SMAS top job 'unlikely to attract private sector applicant'

INDUSTRY figures fear that Scottish Enterprise may struggle to find a successor from the private sector to replace Steve Graham, who has resigned from one of its most successful programmes.

Graham caught business leaders by surprise on Friday by announcing he was leaving the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS), which has added millions in value to the sector since it was set up five years ago to offer advice to firms on how to improve products and services.

Some are concerned that the success of Scotland's engineering sector together with criticisms of Scottish Enterprise and worries over public sector cuts may deter potential applicants from the private sector. As The Scotsman revealed yesterday, Graham is expected to leave SMAS in October to become executive director of the Technology and Innovation Centre for Renewable Energy and Enabling Technologies at Strathclyde University.

But David Lonsdale, assistant director of CBI Scotland, questioned how attractive the SMAS post would be to those in the private sector. He said: "Scottish manufacturers have reported five consecutive quarters of growth, so people working for private firms may be less likely to apply."

Potential candidates include Gordon Bell, an accountant who held senior roles with Rolls-Royce and Rexam and is currently SMAS's national operations manager. Another is business development manager Lindsay Branston, who worked in the chemicals sector at FujiFilm and Zeneca.

Peter Hughes, chief executive of Scottish Engineering, added: "Scottish Enterprise comes in for a lot of criticism - much of which is unwarranted - and that might put some people off from applying for a job with SMAS. But SMAS is very well thought of by our 400 members."