Ex Highland Council Chief Steps Up To Chair Of Highlands And Islands Enterprise

30th January 2020

Current chair, Professor Lorne Crerar CBE, leaves the post on 29 February. Deputy chair, Alistair Dodds CBE, will then assume the responsibility as an interim measure.

A former chief executive of Highland Council Mr Dodds has a good understanding of remote and rural areas, has been directly involved in significant public sector reform and delivered the benefits from strong and effective partnership working with the public, private and third/voluntary sectors. He was appointed to the board of HIE in 2014 and took on the role of deputy chair the following year. He also chairs the agency's risk and assurance committee.

Mr Dodds is a Trustee and the deputy chair of the National Galleries of Scotland.

Professor Lorne Crerar joined the HIE Board in 2008 and has been chair since 2012. He is a founding partner and chair of leading Scottish law firm Harper Macleod LLP.

Lorne’s other public appointments have included convener of the Standards Commission and chair of the 'Independent Review of Regulation, Audit, Inspection and Complaints Handling of Public Services in Scotland’. He was also a non-executive director of the Scottish Government Justice Programme Board, co-chair of the National Council of Rural Advisers, deputy chair of Scottish Enterprise Glasgow and one of three chairs of the Housing Improvement Task Force.

The HIE Board normally meets at least six times a year and has overall responsibility for ensuring the agency fulfils its statutory duties and meets the aims and objectives set out by the Scottish Government in Scotland's Economic Strategy and the national Programme for Government.

The Scottish Government is currently recruiting a new permanent chair for HIE, for a three-year period from 1 May 2020. Closing date is 19 February and details are online at https://www.hie.co.uk/about-us/vacancies/hie-chair-vacancy/.