The Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) has appointed a new Chief executive following the resignation of Alan Laidlaw who stepped down in October.
Alex Paterson will become the new CEO moving across from a similar position at Historic Environment Scotland (HES) from 2016 to 2024. He is credited with building HES into a “high-performing organisation”. Previously he was CEO of Highlands and Islands Enterprise for six years.
He will come into his new role to drive growth at the Royal Highland Centre, as well as overseeing the charity’s operations, finances and programme development. Streamlining processes has been the goal of the executive team in the last year working with an external adviser.
Alex Paterson, new Chief Executive of RHASS, said: “Joining the RHASS Group at such an important time is incredibly exciting. The organisation’s commitment to innovation and supporting those from within rural Scotland is something I greatly admire. I’m eager to help shape the future strategic direction of the RHASS Group to ensure a lasting legacy for the agriculture and event sector and for those that live and work in it.”
James Logan, Chair of RHASS, said: “Alex brings with him a wealth of experience and we are thrilled to welcome him to the RHASS Group as our Chief Executive. In his previous roles he has successfully handled challenging issues and major organisational change and we are positive that he will help us to shape the future strategic direction of the organisation both commercially and in advancing the work RHASS does to move forward with our mission to support Scottish agriculture and rural communities.”
“We have a very proud history at RHASS and Alex will help drive innovation and help forge exciting opportunities for the future of the charity, our staff, our members and the sector.”
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