The Institute of Directors has appointed Patrick Macdonald as its
new Chair after a comprehensive search process.
Mr Macdonald, who will take on the role on from March 22, brings
a wealth of experience and expertise to the organisation. He
replaces who has been interim Chair of the IoD since September
2020.
The process was overseen by the IoD’s Nomination Committee. The
Chair of the committee and Senior Independent Council Member,
Jean Church, MBE said Mr Macdonald was an outstanding choice to
take over as Chair.
“We had a number of excellent candidates to choose from and after
a rigorous selection process, we were delighted to appoint
Patrick. I would like to thank for stepping in as interim Chair last year and helping
to lead the IoD during the last seven months.”
Mr Watson, who led the Board’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic
and will remain as part of the IoD Board when the new chair
starts, also welcomed Mr Macdonald.
“I am delighted that we’ve been able to bring someone with
Patrick’s experience and broad range of skills on board for the
next stage of the IoD’s development. Our drive to make the IoD
membership more reflective of the country as a whole is
progressing well. I’m looking forward to Patrick’s leadership of
the Institute at a crucial time for our members and the country.
“Finally, as I step down, I’d like to pay tribute to the IoD
teams, our members and volunteers everywhere who have done a
magnificent job in helping us get into the right shape to grow
after what has been a very challenging year.”
Patrick Macdonald said: “I have been a member of the IoD since
2001 and am delighted and honoured to take over as Chair today.
This is a hugely important and exciting time for the IoD.
“All businesses and business organisations have faced enormous
challenges over the last year. It’s clear the IoD had already
done a lot before the pandemic struck to get into shape for the
long term.
“This excellent work, led by and the team, has brought us closer to our members in
many important ways. The IoD will continue reinvigorating the
value it delivers to existing and new members.
“The Institute is a true members’ organisation that represents
the authentic voice of British business. Our members will be at
the heart of the economic recovery. I am looking forward to
working with Director General Jonathan Geldart, his team and all
our members across the UK and beyond to help them play their part
in that recovery.”
Patrick Macdonald has held both executive and non-executive roles
across a wide range of businesses over the last 35 years.
He started his professional career as an engineer at the Ministry
of Defence before joining Unilever. Patrick worked for Boston
Consulting Group (BCG) in Germany and the UK, then joined General
Electric (GE) in the USA. Patrick became CEO of John Menzies plc,
based in Scotland, and has subsequently worked in private
equity-backed businesses including Reconomy, the waste management
company. He chairs Moneypenny, the call answering and live chat
service and Arcus FM, the tech-based facilities management
business. He is co-founder and Chair of the School for CEOs, the
senior-level executive development business. He is a
Non-Executive Director of NatureSpace, the environmental
consultancy.
Patrick is also Vice Chair of the Scottish Advisory Committee of
the Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) and was until recently a
Trustee of the Woodland Trust.
Director-General Jonathan Geldart also welcomed Mr Macdonald to
the IoD.
“Patrick joins us at an important and exciting time for the
Institute. In a challenging external environment, has led the organisation through a successful internal
restructure and established a much more efficient cost base. That
has enabled us to be in a strong position to make the important
changes we need to drive the future growth of the IoD.
I’m really looking forward to working closely with Patrick as we
move onto the next stage of that programme.”
