New Head of Marine Services and Transportation Appointed

Orkney Islands Council has appointed a new Head of Marine Services and Transportation.  

Laura Cromarty will be taking the step up from her current role as Service Manager for Transportation, taking on responsibility for the wider Marine Services and Transportation portfolio, including ports, ferries and transportation services. 

Laura  - born and brought up in Orkney - has been an employee of the Council since 2003, having joined the organisation initially as a summer student and then Graduate Trainee in the Education service before moving to work in Transportation.  

During that time, she has progressed through a range of roles and has built extensive experience across transportation services and project delivery, including leading the Council’s ongoing Ferry Replacement Programme.  

Gareth Waterson is the Council’s Corporate Director for Enterprise and Infrastructure.  He said: “Laura brings a detailed understanding of the service area, together with significant management and operational experience. I am confident that she will provide strong leadership as the service continues to address the opportunities and challenges ahead. 

Laura, speaking on her appointment, said: “I am absolutely delighted and immensely proud to be appointed as Head of Marine Services and Transportation. Having worked closely with our Elected Members, communities, colleagues and stakeholders, I understand just how critical our transport and harbour infrastructure is to the economic, social and cultural life of our communities.  There are significant opportunities ahead, alongside some major challenges.   

“I am committed to ensuring that our services continue to deliver safe, reliable and resilience connections for our residents, visitors and all users of our ports and harbours facilities”.