SCDI has announced that Stewart Carruth has been appointed Strategic Director of the Scottish Cities Alliance.
Stewart Carruth
‘Exciting opportunity’
He takes up this appointment on part-time secondment from Stirling Council, where he is currently Depute Chief Executive. He has been appointed to lead the Alliance as it works with its partner councils and the Scottish Government to deliver economic growth.
His primary role with the Scottish Cities Alliance will be to drive and deliver the development of collaborative projects and investment propositions to promote growth and create jobs. His experience includes senior strategic and leadership positions across public, private and third sectors, including posts with Aberdeen City Council and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Stewart described his new role as “an exciting opportunity. I look forward to working on the various collaborative projects and investment opportunities in order to maximise the profile of the Scottish Cities Alliance, its member-cities and their shared economic aspirations.”
The Alliance, funded jointly by Scotland’s seven cities and the Scottish Government, has successfully built a framework for collaboration since its launch in 2011. In embarking on this next phase, it aims to translate this collaboration into delivering significant added value to Scotland’s economy, and to elevating the position of Scotland’s cities within the wider UK and international context.
Nicola Sturgeon
The Deputy First Minister and Minister for Cities, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, said it had been “a pleasure to watch the Scottish Cities Alliance grow and mature over the past two years, building collaborative partnerships at a level not previously seen which benefit our cities, their regions and Scotland as a whole. Stewart’s appointment as Strategic Director is a huge opportunity for our cities and I know he is dedicated to helping the Alliance deliver its ambitious plans”.
The SCDI has long believed that Scotland’s cities had fantastic potential to ensure a vital contribution to the Scottish economy. Today’s appointed promoted Ross Martin, its Chief Executive, to remind people that the cities were “centres of innovation, knowledge and creativity, combining the entirety of their assets in physical, social and intellectual capital. By translating ambitious plans into practical projects and collaboration, I am certain that the Alliance will deliver significant value from a shared approach.
“I am grateful to the leaders of our seven cities and to the Scottish Government for ensuring the goodwill and resource to make the Scottish Cities Alliance a success for Scotland. SCDI has an integral role to play in working closely with the partners to ensure we can deliver the maximum output for the economy, and this aligns perfectly with our core mission of ‘Engaging Civic Scotland, Driving Economic Growth’”.