Following a recent meeting of the Simpsons Malt Limited Board of Directors, Richard Simpson – a fifth-generation member of the Simpson family – has been confirmed as the company’s new Chair.
Richard assumes the role at the Certified B Corporation from his father, Simon Simpson OBE, who had been Chairman of the business from 1981 until his passing in December 2023.
“It is a real privilege to succeed my father, whose passion for innovation and independence, together with his honesty and industriousness, helped to drive our family business forward over the past four decades,” said Richard.
“We will build on my father’s legacy by continuing to work closely with customers and partners in our vertically integrated supply chain, championing sustainability both on-farm and within our own operations in order to grow our family business for future generations.”
In addition to Richard’s appointment as Chair, the company is delighted to welcome Graham Hutcheon onto the Board of Directors as a Non-Executive Director.
Graham has a wealth of experience in the Scotch whisky industry. He was Chairman of North British Distillery Company Ltd and Managing Director of Group Operations at The Edrington Group, during which time he oversaw the delivery of the new Macallan Distillery. He was Chairman of the Environment Committee of the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), as well as Chairman of CBI (Scotland). Graham is also a Non-Executive Director of Robertson Group Holdings Ltd and Chairman of Mikeysline – a mental health charity based in Inverness.
More recently, Graham has worked with Simpsons Malt Limited as an advisor to its Project Spey Development Board, which was set-up to assist with the company’s plans to build a state-of-the-art maltings in the town of Rothes.