Who we are: The Executive Team

Michelle Macleod
Commissioner

Michelle was appointed by Ministers in June 2019 and began her five year term as Commissioner on 17 August 2019. 

She was previously appointed Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prosecution in August 2013 after working in the Fiscal Service for 21 years.  

Michelle joined the Fiscal Service in 1992 as a trainee and has held various roles across Scotland, including Area Procurator Fiscal for Central, Head of Policy at Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal High Court East where she was responsible for the investigation, prosecution and management of all High Court cases in the East of Scotland. 

Alan Buchanan
Director of Operations

Alan Buchanan was appointed as the Director of Operations on 1 April 2018.

He holds extensive experience as an investigator in both the public and private sectors.

As Investigation Manager with the Royal Bank of Scotland, he was responsible for the investigation of misconduct and financial crime, nationally and internationally.

Alan previously investigated numerous major crimes as a police officer within Strathclyde Police and Police Scotland.

In his role as Detective Superintendent, he investigated several complex murder investigations. He also led a team which had governance oversight of all murder investigations throughout Scotland and reviewed historical and unsolved murders.

John McSporran
Head of Investigations

John McSporran was appointed as Head of Investigations in March 2017. He joined the organisation as a senior investigator in December 2012, prior to our inception as the PIRC on 1 April 2013. 

Before joining the PIRC, John was a Detective Superintendent in charge of the Major Investigations Teams at Strathclyde Police dealing with murders and other major enquiries and a Detective Superintendent in charge of Special Operations, investigating terrorist and organised crime.

He also spent a period of time seconded to the Department for International Development and was posted to West Africa as a Special Advisor to assist in the development of Sierra Leone following the civil war there.

Ilya Zharov
Head of Reviews and Policy

Ilya Zharov was appointed as the Head of Reviews and Policy in September 2016.  He is a qualified solicitor who has extensive experience in private legal practice in the Glasgow area. 

His principal area of interest is in Criminal Law, having previously been employed both with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and in Criminal defence work.

Sharon Smit
Head of HR and Corporate Services

Sharon Smit was appointed as the Head of HR and Corporate Services in June 2017. She gained her first degree in Hospitality Management after graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University, before going on to work in the sector both internationally and in the UK.

Sharon moved into HR while living in the Netherlands, graduating with an MSc in Human Resources Development from the University of Twente in 2006. She has worked in a variety of HR positions and joins the PIRC from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) where she was an HR Business Partner.