Our Board
Jim Smith – Independent Chair
Jim is the former Managing Director of SSE Renewables with 34 years experience within the electricity industry at SSE. Since retiring from full time employment in 2022 he has transitioned into a number of part-time roles and is Chair of Noriker Power Ltd, Chair of Inverness & Cromarty Firth Green Freeport Ltd, a non-executive Director of Greencoat UK Wind plc and a renewable energy ambassador to Cowi UK Ltd.
Jim’s early career in SSE was in development, construction and operations in both hydro and gas fired generation where he became Station Manager at Peterhead Power Station. He then went on to be Director of Major Projects responsible for the group’s major capital infrastructure investments in renewables, thermal generation, gas storage and transmission.
Following SSE’s acquisition of Airtricity in 2008, he led offshore wind development and construction before taking responsibility for all wind development and construction. He also spent time as the Managing Director of the groups energy trading business followed by Managing Director of Generation Operations. Following a restructuring in 2018 Jim took up his final position as Managing Director of SSE Renewables with responsibility for the 4000MW operational fleet and the development pipeline, taking over 5GW (gross) of projects through financial close prior to his retirement.
Jim is a Mechanical Engineer, trained mediator and a mentor for the MCR Pathways charity.
Calum MacPherson – Chief Executive
Calum was born in Inverness and finished his schooling at Charleston Academy before studying Law at Aberdeen University. After graduating Calum worked in a tax practise in Aberdeen focused primarily on clients in the oil & gas sector.
Calum returned to his native Highlands in Nov 1999 and worked for 12 years in economic development with development agency Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE), latterly holding a group wide senior role as Head of Operations then finally as Area Manager for the Moray region where he led a range of business, infrastructure, and community development initiatives.
In 2010 whilst with HIE Calum was appointed joint Chair of the Moray Task Force which promoted the case for retention of defence jobs in the region and helped support local communities. By working closely with partners, the task force was ultimately successful in retaining thousands of defence jobs for the north of Scotland.
Before joining Inverness & Cromarty Firth Green Freeport, Calum spent 12 years with national infrastructure business Robertson Group which is one of the UK’s largest family-owned infrastructure businesses; laterally in a UK wide role leading the Robertson Capital Project business.
Sinclair Browne – Non-Executive Director
Sinclair is a qualified chartered surveyor and prior to joining as Chief Executive in 2011, was a partner in a leading international firm of property consultants. He advised clients on a number of high-profile projects including the regeneration of the former Royal Ordnance Factory outside Glasgow, which at just over 2,200 acres was one of the largest brownfield regeneration sites in the UK. He has also advised on the acquisition and disposal of several large office blocks and sites in both Glasgow and Edinburgh and was advisor to the then Scottish Executive on their relocation policy of departments out of Edinburgh.
On joining as CEO, he led the Port’s entry into the renewable energy market with the Port now being regarded as one of the leading hubs for renewable energy in the north of Scotland. He is currently overseeing plans to further extend the Port’s facilities and infrastructure.
Out with the Port of Inverness, he is a non-executive director of the Highland Housing Alliance, Vice-Chair of the British Ports Association’s Scottish Ports Group and a former non-executive director of Inverness Chamber of Commerce.
Donald McRae – Non-Executive Director
Donald is from the Black Isle and enjoyed a Highland education at Fortrose Academy. He was Chief Economist Lloyds Banking Group Scotland responsible for monitoring the Scottish economy and was Strategy & Finance Director from 2001 to 2010. He is also a former board member of Scottish Homes, Scottish Enterprise and the University of the Highlands & Islands (UHI). He was a trustee of the David Hume Institute and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Donald has given evidence to several Scottish Parliamentary Committees and holds the chair of visiting professor of business and economic development at the University of Abertay Dundee.
Donald was a board member of Interface – designed to promote university and business interaction. He became a member of the board of governors of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2012 and chaired the Finance & General Purposes committee from 2012 to 2021.
Donald was a board member of Highlands & Islands Enterprise, chaired the Audit committee and was Deputy Chair from 2020 to 2023. He is currently chair of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland.
He was awarded an OBE in 2011 for services to enterprise and rural development.
Lewis Gillies – Non-Executive Director
Lewis is a former senior bp executive, who was born and raised on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides. An experienced energy CEO, Lewis most recently led two investments for TPG: Rockall Energy, a US oil and gas business, and 2Co Energy, focused on North Sea hydrogen, enhanced oil recovery and carbon capture and storage (CCS). Lewis was a founding member of bp’s Alternative Energy business, leading a US$5bn hydrogen joint venture with Rio Tinto, and a US$3bn portfolio of hydrogen, CCS, wind, solar, biofuels and tech ventures.
