Achi news desk-
The departure of Mr Drummond, who has been at the helm of CalMac since 2018, came as a surprise, although the relationship between the ferry operator and island communities has shown signs of significant strain.
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CalMac has suffered operational problems with its aging fleet. However, despite being hampered by long delays in Ferguson Marine’s arrival of the ferries under construction, neither CalMac nor Mr Drummond have responsibility for procurement. Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited, another company owned by the Scottish Government, is handling the procurement process, and has been centering itself amid the controversy surrounding the ferries being built by Ferguson Marine .
Although it is not specific what exactly led to Mr Drummond’s resignation, CalMac’s board highlighted “real challenges over the past year” for the island communities served by the ferry operator and noted clear what he wants from his executive leadership team.
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In particular, it wants to “further strengthen the focus on the operational performance of an aging fleet, resilience and better dialogue and responsiveness with the customers and communities that CalMac serves”.
In revealing these priorities to the board, CalMac said in its statement announcing Mr Drummond’s departure: “As a result, the board has reviewed the executive leadership of the organization to ensure that it is best placed to deliver that during some challenging years ahead. As part of that review, current CEO Robbie Drummond is stepping down with immediate effect.”
And he emphasized that his board “takes the responsibility of delivering the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service agreement very seriously”.
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The man who replaces Mr Drummond at the helm on a temporary basis is a former officer with the Royal Marines.
CalMac said Duncan Mackison, former chief executive of CalMac holding company David MacBrayne Ltd, “has been appointed as interim CEO until a permanent successor is appointed”.
He added that Mr Mackison “has significant experience in leading transformation and service change, working for companies such as G4S, Serco, Buccleuch Group, David Macbrayne and Biffa, with responsibility for annual contract income values of up to £400m and staff numbers of up to 5,000. “.
Caledonian MacBrayne warned that the challenges facing island communities served by CalMac “are likely to continue until new vessels are introduced to the fleet over the coming years”.
It states that Mr Mackison has “more than 25 years’ experience in senior executive roles at MD and CEO level responsible for delivering complex external service contracts to government and local government customers in a variety of sectors including transport, defence, property and technology” .
Mr Drummond worked in various senior finance roles across the business services, technology and transport sectors before joining CalMac, working for banking group HBOS, telecommunications company Thus, PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG.
