Elected: 2022
Discipline: Professional, Educational and Public Sector Leadership
Ms Catherine Stihler
Chief Executive Officer, Creative Commons
Born in Scotland, Catherine was educated at St Andrews University, she received a Master of Arts (MA) with Honors in Geography and International Relations and Master of Letters in International Security Studies. She holds a Master of Business Administration from the Open University and honorary Doctor of Letters from St Andrews University for her contributions as the 52nd Rector and for her public service. She was Member of the European Parliament for Scotland in 1999, for the Labor Party. Catherine was elected Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, founded the Campaign for Parliamentary Reform and the parliament’s All-Party Library Group.
In 2019, Catherine received an OBE by Her Majesty the Queen in recognition of her services to politics. That same year, she stood down from the European Parliament to become the chief executive officer of the Open Knowledge Foundation. In August 2020, Catherine was appointed chief executive officer of Creative Commons, She was selected to the Fellowship of Scotland’s national academy, the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) in 2022.
In 2019, Catherine received an OBE by Her Majesty the Queen in recognition of her services to politics. That same year, she stood down from the European Parliament to become the chief executive officer of the Open Knowledge Foundation. In August 2020, Catherine was appointed chief executive officer of Creative Commons, She was selected to the Fellowship of Scotland’s national academy, the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) in 2022.