Ashley Page is a big loss, but the future has rarely looked brighter for Scottish ballet

Page has achieved great things during his tenure as artistic director of our national ballet company - and could no doubt have achieved much more had he stayed. But who could begrudge him the chance to spread his wings after ten years in the post? Page's contract comes to a natural end in August 2012, and despite the board's desire to extend it, he feels it is time to go.

It has been suggested that Page had had disagreements with senior executives and some board members, that he wanted to remain at Scottish Ballet for another three to five years and that he regarded an offer to extend his contract by just a year as insulting. With neither Scottish Ballet nor Page willing to comment on the matter, however, we can only speculate as to the reasons behind his departure.

Lips are staying sealed as to his future plans, too, but it's safe to say he'll be in demand. At 54, there are still plenty more miles in his tank and, despite our sadness at losing him, it will be interesting for Scottish dance fans to watch his future progress.

But what about those left behind? The dancers will no doubt be sad to see him go and, as often happens during a change of leadership, there will be the inevitable loss of personnel. It's hard to speculate on who could fill the Doctor Marten boots Page is often seen wearing, but as the recruitment process begins, the board is clearly in a position to cast its net far and wide. People of the calibre of Wayne Eagling, currently artistic director of English National Ballet, or Christopher Wheeldon, formerly of New York City Ballet, could well be in the frame to fill the post. Running Scottish Ballet once looked like an unenviable challenge, now it's a plum job for any artistic director seeking a strong company with a diverse repertoire and some of the finest facilities in the world. Whatever the real cause of Page's exit, he will leave safe in the knowledge that the company is in far better shape than when he arrived. Not only that, but Page himself is a far more desirable commodity.

Prior to joining Scottish Ballet in 2002, he had never led a company, let alone a national one. He hadn't even created a full-length ballet until his visionary Christmas show, The Nutcracker, came on to the scene in 2003.

A successful 25-year career at the Royal Ballet had afforded Page the opportunity to work with some of the world's greatest choreographers. He had also served under a number of different artistic directors, so when the time came for him to take on that challenge himself, he knew what worked and - perhaps more importantly - what didn't. Page felt under-used and undervalued during his final days with the Royal Ballet, which is perhaps why it's been so important to him that the dancers of Scottish Ballet feel otherwise.

Every dancer I have talked to since Page's arrival has spoken unprompted about their desire for a challenge - and how that desire has been met. With an eye for great guest teachers and visiting choreographers, Page has ensured the menu at Scottish Ballet is always varied, for both the performers and the audience. It's a far cry from the turbulence he walked into, after the somewhat messy departure of his predecessor, Robert North. Shortly before leaving, North expressed his concern at the proposed new direction for Scottish Ballet, stating that "you could put God in a triple-bill and people still won't come to see it". Well, Page may not have cast any celestial beings in the triple-bills that followed, but audiences certainly came - and enjoyed themselves too.

Having agreed to take over from North, Page arrived in Glasgow from London to find the company "in worse shape than I thought". A period of serious renovation followed, dancers left, new ones arrived and the slow, steady task of re-building the company's reputation began. Eight years later, Scottish Ballet has acquired international renown, not least because of its stunning new premises at Tramway. For choreographers and dancers in Europe, America and beyond, the word on the street is that good things are happening at Scottish Ballet - and they want to be part of it.

For audiences, this translates into exciting, dynamic work, such as the recent world premiere by San Francisco Ballet's Val Caniparoli, and world-class dancers such as French-born Sophie Martin, Estonian Eve Mutso and Royal Ballet-trained Adam Blyde. Page has brought all this and more to Scottish Ballet, along with his own works, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, the aforementioned Nutcracker and a much-anticipated reworking of Alice In Wonderland due to premiere in April 2011.

Advance planning is a large part of any company director's remit so, before leaving in 2012, Page will no doubt have commissions, tours and projects already lined up. Meaning it will be well into 2013 before the new artistic director makes his or her mark. So let's not mourn Page's loss just yet - there's plenty more of him to enjoy before he heads off to pastures new.

• This article was first published in the Scotland on Sunday on November 7, 2010