Scotland 500: meet the top chief executives leading Scotland’s biggest firms

Amanda Blanc, Aviva Amanda Blanc is group chief executive of Aviva, the insurer with a significant Scottish presence. Since Amanda joined in 2020, Aviva has returned more than £10bn to shareholders (in capital return and dividends), and the company’s share price has risen 136 per cent. She has led a restructuring programme, simplifying the group, selling non-core assets, and returning capital to shareholders. Amanda has sharpened Aviva’s focus on UK insurance, pensions, and wealth management, strengthening profitability and balance sheet resilience. Her approach to operational efficiency and capital allocation has been closely watched by investors and corporate finance advisers.

Keith Anderson, ScottishPower Keith Anderson is chief executive of ScottishPower, the Glasgow-based utility owned by Iberdrola. He has led a decisive shift towards renewables and electricity networks, directing large-scale capital deployment across offshore wind, onshore renewables, and transmission. Keith is closely involved in major infrastructure partnerships, regulatory negotiations, as well as long-term grid investment strategy. For advisers and financiers, he is one of Scotland’s most influential decision makers on energy policy, project funding, and low-carbon development.

Linda Cook, Harbour Energy Linda Cook is chief executive of Harbour Energy, the UK’s largest independent oil and gas producer. From London, she led the merger of Premier Oil and Chrysaor, creating a FTSE 250 North Sea champion. Cook brings deep global energy experience from her years at Shell and has overseen major acquisitions, portfolio rationalisation, and international expansion. Her strategic decisions on investment, decommissioning and energy transition are critical to Scotland’s offshore supply chain and financing community.

Scott McCroskie, Edrington Scott McCroskie is chief executive of Edrington, the Glasgow-headquartered premium spirits group behind The Macallan. Having risen through commercial roles, he leads a globally focused business that combines long-term brand investment with disciplined balance-sheet management. Scott oversees significant capital expenditure in distilling capacity and international distribution. With ownership held by The Robertson Trust, Edrington remains a rare example of a large, Scottish-controlled global consumer business.

Martin Pibworth, SSE Martin Pibworth is chief executive at Perth-headquartered SSE. He oversees multi-billion-pound investment programmes in offshore wind, grid infrastructure, and flexible generation – projects central to Scotland’s energy transition. Martin has spent more than 25 years with SSE and plays a key role in capital planning, major project delivery, and regulatory engagement, making him a pivotal figure for investors and supply-chain partners.

Russell Borrie, Arnold Clark Russell Borrie became chief executive of Arnold Clark Automobiles in 2025, taking the helm of Scotland’s largest private company. A career insider, he is steering the family-owned group through rapid change in electric vehicles, digital retailing, and dealership consolidation. Russell oversees significant property assets, supplier relationships, and financing arrangements. His strategy on acquisitions, capital investment, and workforce development is closely watched across Scotland’s automotive and SME advisory ecosystem.

Jason Windsor, Aberdeen Group Jason Windsor is chief executive of Aberdeen Group, the Edinburgh-based wealth and investments group formerly known as abrdn. A former CFO of the business, he is leading efforts to deliver sustained growth across its three divisions; retail investor platform interactive investor, its IFA tech platform and its £390bn asset management business. Jason has highlighted transforming performance, improving client experience, and strengthening talent and culture as central to the firm’s recovery plan. His decisions on acquisitions and capital deployment are of keen interest to Scotland’s financial services community.

Graham Sutherland, FirstGroup Graham Sutherland is chief executive of Aberdeen-headquartered transport operator FirstGroup. Since 2015, he has overseen a major restructuring, refocusing the business on core UK bus and rail operations, while successfully disposing of US assets. Graham has led significant contract wins, refinancing activity and fleet investment programmes. His emphasis on operational performance, franchising strategy, and infrastructure partnerships makes him a key figure for investors and advisers in Scotland’s transport sector.

Jon Stanton, Weir Group Jon Stanton is chief executive of The Weir Group, one of Scotland’s most prominent engineering multinationals. Based in Glasgow, he has repositioned the FTSE 100 company towards mining technology and aftermarket services, exiting oil and gas while investing in digital and decarbonisation solutions. Weir has advanced this strategy through acquisitions notably Brazilian software firm Fast2Mine, Australia-based Micromine, US manufacturer Townley for £111m, and ESCO Elecmetal Fundición for £56m, reinforcing higher-margin, technology-led revenues.

Claire Miles, Stagecoach Claire Miles is chief executive of Stagecoach Group, the Perth-based transport operator. She leads a business navigating regulatory change, franchising reform and fleet decarbonisation across the regions of the UK. Claire is focused on operational efficiency, contract performance and targeted investment in technology and vehicles. For advisers and financiers, her stewardship is central to Stagecoach’s growth strategy and to the wider consolidation dynamics in UK public transport.