Education Secretary Michael Russell has announced John McClelland has been appointed as chairman of Skills Development Scotland (SDS).

Mr McClelland has extensive experience across the private and public sectors and has been interim chair of SDS since August 2010.

Welcoming the appointment, Mr Russell said: "Skills Development Scotland has a crucial role to play in our work to help more young people into employment and in delivering Opportunities for All – our guarantee of a place in education or training for every 16-19 year old in Scotland.

"John has been interim chair of the organisation and has shown he has the skills and experience necessary to lead the organisation at this crucial time. That’s why I am pleased to be able to appoint him as permanent Chair and I look forward to continuing to work with him to deliver a brighter future for Scotland’s young people."

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Mr McClelland was Vice President of Worldwide Operations for IBM’s personal computer company before joining Digital Equipment Corporation in 1995 where he was a Senior Vice President. He was also Global Chief Industrial Officer and board member of Philips Consumer Electronics and latterly President of 3Com's Business Networks Company.

In 2006, he conducted a review of public sector procurement in Scotland ("The McClelland Report") and has recently completed a Review of ICT infrastructure in the public sector in Scotland, on behalf of the Scottish Government. Mr McClelland was appointed interim Chair of SDS in August 2010.

In 1994 he was awarded a CBE for his services to industry and education.

This appointment will be for four years and will run from February 28, 2012 to February 27, 2016. This post is part-time and attracts remuneration of £26,208 for a time commitment of around 6 days per month.

(GK)