Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC) is strengthening its senior team with the appointment of an experienced media, marketing and digital transformation expert.
Ryan Crighton will join the Chamber as policy and marketing director this month after seven years supporting the national expansion of law firm Aberdein Considine.
The 36-year-old is being recruited to promote the Chamber’s full suite of activities and develop new ways to communicate these to its 1,000+ members and the wider regional business community.
Additionally, he’ll bring a new perspective and energy to the vital policy, lobbying and campaign work the Chamber does on behalf of members.
Ryan – who is also a co-founder and director of Sovereign Grooming, the luxury barbering brand with city centre salons in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow – will take up his new position on November 15.
Russell Borthwick, chief executive of the Chamber, said: “We are delighted that Ryan has chosen to take his proven brand of content-based digital marketing to the Chamber and this is an exciting addition to our team.
“Not only is he a vastly experienced marketer and communicator, Ryan has a very commercial mind-set and is an entrepreneur at heart – so I’m confident our members will see the benefits of working with and having him on their side.
“As a business owner himself, he is acutely aware of the challenges facing companies following the CV19 pandemic, and we look forward to working with him on the policy issues that will be critical to ensuring the strongest possible recovery across our city region.”
Ryan was headhunted by Aberdein Considine in 2014 and as director of marketing has trebled the firm’s online audience and driven a 10-fold increase in digital leads. He has also played key role in helping position the firm as a leading challenger to the sector’s longer-established players.
Prior to joining Aberdein Considine, Ryan enjoyed a successful, decade-long media career, where he held the positions of chief reporter and latterly business editor at The Press & Journal. He was named Young Journalist of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards in 2009 and Business Journalist of the Year in 2014.
He has also been a director and board member at Aberdeen Inspired since 2018 and was elected as the organisation’s vice-chairman earlier this year.
Speaking ahead of his move, Ryan said: “Over the past 17 years I have reported on, been a member of and worked alongside the AGCC in my various roles, and I have always been struck by how dedicated and passionate Russell and his team are about what they do.
“I am looking forward to working with them to help Chamber members to do better business today, while helping create the economic conditions that will enable the future success of our region.
“As we move forward from what has been a challenging period, I am also excited to be exploring new ways in which the organisation can help its members do more business with each other and the rest of the world in the years ahead.”