A committed peace campaigner, she has sat on the board of the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Resource Centre. She led the Council's support of Scotland's for Peace anti-Trident rally and has campaigned against army recruitment in schools.^[2]

References