Aberdeen based charity Clan Cancer Support has appointed Dr Colette Blackwell as its chief executive. Colette has over 20 years’ experience in policy development, research, industry support and business management within the charity, public and private sectors. Her previous roles include director with the Scottish Food and Drink Federation as well as a number of senior public sector positions in the UK and Scottish governments and in local government. She is a member of the Scottish Rural Policy Centre’s advisory group as well as a visiting professor in the Institute for Management, Governance and Society at Robert Gordon University. She also sits on the Scottish committee of the Institute of Directors.

The type 1 diabetes charity JDRF has appointed Peter Jones, managing director of international energy company Taqa in Europe, as chairman of its development group in Scotland. Peter, 43, who lives with the condition himself, joins JDRF to spearhead a £750,000 fundraising campaign to support research carried out in Scotland and brings with him a vision to see Scotland play a far greater role in the development of a cure. JDRF is a charitable funder of type 1 diabetes research and is currently sponsoring work at the University of Glasgow and the University of Dundee that focuses on the treatment of type 1 diabetes and its associated complications.

Alistair Rankine has been appointed to the role of membership engagement co-ordinator at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations. In his new role, he will be communicating the value of membership and making sure that members receive and utilise all their membership benefits. Alistair previously worked as an account relationship manager at Scottish Business in the Community. He said: "I am thrilled to have joined an organisation that has so much passion for representing housing associations and co-operatives in Scotland, and I will endeavour to work to the best of my abilities.”