SNP appoints former Aberdeen MP Callum McCaig as chief executive

The SNP has appointed Callum McCaig as its new chief executive, replacing Carol Beattie, who has stepped down for personal health reasons. The decision was made at a meeting of the party’s national executive committee on Sunday, the SNP said, as it gears up for the 2026 Holyrood election campaign. Beattie had been appointed in March and had served in an interim capacity since October 2024.

McCaig, a former Aberdeen South MP who led Aberdeen Council in 2011 at age 26, is the party’s fourth chief executive since Peter Murrell’s resignation in March 2023. He served as a special adviser to former first ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf, and remained in the post when Sturgeon stepped down and Yousaf took over. In a statement, he said he was "looking forward" to the Holyrood vote next year and described the party as "fighting-fit" and election-ready. "It is a great privilege to be appointed as chief executive and I pay tribute to the work of my predecessor, Carol Beattie," he added. "The party is fighting-fit and election-ready. I look forward to working with John Swinney to secure that victory in 2026, and onward to independence."

The appointment comes as the SNP’s business convener, Angela Constance, praised McCaig’s background, saying he brings a "wealth of experience from the public and private sector" and will steer the organisation with "determination and focus" into the 2026 campaign. She also paid tribute to Beattie, noting that she had helped deliver a streamlined headquarters operation, ensured fiscal stability and focused on an election-winning strategy. Beattie, acknowledging the health reasons for her departure, said she would continue to play her part in delivering an SNP victory and Scotland’s path to independence.

Observers inside the party described the leadership change as swift and somewhat unexpected. Some insiders said the decision was resolved at a routine NEC meeting and that there had not been a standard recruitment process involving a public job advertisement and applications. Others suggested the timing may reflect the election timetable, with the SNP aiming to minimize disruption to its campaigning machinery at a critical juncture ahead of 2026. The rapid turnover in the chief executive role—following Murrell’s resignation amid controversy over party membership figures and subsequent leadership changes—has underscored how quickly the SNP’s internal machinery can shift as it plans for a high-stakes electoral cycle.

McCaig’s appointment continues a pattern of reshaping the SNP’s leadership team in recent years. The party’s most recent chief executive before Beattie, Murray Foote, held the post for about 14 months before stepping down, citing difficulty making the necessary personal commitment to reorganize the party after the 2024 general election. Prior to Foote, Michael Russell occupied the role on a voluntary basis during the 1990s, followed by Peter Murrell’s long tenure until his resignation. The sequence illustrates the ongoing challenge the party faces in maintaining a stable, election-focused headquarters operation while navigating Scotland’s evolving political landscape.

For McCaig, the new role will place him at the center of the SNP’s organizational strategy as it seeks to translate broad support for independence into a concrete electoral path. He said he would work closely with John Swinney, the party’s de facto deputy leader and a key architect of its 2026 strategy, to secure victory and advance the case for independence. While Beattie said she would continue to campaign for the SNP in the run-up to the vote, her departure marks a transition in leadership as the party positions itself for a pivotal political moment in Scotland’s history.