Scottish Golf tees up three new board directors along with chair Martin Gilbert

Three new board members have been teed up to join Martin Gilbert at the start of a fresh chapter for Scottish Golf under his chairmanship of the governing body.

Former Aberdeen Standard Investments chairman Martin Gilbert is set to succeed Eleanor Cannon as Scottish Golf chair next month

Pauline Lockhart, Caroline Mansley and Fraser Thornton have all been nominated for appointment to the board at next month’s annual general meeting, which will see Gilbert take over as chair from Eleanor Cannon.

Lockhart’s appointment will mark a reconnection with the days of the Scottish Golf Union as she spent 10 years on its staff as the international manager, which involved the operational management of national teams and international events at home and abroad.

Her mentor at a time when she worked closely with the SLGA in the office next door was Graham Ewart, the SGU’s legendary former championship secretary, with Lockhart having since held roles for the 2014 Ryder Cup, 2015 Rugby World Cup and 2019 Solheim Cup.

A business studies graduate and postgraduate associate with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, she is currently a member of Auchterarder Golf Club.

Mansley, another keen golfer, is a past ladies’ captain at Ratho Park and is now a member of Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society after the capital club opened its doors to women in 2018.

She has held a number of senior executive roles internationally across banking, insurance and consulting businesses, including Lloyds Bank and AIG.

Mansley has also held a number of voluntary non-executive director roles, including chair for Netball Scotland from 2016-2019.

Thornton, the third new board member, is a qualified chartered accountant who has held a number of senior roles in both UK and internationally-based companies in the spirits sector. He is currently the managing director of Distell International and plays his golf at both Cardross and Glasgow Golf Club.

The trio are set to be appointed as board directors at the same time as Gilbert takes over as chair while current directors both Brendan Dick and Sean Duffy are up for re-appointment at the virtual annual meeting.

The vacancies on the board follow the resignation of both Adi Shamash and Keith Macdonald last June, while Graham Watson, who had been appointed around that same time, stepped down in December after he became the new Tennis Scotland chair.

The new board members were selected from candidates after Scottish Golf started a process to replace Shamash and Macdonald in September.

The governing body said it was seeking individuals with a “passion for golf, strong strategic and operational experience from their professional career and/or within the game, and the ability to build on strong foundations to take Scottish Golf to the next phase in its development”.

It added: “The individuals will be forward-thinking, self-motivated, will embrace technology and be highly driven to make a positive and meaningful contribution to the continued development of Scottish Golf.”

Meanwhile, David Fleming is set to stay on as president until the next agm, with Elizabeth Munro and Paul Gibson up for appointment as the senior and junior vice president respectively.

The affiliation fee paid to Scottish Golf by club members is set to stay at £14.50, the figure set after an increase from £11.25 in October 2018.

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