Scotland’s Rural Business Chief Hand Over GrowBiz Reins
Following 14 years at the helm, Jackie Brierton MBE has announced her retirement from GrowBiz, Scotland’s rural enterprise agency. From July 2025, GrowBiz will be led by a shared CEO partnership with the current Co-CEO, Gordon Hector, being joined by Alexia McClure.
Under her leadership, Brierton built GrowBiz from a local enterprise support project in Eastern Perthshire to a nationally respected rural economy initiative, supporting more than 2500 businesses and social enterprises in Perth & Kinross, the Cairngorms Park area and across rural Scotland.
GrowBiz’s creative approach to business support has resulted in an award-winning mentoring programme and specialist support for sectors such as food & drink, care, creative industries and tourism. It has assisted hundreds of small rural and island businesses to develop net zero strategies, adopt digital technologies and survive unprecedented periods of crisis such as Covid and the cost of living.
Jackie commented, “It is 35 years since I took on my first CEO role in economic and business development, and in that time there have been radical changes to the environment that new and growing enterprises are operating in. What hasn’t changed are the individual needs of entrepreneurs and business owners – who value a personal and customised approach, with a trusted adviser or mentor. GrowBiz’s unique relational model has been proven to work, and to support the sustainability and survival rates of rural businesses. Although I’ll miss working directly with these enterprises and the GrowBiz team, I’m looking forward to having more time to contribute strategically to bodies such as the Cairngorms National Park Authority and the Perth & Kinross Business Partnership.’
Derek Sangster, Chair of GrowBiz said, “Jackie has been an exceptional leader who has developed the unique GrowBiz relational model which has been proven to support the sustainability and growth of rural businesses. We wish Jackie all the best as she steps away from GrowBiz and are delighted that Gordon and Alexia will bring their combined skills and experience to lead the organisation in its next phase of development.”
Gordon Hector is a policy, strategy and public affairs professional who has worked as a consultant to governments, companies and charities on economics, public services and placemaking. He is a trustee at Plunkett UK, a national charity which supports businesses in community ownership in rural areas and is passionate about rural and community led development.
Alexia McClure has extensive experience of developing and delivering business support activities in Scotland, the UK and internationally. Most recently, Alexia was the Chief Operating Officer at Jersey Business, Jersey’s business support agency where she had board level responsible for all the functions that underpinned the operation of the organisation.
Gordon and Alexia agree, “We are excited to work together as Co-CEO’s and to build on the fantastic reputation that GrowBiz rightly has for delivering personal and customised support to rural entrepreneurs and business owners. We see many opportunities to extend GrowBiz’s unique approach, award-winning programmes and specialist support for sectors such as food & drink, care, creative industries and tourism, across Scotland’s rural and island communities and look forward to working with existing and new stakeholders to make this happen.”