Obituary: Iain McConnell, press officer

Iain McConnell was the innovative press officer who helped manage the transition of a major nationalised undertaking into what became Scotland’s then largest publicly owned company. This was the time of the privatisation of the gargantuan South of Scotland Electricity Board into Scottish Power. The transmogrification involved the shedding of nuclear stations at Hunterston and Torness, and the gaining of the Cruachan pumped storage scheme.

The impact on staff, jobs, media and the public was huge, and Mr McConnell was one of a small team who helped smooth the transition for employees and customers.

He possessed the nous to realise that such a huge change deserved to be brought to the public in ways that were different from traditional leaflets, posters and press releases.

He lit up the Forth Bridge, using off-peak night-time power from Torness, pointing out that “the only cost is bulbs and wiring”.

Not quite, but he had a good point. And he pushed home the message by creating a video that tied in with the centenary of the Forth Bridge.

He provided himself as commentator and he produced scenes filmed from the bridge itself to the Transport Museum in Glasgow.

This colourfulness of character gave him presence, and he was a good front man for Scottish Power, introducing people at press conferences in a relaxed and easy manner. He possessed ability, and you couldn’t help but like him.

In the office, this flair for the offbeat and unusual was backed by a character that was decent, honest, always cheerful and who enjoyed fun.

He maintained this in spite of a punishing personal schedule which saw him leave his East Lothian village home to arrive at his Glasgow Southside desk punctually at 8am daily. No one ever recalls his being late, nor leaving early.

Installed at his desk, his reputation for daily reliability started with a scanning of the day’s papers, noting issues, events and political positions needing to be noted by the organisation, and unfailingly delivering a good brief.

Iain James McConnell was born a Southsider in Glasgow, and educated at King’s Park Secondary and Aberdeen University. Bright and with a questing mind, he moved into air traffic control, working at Heathrow and meeting his wife Heather there. A born traveller and thirster after new horizons, he departed the metropolis after 14 years to become airport manager on Islay for some three years.

As if to compound life’s changes, he then gained appointment as pioneering senior producer and DJ at the newly created BBC Radio Solway in Dumfries. But the scent of public affairs drew him, and in 1988 he moved for a short time to Scottish & Newcastle, before settling with SSEB.

Latterly he held appointments in public affairs with Wimpey Construction and British Executive Service Overseas. His contacts through the latter saw him combine his professional interest of public affairs with a lifetime love of Burns, when he engaged former United National secretary-general Kofi Annan to give the annual Burns Memorial Lecture in New York.

Iain himself never took up Burns and Burns events with anything less than gusto, once delivering the Immortal Memory in Calgary, Alberta at what is said to be the world’s biggest Burns Supper. Afterwards, the mayor made him an honorary Calgarian.

This contact led to his helping to engage Calgary Burns Choir to sing at the Edinburgh Tattoo in 2009 in the 250th anniversary year of the birth of the Bard.

Music was important to Iain: he loved all and every kind of music, as well as singing and playing guitar, piano and pipes. An avid letter writer, his name appeared above notes in numerous publications, particularly The Scotsman, on subjects as varied as his character.

His family was always his first love – his wife Heather, sons Andrew and Douglas, daughter-in-law Elspeth, and granddaughters Freya, Heidi and Jessica. Iain died suddenly, the day after the birth of his third granddaughter.

GORDON CASELY