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Inverness Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stewart Nicol to leave after nearly 15 years at the helm

Inverness Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stewart Nicol
Inverness Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stewart Nicol. Image: Inverness Chamber of Commerce

Inverness Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stewart Nicol is to step down from the role he has held for almost 15 years at next May’s Highland Business Dinner.

The well-known business leader spent twenty years with Scottish Hydro-Electric, which later became part of the SSE Group, and moved to Inverness in 1994 as district manager, Highlands & Islands.

Mr Nicol, 63, served on the board of Inverness Chamber of Commerce since 2006 and was appointed as its first full-time chief executive in September 2008.

Voice of business in Highlands

Mr Nicol also worked with Cap Gemini setting up contact centres, has run his own management consultancy and delivered Highland and Islands Enterprise’s business advice service.

Under his leadership, the organisation has grown and delivered a number of private-public sector partnership programmes with agencies such as the Scottish Government, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and Inverness College UHI.

His efforts include work on behalf of the chamber locally, in Holyrood and at Westminster.

Scottish Chambers of Commerce chief executive Liz Cameron
Scottish Chambers of Commerce chief executive Liz Cameron. Image: Abrightside Photography

Inverness Chamber of Commerce is one of 26 chambers in Scotland and plays an active role in the Scottish Chambers of Commerce Network.

Scottish Chambers of Commerce chief executive Liz Cameron paid tribute.

She said: “Stewart has been a tireless and effective advocate for not only the Inverness business community but the wider Highlands & Islands region.

“He leaves the chamber with an exceptionally strong legacy, particularly in building the chamber’s capacity to identify and secure vital exporting opportunities.

“The Scottish Chambers Network wishes Stewart all the best in his next chapter and we look forward to continuing to support the growth of Inverness Chamber of Commerce.”

Inverness Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stewart Nicol.
Stewart Nicol has spent nearly 15 years at the Inverness Chamber of Commerce. Image: Andrew Smith

Mr Nicol said he is looking forward to his “next phase of life”.

He said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to serve the business community in Inverness and across the Highlands and Islands.

“I look forward to the next phase of life, in particular utilising my non-executive director experience and the charity trustee roles I have held for some significant time.

“I reflect with a real sense of accomplishment on all I have achieved as the first full-time chief executive of Inverness Chamber of Commerce.

“The organisation has been transformed from a modest entity into a resilient business which, as the strong voice of business in Inverness and the Highlands, is dedicated to actively connecting and representing businesses across the Highlands to support their growth.”

“I’m looking forward to supporting the board to find a successor and working with the team to ensure a smooth handover.”

Successor search will start in New Year

For his part, Inverness Chamber of Commerce president Andrew Stott, who is a partner with law firm Ledingham Chalmers in Inverness, added: “Stewart leaves an organisation which is strong and agile with a clear focus and strategy for the way forward.

“The process of finding an appropriate successor will begin in earnest early in the New Year.”

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