Meet our Director of Corporate Services - News

Meet Jamie...

Today (Friday 10 July) marks 100 days in post for our new Director of Corporate Services, Jamie Manson. We caught up with Jamie to hear about his first days in the role, and his priorities for the directorate ahead.

What role does the directorate play at VisitScotland?

Corporate Services provide many of the foundations that allow VisitScotland to operate effectively, helping to keep the organisation and our colleagues safe and on the right track.

Whether it’s finance, legal, procurement, governance, or risk, we’re here to provide trusted advice and help colleagues navigate various rules and regulations without losing sight of what we’re all trying to achieve.

Our job isn’t simply to keep people compliant, it’s to enable colleagues to deliver their best work.

When Corporates Services is doing its job well, colleagues can focus on what they do best, knowing they have the right support behind them.

a person smiling, and looking into a camera

What have been your biggest priorities since starting in the role?

It was important to me to spend some time getting to know people and building relationships.

My focus has been to listen, learn, and understand what works well, what opportunities exist for improvement, and what matters most to colleagues. I've been getting to know the Corporate Services teams and thinking about how we can continue to support the rest of the organisation.

It's also about building strong relationships not only across the organisation, but with our partners and working with colleagues to refine our ways of working, and streamline our processes.

Reflecting on your time so far, has there been any key learnings?

I think what’s struck me the most is just how much we do as an organisation.

Before I joined, I knew we had an important role in promoting Scotland, however I’ve soon come to realise just how much work goes on behind the scenes to support businesses and events, communities, working with stakeholders and the wider visitor economy.

It’s given me a real appreciation of the different roles and responsibilities the staff at VisitScotland have.

I’ve really loved seeing the VisitScotland team out and about in Boston for the World Cup, and the positivity and enthusiasm we’ve seen on the back of that activity. You can read more about that on our news section of the website.

What are you most looking forward to in the role?

What I'm most looking forward to is building on the strong foundations already in place and working with colleagues, partners and stakeholders to help the organisation achieve its ambitions.

One of the things that has stood out to me is the collaborative culture and shared commitment to making a difference, and I'm excited about harnessing that to drive continued improvement and deliver meaningful outcomes.