The Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon MSP, announced the appointment of Global Wind Energy Council senior fellow Adam Bruce, Scottish Land Commissioner Lorne MacLeod and SSE plc head of tax Martin McEwen as members of the board of Crown Estate Scotland.

Crown Estate Scotland is a self-financing Statutory Public Corporation accountable to the Scottish Ministers and to the Scottish Parliament.

It is responsible for managing a diverse portfolio of land and property — called the Scottish Crown Estate — including seabed, coastline, commercial property and rural estates.

Revenue profits from the Scottish Crown Estate are transferred to the Scottish Consolidated Fund for public spending and capital profits are reinvested in the estate.

Crown Estate Scotland’s purpose is defined as “investing in property, natural resources and people to generate lasting value for Scotland.”

The Scottish Government said: “Adam Bruce has spent the last 15 years in senior leadership roles in the global renewable energy sector.

“He was appointed by Scottish and UK Ministers as the first Chair of the Offshore Wind Programme Board and has chaired a number of other industry bodies.

“He is currently Senior Fellow at the Global Wind Energy Council and a Trustee of National Museums Scotland.

“Lorne MacLeod is a Chartered Accountant and Director of a retail and distribution business in the Isle of Skye.

“He is a Scottish Land Commissioner and has extensive experience of land management and land reform policy.

“He was Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s first Director of Strengthening Communities, and prior to that was Chief Executive of Skye and Lochalsh Enterprise.

“He has been a Director of the community owned island organisations in Eriskay, South Uist and Benbecula, and the Isle of Gigha, where he was closely involved in developing their renewable energy initiatives.

“Martin McEwen is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor and has sat on both the Scottish Taxes Committee and the Corporate Tax Committee at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland.

“He is Head of Tax at SSE plc having joined in 2008 after a number of years at PwC. He was instrumental in SSE plc becoming the first FTSE 100 company to obtain Fair Tax Mark accreditation and is a regular speaker on tax transparency and responsible corporate tax behaviour.

“As part of his role on the Board of Revenue Scotland, he is Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee.”

The appointments are for three years. Bruce will be appointed from June 10, 2024 until June 9, 2027, with MacLeod appointed from September 1, 2024, until August 31, 2027, and McEwen appointed from May 1, 2025, until April 30, 2028.

The appointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner and they attract £225.42 per day remuneration for a time commitment of two days per month.