New HIE Board Members

18th June 2022

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy, Kate Forbes MSP, has announced the appointment of four new HIE Board members.

Dr Keith Nicholson, Ailsa Raeburn and Anna Salgado began their term on 13 June and Simon Cotton will start on 1 April 2023. All four appointments are for three years.

Dr Nicholson lives in Caithness and is a serial entrepreneur and multiple award-winning expert in cybersecurity. He founded Cyber Security Scotland, works as an independent consultant and is a member of the Scottish Government's National Cyber Resilience Advisory Board.

Ailsa Raeburn has lived in rural Argyll for almost 20 years and works with urban and rural communities across Scotland to support their development ambitions. She is the independent chair of the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust, chair of Community Land Scotland and a member of the Board of Crown Estate Scotland.

Anna Salgado lives in the Highlands and is Technical Director at LifeScan Scotland, where she has worked since joining as a graduate. She has nearly 20 years experience in the design, development and manufacturing of medical devices. Anna is a Chemical Engineering graduate of Strathclyde University, and is passionate about innovation, developing sustainable solutions and creating a vibrant and diverse business environment within the Highlands and Islands.

Simon Cotton lives in Moray and has run manufacturing businesses for the past 13 years. His most recent role was to lead the UKs largest textiles company, Johnstons of Elgin until 2021.

Simon was a member of the Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board for Scotland and helped found the Sustainable Fibre Alliance promoting sustainable farming in China and Mongolia.

Alistair Dodds, chair of HIE, welcomed the new Board members. He said, ""Keith, Ailsa, Anna and Simon between them have a wealth of experience in business, governance, technology, innovation and community development; all of which are key to HIE’s remit. Their combined expertise will strengthen the role of the HIE Board in directing the organisation and I very much look forward to working with them."