Tayside and Fife women among top directors

Tayside and Fife won two major prizes at the Scottish Director of the Year awards last night.

Lesley Knox, non-executive chairwoman of the V&A Museum of Design in Dundee, was named Bank of Scotland Non-Executive Director of the Year at the Institute of Directors Scotland event in Glasgow.

The former chairwoman of the Alliance Trust is also chairwoman of the Grosvenor Group property corporation and trustee of Grosvenor Estate, Edinburgh.

She further chairs the remuneration committee of energy services group Centrica and is non-executive director of multinational brewing and beverage company SAB Miller.

The judging panel said she had proved herself over many years in a diverse range of roles to be the consummate non-executive director.

“She has a real focus on strategy and shareholder relationships and is relentless in driving value creation in every business she has served,” they continued. “She has successfully held multiple FTSE 100 roles and led private and public companies.”

With a strong sense of civic duty, she has carried out public and charitable roles “with great distinction”.

Sharon McKenzie, Fife Council’s head of human resources, won the NHS Scotland and Carers Scotland Director Award for a Carer Friendly, Healthy Workplace.

The judges said she is the driving force behind the organisation’s peoplefocused activity and has clear strategies and policies in place that ensure this focus is embedded and sustainable.

“Sharon’s story is a story of personal and professional commitment, with good practice demonstrated.”

Eric Duncan, managing director of Dundee tea and coffee merchants James Aimer, was regional director of the year for Dundee.

Bruce Tait, chief executive of voluntary sector recruitment agency Bruce Tait Associates, won the regional prize for Fife and Central.

David Watt, IoD Scotland executive director, said the judges had been very impressed by the accomplishments of the nominees and winners.

For the first time, more than half the winners were female directors – evidence that “balance is translating to Scottish boardrooms”.

The judges said that Lesley Knox was the consummate nonexecutive director.