Port of Cromarty firth appoints Alex Campbell as new chief executive

The Port of Cromarty Firth (PoCF) has appointed Alex Campbell as its new chief executive following the retirement of former boss Bob Buskie.

Mr Buskie announced his retirement in October last year after more than ten years at the helm of the Invergordon site.

Mr Campbell will take up the role after joining from Aberdeen-based environmental and geospatial consultancy APEM Ltd.

PoCF said Mr Campbell has “extensive experience” in the renewables, oil and gas, marine and environmental sectors.

He previously held similar roles at survival and safety solutions firm Survitec Group and specialist service provider James Fisher and Sons.

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Mr Campbell also spent eight years at multinational engineering firm Atkins as managing director for oil and gas.

‘Powerhouse’ of the Highland economy

In a statement, Mr Campbell said he was “honoured” to be taking on the role, describing the port as a “powerhouse of  the Highland economy”.

“These are exciting times for the Port and the Highlands as we look towards the full establishment of Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport and the area becoming a key hub for the development of the offshore wind industry,” he said.

© Supplied by Port of Cromarty Firth

“I look forward to working with the port’s excellent team and all its stakeholders to maximise the long-term benefits of these unprecedented opportunities in offshore renewables whilst continuing to support and develop our services in established industries such as cruise and oil and gas.”

PoCF chairman Hugh Mitchell said Mr Campbell joins the port as it seeks to progress ambitions to be the major marshalling and integration port for Scotland’s offshore wind sector.

“I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the board and the Port team, to express our gratitude to Bob Buskie, whose tenure saw the Port’s turnover, staff and land capacity double and culminated in Inverness and the Cromarty Firth winning Green Freeport status.

“We wish him all the very best in his retirement.”

Port of Cromarty Firth

The appointment of Mr Campbell continues a milestone start to the year for the port, which welcomed its 750th visit from a North Sea rig last month.

The PoCF is also moving closer to potentially securing a share of £160 million in funding from the Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme (FLOWMIS).

The port is also involved in the Scottish Government’s Strategic Investment Model (SIM) process as it continues to progress expansion plans to support the offshore wind sector.

In January last year, the Cromarty Firth port was officially confirmed by the UK government as a ‘green freeport’ alongside Forth Ports, promising a jobs boost to the Highland economy.

However, a recent report raised questions about the number of jobs the two green freeport schemes are set to deliver, with tens of thousands of fewer jobs expected.