SRUC names new chair of commercial board

_{"Dennis Overton is the new chair of the SAC Commercial Board"}

A Scottish entrepreneur whose achievements include bringing the world’s first organic salmon to market has been named the new chair of the SAC Commercial Board.

Dennis Overton, who is also chair of Scotland Food and Drink, takes over from Sandy Cumming this week.

Part of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), SAC Commercial Ltd is a private limited company which undertakes SRUC’s commercial activities in consultancy, education and research.

A graduate of the University of Aberdeen, Dennis has established and grown several food and farming businesses. He co-founded the Ross-shire-based sustainable seafood business Aquascot in 1987 and, in Rwanda, he chairs Ikirezi, an organic farming and processing business.

Since 2015, Dennis has chaired New Wave Foods, a business start-up focussing on a range of Scottish seaweed products. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Society by peers in 2012 and was awarded an OBE in 2014 for services to economic development in Ross-shire and Rwanda.

Dennis said: “It is a privilege to take on this role at an exciting time for SRUC. Scotland has tremendous natural capital, of growing importance in these times of climate emergency. SAC Ltd will play a pivotal role in growing Scotland’s natural economy, building on the strong pan-Scotland operations already in place.”

Professor Wayne Powell, Principal and Chief Executive of SRUC, said: “We are delighted to welcome Dennis as new chair of the SAC Commercial Board. I would also like to thank Sandy Cumming for his leadership of the SAC Commercial Board over the last three years.

“With significant experience in business, industry and enterprise, Dennis will be an important contributor in helping to creating Scotland’s enterprise university at the heart of our sustainable natural economy.”

Posted by SRUC on 02/10/2020