Richard Lochhead | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Minister for Business[a] | |
| Assumed office 29 March 2023 | |
| First Minister | Humza Yousaf John Swinney |
| Preceded by | Ivan McKee |
| Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work | |
| In office 20 May 2021 – 29 March 2023 | |
| First Minister | Nicola Sturgeon |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Tom Arthur (2024) |
| Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science | |
| In office 4 September 2018 – 20 May 2021 | |
| First Minister | Nicola Sturgeon |
| Preceded by | Shirley-Anne Somerville |
| Succeeded by | Jamie Hepburn |
| Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment | |
| In office 17 May 2007 – 18 May 2016 | |
| First Minister | Alex Salmond Nicola Sturgeon |
| Preceded by | Ross Finnie |
| Succeeded by | Fergus Ewing |
| Member of the Scottish Parliament for Moray | |
| Assumed office 27 April 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Margaret Ewing |
| Majority | 3,164 (7.7%) |
| Member of Parliament for North East Scotland | |
| In office 6 May 1999 – 19 April 2006 | |
| Preceded by | New parliament |
| Succeeded by | Maureen Watt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard Neilson Lochhead 24 May 1969 Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland |
| Political party | Scottish National Party |
| Spouse | Fiona Lochhead |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Stirling |
| Occupation | Office manager; Economic development officer |
| Website | www |
Richard Neilson Lochhead (born 24 May 1969) is a Scottish politician serving as the Minister for Business since 2023.[a][1] A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he served as the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment from 2007 to 2016. Lochhead has been a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) since 1999, first representing North East Scotland electoral region from 1999 to 2006, before representing the Moray constituency since 2006.
A native of Paisley, Lochhead is a graduate of the University of Stirling, where he studied Politics. He worked as an office manager for Alex Salmond, the Leader of the SNP at the time, from 1994 to 1998, before becoming an environmental development officer for Dundee City Council. He was elected to the inaugural Scottish Parliament in 1999, where he represented North East Scotland. In a 2006 by-election, Lochhead successfully succeeded Margaret Ewing in representing the Moray constituency, following her death. In the SNP's opposition benches, he held portfolios on Environment, Energy, Fishing and Rural Affairs. Following the appointment of Salmond as First Minister of Scotland in 2007, he appointed Lochhead as the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment. He remained as the Rural Affairs Secretary under First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, but added food policy onto his portfolio. He stood down from government before the dissolution of the 4th Scottish Parliament and sat as a backbencher. In 2018, he returned to government, this time as a junior Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, before being appointed in the new post of Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work.
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- ^ "Full ministerial team confirmed". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 1 April 2023.