Highlands and Islands Enterprise chief executive Stuart Black in the role of a lifetime as he leads Covid recovery
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When he stepped into the role of chief executive of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) at the start of this year, Stuart Black was taking on a role he has been preparing for his whole career – and even beyond.
“It is literally the job I have always wanted,” he acknowledged.
Brought up in Inverness, he has been interested in the development of the region since he was at school and became aware of the work of HIE’s predecessor the Highlands and Islands Development Board (HIDB).
“My dad was a minister and several of his congregation worked for HIDB. I was always interested in what they did so it is something I’ve been interested in from a young age,” he said.
“I’ve always wanted to see the Highlands and Islands be successful and I was interested in the role that government agencies could play in driving that success, and that’s why I am where I am today.”
He went on to study geography, but even when a lecturer at Aberdeen University, the role of HIE in developing the economy of the Highlands remained a key interest, so it was perhaps inevitable he would join the organisation in the mid-1990s.
After a break to work for Highland Council, including as planning and development director, he returned and became HIE’s area manager for Moray before taking on the chief executive role. He acknowledges his appointment comes at a particularly challenging time.
“The pandemic has been a huge economic shock to the area,” he said.
“I probably have 30 years experience of working in and studying the region so it’s a great time to be involved in trying to lead the region out of a global pandemic. That is the top of the list.
"If you look at unemployment rates, the Highlands and Islands is slightly below Scotland and the rest of the UK, but I think that disguises a lot of challenges and HIE’s main role will be to help the region recover from the pandemic.”
Brexit has also been a challenge, but there are also opportunities, especially those afforded by the region’s reputation as an attractive and safe place to live and bring up a family, he believes.
“In the past, you had to go to where the work was. Now you can potentially live where you want and the work comes to you because of the digital connections that Covid has accelerated. I think that’s a really positive development for our region,” he said.
“Companies are going to look to locate to where people live and where we have a high quality education system, so if we sell that high quality of life and highly skilled people, companies will come here.
"We have examples of that already. Capgemini have set up a really important cybersecurity operation in Inverness.
"Another thing we have is that staff are loyal, which is something investors say to me and which isn’t necessarily the case in cities.
"If the business is the right one, people will stay and build a career. Big companies really value that.”
But while there are opportunities in new or more recent industries, the more established sectors such as tourism and food and drink remain important.
“Tourism is really fundamental to our region and that’s why we are looking to support things like the Inverness Castle project, because that will be of national scale in terms of importance,” he said.
“A successful Inverness is vital for a successful Highlands and Islands.
"It is a gateway for many visitors and first impressions are important.
"We have got to have investment in the infrastructure to support tourism, but I do think the visitors are going to come back. People want to come to Scotland.”
