Directors are honoured at annual awards

The achievements of Scotland’s top business directors were honoured at the IoD Scotland Director of the Year Awards.

Held at the Crowne Plaza Glasgow, 14 outstanding leaders collected Director of the Year Awards, celebrating the best in business across nine key director categories and five regional categories, including the family business category, a new addition for 2018.

The IoD Scotland Director of the Year Awards went to:

IoD Scotland Director of the Year Large Businesses: Martin Armstrong, Group Chief Executive Officer, Wheatley Group
Glasgow.

IoD Scotland Director of the Year Medium Size Businesses: Simon Erlanger, Managing Director, Isle of Harris Distillery, Tarbert.

IoD Scotland Director of the Year Small Businesses: Celine Sinclair, Chief Executive, The Yard, Edinburgh/Dundee/Fife.

IoD Scotland Emerging Director of the Year: Andrew Morrison, Managing Director, AM Bid Services Ltd, North Berwick. Highly commended: Struan Mackenzie, Managing Director, Hi-Fi Corner (Edinburgh) Ltd, Edinburgh.

Turcan Connell Family Business Director of the Year: Mark Williams, Managing Director, NWH Group, Dalkeith.

IoD Scotland Non-Executive Director of the Year: Jeremy Brettell, NXD/Chair of Airdrie Savings Bank; Anderson Strathern Asset Management Ltd; Guarantee Protection Insurance Ltd; Transact; and Wesleyan Bank Ltd.

mcl create Public Sector Director of the Year: Marshall Dallas, Chief Executive, Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Edinburgh.

SCVO Third Sector Director of the YearL: Tom Halpin, Chief Executive, Sacro, Edinburgh.

Scottish Business Pledge Workplace Innovation Director of the Year: Stephen Robertson, Director, Metis Partners, Glasgow.

The awards highlight the diversity of the business landscape in Scotland, with categories for SMEs to large businesses; charities to the public sector. They honour those individuals whose creativity, leadership or innovative business practices have led to success for their organisation and the communities they serve.

As well as the main categories, two discretionary awards were made:

IoD Scotland Chair’s Award: Sir Timothy O’Shea – FAcSS, FREng, FRSE, Emeritus Professor of Digital Education, University of Edinburgh.

IoD Scotland Young Enterprise Scotland Award: Chloe Fairman, Managing Director of West Coasters at Lochgilphead High and Taylor Henderson, Managing Director of Live, Laugh, Learn at Bo’ness Academy.

In addition, individual awards were made across the five regions, with the IoD Regional Directors of the Year:

Edinburgh, Lothians & the Borders Regional Director of the Year: Craig Anderson, Chief Executive, The Scottish Salmon Company, Edinburgh .

Fife & Central Scotland Regional Director of the Year: Ross Turner, Managing Director, Span Access Solutions Ltd, Kinross.

Glasgow & West of Scotland Regional Director of the Year: Ann Allen, Executive Director Estates and Commercial Services, University of Glasgow.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise Regional Director of the Year: Craig Ewan, Operations Director, Kingsmills Hotel
Inverness.

Tayside Regional Director of the Year: Helen Sykes, Chief Executive, Helm Training Limited t/a Helm, Dundee.

Discussing the Edinburgh, Lothians & the Borders Regional Director of the Year, Craig Anderson of the Scottish Salmon Company, the judges commented: ‘Craig Anderson was the candidate that we would prefer to invest with, work for and supply, and have as a neighbour.

Of the other winners, they commented ‘Tom Halpin, Chief Executive of Sacro is steering the business through challenging times and reaching vulnerable people in our communities.

‘Marshall Dallas, Chief Executive, Edinburgh International Conference Centre is an exceptional example of leadership, bringing values and vision to an organisation to enable a remarkable and beneficial change.

‘Reaching more people is a huge objective for The Yard and Celine Sinclair is delivering this. Terrific performance across the board. She is a director who will go far and is an example to others.

‘Mark Williams has maintained family values whilst leading the company through an ambitious growth strategy. He has transformed the family business into a strong, market-leading organisation.”

‘Andrew Morrison is scaling a business with a clear view on success planning and an obvious appetite for strong governance.’
David Watt, executive director of the Institute of Directors in Scotland, added: ‘These awards allow us to celebrate the immensely diverse landscape of businesses across Scotland, and the women and men who lead them.

‘All of tonight’s finalists are effective and dynamic leaders, and their skills are vital to building Scotland’s future. Strong leadership remains a constant driver of performance amid overwhelming change inflicted by external forces such as economic and political uncertainty. These leaders are at the top of their game, and have much to share, not only within the confines of their business or sector, but also to society as a whole.

‘Once again, these awards have provided a platform for us to learn about exceptional business success across the board. Whether this has been achieved by leading the globalisation of a business, increasing turnover and pushing for growth, manufacturing and exporting, excelling in customer service or creating opportunities and having a positive impact on communities, this year’s directors show that Scotland is able to make a difference locally, and compete on a global stage too.’