CHIEF OFFICER ANNOUNCED

A former manager in the nuclear power industry has been appointed as the first Chief Officer of the Church of Scotland.

Dave Kendall will be responsible for the overall management of the day-to-day running of the Church at national level on behalf of the new Assembly Trustees. That will include managing the Trustees’ employees and budgets, and delivering the instructions of the General Assembly for a slimmed-down central administration.

Mr Kendall, who is expected to take up the new position on November 1, said: “I am delighted to be joining the leadership team of the Church of Scotland as Chief Officer.

“I have been an active member of the Church of Scotland for 30 years and feel a real calling to help take us forward at national level.

“I am very much looking forward to working with the central and local teams on the change agenda that the Trustees have laid down. Whilst it will certainly be a great challenge I feel extremely positive about the future direction of our church.”

An elder at West Kirk East Kilbride, Mr Kendall is currently Director of Programmes at the Advanced Research Centre of the University of Strathclyde. Prior to that he had a lengthy management career in the nuclear industry, most recently spending more than 16 years in various roles with EDF Energy.

He also has a voluntary role as Chairman of Skills Exchange SCIO, a charity which improves employment opportunities for people in East Kilbride and Lanark.

The Very Rev Dr John Chalmers, Convener of the Assembly Trustees, said: “The appointment of a Chief Officer is a landmark moment for the Church of Scotland and, personally, I am looking forward to working with Dave Kendall whose blend of experience, enthusiasm and energy will be a vital component in the re-purposing of our Central Administration.”