By Chris McCall

Copyright dailyrecord

The SNP has appointed its third permanent chief executive in just three years after Carol Beattie announced today she was stepping down with immediate effect. The former head of Stirling Council had been named the Nationalists’ CEO in March this year and was expected to oversee the party’s Holyrood election campaign next year. She had previously served in the role on an interim basis after the resignation of Murray Foote, a former editor of the Daily Record, in October 2024. But Beattie has now revealed she is stepping down “due to personal health reasons”. Her replacement as party CEO is Callum McCaig, a former SNP MP and ex-special adviser to Nicola Sturgeon. He briefly represented Aberdeen Central after being returned as part of the Nat landslide at the 2015 general election, but lost the seat to the Tories two years later. He went to serve as a special adviser to both Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf. The position of SNP chief executive was previously held for almost a quarter of a century by Peter Murrell, Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband, before he resigned in March 2023. Murrell chose to quit rather than face a motion of no confidence after he wrongly denied news reports about the party’s plummeting membership numbers. His job was later handled on an interim basis by party veterans Mike Russell and Sue Ruddick before the appointment of Foote, who previously ran the SNP media team at Holyrood. In a statement, Beattie said: “It has been a privilege to serve as Chief Executive of the SNP and to have led the transformation of Headquarters ahead of the 2026 Holyrood election. “I’d like to thank my colleagues in SNP HQ who have supported this work and thank them for their tireless efforts every day in the campaign to create a brighter future for Scotland with independence. “While I am stepping down with immediate effect due to personal health reasons, I will continue to play my part in the campaign to deliver an SNP victory in 2026 and Scotland’s journey to independence.” McCaig said: “It is a great privilege to be appointed as Chief Executive and I pay tribute to the work of my predecessor, Carol Beattie. “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.” Angela Constance, SNP business manager, said: “Callum brings a wealth of experience from the public and private sector, and will steer the organisation with determination and focus as we head into the 2026 election campaign. “I’d like to pay tribute to Carol Beattie, who has been a lynchpin in delivering a streamlined headquarters operation, ensuring fiscal stability and with an acute focus on election-winning strategy. “I know this has not been an easy decision for her to make but I admire her courage to put her own health first. I thank Carol wholeheartedly for her service to the SNP and to the wider cause of independence, both of which I know she will continue to campaign for.” To sign up to the Daily R ecord Politics newsletter, click here