Livingston James appoints Steven Davis as director

Livingston James Group has appointed former Sainsbury's Bank HR Director Steven Davis as a non-executive director following a leadership restructure at the Scottish executive search and recruitment firm.

Davis joins the board as Karen Scott retires after 10 years. The employee-owned group includes executive search and leadership advisory business Livingston James and finance recruitment practice Rutherford Cross.

His appointment comes with a warning that Scotland must do more to attract and retain senior talent. Davis said tax is only one factor, arguing that employers competing internationally for skilled people also rely on strong schools, safe communities, career prospects and effective public leadership.

“There are a number of areas where Scotland is incredibly progressive, creative and contemporary, and we have a huge amount going for us.

But we are competing for the very best people. Tax matters, but I'm not convinced by the argument that we've seen some wholesale brain drain because of higher taxation. It is much broader than that.

If you want talented people to come here, build careers and bring their families, you need attractive and safe communities, very good schools and great opportunities. Government and councils have a significant role to play in creating that environment alongside business,” said Steven Davis, non-executive director at Livingston James Group.

Davis also said Scotland would benefit from more senior business leaders moving into public life, arguing that experience of running large organisations and budgets could help improve delivery in government.

“There are lots of people in public life who genuinely want to do good things, but good intentions alone don't necessarily give you the experience required to deliver change in large and complex organisations.

I'd like to see more people who have led businesses, managed significant budgets and motivated large teams consider making that move. We need strong, experienced leadership in business and government,” he said.

Board experience

Davis brings more than 40 years of leadership experience across the military, retail, banking and human resources. He spent eight years in the RAF before joining Marks & Spencer, where he held roles in the UK and overseas, including Hong Kong. He later moved into financial services before becoming HR Director at Sainsbury's Bank.

Since leaving full-time executive work about four and a half years ago, he has built a portfolio career with board roles at Skipton Group, Peter Vardy Group and Scottish Ballet. He said non-executive directors need to stay current as artificial intelligence, economic uncertainty and cost pressures reshape the skills businesses need and shorten decision-making cycles.

“What I knew four and a half years ago when I finished my executive career is already out of date. Good non-executives need to remain fresh in their thinking and understand what is happening outside the organisation as well as inside it.

Businesses used to talk about five-year plans - in some sectors now, if you can confidently look five months ahead, you're doing well. Things are moving incredibly quickly, and that makes having the right leadership and talent even more important,” Davis said.

AI agenda

Davis said artificial intelligence should now rank highly on most board agendas, while cautioning against treating the technology solely as a tool for cutting jobs.

“The smartest organisations are asking what their core purpose is and how technology and their people can help deliver it better.

That doesn't necessarily mean fewer people. It could mean getting to market faster, responding to customers more quickly or giving teams the tools to take on broader and more interesting work.

Organisations that don't have this high on the agenda risk looking up and finding that others have become smarter and faster around them,” he said.

Davis said the group's focus on long-term relationships with clients and candidates, along with its employee ownership model, influenced his decision to join. Livingston James Group transitioned to employee ownership in 2023.

“One of the reasons I joined was because it is employee-owned.

There's something powerful about people having skin in the game, ownership and a personal commitment to the organisation.

I'm interested in what that means for the colleagues who own the business, but also how we turn it into a genuine point of difference for the organisations we work with.

It is a privilege to work with an organisation like this at such an exciting time,” Davis said.

The appointment follows changes at the top of the business. Mark Lewis became chief executive after 15 years with the company, while co-founder Jamie Livingston moved from chief executive to chair. Sophie Randles became managing director of Livingston James and Hazel Wynn became managing director of Rutherford Cross, with both joining the group board.

Lewis said Davis's background would add a broad perspective as the company develops its reach and services.

“Steven brings exactly the breadth of perspective we want around our board table. He has spent his career at the intersection of people, leadership, organisational change and commercial performance, operating at the highest level across very different sectors.

We have ambitious plans to grow geographically and across our permanent, interim and fractional services. Steven's experience, curiosity and willingness to challenge our thinking will be hugely valuable as we enter this next phase,” said Mark Lewis, chief executive of Livingston James Group.

Livingston also welcomed the appointment.

“Steven understands both the human and commercial sides of building successful organisations. He shares our belief that business should be built around long-term relationships and positive impact, making him an excellent fit for Livingston James,” said Jamie Livingston, chair and co-founder of Livingston James.