Departed High Life Highland chief says it has been absolute pleasure to lead charity
The chairman of High Life Highland has stood down from the role after a successful two-year stint.
Michael Golding has been appointed to the position following the charity’s latest board meeting.
He takes over from Mark Tate who is well-known in Badenoch and Strathspey and was former chief executive of the Cairngorms Business Partnership.
Mr Golding is the chief executive of the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions and has served as a director with High Life Highland since March 2019, stepping up from vice-chair to take the principal role.
He was elected to the position of chair by fellow directors at the board meeting on Wednesday at the meeting in Inverness Library.
Mr Golding said: “I am absolutely delighted to accept the nomination from my fellow directors to become chair of the High Life Highland board and thank them very much.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mark Tate who has done a fantastic job of leading the charity over the past two years.
“I very much look forward to working with the Chief Executive of High Life Highland and his entire team to continue to deliver vital services and activities to individuals and to working in partnership with the Highland Council to make life better in communities across the Highlands.”
Handing over the reins, Mr Tate said: “Congratulations to Michael on taking on this hugely rewarding role.
“It has been my absolute pleasure to lead the charity for the past two years, where we have seen our continued recovery from the pandemic and closed in on our aspiration to reach 10 million customer engagements per year.
“I am continuing to serve as a director on the board and look forward to working closely with Michael and my fellow directors to continue to support the health and wellbeing of the individuals and communities that High Life Highland has been set up to serve.
“I am proud to have played my part in ensuring that the charity continues to deliver for Highland communities in a way that is accessible, inclusive and makes life better for people in every corner of the Highlands.”
Tracy Ligema was nominated to replace Mr Golding as vice-chair of the High Life Highland board.
She is a senior manager with NHS Highland with extensive experience of the public sector.
The directors of High Life Highland are responsible for leading the strategic direction of the organisation and they meet several times a year.
They consist of four elected members from Highland Council and eight independent directors.