Louise Macdonald OBE has been appointed interim director-general (DG) for the economy, to lead the delivery of the new National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

She is currently the national director of the Institute of Directors (IoD) Scotland and replaces Elinor Mitchell, who is taking time away due to personal health reasons.

Macdonald will take on the fixed term role – for 11 months – from 2 May, helping to provide a leadership focus on the delivery of economic transformation, collaborating with business across a range of sectors and services, including trade and investment, business support, employability and place-based economic development and skills development.

Recruitment for the DG economy role will be taken forward later in the year, with a successful permanent candidate announced in due course.

Macdonald was appointed to the IoD Scotland last June.

She was formerly chief executive of Young Scot, and was also the independent co-chair of the First Minister’s Advisory Council on Women and Girls; a board member of the Scottish Parliament think tank Scotland’s Futures Forum; a trustee of the 5Rights Foundation; and immediate past president of the European Youth Card Association.

Macdonald was awarded an OBE in 2016 in recognition of her work to support young people and last summer was announced as the first-ever Ambassador for the Scottish Seabird Centre.

There are eight DGs who head up the Scottish civil service, each managing directorates and agencies which are responsible for proposing legislation and putting Scottish Government policy into practice.