A pair of leading businesswomen in the north are to campaign on behalf of firms across the region in their new roles as co-chairwomen of the Highlands and Islands branch of the Institute of Directors (IoD).
Alison Wilson has been appointed to look after the interests of the business group’s members in the Highlands. Clare Winskill will do the same on the islands.
IoD Scotland said it would continue to run one Highlands and Islands branch, but with “specific go-to contacts who can provide an augmented platform for regionally specific issues”.
IoD Scotland aims to give north firms bigger voice at ‘every single table’ where key decisions are made
Catherine McWilliam, nations director, Scotland, at the business group said the appointments were an important step in IoD’s drive to “platform voices at a local level”.
The new structure for the north will help it represent members at “every single table where decisions are being made”, she said.
She added: “By tailoring our support, we can better drill down into the issues affecting local business, and push leaders’ priorities for change – such as adequate accommodation for staff, local tourism or access to national support for international trade.
“Local business leaders are often at the epicentre of their community, with great insights into the actions needed to unlock economic and social wellbeing, and we are committed to amplifying their voices at a national level.”
IoD Scotland has seven branches – Edinburgh, Glasgow, Central, Fife and Tayside, South of Scotland, Aberdeen and Highlands & Islands.
Its new co-chairwomen in the north both have strong business credentials.
Ms Wilson is director of advancement and alumni engagement at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI). IoD Scotland highlighted her more than a decade of senior experience at Highlands and Islands Enterprise and UHI, “engaging with public, business, education and third sector leaders to drive productive industry relationships”.
She is also on the board at Port of Inverness and was until recently a director of Inverness Women’s Aid.
Ms Winskill is the owner of acclaimed hotel and restaurant Coruisk House, on Skye.
She is also a former associate solicitor in corporate insolvency at DLA Piper UK.
“This extensive local knowledge, combined with the experience garnered during several board roles, will provide a strong basis for representing the challenges facing rural destinations,” Iod Scotland said.
The IoD was founded in 1903 and obtained a royal charter in 1906.
It is a non-party political organisation with members in the UK and overseas.
Members include company bosses from across the business spectrum. They include the chief executives of large corporations and entrepreneurs, as well as the directors of public sector bodies, charities and start-up companies.
