Outstanding business leaders from Tayside and Fife have been shortlisted for the 2016 Institute of Directors Scotland awards.
Andy Lothian, the well-known chief executive of Dundee-based Insights Learning and Development is in line for the top prize of the evening as director of the year of a company with a turnover greater than £15 million.
His competition for the prize is four other outstanding executives including Craig Anderson of the Scottish Salmon Company and Angela Vickers of Apex Hotels.
Mr Lothian was “humbled, honoured and excited” by the nomination.
“Insights has had a terrific year,” he said.
“We continue to be one of Dundee’s fastest growing companies, with average growth of circa 17% and we’ve increased our pre-tax profit by circa 26%.
“We launched our new customer strategy, which puts our customers at the heart of everything we do, and we’re also in the process of building new Product Management and Learning Experience teams.”
The nomination is one of two for the Dundee Technology Park-based Insights, with chief technology officer Greig Johnston also shortlisted in the Tayside regional director category.
Mr Johnston is vying for the title with Michael Callachan of City Quay-based digital services company MTC Media and Eric Duncan of James Aimer Ltd, a tea and coffee merchants based at Milnbank Road in Dundee.
The Fife and Central Scotland director of the year award has three shortlisted candidates: Craig Letton of Alloa-based Managed Response Marketing, Paul McGowan, managing director of First Scotland East/Midland Bluebird, and Bruce Tait of Stirling-based voluntary sector recruitment agency BTA.
Other notable local candidates for an award at the dinner on March 17 include Grosvenor Group and V&A Museum of Design, Dundee chairman Lesley Knox who has been shortlisted in the non-executive director category and Fife Council’s Sharon McKenzie in the public sector director section.
IoD Scotland executive director David Watt said: “Quality leadership is the very definition of success within our businesses, civic institutions and third sector organisations.
“For the Director of the Year awards we will celebrate the very best of Scotland’s directors the inspirers, visionaries, innovators and strategists that make Scottish business prosper,” he added.