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Chamber and committees

Marking the Retirement of Forres Businessman, Alan James

  • Submitted by: Douglas Ross, Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
  • Motion reference: S6M-18011

That the Parliament congratulates Forres businessman, Alan James, on his retirement from the company he founded nearly three decades ago, AJ Engineering; notes that he has sold his successful engineering company to the RSK Group, a global leader in the delivery of environment and engineering solutions; understands that Alan James started his career as an apprentice in 1971 with William Reid Engineering and then became involved in project management; further understands that he was promoted to project director after he studied for and secured an MSc in Project Management at Aberdeen University; notes with interest that on being made redundant from William Reid Engineering in 1999, Alan set up his own company, AJ Engineering & Construction Services, which was a supply chain provider for infrastructure development projects with a specialism in fabrication and installation; welcomes that this business has been so successful that it now employs 125 staff across sites from Forres, Fort William and Carlisle, working on high profile projects such as the space launch facility at SaxaVord space port on Unst, and understands that, for the last five years, the company has been sending teams to work on the Rothera Research Station in Antarctica; believes that AJ Engineering is a highly successful company, which is community-based and assists with various community events; congratulates Alan James on leading this team of dedicated employees through many challenges to the successful position that the company now enjoys, and wishes Alan James, who is also Depute Lord-Lieutenant of Moray and a director of Forres Events Limited, which staged Piping at Forres for six years and the Grant Park 100 celebration in 2024, a happy and well-deserved retirement.


Supported by: Jeremy Balfour, Colin Beattie, Miles Briggs, Sharon Dowey, Tim Eagle, Annabelle Ewing, Russell Findlay, Murdo Fraser, Meghan Gallacher, Dr Pam Gosal MBE, Dr Sandesh Gulhane, Jamie Halcro Johnston, Craig Hoy, Liam Kerr, Stephen Kerr, Bill Kidd, Douglas Lumsden, Fulton MacGregor, Stuart McMillan, Edward Mountain, Alexander Stewart, Paul Sweeney, Evelyn Tweed, Annie Wells, Tess White, Brian Whittle