Our Executive Team is responsible for the management and strategic leadership of the Care Inspectorate.  

Jackie Irvine, Chief Executive

Jackie was appointed as the Chief Executive at the Care Inspectorate in September 2022.

Jackie qualified in Scotland in 1989 before starting her career in London, moving back to Scotland in 1991. Jackie has over 30 years’ experience of working in the public sector and has also managed community health services for children.

Jackie has been a Chief Social Work Officer for over 10 years prior to joining the Care Inspectorate. Her previous two roles have been Senior Leadership roles within Health and Social Care Partnerships, most recently as Service Director, Children and Families and Justice Services within the City of Edinburgh Council.

As Chief Social Work Officer Jackie had overall governance responsibility for the quality and provision of social work services both within the Council structure and within a fully integrated Health and Social Care Partnership as well as an adult’s only partnership. In these roles she has provided professional advice as it relates to the provision of social work services across all care groups.

Jackie’s previous positions were predominantly in children’s services but not exclusively, as she has had strategic and management responsibility for community justice, community-based health services, hospital-based social work, homelessness and refugee and migration services. Jackie spent two years as an Inspector in Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education in the Child Protection team and was an advisor for the Scottish Executive on a part time basis for four years. Jackie also has extensive experience working in key strategic planning and performance roles.

Jackie was appointed as Vice President of Social Work Scotland in 2017 and then as President in 2018 and has served on the Social Work Scotland Board. Jackie currently sits on the Knowledge Exchange Advisory Board based in London.

Edith Macintosh, Executive Director of Assurance and Improvement (adults’ regulated care, complaints, registration, and quality improvement)

Edith was appointed as Executive Director for Strategy and Improvement in 2020 after being in the interim role since 2018.  She is now the Executive Director of Assurance and Improvement with responsibility for adults’ regulated care, complaints, registration, and quality improvement.

Edith qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 1983 and worked across health and social care holding a variety of roles across Scotland predominantly in the NHS and latterly was service manager for Occupational Therapy services in the NHS in Perth and Kinross until 2009.  From there she joined the Care Inspectorate (then Care Commission) in September 2009 as the Rehabilitation Consultant and provided leadership and improvement expertise for several national initiatives and publications to support providers and partnerships to improve health and wellbeing in the social care sector. 

Edith became Head of Improvement Support in January 2017 and had strategic oversight for developing and strengthening the Care Inspectorate’s improvement support role across Scotland supported by a team of improvement advisors.  She designed the Care About Physical Activity improvement programme and was the programme lead.  Edith’s great passion is to inspire people and services to improve, realise their full potential and to make a positive difference to the lives of others.

Follow Edith on X @EAMacahp

Kevin Mitchell, Executive Director of Assurance and Improvement (children’s regulated care and strategic scrutiny)

Kevin was appointed Executive Director of the Care Inspectorate’s Scrutiny and Assurance Directorate in February 2016 and led the directorate’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2024, he became Executive Director of Assurance and Improvement with responsibility for children’s regulated care, early learning and childcare, and strategic scrutiny.

Kevin joined the Care Inspectorate in 2011 from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) having been involved in the programme of joint inspections of child protection from 2005.  He was appointed Head of Analysis and Business Planning at the Care Inspectorate in March 2013 and Acting Deputy Director of Inspection (Children's Services & Criminal Justice) in January 2015.

Kevin was previously a senior detective officer in Lothian and Borders police and graduated MSc in Advanced Practice Child Protection from Edinburgh Napier University in June 2014.

Follow Kevin on X @CIKevinMitchell

Jacqueline Mackenzie, Executive Director of Corporate Services

Jacqueline was appointed as Executive Director for Corporate and Customer Services in November 2020. She is responsible for customer and business support, estates,  health and safety, finance and corporate governance, HR,  legal,  organisational and workforce development and procurement.

Jacqueline has a BA in Accountancy and Business Law from the University of Stirling and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland with extensive experience of leadership and strategic management having held a variety of roles in both the public and private sectors.

She has excellent experience in financial and resource management, change management and team building. Jacqueline is skilled at understanding complex organisations and providing the leadership and influencing skills to motivate staff across functions and disciplines to work together to achieve the strategic goals.

Gordon Mackie, Executive Director of Digital and Data

Gordon was appointed as Executive Director of IT and Digital Transformation in July 2021 after acting in the role as interim from April 2020. In 2025, he became the Executive Director for Digital and Data and is leading the organisation’s stage 2 digital transformation.

He is an IT and transformation leader with a wealth of experience and a sustained record of success across diverse sectors both in the public and commercial environments. 

Gordon boasts a wealth of exposure within aligning technology to business strategies; leading specialist teams and delivering complex, full-cycle business change, transition and transformation projects.  Adept at building and maintaining key relationships at all levels, including clients, stakeholders and suppliers; effectively translating requirements and overseeing all issues through to completion.  Well versed in managing the end-to-end delivery of complex projects across conflicting programmes and proven ability to drive businesses forward.  Experienced in engaging and communicating with relevant internal and external stakeholders, inclusive of C-Level management in all programmes of work.  Both a team player and an independent thinker, with valuable problem solving and decision-making skills and the ability to coordinate with senior leaders to ensure needs are identified and fully addressed.