Chris Gaffney

Chair, SCDI Rural Commission, Group Finance Director, Johnstons of Elgin

Chris joined Johnstons of Elgin as Group Finance Director in 2011 where he has a wide remit within the luxury textile manufacturer and retailer, recently also assuming the role of Managing Director for their main manufacturing site in Elgin. Prior to joining Johnstons of Elgin Chris held a number of commercially orientated finance roles across the food & drink sector, most recently with Belhaven/Greene King, but also Grampian Country Food Group, Geest and Baxters.

Jane Cumming

Chair, SCDI Highlands & Islands

Dr Stuart Black

Director of Planning and Infrastructure

Steve Bracken

Business Support Manager

Rosie Flannigan

Business Services Co-ordinator

Fraser Grieve

Regional Director - Highlands & Islands & Head of Communications

Tel: 01463 218666
E: fraser.grieve@scdi.org.uk

Andrew Howard

Managing Director

Andrew Howard is Managing Director of Moray Estates the property business of the Earl of Moray and his family spread mainly across the Inner Moray Firth between Inverness and Elgin, and in south west Perthshire. The Estate has significant farming enterprises; let property; forestry; renewable energy including wind, hydro and AD; and is involved in property development including Inverness Airport Business Park, Castle Stuart Golf Links and Tornagrain one of the first new towns in Scotland for 50 years. Andrew was a Director of Scottish Land and Estates, the representative body of landowners in Scotland between 2004 and 2016. He is also a Director a large caravan park business in Northumberland and a Director of Ascot Racecourse’s property and property development businesses. He has worked for Moray Estates since 2001 and lives with his family near Forres

Fiona Larg MBE

Chief Operating Officer and Secretary

Fiona has undertaken a variety of roles within the University of the Highlands and Islands since June 2007. She initially fulfilled the role of Assistant Secretary, prior to her appointment as Deputy Secretary in September that same year. She was appointed to the role of Secretary in October 2009 and with an increased breadth of role her title was changed to Chief Operating Officer.

Prior to working with the university, she was a general manager with Vertex Data Science Ltd (part of the United Utilities Group) and with Cap Gemini. She previously held the post of Chief Executive of Inverness and Nairn Local Enterprise Company, part of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise network.

Dame Barbara Kelly

Rural Champion

Steven MacDonald

Economic Development Team Leader

Calum Iain MacIver

Director of Development

Rachel McEwan

Director of Sustainability

Rachel joined SSE in 2007 and is responsible for sustainability strategy, partnership funding and corporate heritage. She is a non-executive director of Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks. External to SSE, Rachel is Chair of the Business Leadership Group of Living Wage Scotland and is on the board of the Fair Tax Mark. Formerly Rachel was the Senior Special Adviser to Scotland's First Minister between 2001 and 2007.

Clive Phillips

Partner (Head of Land and Rural Business)

e: clive.phillips@brodies.com
t: 01224 392 281

Jim Savege

Chief Executive

Jim started his career through training as a Geography teacher in Liverpool before moving on to work in Higher Education and then management consultancy, operating across a range of sectors including defence and utilities.

His career in local government spans over a decade and his previous roles include Deputy Corporate Director for Human Resources at Staffordshire County Council, before moving to Cumbria County Council in 2007. He held a number of Director roles in Cumbria, culminating in the post of Corporate Director – Environment & Community Services from 2013. In November 2014, Jim was appointed to the position of Chief Executive with Aberdeenshire Council and took up post in February 2015.

Jim is the SOLACE Scotland spokesperson for Economic Development, a member of the Scottish Resilience Partnership, and Clerk to the Lieutenancy for Aberdeenshire. Jim is married to wife Sue and they live in Deeside.

Robert Thorburn

Partnership Director for Scotland

Robert is responsible for directing and managing Openreach's part in the £428m Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband partnership to provide superfast fibre broadband across rural Scotland.

Working with ambitious public sector partners including the Scottish and UK Governments, high speed fibre broadband has now been extended to 95 per cent of Scottish households and businesses.

Andrew Wells

Head of Property

Andy has worked for The Crown Estate since 1990, managing their Glenlivet Estate before becoming Head of Countryside Management across the UK. He took up his current role in July 2016.

Andy is responsible for the Crown Estate Scotland’s rural and coastal assets which includes 37,000 hectares of rural land with forestry, farming, commercial and residential tenants as well as around half of Scotland’s coastline with ports, harbours and 5,800 moorings. He also oversees health and safety policy on behalf of the Board.
Andy’s work has been recognised with a raft of international and national awards, including an honorary fellowship at the University of Edinburgh.