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Three top people are to join the Board of Business Improvement Districts Scotland to support the organisation’s continued success in delivering the fastest and most diverse growth in Business
Improvement Districts in the world.
The exciting news comes just ahead of the organisation’s 10 th Anniversary in 2016, when Deputy
First Minister John Swinney and international experts, will help launch new ideas to take existing and future Scottish Business Improvement Districts into a new era; delivering improvements and developing vibrant local economies in socially, environmentally and cultural ways.
New Board member Mark Robertson, Partner, Ryden ’s , said: " I'm delighted to accept the invitation to join the Board of BIDs Scotland. With more than 30 BIDs now established across town centres and increasingly in the country's business parks and tourism sectors too, I hope to bring my experience of Scotland's economic development locations and property markets, to help support and promote BIDs as a tool for businesses to work collectively to invest together in protecting and growing their markets ."
Joining Mark Robertson, is Stephen Duncan , Historic Environment Scotland’s Director of Commercial and Tourism and Sharon Rice Jones, Acting Chair with Comrie Development Trust .
Welcoming the news, Professor Leigh Sparks, a director of Business Improvement Districts Scotland said
’BIDs in Scotland have become a recognised part of the management, development and enhancement of places and sectors across Scotland. As the demand for BIDs expands, and our ambitions for their development increase, we have moved to strengthen the oversight of the process in Scotland. I am delighted that we have attracted Board members of the calibre of Stephen Duncan, Sharon Rice Jones and
Mark Robertson and look forward to working with them on our ambitious and challenging BIDs agenda .”
BIDs Scotland Director, Ian Davison Porter said, “I am really pleased that Stephen, Sharon and Mark have agreed to join the Board. They are passionate people about Scotland and about what we do. They will add new dimensions to the experience of the Board; bringing a wealth of community and commercial knowledge. I am still talking to individuals and organisations across Scotland to strengthen our tourism, planning and economic development reach across the country and I would hope to be able to make some further announcements in the New Year.
”
In the past year, the national body for BIDs, has announced European firsts such as the Loch Ness and
Inverness Tourism BID and the developing East Lothian Food and Drink BID, with further development of the BIDs model in Scotland to be announced shortly, putting Scottish BIDs on the world stage. With the combined efforts of the new Board members and the existing team the organisation aims to continue as global frontrunners in BIDs.
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Further Information
Business Improvement Districts Scotland is the national organisation for BIDs in Scotland, providing support, advice and encouragement to business groups, communities and local authorities considering and developing a business improvement district.

A Business Improvement District acts as an anchor organisation collaborating with public, private and community interests. Businesses with a shared interest and a common ambition come together to generate funds and agree on how these are spent locally. The BID provides ground management, a strong voice and works hand in hand with local authorities and key stakeholders to complement and add value to existing council and other services.
A BID can bring economic and social capital to town and city centres and urban villages; business parks; key sectors such as tourism and food and drink; and can also address a particular focus in a town or city such as developing the evening economy or creating a cultural quarter.
Stephen Duncan joined Historic Scotland in 2009 as Head of Commercial and Visitor Operations and was appointed to his current post of Director of Commercial and Tourism in 2011
Historic Environment Scotland, as it is now known, is charged with safeguarding the nation’s built heritage and promoting its understanding and enjoyment; and Stephen as a member of the Senior Management
Team, contributes to the strategic direction of the business, provides leadership on tourism and commercial activities, along with partners and key stakeholders. He is charged with managing the visitor experience, education and interpretation activities, as well as generating income across HES sites.
The income generating activities include admissions, travel trade, retail, corporate hospitality, day and evening catering, functions and events. Current paying visitor numbers are over £3.5 million, with a projected income of over £41 million.
Stephen is Chair of the Heritage Tourism Group, a member of the Historic Environment Operational Group, and Board member of ALVA.
Sharon Rice Jones is an experienced economic development and place promotion manager specialising in tourism and inward investment.
As Acting Chair, Sharon got involved with Comrie Development Trust because of Comrie’s ‘can do’ spirit and wanted to give something back to the community following such a positive welcome to her and her family. She leads the Comrie Foundation (CDT’s fundraising arm) and has actively participated in the
Heritage Group, Cultybraggan Working Group and the Communications & Events Working Group.
Sharon is also Director of Breadalbane Tourism Cooperative and Scotland Representative for the Tourism
Management Institute.
Throughout an exciting career Sharon has strived to create sustainable economic development and place management through community development, place promotion and projects.
Mark Robertson is a Partner with Ryden and a leading authority on Scotland’s property markets. He has delivered more than 250 property market consultancy projects for clients and has edited Ryden's authoritative Scottish Property Review since 1993.
His current project interests include public sector consultancy, market analysis and forecasting, urban regeneration and funding. His clients include The Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, Urban
Regeneration Companies, developers, investors, landowners and, over the course of his career, most of
Scotland's local authorities.
Mark is a member of the Investment Property Forum, teaches MSc Property Investment Appraisal at
Edinburgh Napier University and is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Contact
Elaine Bone, BIDs Scotland: elaine@bids-scotland.com
or 07801 354591