His appointment will take with effect from 1 January 2025, following the retirement of Bob McLellan.

Mr Stirling began his career working at KPMG and PwC. He trained with ICAS and qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, before joining Zotefoams plc, a manufacturer of cellular specialist materials, as finance director in 1997.

At the London Stock Exchange-listed company, Mr Stirling went on to become Group CEO, holding the position for 24 years until stepping down this May. During his 24 years as chief executive, the business grew significantly through innovation in foam products and investment in new sites in Europe, North America and Asia.

Aleen Gulvanessian, chair of Macfarlane Group, said: “It’s my pleasure to welcome David to the board of Macfarlane.

“I am confident that his extensive listed company experience and exposure to the protective packaging industry will be of significant benefit to the business.”

Looking forward to the appointment, Mr David shared on LinkedIn: “I am very pleased to be joining Macfarlane Group PLC as a non executive director with effect from January 2025.”