Interview: From delivering food parcels to delivering investment - the new CEO of Scottish National Investment Bank

On the face of it, Al Denholm’s CV appears to tell the familiar story of a private school-educated middle aged investment executive.

Having joined the Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh straight out of university in 1986 as a trainee investment analyst, he has enjoyed a successful career spanning senior asset management positions around the globe, with roles including head of equities for Scottish Widows and Insight Investment, and chief executive officer of Prudential Portfolio Management Group.

He has devoted the entirety of his working life to ensuring his private clients get bang for their buck. But now, 11 months shy of his 60th birthday, Mr Denholm is pursuing a significant new direction. On Thursday, he was announced as the new CEO of the Scottish National Investment Bank, an institution set up by Scottish ministers to expedite the nation’s journey to net zero and, it is hoped, help instigate a transformational shift in Scotland’s economy.