Glencraft supports visually impaired and other disadvantaged people with dignity through work as it manufactures luxury mattresses and other soft furnishing products from its facility and showroom on Whitemyres Avenue in Mastrick.

Ms Bruce is an investment executive and employee director of UMi, an employee-owned business-to-business advisory organisation headquartered in Seaham, County Durham. She brings extensive financial and business development expertise to Glencraft.

Mr Clow is managing director of Bancon Homes and Bancon Construction, both based in Banchory. He has more than 20 years’ experience in director roles and is also a qualified chartered management accountant.

Ms Bruce and Mr Clow will join current non-executive directors Jonathan Smith, chairman of Glencraft, and Leigh Stott, head of HR at an energy services firm, increasing the board to four.

Commenting on the appointments, Mr Smith said: “Laura and Allan are hugely welcome additions to the Glencraft board. They will strengthen our team with their expertise and their keen understanding of our core purpose – helping ensure that every hand-crafted product creates a positive social impact.”

Ms Bruce said: “I’m really excited to be taking on this role with Glencraft and helping it through its next phases of development. It is doing wonderful things for others; the company’s mission to provide dignity through work really resonates with me.”

Mr Clow said: “It’s a genuine honour to join the Glencraft board – I look forward to doing what I can to support the continued success of an amazing charity and its amazing people. I believe it is very well positioned to go from strength-to-strength in the years to come.”

The charity, established in 1843, supports 27 jobs and more than 80% of its staff are visually impaired or have some other form of disadvantage in relation to health or socio-economic challenges.