Ms Cook has been promoted to the new position of director of talent programmes, while Mr McGrath has been appointed as ES’s new finance director.

In 2018, Ms Cook was the first ES employee to embark on the Saltire Fellowship, a globally-renowned business education and leadership development programme run by ES alongside Babson College in the US.

She started her career as programme assistant for the Saltire Scholar Programme in 2013 and quickly progressed through the organisation to programme executive, then head of programmes, and, six years on, has a director’s role with overall responsibility of the Saltire Scholar Programmes, talent matching and alumni engagement.

Mr McGrath is a multi-disciplined senior finance professional who has a wealth of experience in both a practise and commercial setting. Previous to joining ES, he held financial management roles within organisations such as Deloitte and London & Scottish Investments.

Prior to retraining as an accountant in 2011, Mr McGrath spent several years working in commercial roles with brands such as Red Bull, NorthgateArinso and Monster.com, where he was responsible for driving sales and marketing activities.

Commenting on the new appointments, Sandy Kennedy, ES chief executive, said: “It’s an exciting time for ES with two incredibly talented people in Sara and Sean joining our management team.

“Sean’s financial experience will be invaluable, and he will help us plan ahead for the future.

“Sara’s appointment is a proud moment for everyone involved with ES. Sara is part of the next generation of leaders in Scotland, which was clear to see when she returned to her role following the Saltire Fellowship, and I am confident she will continue to be an invaluable member of the team.”

Ms Cook said: “It’s a fantastic honour to be the first Entrepreneurial Scotland employee to fully rise through the ranks, and now in my role as Director of Talent Programmes, I’m more excited than ever for some of the projects on our horizon. It’s widely recognised that finding, retaining and valuing talent is a challenge for most businesses in Scotland and Entrepreneurial Scotland is uniquely placed to support businesses with this.”