Tackling the aftermath of a sharp decline in the price of oil, securing a city region deal and running my first General Election means that the first few months as Aberdeenshire Council's new chief executive have been very busy for me.

Within days of starting, the price of oil was affecting the local jobs market so significantly that I joined a government taskforce to reduce the impacts of large job losses on the oil and gas sector. I also met cabinet ministers regarding a city region deal which would help secure a programme of infrastructure and innovation to build on the success of Aberdeen since oil was discovered in the North Sea in the 1960s.