Alasdair Macdonald joined the Scotland Office as Deputy Director Policy in March 2024. His role includes overseeing the department’s £1.5bn City and Growth Deals programme, as well as energy, foreign affairs, economic, rural affairs and public services policy. Prior to this he spent a number of years in policy director roles within public bodies: the Equality & Human Rights Commission and Scottish Funding Council. Alasdair’s earlier career was spent in policy and delivery roles in the NGO sector, including with the Zoological Society of London - where he ran a large conservation programmes division - and Save the Children, where he held a number of positions in the UK and overseas. He began his career in the private sector.