Scottish Financial Enterprise (SFE) has announced the appointment of Jim Pettigrew as Chairman.

His appointment will take over from Sir Ewan Brown CBE, who is retiring from the post after 4 years, on 1st July.

Mr Pettigrew is Chairman of CYLB PLC, the owner of Clydesdale Bank. He holds a wealth of experience, with 30 years as a chartered accountant and is immediate past president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS). Jim has also held a number of various senior executive and non-executive posts in financial services.

Retiring Chairman Sir Ewan Brown welcomed Jim Pettigrew, saying: “I am delighted to be handing over the reins of SFE to someone with the wealth of experience and talent that Jim has to offer. Jim has worked across a range of financial service sectors and the expertise he brings with him will be tremendously valuable to the work of SFE.

“It is a time of fast paced change in financial services and the landscape in which we are operating, both in Scotland and internationally is constantly evolving. With this in mind, we have embarked on a number of new initiatives at SFE to bring together a shared strategic direction for the industry in Scotland and its part in society. It is, therefore, an excellent time for Jim to join and help shape this vision for the future. I wish him well and I am confident that under his leadership the SFE Board, together with Chief Executive Graeme Jones, will continue to successfully represent and support Scottish financial services.”

Jim Pettigrew said: “The financial services industry is hugely important to Scotland and I feel privileged to have this opportunity to play a part in supporting and promoting the industry.

“It is an exciting time to be joining SFE. I look forward to working with Graeme and SFE members to develop a shared vision which places the industry’s role in society and serving customers, firmly at its centre.”