Some of the biggest names in north and north-east business are vying for honours in the 10th Institute of Directors (IoD) Scotland Awards.
Finalists in the top two awards – one for firms turning over less than £35million a year and another for larger companies – include Robin Watson, Peter Bruce and Sandy Manson.
Mr Watson, chief executive of energy service firm Wood Group PSN, is one of four bosses on the shortlist for bigger firms.
He faces competition from David MacBrayne CEO Martin Dorchester, First ScotRail managing director Steve Montgomery, and Golden Charter MD Ronnie Wayte.
Mr Bruce and Mr Manson, chief executives at catering company Entier and accountancy firm Johnston Carmichael respectively, are joined on the shortlist for smaller firms by the CEOs at Skyscanner and Insights.
The winners will be revealed at a ceremony and gala dinner in Glasgow on Thursday, March 27.
Guests will include First Minister Alex Salmond, who will give the keynote speech, with all proceeds from the night going to the Children 1st charity.
Mr Bruce, Mr Watson and Louise Wood, managing director at Prodrill Energy Resource Solutions, are battling it out for an Aberdeen and Grampian regional award.
There will be a hat-trick of wins for Entier if Mr Bruce scoops the workplace health, safety and wellbeing accolade.
This year’s Highlands and islands regional director of the year will be either AJG Parcels operations director Fraser MacLean, Keltic Seafare (Scotland) managing director Ben Murray or SAMS Research Services MD Tracy Shimmield.
Graeme Coutts, a former chief executive at Aberdeen-based energy service firm Expro, is in the running for the non-executive of the year title.
He is now a director of Front Row Energy Partners, a group of upstream industry experts who put money into energy related businesses alongside other investors.
Bob Kinnaird, principal at Glenmore Lodge activity centre near Aviemore, is among the finalists in the public sector director category.
The third sector director of the year will be chosen from among four finalists, including Aberdeen-based Inspire’s chief executive, Karen Pratt, and Orkney Micro Renewables financial director Catriona Walters.
Ms Pratt is also a finalist in the sustainability leadership category, alongside Gordon and MacPhail managing director Michael Urquhart.
North and north-east bosses dominate the shortlist for emerging director of the year, with Mr MacLean of AJG Parcels, Mr Murray of Keltic Seafare (Scotland) and Parkmead Group finance director Ryan Stroulger all hoping to come away with the title.
The Prince’s Trust Youth Business Scotland director of the year award will go to either Orkney clothing designer Kirsteen Stewart, Mark Lelman of Alness-based Dress Code Solutions or Buchan farming entrepreneur Gregor Mackintosh at Mackintosh of Glendaveny.