Simon Hodge has been appointed as chief executive officer for Forest Enterprise Scotland, the agency that manages 665,000ha of national forest land.
Currently head of policy with Forestry Commission Scotland, he will take up his new role in early December. He succeeds Dr Hugh Insley who is retiring.
As head of policy for four years, Mr Hodge has taken forward some important developments, including policy development in climate change, carbon management, energy forestry and urban regeneration. He also developed the Scottish government’s Rationale for Woodland Creation and advised ministers on all aspects of forestry policy.
He also spearheaded the flagship Woods in and Around Towns initiative. Under his leadership, around £35m has been invested in bringing back to life many local woodlands for the benefit of communities and the surrounding environment.
Prior to this, Mr Hodge was a social policy adviser within the Commission and spent six years as a forest district manager in Argyll. He also undertook periods of work in Forest Research where he focused on woodland ecology and urban forestry.
