By Scott Wright

SEAN McGrath has been appointed successor to Sandy Kennedy as chief executive of the Entrepreneurial Scotland Foundation.

Mr McGrath, the organisation’s finance director, will take up the post in July. The appointment comes as it was revealed that the Foundation had raised £140,000 under a crowdfunding campaign to fund its programmes, eclipsing its £75,000 target.

Mr McGrath joined the Foundation in May 2019, having previously worked for Red Bull, NorthgateArinso and Monster.com. He held roles with Deloitte and London & Scottish Investments after retraining as an accountant in 2011.

Mr Kennedy will stay with the organisation until the end of September under a three-month handover period.

Mr McGrath said: “I am proud to be taking on the CEO role at a time when every organisation, no matter its size, is addressing enormous challenges as we transform our economy and society to address the climate emergency and Industry 4.0.

“We do this with the support of senior entrepreneurs, the entrepreneurial community, government, partners, a wide range of organisations and individuals who share our commitment to build a more entrepreneurial economy and society. Our recent highly successful crowdfunding campaign is evidence of this.”

Chairman Colin Robertson said: “Sean’s appointment is tremendous news for the Foundation and for Scotland at a time when we need our entrepreneurial leaders more than ever.”