The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, the charity that underpins and gives support to the world famous Edinburgh Fringe and that has been running since 1958, has announced that Benny Higgins has been named as the new Chair of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society Board of Directors with immediate effect.
Benny, who hails from and was educated in Glasgow, brings extensive experience in the financial sector to the role having been the inaugural CEO of Tesco Bank, Chief Executive of Retail Banking at RBS and Chief Executive, Retail, HBOS as well as Strategic Adviser to the First Minister on the building of the Scottish National Investment Bank. Add to this a wide-reaching non-executive portfolio that encompasses being Chairman of the National Galleries of Scotland, a Trustee for the Edinburgh International Culture Summit, Chairman, The Fine Art Society (London and Edinburgh), Chairman of Sistema Scotland and Trustee of Burrell Renaissance among an array of other prestigious involvements.
Benny Higgins said “I am delighted to be appointed Chair of the Fringe Society. The Edinburgh Fringe is an essential component of Scotland’s cultural heritage, and now more than ever, we need to celebrate and invest in this vibrant, inclusive and accessible festival. As we rebuild our future together after this extraordinarily difficult time, I know that the Fringe will have an essential role to play in the country’s economic, social and cultural recovery.
“I look forward to working with Shona McCarthy and her team to help the Fringe re-emerge as the best version of itself, and to help ensure that the festival and the Fringe Society is robust, resilient and ready for new challenges and opportunities in the future.”
Benny succeeds Professor Sir Timothy O’Shea in the role, who served two full terms with his tenure being recently extended to March 2021 due to the exceptional circumstances brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 