Two of Tayside’s most successful businessmen have been appointed to lead Icas, the professional body for chartered accountants in Scotland.
Dundee-born Jim Pettigrew, who took over the high-profile role of chairman of Clydesdale Bank last year, and Perth-based Stagecoach chairman Sir Brian Souter were respectively confirmed as new president and vice-president yesterday as the body launched its annual review of 2014.
Mr Pettigrew, a former pupil at Dundee High School, started out his career at Arthur Young McLelland Moores in his home city and later cut his corporate teeth at Sedgwick Group, Icap, Ashmore.
He became chief executive of financial spread-betting firm CMC in 2007 before moving to take up a series of non-executive posts with the Royal Bank of Canada (Europe), Hermes Fund Managers and Aon UK.
In addition to his Clydesdale role, Mr Pettigrew is a board member at Aberdeen Asset Management and the Edinburgh Investment Trust.
Mr Pettigrew, who has served as deputy to outgoing president Jann Brown, yesterday said he was delighted to have been elected to the top job.
“It is a great honour for me to take over the presidency of Icas,” he said.
“Jann Brown has made impressive strides for the institute in her term.
“I now look forward to working on behalf of the 20,400 Icas members and the wider profession in the public interest over the next 12 months.”
Although Icas is the Scottish industry body, its reach through its members extends into more than 100 countries. It is currently overseeing more than 3,000 students who are progressing towards their professional qualifications as chartered accountants (CA).
Stagecoach co-founder Sir Brian, who qualified as a CA in 1984, was the sole nominee for the vice-president role. It puts him in line to become president in two years’ time.
On his nomination, Sir Brian said: “This is a unique opportunity for me to repay some of the debt I owe to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland for the excellent training I received as a young man, and I hope I will be able to encourage more young people to enter the profession.”
“Since I have always enjoyed working with numbers and dealing with people, my choice of vocation as a chartered accountant seemed logical.”
In its annual review, yesterday, Icas said it had seen 60% growth outwith Scotland, with more than 10,000 members around half of its entire roll now based south of the border.
Chief executive Anton Colella said Icas, which is marking its 160th anniversary, had become a global institute and its ambition was to grow its reach further.
“We are fiercely proud of our Scottish heritage but the new face of Icas is increasingly diverse and ambitious as we aim to create a world-leading, international institute,” Mr Colella said.
“2014 saw notable successes in education, thought leadership and transforming our services in the digital age.
“We now look forward to how we can further enhance our reputation and improve our services to members.”