Mr MacPherson was born in Inverness and finished his schooling at Charleston Academy before studying Law at Aberdeen University. After graduating he worked in a tax practise in Aberdeen focused primarily on clients in the oil & gas sector.

He returned to the Highlands in 1999 and worked for 12 years in economic development with development agency Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE), latterly holding a group wide senior role as head of operations then finally as area manager for the Moray region.

Mr MacPherson’s experience with HIE included steering a range of business and community development initiatives and serving as joint chair of the Moray Task Force in 2010. The Task Force was instrumental in preserving thousands of defence jobs in northern Scotland.

In 2011 he joined national infrastructure business Robertson Group and was recently in a UK-wide role leading its Robertson Capital Projects business.

Commenting on the appointment ICFGF chair, Jim Smith, said: “As you would expect, the recruitment for a chief executive for ICFGF was an extensive selection process. We needed someone with the skillset and background to be able to hit the ground running.

“We are delighted to have attracted an individual of the calibre and experience that Calum brings. His knowledge will be a significant advantage allowing the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport to deliver on the ambitions outlined in our Green Freeport bid on job creation, inward investment, and decarbonisation.”

Mr MacPherson added: “This is a fantastic opportunity to lead an organisation that will play a central role in creating exciting careers for people across the Highlands and further afield, attracting large-scale international investment and playing a central role in delivering net zero; and putting Inverness and the Cromarty Firth firmly on the renewables map globally.

“I am honoured to be leading ICF Green Freeport Ltd as we move to the next phase of development. As a region we need to do all we can to capitalise on this window of opportunity, and by close working with consortium partners and stakeholders I’m confident we’ll be in a strong position to secure investment and new high-quality jobs.

“ICFGF has the potential to be a really transformative story for local communities in the Highlands and beyond and I look forward to getting started.”

Mr MacPherson will take up the reins at ICFGF in August.