The new chair of MG ALBA, Allan MacDonald, has started his role with the body responsible for Gaelic programming in Scotland.
Appointed for a four-year term from January 01st 2019 by Ofcom, Allan succeeds Maggie Cunningham who served as chair of MG ALBA from July 2012.
Allan, a native Gaelic speaker, has played a major part in Gaelic radio and television production and broadcasting spanning 40 years.
His career includes 12 years with the BBC, during which time Allan was instrumental in establishing a radio station in Stornoway, two years as Head of Gaelic with Grampian TV and 25 years in the independent television sector as chief executive of sport and entertainment company mneTV, and a director of digital and television producer, purpleTV.
Allan has experience in news and current affairs in radio, television and the press, as well as being an executive producer, producer and director of a wide variety of general programmes including, religion, comedy, music and award-winning documentaries, most recently RTS award winners about Jock Stein and Jim Baxter.
Allan was most recently the Chair of Bòrd na Gàidhlig (the principal public body in Scotland responsible for promoting Gaelic development), and is a former member of the Board of Lews Castle College of Education in Stornoway and of the Board of Skillset in Scotland. For six years he was elected Chairman of the independent television sector in Scotland (PACT) and served as a director of PACT (UK) in London.
New MG ALBA chair Allan MacDonald comments:
“I am very proud to be joining MG ALBA as the organisation’s new chair. Our shared aim is to build on the success delivered by BBC ALBA over the past ten years and I look forward to working closely with my fellow board members and staff, our creative partners who make our content, and with the BBC, who are our broadcast partners in BBC ALBA.
I also look forward to engaging closely with the community and other partners and to developing our relationship with government which funds MG ALBA to enable it to fulfil its mission.”
