Louise Macdonald will leave Young Scot this summer to take over at IoD Scotland

A charity chief is departing for an exciting new role.

Louise Macdonald will leave Young Scot later this year after 12 years as chief executive to become national director at the Institute of Directors (IoD) Scotland.

Macdonald has worked for the youth charity for 20 years, and said taking decision had been extremely difficult.

She said: “It has unquestionably been the toughest decision of my life – my personal and professional commitment to the work we do, the people we do it with, our partners and young people themselves is and will remain undimmed, and I have lived Young Scot with every fibre of my being for so long, but the time is right for new challenges for me and to create the space to let Young Scot grow and evolve.

“There will be time yet for me to reflect on my years at Young Scot, and to acknowledge and thank everyone who has been a part of it – it’s a very long list! Young Scot will be in the finest hands with our excellent senior management team, staff, chair and board with – everybody focused as ever on delivering our vital services to those at the heart of our work – young people.”

Elma Murray, Young Scot chair, said: “Louise has been an outstanding and inspirational chief executive for Young Scot. She has been a relentless champion of young people and has embodied the values of our organisation in her behaviour and actions every single day.

"Everyone at Young Scot wishes her every success in her new role, but we will miss her terribly when she leaves us in the summer. The board will lead on planning for the next Young Scot chief executive, and are delighted that our depute chief executive, Kirsten Urquhart, will act up whilst that takes place.”

Aidan O’Carroll, chairman of IoD Scotland, said: “The national director role requires not only support for our members but also our team, and I know that Louise will lead them with great energy and purpose. Louise’s experience in leading a high-profile organisation over the last 12 years, in addition to her non-executive board roles, impressed us considerably and we believe that she has the right skills, connections and experiences to ensure that our members’ voices will be heard loud and clear.

"The IoD has been working tirelessly to represent those views with both Scottish and UK Governments, and Louise will be a force for meaningful and continuous engagement. As we move out of the pandemic, building a fully inclusive, dynamic and collaborative leadership talent in Scotland will be vital. We want all leaders at whatever stage in their careers to consider the benefits of joining us and Louise will bring fantastic experience in connecting across the whole spectrum of talent in Scotland and beyond.”