Paul Mitchell has been promoted to the position of operations director and joined the SBF board, replacing Vaughan Hart who departs the organisation to focus on consultancy projects including delivering HR and business services to the construction representative body.

Mr Mitchell has been an integral part of the SBF team for over 14 years and has been serving as head of employment affairs.

In a further change, commercial director Ian Honeyman has also stepped down from the board having been instrumental in driving the commercial aspects of the Federation for the past 15 years. He will remain as SBF’s commercial manager until his planned retirement at the end of 2024.

The board changes were ratified at the SBF AGM on Friday 22 March and implement the Federation’s longstanding succession plan.

Euan Clark, president of the Scottish Building Federation, said: “I want to congratulate Paul on his appointment as operations director and joining the SBF board. I have worked with Paul for a long time and know he has the right skills and experience needed to lead SBF into the future.

“I also want to thank Vaughan and Ian for their incredible contribution on the SBF board over the years. Their insight and experience has been utterly invaluable in guiding the Federation through challenging times and they leave us in a far better position and optimistic about the future.”

Paul Mitchell, SBF operations director, said: “I am proud and delighted to join the SBF board and take over this new role. I have been with SBF for over 14 years and fully understand how important the building and construction sector is to the Scottish economy.

“I will continue the fantastic work undertaken by Vaughan and will remain focused on representing our members’ interests in critical issues such as skills, apprenticeships and the need to create more green jobs across the country in addition to continuing to deliver a range of business support services directly to members.”