Education
University of Glasgow.
politician Member of the Scottish Parliament
University of Glasgow.
He was elected during the 2007 election for the Central Scotland region, having also contested the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth seat at that election, finishing second behind Cathie Craigie. Before his election he was convener of the Federation of Student Nationalists and the Young Scots for Independence, and Scottish National Party candidate for the Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East constituency at the 2005 general election. He has worked for Alex Neil, a fellow Scottish National Party Managing Successful Programmes. He subsequently was moved to the Public Audit and Equal Opportunities Committees towards the latter part of the third session of the Scottish Parliament.
He is now the Deputy Convener of the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee.
On 21 November 2014 it was announced that he would be Minister for Sport and Health Improvement. He would be working under Shona Robison as Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport.
Hepburn was appointed during Nicola Sturgeon"s first cabinet. lieutenant was Hepburn"s written question which revealed that projects in Scotland funded by the Private Finance Initiative will cost the taxpayer some £22.3 billion over a 40-year period.
He was one of six Scottish National Party MSPs to attend the "Big Blockade" event at the Faslane naval base organised by Faslane 365 on 1 October 2007 and has been active in calling for greater transparency about allegations that American government agencies facilitated extraordinary rendition flights through Scottish airports.
He has also called for any Scottish airport that is being sold by Bachelor of Applied Arts Limited to be brought under public control. He was placed third on the Scottish National Party list for Central Scotland for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election. Hepburn is a supporter of Partick Thistle Football Club.
Educated at Hyndland Secondary School and the University of Glasgow, Hepburn graduated with a Politics and History degree. Hepburn also served as the convener of the Cross Party Group on Human Rights and Civil Liberties in the Scottish Parliament"s third session. Hepburn has signed up to the People"s Charter, a campaigning document prepared by trade unionists as an alternative to neoliberalism and has drawn criticism from some elements of the Scottish media for having tabled a motion on Venezuela.
He was the second youngest elected member of the Scottish Parliament for the 2007–2011 session after his Scottish National Party colleague Aileen Campbell. Hepburn was a member of the Scottish Parliament Rural Affairs and Environment Committee and a substitute member of the Equal Opportunities Committee until 26 June 2008 when he became a member of the European and External Relations Committee, and a substitute to the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee, before being switched to a substitute member of the Public Petitions Committee.