Mr Bennett is a highly experienced figure in private equity, and he joins Hutcheon Mearns to support the firm’s rapid scale up, both from a geographical and service line perspective.

He has a successful track record of supporting companies in multiple sectors to deliver their growth plans, during a 35-year career within the banking and UK private equity industries.

He began in the investment arena with Hill Samuel Bank then spent time in the leverage buyout markets with Bank of Scotland and Société Générale. For the past 25 years Mr Bennett has been sourcing, making and exiting private equity investments as a senior partner with Dunedin LLP across a range of industries and locations.

He said: “I’m delighted to be joining the Hutcheon Mearns team and to have the opportunity to help the firm pursue its development ambitions.

“I’ve known the business for some time and worked successfully with its people in the past, and I look forward to applying my knowledge and experience to help it continue on its upward trajectory.

“I’ve been impressed by the breadth and depth of the Hutcheon Mearns service offering, and its exceptional growth over recent years signals that many clients think likewise.”

Mr Bennett joins Peter Stuart and Rick Clark as non-executive directors at a time when Hutcheon Mearns is extending its service reach across Scotland. Headquartered in Aberdeen and with an office in Dundee, it opened a further office in Edinburgh in late 2023 and is now building a presence in Glasgow.

Founded in 2015, the firm now has a staff of around 70.

Co-founder and managing director, Craig Hutcheon, said: “We’ve enjoyed significant success with our distinctive, full-suite service offering and Dougal’s appointment will help to ensure we maintain the momentum and governance behind our strategy implementation.

“We’re excited to welcome Dougal on board – the knowledge and expertise he has built over more than three decades will prove invaluable as we explore new ways to add value for our clients and extend our market reach.”

Fellow managing director Adam Maitland, who leads Hutcheon Mearns’ corporate finance and strategic advisory offering, added: “Dougal brings several specialist attributes to his role with us: huge experience in private equity, an in-depth knowledge of multiple sectors and an impressive track record of contributions as a board member with many organisations.

“Dougal will not only support us in the implementation of our own growth plans, he will also provide genuine, real-world, insight to our clients as they do the same.”