Lord John Thurso

Chair of VisitScotland

Lord Thurso is Chair of VisitScotland, appointed 1 April 2016. He serves on our board in an ex-officio capacity.

John has significant industry experience, he became Europe’s youngest 5 star hotel manager when appointed Managing Director of the Savoy Group’s Lancaster Hotel in Paris at 27. Following five successful years in Paris, he then led a number of hospitality businesses to success including Blakeney Hotels of Cliveden, which became the UK’s highest rated hotel under his leadership, East Sussex National Golf Course and Fitness & Leisure Holdings.

John has served as a non-executive on a number of public company boards including The Savoy PLC, Millenium and Copthorne PLC. He is also Chairman of his family company in Caithness and for many years owned The Ulbster Arms in Halkirk.

He sat in the House of Lords between 1995 and 1999 and from 2001 to 2015 was MP for Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross. He was awarded a “Catey” for services to Tourism 2003, was made an honorary DBA by Oxford Brookes in 2004, is a Master Innholder and a Fellow of The Institute of Hospitality and is President of the Tourism Society. In 2014 he was made a Privy Councillor by The Queen.

Other Team Members

Nick de Bois corporate headshot

Nick de Bois CBE

Chairman of the British Tourist Authority

BTA Board member Carol Hui

Carol Hui

Board member

Duncan Parish corporate image

Duncan Parish

DCMS (Observer)

BTA Board member Karin Sheppard

Karin Sheppard

Board member

Patricia Corbett BTA Board member

Patricia Corbett

Observer

Portrait of Ian Edwards

Ian Edwards

Wales Representative

BTA Board member Peter Gowers

Peter Gowers

Board member

A portrait photograph of Rodrigo Voss, BTA Board Apprentice

Rodrigo Voss

Board Apprentice