New chief of Scotland's ferries named

THE man once responsible for England's trunk roads is to look after Scotland's ferry routes.

Archie Robertson was confirmed yesterday as chief executive of David MacBrayne Ltd, the parent company of ferry operators Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) and NorthLink Ferries Ltd (NFL). Mr Robertson, 56, who spent his early years in Skye, was chief executive of the Highways Agency, where he managed a 6 billion budget, between 2003 and 2008.

He starts his new post on 1 June and takes over from Lawrie Sinclair, who is retiring after ten years at the end of next month.

Mr Robertson said: "David MacBrayne is a name I grew up with on Skye, and I am really excited to be joining an organisation with such a rich community heritage stretching back more than 150 years.

"I am looking forward to the next chapter of its development with NorthLink's Northern Isles contract due for re-tender soon and the CalMac contract for the Clyde and Hebrides services up for grabs the following year."