All Change At The Top

It’s not often that there is a change of leadership at two of the most important organisations in the crofting world but 2023 seems to have been that moment.

The Scottish Crofting Federation’s long serving and highly regarded Chief Executive Patrick Krause stepped down in October and has been replaced by Donna Smith, who has been on the crofting scene for many years, and with whom I worked at the Crofting Commission in 2011-2012.

See the SCF’s full press release here.

More recently, Gary Campbell has been appointed as the replacement for Bill Barron, Chief Executive of the Crofting Commission. Gary Campbell is currently a member of the Senior Management Team at the University of the Highlands and Islands, most recently holding the post of Director of Economic Development and Commercial Services. He will take up the post of Chief Executive of the Crofting Commission on 3 January 2024.

See the SCF’s full press release here.

I send both Donna Smith and Gary Campbell congratulations on their appointments and very best wishes for their new roles. I look forward to working with both of them in what is an incredibly challenging time. Hopefully the winds of change will reach the crofting legislative framework too, before much longer.