The Scottish National Party (SNP) has confirmed the permanent appointment of Carol Beattie to the role of Chief Executive.
Beattie was formerly the chief executive of Stirling Council from 2019 to 2024. She has served as the interim Chief Executive of the SNP since Murray Foote resigned from the role in October 2024.
Foote had been appointed Chief Executive after Peter Murrell’s resignation in 2023.
Murrell, who was previously married to ex-First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, was charged in 2024 with the embezzlement of around £600,000 in party funds.
The SNP has faced electoral and internal turbulence following Sturgeon’s resignation in 2023.
After a consistent trajectory of electoral success in previous years, the SNP lost 39 seats in the 2024 general election. This brought its total number of seats to nine, down from 48 in the 2019 general election.
The Scottish Labour Party outperformed the SNP significantly in 2024, winning 37 seats compared to just one seat in 2019.
Under current First Minister John Swinney, the SNP is projected to overtake Scottish Labour in the Holyrood election due to take place in May 2026.
The Chief Executive of the SNP is expected to lead the delivery of the party’s strategic aims, including electoral and campaigning objectives.
Beattie’s position will involve the management of the SNP’s campaign for the upcoming Holyrood election.
In her role so far, she has administered a redundancy strategy, aiming to reduce the number of staff at SNP headquarters from 26 to 16.
Beattie stated that she aims for the party to be “fighting fit for the 2026 election and beyond.”
She added: “Following recent reform, the party’s headquarters functions are in robust shape and I look forward to supporting the party as a formidable national organisation.”
“Auld reekie: Edinburgh Castle from Holyrood Park” by Biker Jun is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.