Global appoints Barry Carruthers as Chief Strategy Officer

Global has appointed former ScottishPower executive Barry Carruthers as Chief Strategy Officer, strengthening its senior leadership team as the group expands its presence across energy transmission, renewables, infrastructure, and utilities.

Carruthers joins with 15 years of experience in the energy sector, having held senior leadership roles across ScottishPower. His background spans energy portfolio development, policy engagement, clean energy investment, project development, hydrogen, operational assets, and engagement with government, regulators, public bodies, and industry stakeholders.

In his new role, Carruthers will shape and secure Global’s future growth across the energy sector. His remit covers market positioning, strategic acquisitions, partnerships, and pipeline creation across fabrication, engineering, ports, logistics, renewables, and the wider industrial energy market.

The appointment comes as Global continues to reposition itself as an integrated delivery partner for large-scale energy and infrastructure programmes. The group has set out plans to grow turnover from £300m to £500m, supported by a portfolio that includes Global Power Services, formerly Approved Power Services, and Global Infrastructure, its civil engineering and construction business serving the energy and utilities sectors.

Global chairman Roy MacGregor said: “Barry brings a rare combination of strategic insight, policy understanding and commercial leadership. His experience operating at the interface of government, industry and delivery will be instrumental as Global continues to grow its Energy portfolio and support the delivery of complex, large-scale infrastructure and energy transition programmes.”

Carruthers will also take a role in external engagement and advocacy, representing the group across industry forums, conferences, and networks. That external role will place the company closer to major transmission, renewables, ports, logistics, and grid programmes as they move through procurement, consenting, construction, and commissioning.

Global’s growth plans are tied closely to the investment cycle now unfolding around UK energy infrastructure. In late 2025, the group announced a rebrand and plans for a new 2,000m² headquarters at the Inverness Campus Freeport Zone. The new HQ is intended to bring several operational businesses within the group under one roof and provide room for further growth.

The group has also added eight companies to its portfolio over an 18-month period, building capability across energy infrastructure and adjacent services. Global Infrastructure has separately expanded its team as it prepares to support tier 1 operators working on SSEN Transmission’s north of Scotland electricity network upgrade programme.

The transmission build-out in Scotland is creating a significant requirement for contractors able to deliver civil engineering, cable installation, jointing, logistics, enabling works, construction support, and associated infrastructure. The scale of investment is reshaping the contractor market, particularly in regions where existing energy, ports, and industrial supply chains can be redirected towards grid and renewables delivery.

Carruthers’ appointment aligns Global’s strategy function with that delivery environment. Companies with engineering capability, policy understanding, procurement readiness, and multi-disciplinary capacity are positioning themselves for a period in which grid infrastructure becomes one of the main constraints on the energy transition.

Global’s stated turnover ambition depends on its ability to integrate acquisitions, secure frameworks, retain skilled labour, and deliver across energy infrastructure programmes where schedule pressure and technical complexity are increasing together.