Inverness Chamber of Commerce has unveiled Colin Marr as its new chief executive from this May replacing current incumbent Stewart Nicol, who is stepping down after leading the organisation for almost 15 years.
Mr Marr, husband to well-known broadcaster Nicky Marr, is a familiar face in the Highlands having been chief executive of Eden Court Theatre and Cinema for 20 years until 2017.
During his time at the helm, Eden Court developed from a single auditorium to a multi-arts centre.
Mr Marr planned and implemented all aspects of the £23 million capital development programme, established the largest theatre-based creative learning programme in the UK and attracted major national and international conferences to the venue.
Since 2017, Mr Marr has been theatre director at the Edinburgh Playhouse, where he initiated plans for long- term capital development with phase two due to complete this year.
Criticised some Edinburgh audience members for anti-social behaviour
Mr Marr recently hit the headlines when he criticised some audience members for singing along to shows and anti-social behaviour.
The issue came to a head during a run of the production Bat out of Hell at the famous Edinburgh venue, when audience members started to join in with some of the very well-known tunes and becoming aggressive when asked not to.
The new Inverness Chamber boss was also founding chairman of Visit Inverness Loch Ness, the UK’s first Tourism Business Improvement District and was instrumental in securing significant financial support from Visit Britain to support its initial years.
Inverness Chamber of Commerce Andrew Stott said: “We are delighted to have appointed someone of Colin’s calibre and experience to take Inverness Chamber of Commerce forward and build on the excellent work achieved under Stewart’s leadership.
“As well as being a strong communicator, Colin has a proven track record of working at senior level in the private sector and extensive experience of strategic partnership working.
“He joins Inverness Chamber of Commerce at an exciting time, leading a well-established, growing business with an excellent reputation and long-term strategy.”
Mr Marr previously worked at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre and was a member of the Scottish Government’s Cultural Commission.
Mr Marr added: “Stewart Nicol has done a tremendous job over the last 15 years and leaves the chamber in a strong place.
“I look forward to building on Stewart’s legacy and to working alongside the dedicated staff and board teams to support all our member businesses.”
An independent, privately funded organisation, Inverness Chamber of Commerce is part of the Scottish and British Chambers of Commerce network and works regionally, nationally and internationally to support businesses from sole traders to large corporations.