The long-serving chairman of Scotland’s largest independent retailing and distribution company has been elevated to the role of life president.
Joan Scott-Adie has headed CJ Lang & Sons Ltd for a number of years and is the majority shareholder in a business established in Dundee in 1919 by her grandfather.
Her move to the newly created role has allowed for the appointment of Jim Hepburn – a former group commercial finance director with Premier Foods and chief financial officer with Dawnfresh Seafoods – to the position of non-executive chairman of the business.
The changes at the Longtown Road-based SPAR supplier follow a significant management reshuffle in recent months after the departure of long-time managing director Scott Malcolm in February.
The company confirmed the appointment of former Argos, Dixons and WH Smith director Colin McLean as chief executive in March, while Craig Tedford and John Connolly were respectively named as finance director and company secretary.
Mrs Scott-Adie’s time as chairman saw the business consolidate its position as Scotland’s leading independent food wholesaler and retailer.
In 2009, she formally opened the group’s newly extended distribution centre at Longtown Road following a multi-million pound investment designed to support the group’s growth.
In January, accounts published at Companies House showed CJ Lang achieved a marginal increase in pre-tax profits to £925,000 for the year to April 30, 2017.
However, full-year revenues fell by £9.2 million to £185.4m in the year.
At the time, Mr Malcolm – who had been with Lang’s for more than 30 years prior to his departure – cautioned the group faced an “extremely challenging” year ahead as a result of a “highly competitive trading environment” and rising operating costs.