The profile, salary and benefits package of former Rangers (In Liquidation) chairman John McClelland continues to soar with the former Ibrox money man overseeing a £6.6m initiative to create 11,000 jobs through the Skills Development Scotland quango.
McClelland was a director of the fallen Ibrox side for over a decade, including a spell as chairman when EBT activity was at it’s height, and was personally paid £225,000 from the controversial tax scheme.
The latest stage of the long running tax saga was held in Edinburgh recently as HMRC attempts to claw back £40m of unpaid tax from McClelland’s time on the Ibrox board.
Shareholders, creditors and supporters of Rangers will be amazed to learn that McClelland was voted Non-Executive Director of they Year in 2007 by the Institute of Directors as the Ibrox club descended into their darkest days before liquidation four years later.
Rather than creating jobs and wealth off his own efforts the Alfred Hitchcock lookalike has found a lucrative niche in the no-questions-asked quango gravy train travelling the world at the tax payers expense with no pressure from demanding shareholders or season-ticket holders.
Using the flowery language that comes with working in a pressure free bubble the former Rangers (IL) chairman was in full flow earlier this month as he discussed the his latest state funded meal ticket.
“There is an unprecedented demand for ICT (Information & Communications Technology, not Inverness Caley Thistle) and digital technology professionals, and across Europe the number of jobs is growing by more than 100,000 each year,” McClelland explained.
“We need to make sure that Scotland is well-placed to be able to take advantage of this growth. The skills investment plan sets out a vision for Scotland to be viewed as a world-class location for ambitious ICT and digital technology businesses to be able to develop, invest and grow by having access to a talent pool with exceptional skills.
“To achieve this ambition we have worked with the industry to identify the key actions which need to be undertaken to support the growth ambition of the ICT and digital technologies sector.”
Thirteen months ago it was a similar story when he was appointed as chairman of South-West hubco saying: “I’m delighted to be taking up this position and I am very much looking forward to being part of the successful hub programme, working with the public and private sector partners to help deliver real benefits and savings to the local people.
“Across the whole of Scotland, the long-term nature of the hub programme helps create new local employment and training which is vital in the current economic climate, as well as supporting the development of long-term sustainable businesses in local communities.”
According to the press release McClelland is ‘Chair of Skills Development Scotland Limited and until later in 2013 chair of the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council. He is also chairman of NQC Ltd and a Fellow and former Vice-President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In 2008 the Institute of Directors recognised him as Scotland’s non-executive director of the year.
‘In 2006 he completed a review of public procurement in Scotland (The McClelland Report).This report has been the foundation for a complete reform of public procurement in Scotland. More recently in 2011 he conducted a review of Scottish public sector ICT infrastructure and that work has been adopted as the framework for a major programme of improvement.’
Strangely his eleven year stint in the Rangers boardroom including two years as chairman seem to have been airbrushed from his CV.
Not content with his Scottish quango income McClelland has also been working with Welsh authorities publishing Maximising the Impact of Welsh Procurement Policy in August 2012 less than a year after he stepped down from his directorship of Rangers (IL).
Despite the high profile tax problems at Ibrox, which McClelland benefited from to the tune of £225,000, it seems that there are no shortage of public bodies willing to pay the former Rangers (IL) director for his know-how of the public sector.
After more than a decade as a director he quit the board in November 2011 alongside John Greig. In February 2012 Rangers went into administration then liquidation after HMRC turned down a CVA for unpaid National Insurance and PAYE.
Former Rangers director Campbell Ogilvie is president of the SFA with former chief executive Martin Bain in talks with the BBC about a late night entertainment show.
Greatest wee country in the world? Greatest wee stitch up in the world, headed by Salmond and Co. It is still a long, hard battle.
H H
Salmond and co? Salmond was not in power when rangers were stealing and cheating, also under fifa rules any country may be banned completely from all competitions should a prime minister/first minister interfere in any way with football rules. So even if he wanted to interfere when the cheating/stealing was revealed he could not. He did try to tackle sectarianism though via a bill, and even pushed it through despite it lambasted from all sides before and after its creation – sounds like the complete opposite of one of what you are suggesting. Any other nonsense you would like to spout?
Can I simplify this?
“Hello,hello…one of the Brothers needs a cushy well paid number.”
“Send him round Grand Master…’cos every man shall have a penny.”.
Simples.
Mike,
How true,and also so very sad.
As Joe’s picture between minty and the
cock shows,it is all done with a handshake.
The cock seems to be a jack of all trades,
but master of none.
But,hey,he doesn’t need to be a master,
just as long as he knows, the grand master.
He is a notorious psycho. He was the man that knew too much and didnt have much luck with the birds. He was rich and strange,drank champagne in a room with a view with the farmers wife Rebecca.
He tried to blackmail the secret agent but picked the wrong man and got no old rope
He left by the rear window and was last seen with strangers on a train.
Bon voyage..
The guy was a cock in need of a hitch.
Haw haw haw Dee hawhawhaw.
This sort of corruption goes on throughout the whole of Britain, under all shades of governments anyone , and there are plenty of Lodges in England too. In Britain, once you reach a certain level in business, you need to murder a few new-born babies before anyone dares to question your honesty.
I don’t really understand the idea some Celtic supporters seem to have that England’s protecting them from discrimination: the UK constitution is founded on anti-Catholic dogma. They preferred a German 9th in line to the throne, rather than a Catholic Stuart, and they don’t just burn Guy Fawkes in Scotland ever year.
I’m not sure where that first “anyone” came from.
Does anyone know. Does anyone care.
Does anyone have jelly and ice cream at the zombie fayre.
Haw haw heedeeheehaw.
I believe that justice shall prevail. Burn in hell scum. Hh
Ha, he’s a clever dickie that Hitchcock, BFJM obviously wasn’t so clever. Wait till fat salary hear’s he’s at ICT, he’ll be right on the blower. Hail Hail
Shows bonnie Scotland for what it is, riddled with shite. One of the only countries that had protests when the pope visited, say no more !
I’m looking forward to independence then Scotland can implode with all the bigots running the circus.I’m glad I left the country a long time ago as nothing has changed and nothing will.
All I care about is Glasgow Celtic,maybe some of the Celtic websites should be investigating the way Celtic is run rather than the obvious that has been stated since I was a kid and since my Da was a kid.
Hail Hail from the Papua New Guinea CSC
So when Scotland implodes are Celtic and all us fans going to move to Papua New Guinea as well. I hope you’ve got a strong league there.
The only way to solve the problem of the funny handshakes is to take them on at their own game and beat them. Just like we do with the football.
The only way to solve the problems is to embrace our multicultural multifaith and multinofaith society.
As the greatdrawkcab once said
” respect the man for the man or disrespect the man for the man and remember to all others you are the man “
Drawkcab you are a JEENYUS.