Top Directors of 2023 named by IoD Scotland

IOD SCOTLAND has revealed the winners of its Director of the Year Awards 2023 during a ceremony hosted by Stephen Jardine last night (8 June) at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC).

The evening named winners across 12 national categories and six regional awards in each of the IoD branches. The annual awards, sponsored by Turcan Connell, Zero Waste Scotland, Wheatley Group, SCVO, Scottish Government, Insights, Prosperity and transACT Technology Solutions, were a celebration of the Directors who have gone above and beyond to navigate and support their organisations through a fast moving and challenging 12 months. 

This year’s ceremony also saw Theresa Shearer FRSE, CEO at Enable, receive the Director of the Year 2023  Chair’s Award for her life-long commitment to leadership pushing for human rights-driven public services securing significant policy change in Scotland and internationally.   

Some of this year’s other winners include: 

Carolyn Currie, Chief Executive at Women’s Enterprise Scotland who was named Director of the Year 2023 for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion for her commitment and success in encouraging participation from all teams in her organisation and board demonstrating true leadership skills. Judges were impressed by her “strong board engagement, demonstrated through structured reporting” generating a clear “individual stake” among directors.

Michael Golding, CEO at Visit Inverness, won the Director of the Year 2023 award for Sustainability. The judges were impressed by Michael’s ‘spectacular achievement’ in the face of the head-winds of Brexit and Covid-19, showcasing a path towards sustainable tourism. From his first board meeting in 2019, Michael has identified sustainability as a key goal and made it a specific item on the board agenda ever since. He has created a company culture where staff are aware of the impact of their choices, and through measurement and management, saw Inverness become the first carbon-neutral Business Improvement District in the UK, which is today regarded as a global leader in the field.

Jackie Kipps, Finance & Corporate Services Director at Insights Learning & Development was named the Large Business Director of the Year 2023. Judges commented on Jackie’s role in driving forward the strategic plan which delivered an ‘outstanding business with great relevance in current turbulent times’ where the importance of self- reflection, learning and wellness are especially relevant. She has overseen the acquisition of multiple joint ventures and their subsequent integration into Insights, drawing on her operational skills for systems and processes plus the leadership qualities to win hearts and minds of new colleagues.

Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine, CEO at Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home who took the awards for Director of the Year 2023 in the Third Sector. She won the award in part for her determination to implement a vision which recognised that when a pet is in crisis, there is often a person in crisis, including establishing outreach support programmes such as pet foodbanks. Judges also commented she not only showed excellent leadership within her own organisation but showed “leadership across the third sector in addressing key strategic issues.”

Catherine McWilliam, Nations Director at the Institute of Directors Scotland, said: “It has been a real privilege tonight to celebrate the leaders who are examples of the very best from Scotland’s boardrooms.

“Over the last few years, the Scottish business landscape has been tumultuous to say the least, and while we hope to see some stability ahead, there will always be challenges to face. An authentic, driven and focused leader is vital in navigating an organisation through difficult times, as well as motivating staff and driving strategic decisions.

“Our Director of the Year Awards are a fantastic way to recognise those who have demonstrated these attributes, and   I hope this year’s winners offer inspiration and a source of pride for the business community across Scotland.”

The full list of category winners and regional winners is below: