Lord Robertson takes up new posting

Former Nato secretary general Lord Robertson has been unveiled as the new chairman of Clyde ferry operator Western Ferries.

Western Ferries operates more than 32,000 sailings annually. Picture: Contributed

He replaces Alistair Ross who has stepped down after 21 years on the board, including 16 years at the helm of the ferry company, which operates the commercial vehicle and passenger service between Gourock and Dunoon.

George Robertson – Lord Robertson of Port Ellen – held several key roles in opposition including shadow Scottish secretary from 1993 to 1997. After Labour won the general election in 1997, he became defence secretary in Tony Blair’s government.

Two years later he moved to Brussels to become the tenth secretary general of Nato, serving until 2004. He became a life peer in 1999.

Robertson, who joined the board of Western Ferries in 2006, said: “Having attended Dunoon Grammar School and spent my formative years in the town, I am well aware that the whole area has benefited from a reliable, dawn-to-dusk, roll-on roll-off ferry service. Thirteen years ago, I agreed to serve on the board of Western Ferries as part of my long-standing commitment to the town and this vital link across the Firth of Clyde.

“That commitment to the principle of regular and frequent ferry links in Scotland is now reinforced as I become chair of the board of this successful company.”

Gordon Ross, managing director of Western Ferries, which operates more than 32,000 sailings annually, said: “In the last few years, under the chairmanship of Alistair Ross, Western Ferries has invested £30 million into four new ferries and new berthing structures and linkspans on either side of the Firth of Clyde.

“We look forward to further investment and growth under Lord Robertson.”