Four directors get on board at Marketing Edinburgh

Marketing Edinburgh has named a quartet of new board members, tasked with shaping the future direction of the capital to a global audience.

Claire Harrison-Church is among the new directors at Marketing Edinburgh. Picture: Contributed

The four non-executive directors come from a range of marketing, finance and corporate backgrounds and have had careers spanning organisations as diverse as Cadbury, Wood Mackenzie and Royal Bank of Scotland.

The appointments form part of a shake-up of governance at the organisation aimed at making it “more agile”.

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Paul Rowllings has been based in Edinburgh for the last 20 years. Picture: Contributed

More than 40 candidates are said to have applied for the four non-remunerated posts. They will actively supporting Marketing Edinburgh in its partner collaboration, with the first task being the formulation of a three- to five-year strategic plan.

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The new hires are: Claire Harrison-Church, who brings 30 years’ of experience working with the likes of Unilever, Sainsbury’s and most recently Asda; New Zealander Paul Rowllings, who has been based in Edinburgh for the last 20 years, and has worked with Wood Mackenzie and Aegon; Sandra Blake, who started her career in marketing at Cadbury and moved to Scottish & Southern Energy in 2015 as head of talent and development; and Stephen Ingledew, who has worked with AMP, Barclays Wealth and Standard Life.

A fifth non-executive, Gordon Rintoul, director National Museum of Scotland, who sat on the original Marketing Edinburgh board, will continue his role to aid the transition of the new team.

Sandra Blake started her marketing career at Cadbury. Picture: Contributed

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The non-execs will join three City of Edinburgh councillors – Lord Provost Frank Ross, Jo Mowat and Gordon Munro – alongside an observer on the board. Marketing Edinburgh’s chief executive, John Donnelly, and chair Gordon Robertson, director of communications at Edinburgh Airport, will continue their roles.

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Robertson said: “It’s rare for an organisation to be recruiting four non-executive appointments simultaneously.

Stephen Ingledew has worked with Barclays Wealth and Standard Life. Picture: Contributed

“Ensuring we secured the right blend of personalities as well as complementary skill-sets was a huge priority and critical to Marketing Edinburgh’s ongoing success as it moves to the next level.

“The high standard of quality candidates that applied for the non-executive positions is a testament to the work of John Donnelly and the Marketing Edinburgh team over the last few years to transform the organisation into a credible marketing agency that has delivered record breaking results for the city.”

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