Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has appointed Bill Sylvester to the new post of director for partnership projects.

Mr. Sylvester will have responsibility for HIE's involvement in major strategic partnership projects, including the Scottish Year of Highland Culture 2007, community planning and the dispersal of public sector jobs to the Highlands and Islands.

A former army lieutenant colonel, Mr. Sylvester was brought up in Perthshire and is a graduate of Durham University.  He has been with the enterprise network since 1996, initially as head of tourism and then as chief executive of Inverness and Nairn Enterprise (INE).  For the past nine months he has been on secondment to Highland Year of Culture projects.

Announcing the appointment HIE chief executive, Sandy Cumming, said:  "I am delighted to welcome Bill back to HIE in this crucial role.  In the year ahead we will see several major projects in which HIE will be working in partnership with other organisations, the obvious example being the Year of Highland Culture.  With Bill's background and experience in these matters he is ideally placed to lead the network's contributions."