Samantha Barber

A specialist in ESG leadership in the boardroom, Samantha was appointed Accenture's Board Effectiveness & Sustainability Lead for Europe in November 2021.

From 2008 to 2021, Samantha was a Non-executive Director with the global No.1 renewable energy company, Iberdrola, headquartered in Spain. As Chair of the Board Committee, she was responsibile for ESG, compliance and non-financial risk for over eight years, driving and shaping Iberdrola’s international leading role as a purpose-led sustainable energy company.

Samantha also joined the Board of Scottish Water in 2017 and is currently Chair of its Remuneration Committee. In 2021, she was appointed to the Board of Directors at The James Hutton Institute, an interdisciplinary scientific research institute in Scotland, focused on crops, soils, land use and environmental research. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for the MSc in Management at Imperial College, and she previously served as Vice-Chair of the business-led 2020 leadership group on Climate Change in Scotland for six years.

Earlier in her career, Samantha spent nearly four years as a Policy Advisor on the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee in the European Parliament and nine years as CEO of Scottish Business in the Community. She took up her first NED position in 2000 on the Board of a youth employability charity, and since then was appointed to the Advisory Board of Scottish Power in 2007. She has also held a range of pro-bono Board positions over the last 20 years, including chairing the Scottish Ensemble.

Samantha is a fluent French and Spanish speaker, having worked and studied in France, Spain and Brussels.