Harper Macleod’s Lorne Crerar takes up trio of public sector appointments

Professor Lorne Crerar, chairman and co-founder of Harper Macleod (pictured), has been appointed to a trio of roles by the Scottish government.

He will chair the Implementation Board for the brand new Strategic Board which will provide guidance on the overall direction of Scotland’s enterprise and skills agencies. Professor Crerar will also co-chair a new National Council of Rural Advisers and he has been reappointed as chairman of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

Professor Crerar said: “I am honoured to have been asked to carry out these roles and look forward to an exciting and busy few years ahead. Being Chairman of HIE has been one of the highlights of my career and I’m delighted to be given the opportunity to continue my work in that regard.

“Similarly, having been asked to carry out the review which has led to a new Strategic Board for enterprise and skills I feel well placed to carry its recommendations through to the next stage as chair of the Implementation Board which will begin to deliver on those aims.

“The National Council of Rural Advisers is a new endeavour and I look forward to working with my fellow chair Alison Milne and the rest of the members of the council to deliver for the country’s rural economy.”

The creation of a new Strategic Board for was one of the main recommendations of Professor Crerar’s report on phase 2 of the Enterprise and Skills Review carried out by the Scottish government. One of the Implementation Board’s immediate jobs will be to facilitate the setting up of a new enterprise agency for the South of Scotland with the aim of emulating the achievements of HIE.

The lawyer, who is also professor emeritus of banking at the University of Glasgow, has been chairman of HIE since 2012 and his reappointment will see him remain in that role until February 2020.

Rural Economy Secretary, Fergus Ewing MSP, said: “I am delighted that Lorne has been re-appointed to the board of Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Lorne did a fantastic job in his previous term as chair and his re-appointment will provide consistency and continuity to the board of Highlands and Islands Enterprise as we move forward from phase 2 of the Enterprise and Skills Review. I wish Lorne well and I am looking forward to working with him again.”

Among the functions of the new National Council of Rural Advisers will be to examine the potential implications of leaving the EU for the rural economy and what make recommendations to help ensure the sustainability of that economy.