board
board
Peter Lederer CBE - Chairman
Chairman of Gleneagles Hotel, he was appointed Chairman of VisitScotland for a three year tenure in April 2001, renewed in April 2004 and again in April 2007, having been a Board Member since 1995. He has a strong background in the hospitality sector and a passion for improving standards across the tourism industry through education and training. He is a Patron of the Hospitality Industry Trust Scotland and the Springboard Charitable Trust, which helps people into tourism and hospitality careers. He is also on the Board of the Leading Hotels of the World and Chairman of the One & All Foundation.
Mr Brian Houston
A Management Consultant and Board advisor, he was formerly a Board Director of the PA Consulting Group. He served as Chairman and CEO of PA's European practices and as CEO of Worldwide Strategy Consulting. The early part of his career was spent as a manager and consultant with several Scottish companies and public bodies. He is currently a Director of Plato Consulting and advises a number of corporate clients in turnround situations.
Prof Russel Griggs OBE
Chair and Non Executive Director of a number of firms as well as providing assistance to others. National Chair of CBI UK - SME National Council; Chair of the Institute of Occupational Medicine, Non Executive Director of Imes Group Ltd. He is Chair of the Scottish Government Regulatory Review Group which looks at the impact of regulation on business. Russel also works on business development and strategy for a number of organisations including businesses, Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and Local Authorities. He sits on the Board of Dumfries & Galloway College and was on the Board of Scottish Enterprise Dumfries & Galloway. He was involved with running "Scotland the Brand".
Mrs Pat Buchanan
Worked in the accommodation sector for many years and now works as a Consultant advising on sustainable tourism and heritage development. She was formerly Chairman of Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise, a Board Member of the Scottish Museums Council, and Chairman of the North Highland Economic Forum. She is currently a Member of the Convention of the Highlands and Islands and the Scottish Rural Development Council. Pat retired from the Board on 31 January 2009.
Mr Alex Pagett
Former Group Corporate Affairs Director for Hilton Group plc and a Board Member of Hilton International Hotels. An experienced communicator with extensive experience in both public and private sectors, he is also an active lobbyist on behalf of Scotland's tourism interests. Prior to working at Hilton, he was Group Corporate Affairs Director at Bank of Scotland and before that Stakis plc. Earlier in his career he was Chief Press Officer at the then Scottish Office.
Mr Paddy Crerar
Chief Executive of Crerar Hotels and Easy Breaks. He is also Chair and Trustee of North British Hotels Trust and has been Chair of the British Hospitality Association (BHA) Scotland, a Hospitality Industry Trust Trustee, and a Scottish Thistle Award Winner. Paddy has been involved in the Scottish Tourism industry for more than 20 years mainly as a hotelier, as well as a coach tour and short break operator. He has also been involved as a member of VisitScotland's Chairman's Panel and a serving member of the grading and standards industry overseeing committee.
Cllr Willie Dunn
Willie Dunn is the Labour Party Economic Development Spokesperson on West Lothian Council. He has been actively involved in tourism for a number of years, having sat on the Steering Group for the integration project. He is a member of the West Lothian Chamber of Commerce and West Lothian Ventures Ltd.
Dr Lesley Sawers
Lesley Sawers is Chief Executive of Scottish Council for Development and Industry. Formerly Chief Executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, she also spent time with VisitScotland as Strategic Communications Advisor in 2003/04, prior to which she was Director for Scottish Affairs at Royal Mail. She currently serves as a trustee of NCH and is Chairperson of NCH Scotland.