The First Minister has announced her new cabinet as the SNP Scottish Government takes shape.
Ms Sturgeon has said her new Cabinet will give Scotland a “serious Government for the serious times we face”, as she completed the major reshuffle of her front-bench team.
Two ministers who lost their jobs in previous reshuffles have returned to the Cabinet, while only one junior minister has been promoted.
But there are fresh faces as ministers move jobs and switch briefs, while two long-standing Cabinet members, Fiona Hyslop and Fergus Ewing, step down.
Here's the new cabinet in full:
Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister.
She became First Minister in November 2014 and was re-elected for a third them this week.
John Swinney, Deputy First Minister and Covid Recovery Secretary
A former MP, Mr Swinney has been an MSP since 1999. He previously served as Finance Secretary under both former First Minister Alex Salmond and current incumbent Nicola Sturgeon.
Mr Swinney was previously education secretary during the last Parliament, before switching to Covid Recovery Secretary this week.
He led the SNP between 2000 and 2003.
Kate Forbes, Finance Secretary
Kate Forbes was elected to the Scottish parliament in 2016. She was appointed Finance Secretary in February last year following the resignation of Derek MacKay.
Ms Forbes served as Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy from 2018 before taking up her current role.
Her brief has now been expanded to include economic strategy, mainly the wellbeing economy, trade and inward investment, city and regional growth deals, enterprise and the digital economy.
Angus Robertson, Constitution Secretary
A former SNP Westminster leader, Mr Robertson was elected as an MSP less than two weeks ago and goes straight into the Cabinet as the new Constitution Secretary – a post which had been held by Mike Russell before he stepped down from Holyrood.
Mr Robertson’s new portfolio will also include culture and external affairs, and will see him speak for the Scottish Government on issues including post-Brexit relations.
Humza Yousaf, Health and Social Care Secretary
In one of the most high-profile moves, Humza Yousaf switches from Justice Secretary to the Health and Social Care brief – which will see him play a key role in tackling coronavirus and take on responsibility for work to set up a new National Care Service. He repleaces Jeane Freeman, who stepped down as an MSP prior to the election.
Mr Yousaf, who has been an MSP fpr a decade, has been a long-standing member of the Cabinet, with roles including Minister for External Affairs and International Development, Minister for Europe and Transport Secretary.
During his time as Justice Minister he steered the controverisal 'hate crime' Bill through the Scottish Parliament.
Shirley-Anne Somerville, Education Secretary
A veteran of various cabinet positions, Ms Somerville is the only Minister to have once lost a seat. She first entered the Scottish Parliament in 2007, but was voted out in 2011, returning as an MSP in 2016.
Since re-joining Parliament, she has served as Minister of Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People and Minister for Equalities and Older people.
She takes over the Education desk following the troubled tenure of Mr Swinney, who faced crtiticism for falling standards and mixed exam results.
Ms Somerville faces the unenviable task of coping with the fall-out of the oandemic, which has seen pupils across Scotland miss out on school time and exams.
Keith Brown, Justice Secretary
One of two MSPs returning to the cabinet, Mr Brown takes over from Humza Yousaf as Justice Secretary.
Mr Brown entered the Scottish Parliament in 2007, and has previously served as Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work between 2016 and 2018.
Other roles filled by Mr Brown at various times include Minister for Schools and Skills, Transport, Veterans and Infrastructure.
Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport.
Mr Matheson, who had previously served as transport secretary, will now have responsibility across Scotland for efforts to deliver net-zero carbon emissions, working across the transport, environment and energy portfolios.,
He will also be involved in the delivery of the Cop26 climate change talks this November.
Mr Matheson became an MSP with the first intake in 1999. He has previously served as Justice Secretary from 2014-2018.
Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands
Ms Gougeon, who served as rural affairs Minister before becoming Public Health minister, has been promoted to become the Minister in charge of Scotland's far-flung islands.
A former councillor, she became an MSP in 2016 and was installed as Public Health Minister in December last year following the sacking of Joe FitzPatrick after a rise in drug deaths in Scotland.
Shona Robison, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government
Another MSP returning to the Cabinet, Ms Robison has previously served as Health Minister, and the the member of the Cabinet picked to oversee the Commowealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.
She stepped down as Health Minister ahead of a Cabinet reshuffile in 2018, the day the Scottish government confirmed its worst cancer waiting times for six years.
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