110 INSIDER March 2020 http://www.insider.co.uk
INSIDER: APPOINTMENTS
People on the move in Scotland’s business community
NEW POSTS
Laing is first woman to lead land group
SCOTTISH Land and Estates,
the rural business organisation
has appointed its first female
chief executive in it its 100-year
history.
Sarah-Jane Laing will take over
the reins of the organisation at
one of the most challenging times
in that history.
Laing, who lives on her family
farm at Hume in the Borders, has
steadily climbed the ranks of the
organisation.
She started as a housing strategy
officer before moving to the
role of head of policy and most
recently executive director.
Her role includes seeking to
influence the UK Government
on Brexit issues that will affect
Scotland.
This includes establishing a
scheme to support the seasonal
and permanent non-UK origin
workforce rural Scotland relieson, to ensure rural communities
are provided with the much-
needed stability and support they
need.
At Holyrood, her focus will be
on addressing climate change,
increasing the supply of quality,
affordable rural homes and
developing a post-Brexit land-use
policy which delivers resilientbusinesses and thriving rural
communities as well as
increased environmental
resilience and wider societal
benefits.
She will also push for all of
Scotland’s landowners to be
“open, inclusive, enabling and
responsible”, through SLE’s
Landowners’ Commitment.AAB appoints two
managing partnersData Lab director takes over top role at SBRC
Management team steps up at Balfour+Manson
A DIRECTOR at Data Lab has been
appointed chief executive of the
Scottish Business Resilience Centre.
Jude McCorry, who was business
development director at her previous
organisation, took over the role from
Eamonn Keane, who was SBRC’s
acting head since Mandy Haeburn-
Little left last autumn.
The SBRC is a partnership between
businesses, the Scottish Government,
the police, the fire service and
academics to tackle cyber-crime.
McCorry has worked alongside
the SBRC during her current post
at The Data Lab and previously setup Edinburgh Napier University’s
commercialisation arm, The
Edinburgh Institute. Her career
has also included spells with Dell,
Firefly Communications and Xnet
Data Storage.BUSINESS advisory and accountancy
firm Anderson Anderson & Brown
has appointed managing partners in
its Aberdeen and Edinburgh offices.
Derek Mitchell will take over at the
Granite City head office with its team
of 250 and Lyn Calder in the capital,
which has a staff of 40, on 1 April.
They will oversee AAB’s audit,
business advisory, tax, corporate
finance, payroll & employment taxes,
consulting and wealth management
services in their respective offices.
Tax specialist Mitchell is head of
the firm’s Business Advisory Group.
Calder, who joined the Corporate
Finance team in June 2018, is head
of deals in the Central Belt.Accountancy firm BDO
has a new director in
its Edinburgh business
restructuring team. Kevin
Lamb joins after five years
at rival accountants RSM.A Lanarkshire-based
businessman is the new
Scotland Group chair in
the Federation of Small
Businesses. Andy Aird
is owner of transport
consultancy Concierge
Vehicle Solutions.The Port of Cromarty
Firth has appointed former
banker Roger Eddie as
its chairman and added
Zeina Melville and Graham
Peach to its board. Eddie
is a former Highlands &
Islands Enterprise executive,
Melville moves from
precision engineering
company Pryme Group,
while Peach has served in
the Navy and run a disaster
management consultancy
firm.People development
organisation Remarkable
has appointed six non-
executive directors. They
are Denise Kerins, head
of business response at
Scottish Enterprise; Simon
Lidington, entrepreneur;
Ron Robson, finance
director; Gillian Frame,
leadership development
specialist; Russell Dalgleish,
board advisor and strategy
specialist, and David
Hicks, Border Crossing lead
partner.Law firm Aberdein
Considine has appointed
Gemma Perfect as partner
and senior associate in its
Commercial Real Estate
team. Carly Stewart has
been promoted to senior
associate in the Dispute
Resolution team.in association withLEGAL firm Balfour + Manson has
revamped its leadership with the
appointment of a management team
of three partners.
Ann Logan, Robert Holland and
Alan Gilfillan took charge of the
Edinburgh-headquartered firm
from the turn of the year.Previously the firm was led by
executive chair Elaine Motion, who
remains as chair.
Motion led the historic Brexit case,
which resulted in the UK Supreme
Court ruling Prime Minister Boris
Johnson’s prorogation of parliament
was unlawful.