Glasgow Chamber of Commerce appoints new president and boosts board

Glasgow Chamber of Commerce has installed Jim McHarg as its new president for a two-year term.

McHarg is a qualified engineer who began his working life as an apprentice at Weir Pumps Ltd, and from there held executive roles within a variety of large engineering companies.

He now leads strategic HR initiatives across the Weir Group, including learning and organisational development.

He succeeds Neil Amner, director at lawyer Anderson Strathearn and a transport specialist. His deputy for the term is Paul Little, principal and CEO at City of Glasgow College.

At its AGM, Glasgow Chamber also made two new additions to its board of management, and in elected five new directors to its ruling council.

The new board members are Professor Neal Juster, senior vice-principal at the University of Glasgow, and Gillian Docherty, of The Data Lab, winner of CEO Of The Year at the 2017 ScotlandIS Digital Technology Awards.

Stepping down from the board are past president Vic Emery and Amanda McMillan, the woman who transformed Glasgow Airport as CEO of AGS Group.

The board of management now consists of Jim McHarg, Paul Little, Neal Juster, Gillian Docherty, Neil Amner, John Lewis Glasgow’s head of branch Isabella Miller, STV’s HR and communications director Suzanne Burns and Holdfast Entertainment Group director Brian Fulton.

The new Council directors are Alan Horn, director of development at Glasgow School of Art; Steven McGowan, EMEA inside sales manager at Dell; Susan Deighan, chief operating officer at Glasgow Life; Steve Dunlop, CEO at Scottish Canals; and Mark Bowen, UK marketing director at ScottishPower.

Mr McHarg said: “I am excited to become Chamber president, and impressed by the additions to our board and ruling council. They join us at a time of major development for the Chamber, where we will focus on increasing our influence as a delivery and policy partner in championing Glasgow and achieving the aims and objectives of the city’s economic strategy.

“The new board members and directors bring their wide experience as senior players with some of the city’s most important companies and organisations, to augment the expertise that we have in our existing team.

“Over the next two years I can promise that we will be continuously improving the value of membership via campaigning on important policy issues such as transport and connectivity on behalf of members, driving innovation with our work on the circular economy, promoting city centre investment, supporting inclusive growth via our DYW team and international trade support via our trade certification work and memoranda of understanding with other cities in the Chamber network.”

Glasgow Chamber chief executive Stuart Patrick, said: “In Jim McHarg and Paul Little we have a highly-experienced pairing at the helm. Engineering is as important as ever to the city’s economy, and Jim has decades of experience in that sector. Paul has masterminded the creation of Glasgow’s supercollege, which has quickly become a vital part of the city’s further education offering.”

He added: “At this point I would like to recognise the contribution made to the Chamber and to Glasgow by Vic Emery and Amanda McMillan What they have brought to both will be valued for many years.”