Hospitality Industry Trust (HIT) Scotland has appointed three new trustees to its board, chosen from the charity’s Future Group of rising hospitality stars – a networking group set up to share ideas and contribute to the future of Scottish hospitality.
The three new trustees are Stephen Buchanan, New Openings & Ops Manager, Buzzworks Holdings, Amy Lightbody, Digital Producer, Dog Digital and James McGuire, GB Commercial Manager, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.
While only one trustee position was advertised, the three candidates were so strong that HIT Scotland Chair Angela Vickers and Vice Chair Alan Halliday decided to appoint them all.
David Cochrane MBE, Chief Executive of HIT Scotland, commented, “The Future Group has become a cornerstone of HIT, so we recently offered a Trustee position to the group. The group meets regularly to deliver actions and evolve programmes provided by HIT Scotland.
“Amy, James and Stephen were such strong candidates that we simply couldn’t choose between them. We are delighted to have their combined experience and passion now benefitting the Board of Trustees, HIT Scotland and the future of the wider industry.”
The HIT Scotland Futures Group, which is made up of individuals from leading businesses including committee member Hayleigh Mullen, a 2023 Acorn Award winner, and Mollie McCaughley and Chris Cassidy, both HIT Future Leader Award recipients, was established for rising stars of the industry to share their thoughts and ideas on issues relevant to the next generation of Scottish hospitality professionals. This group has gone on to help shape the industry charity’s events, scholarships and 5-year strategy.
The trustees are pictured at the HIT Scotland POETS Lunch on Friday 1 September – celebrating 21 years of the POETS, the event was themed ‘Now That’s What I Call POETS 21’ and raised £83k to provide empowering inspirational development for the Scottish hospitality industry.
To find out more about the HIT Scotland Futures Group and how you can get involved, visit the website here