Beauly crofter and Black Isle Show secretary Rod Mackenzie has been appointed convener of the Crofting Commission.
Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing confirmed Mr Mackenzie’s appointment and said he would “bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role”.
“With the appointment of the new convener, the creation of the new board of commissioners and the recruitment of a new chief executive earlier this year, I believe crofting can look forward to a period of stability and a positive focus on issues that will greatly improve the lives of those living in remote and rural areas,” added Mr Ewing.
Crofting Commission chief executive, Bill Barron, also welcomed the appointment and said he looked forward to promoting and regulating crofting with a “very able group of commissioners, now headed by Mr Mackenzie”.
Mr Mackenzie said he was delighted to take on the new role.
He said: “We’ve had several meetings of the board of Commissioners since the elections in March, both for business and for training as a new group coming together and I’ve been impressed by just that – how everyone wants to come together, to do a good job for crofting. And what I’ve quickly learnt is that it is no simple thing. As a public regulator, you are working within constraints – there’s no magic wand. But what there is, is the will to work together to make a difference.”
