New Chief Executive - welcome message from Convener

Dear all,

Orkney Islands Council welcomes Oliver Reid as its new Chief Executive today, Monday.

Mr Reid has joined OIC from Renfrewshire Council where he was Head of Communities and Public Protection.

He takes over at the helm from our interim Chief Executive, John Mundell, who has been with us for three and a half years.

We are delighted to welcome Mr Reid to Orkney and his new role. As a Council we were hugely impressed by Mr Reid and his vision for council services in the county.

This is not a role for the faint hearted as it, undoubtedly, comes with its own unique set of challenges, however the rewards are great and the opportunities significant. We look forward to what the future may bring and wish Mr Reid well on his new chapter with the Council.

Our sincere thanks must go to Mr Mundell for his unwavering support over the past three and a half years – significantly longer than he had intended staying as part of his interimship. At the time of his arrival in 2019, no-one could have anticipated that some eight/nine months later a worldwide pandemic would strike.

Far from shying away from the considerable challenges faced, Mr Mundell agreed to stay on as a consistent, experienced and steady hand at the tiller. We owe a debt of gratitude to Mr Mundell for his willingness to remain while a new Chief Executive was appointed.

We wish Mr Mundell all the very best for the future.

Kind regards

Graham Bevan, Convener