Alasdair MacLaughlin was appointed as the Lay Observer for Northern Ireland in April 2004. He is also the Independent Assessor for the Public Prosecution Service.
Alasdair has extensive experience in the private, public and voluntary sectors in Northern Ireland, at national level and in Europe. An economist by education, he worked in Industry for 15 years, before being appointed as the Director for Northern Ireland of the Confederation of British Industry for 10 years. He was then appointed as Director General of the Ulster Farmers’ Union for 10 years prior to retirement. He is also the chairman of the CfA Ltd, which is the custodian company for National Vocational Qualifications, Standards and Qualifications in Administration throughout the UK.
Alasdair is a member of the Probation Board for Northern Ireland, and is also a trustee of Relate and of the Belfast Association for the Blind. He is a former member of the Northern Ireland Economic Council, of the Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights, and of the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council. He has served on European Union Monitoring Committees, for Structural Funds and for Peace II. A former school governor, he served on the Council of the University of Ulster.
Outside of work, Alasdair is an organist and plays some golf, enjoys walking, travelling and wildlife.
