Lord Smith of Kelvin has been appointed chairman of Forth Ports, succeeding Michael Seymour who will stand down from the role at the end of the year.
The current chairman of SSE plc and the UK Green Investment Bank recently chaired the Smith Commission cross-party talks on strengthening the powers of the Scottish Parliament within the UK.
He is a non-executive director of Standard Bank Group Limited, and he chaired the organising committee of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
A chartered accountant and respected senior businessman, he has held numerous directorships with a range of blue chip firms and a number of high-profile public positions.
He will take up his new post on January 1, and said: “I’m delighted to join the team at Forth Ports and looking forward to getting involved in an exciting business with great potential.
“Ports play a strategically vital but unsung role in supporting a strong, successful UK economy, making a huge contribution to our economic success in everything from tourism to energy.”
Charles Hammond, chief executive of Forth Ports, said: “I would firstly like to pay tribute to Michael Seymour, under whose stewardship Forth Ports has continued to develop and make a significant contribution to the economies of both Scotland and the south east of England.
“Lord Smith’s reputation goes before him and we are delighted to have been able to attract a businessman of his stature to join us as chairman. I am confident that, under his guidance, Forth Ports will continue to thrive as the company enters the next stage in its development.”
Michael Seymour has been chairman of Forth Ports since 2011, following the company’s acquisition by Otter Ports Ltd.
Forth Ports owns the port sites at Tilbury, Burntisland, Dundee, Grangemouth, Kirkcaldy, Leith, Methil and Rosyth.