Board of directors

The board of directors of HIE Caithness and Sutherland is responsible for developing policy and strategy for the company. The directors on the HIE Caithness and Sutherland board are drawn from different sectors and geographical areas of Caithness and Sutherland. The current directors are listed below.  A full register of directors' interests is available to download, and copies are available to the public in both HIE Caithness and Sutherland offices.

PAT BUCHANAN, CHAIRMAN

Pat is a self-employed tourism consultant and lives in Dunbeath, Caithness. She is a Board member of Visit Scotland, Caithness Partnership and the Scottish Museums Council.  She also chairs the North Highland Economic Forum and is a Trustee of Caithness Archaeological Trust.

WILLIAM CALDER

William is managing director of Scrabster Seafoods Ltd.  Native to Caithness, his roots are in the fishing industry spanning over 35 years.  He is also chairman of Scrabster Harbour Trust, the Wick & Scrabster Fish Traders and a director of the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Ltd.

JOCK CAMPBELL

Jock is managing director of JGC Engineering and Technical Services Ltd, Halkirk, which he established in 1972.  His company is actively involved with the decommissioning of UKAEA Dounreay and is currently developing a research/test facility at Janetstown Industrial Estate, near Thurso.

NICHOLAS GORTON

Nicholas has lived in Lochinver since 1982 and has been the general manager of the Inver Lodge Hotel since 1988.  He is a member of the Hotel, Catering International Managers Association and a member of the Chartered Managers Institute.  He is currently also a member of the HOST Area Management Committee, representing the Assynt area.

COLIN GREGORY

Colin recently retired from the post of Head of Nuclear Strategy & Technology Group, UKAEA Dounreay. He moved to Caithness with his family in 1970 to take up a position at the Dounreay nuclear plant following five years with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) south of the border.

DAVID HALPIN

David has a long and notable career in the armed services and has been the range officer for Cape Wrath bombardment range in Sutherland since 2001. Prior to that he was responsible for the day to day running of Otterburn training area in Northumberland, one of the largest training areas in Europe.

KATRINA MACNAB

Katrina is a Highland Councillor, in her second term, representing Wick.  She is on the Education Culture & Sport Committee and the Resources Committee.  She is also the Economic & Regeneration Manager for the Pulteneytown Peoples' Project, a regeneration project in Pulteneytown in Wick.

ALEXANDER MURRAY

Alexander has run his own farm in Rogart for over 40 years and managed an estate in East Sutherland for over 20 years. He is chairman of the Highlands and Islands Sheep Health Association and has been both a branch and area president of the National Farmers Union.

IAN RICHARDS

After 20 years of marketing in international companies in England, Ian has now settled with his wife and children in Wick.  Through his family business interests, at Ackergill Tower and Forss House Hotel, he is heavily involved with business and leisure tourism in Caithness.  He is chairman of Caithness Tourism Development Group and a director of Caithness Partnership.

IAIN YOUNG

Iain has spent most of his career as a fisherman working from his home port of Lochinver.  Having recently sold his boat, he is now employed by the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency.  He previously worked as a marine scientist at Aberdeen University's zoology department.  He is currently serving on various committees and is also a keen light aircraft pilot.