Jeane Freeman

Jeane Tennent Freeman OBE (born 28 September 1953) is a Scottish retired businesswoman and politician who served as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport from 2018 to 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley constituency from 2016 to 2021.

Born into a Labour-supporting, working-class family in South Ayrshire, Freeman attended the Glasgow College of Technology, studying sociology and politics. She became politically active at an early age and was a member of the Communist Party's student wing, before joining the Labour Party. In 1987, she established Apex Scotland, a criminal justice employment organisation, for which she served as CEO until 2000. Freeman later served as a political advisor to the Labour First Minister Jack McConnell from 2001 to 2005. In the run up to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, she and several other women, founded the Women for Independence. Freeman campaigned in support for Scottish independence and in the aftermath of the Yes Scotland campaign's defeat in the referendum, she joined the Scottish National Party.

The following year Freeman was selected as the SNP's candidate for the Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley constituency in the 2016 Scottish Parliament election. She was elected to the 5th Scottish Parliament and was subsequently appointed a junior ministerial post as Minister for Social Security. In this role, she worked alongside the Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities to establish Social Security Scotland, which claims as her "greatest achievement". Following a 2018 cabinet reshuffle of the Second Sturgeon government, Freeman was promoted to the Scottish Cabinet as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport. During Freeman's tenure as the Scottish Health Secretary, she played a vital role to Scotland's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She led press briefings to the public, was criticised for handling of care homes and announced Scotland's preparation plan for delivering COVID-19 vaccines. In 2020, she announced her intention to step down as an MSP, therefore relinquishing her role as Health Secretary.