New chair of crown estate

New chair of Crown Estate Scotland appointed

26 June 2023

Euan McVicar has been appointed the new chair of Crown Estate Scotland, the public corporation tasked with managing seabed, coastline, commercial property, and rural estates on behalf of Scottish Ministers.

Euan, who has been on the Crown Estate Scotland Board since summer 2021, has been appointed by Scottish Ministers for a three-year term starting in early July following the current chair, Amanda Bryan, finishing her term at the end of June. He is an experienced energy, legal and green investment professional and has worked in both the private and public sectors.

Crown Estate Scotland was established in 2017 to manage a property portfolio – called the Scottish Crown Estate – returning all net revenue to Scottish Government for public spending.

Euan said, “Crown Estate Scotland’s unique remit means it can play a key role in Scotland’s effort to tackle the climate and nature crises while driving sustainable economic growth.

“The expertise of the team, the diversity of the portfolio we manage, and the remit to deliver social, economic and environmental value makes this an incredibly exciting organisation, one which it will be a privilege to chair.

“Finally, thank you to Amanda who has worked tirelessly over the last six years to establish Crown Estate Scotland as a progressive, transparent and purpose-led business. Amanda’s exceptional leadership played a critical role in the business generating over £800m for public spending, ensuring our work benefits communities and businesses across Scotland, and delivering ScotWind leasing.”

Euan was chair of the Investment Committee and General Counsel at the UK Green Investment Bank. Prior to that, he was a partner and ran the energy transactions & advisory team at international law firm, Pinsent Masons, where he is now a consultant and Senior Climate Adviser.

Euan recently served as General Counsel and an Executive Committee member at Ofgem. He lives in rural Scotland, near Biggar, and is a director of The Biggar Gin Company Limited.

As at April 2022, the business had returned £60m to the Scottish Government and the Scottish Crown Estate was valued at £568.2m.

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