Alex Campbell – Non-Executive Director
Alex Campbell – a business leader with extensive experience in the renewables, oil and gas, marine and environmental sectors – joined the Port of Cromarty Firth as Chief Executive in 2024. Alex joined the Port from environmental and geospatial consultancy APEM Ltd, where he was Managing Director, based in Aberdeen.
He has previously held similar positions at survival and safety solutions company Survitec Group, and James Fisher and Sons Plc, a provider of specialist services to the marine, oil and gas, renewables and other global, high assurance industries. His experience also includes an eight-year spell at multi-national engineering firm Atkins, where he was Managing Director, Oil and Gas.
Vicki Nairn – Non-Executive Director
Vicki joined UHI as Vice-Principal Operations from Robert Gordon University where she held the role of Vice Principal Corporate Operations, leading the development, delivery and implementation of corporate, financial, commercial and resource strategies.
She is an experienced executive leader who has worked extensively across the private and public sectors in the north of Scotland for nearly 20 years.
Alongside her senior leadership roles, Vicki has worked as an advisor to the Scottish Government on key remote and rural issues, as well as holding independent and ministerial appointments to several national higher education and public sector boards such as the Glasgow School of Art, UHI and most recently NHS National Education for Scotland. Vicki is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, specialising in strategic partnerships
A graduate of Swansea University, Vicki has worked extensively across the private and public sectors, including working in global commercial, partnership and innovation roles for BP and BAE Systems, together with being a founder member of an innovation start-up which grew from £0-50m over five years.
Malcolm Macleod – Non-Executive Director
Malcolm is the Executive Chief Officer responsible for the Infrastructure, Environment and Economy Service in Highland Council. His responsibilities cover Roads and Infrastructure, Planning, Environment and Low Carbon Transport and Economic Development and Regeneration. Within this portfolio, supporting the planning process involved in renewables of all types is a key focus, across a huge area covering a third of Scotland. He is the Council’s representative on the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport Board.
Recently, he has been responsible for driving forward significant economic development and transformational projects such as the Green Freeport, the £315m Highland City Region Deal (including Inverness Castle project), Uig Harbour redevelopment, the Council’s in-house bus operations, the Wick Airport Public Service Obligation and the Levelling Up Fund bids and project delivery.
Malcolm is a graduate of Glasgow University (MA Geography Hons, 1993), and Strathclyde University (MSc Urban and Regional Planning 1995). Originally from Stornoway in the Western Isles, he started his career with Kyle and Carrick District Council in 1995, before going on to work with East Ayrshire Council as part of the Ayrshire Joint Structure Plan team. He was appointed as a Planner at the Highland Council in November 1998 and has worked in several roles including Development Plans Manager, Head of Planning and Environment and the Council’s Lead on Organisational Redesign.
Roy MacGregor – Non-Executive Director
Roy formed Global Energy Group (GEG) in 2005, which has grown into one of the UK’s leading integrated energy supply chain and infrastructure service providers. Headquartered in Inverness, the company’s primary operations are within the Renewables, Oil & Gas and Nuclear industries. The Japanese corporation Mitsui & Co hold a 25% stake in GEG.
In 2011, GEG acquired the Port of Nigg and have invested in excess of £120m into its ongoing redevelopment and expansion. The facility is now recognised as Scotland’s premier green freeport superhub and boasts over 1.2km of deepwater quayside, 750,000sqm of open laydown area & some of the largest construction and assembly shops in the UK.
The Port of Nigg has played an integral role in five major offshore wind projects, including Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm – Seagreen. The facility has an enviable track record in support of the North Sea Oil & Gas industry and is now prime position for the future expansion within the UK’s Offshore Wind and Floating Offshore Wind sectors.
Roy also heads up Inverness based Investment firm, GEG Capital With varying levels of ownership, GEG Capital actively supports each business within the diverse portfolio to realise their potential both through organic and acquisitive growth maximising the brainpower of its intelligent organisations.
GEG Capital’s ownership interests are concentrated in renewables, utilities & infrastructure, oil & gas, nuclear, marine & logistics, recruitment and construction markets
In 2012, Roy received a prestigious OBE in recognition of his personal and business contributions and in 2017 he was presented with the Scotland Director of the Year award by the Institute of Directors (IoD).
Roy holds a business degree in Robert Gordon’s University, Aberdeen
Inverness & Cromarty Firth Green Freeport
UHI House, Old Perth Road, Inverness, IV2 3JH
Phone: 0333 091 1985 | Email: [email protected]
Connect with us
