ROBERT Collier has announced he is to retire as leader of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce.
Mr Collier, who has served as chief executive since April 2009, has revealed plans to stand down by March 2016.
Alec Carstairs, president of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said: "Bob Collier has led the chamber through an extraordinary period of achievement.
"We are proud of our successes over the past few years, including the Chamber of the Year title we won in 2014, and this is in a large part down to his leadership and the performance of the team at the chamber."
Mr Carstairs added: "The knowledge, expertise and high public profile he [Mr Collier] displays in the north-east business community means it is a big pair of shoes to fill."
Mr Collier said: ""After a good run as the chief executive of the best Chamber of Commerce in the UK, I think it is the right time for the organisation to recruit fresh thinking to keep delivering for members of the chamber."
He added: "My own plans are to pursue a range of interests rather than seek another full-time executive role. Meantime, my focus will be on helping the board to find the best candidate for the job to ensure a seamless transition."
The chamber board has appointed a recruitment panel chaired by Mr Carstairs to find a successor to Mr Collier, with executive search company FWB Park Brown appointed to support the search.
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