About us
Doublescotch Consulting is directed by Ian Shearer.
From 1992 he worked in Edinburgh at the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), Scotland's leading industry trade association, which is renowned internationally as one of the most effective representative commercial organisations in the UK. In 1999 he became its Director of Operational & Technical Affairs.
His 5-strong team developed a good reputation across the spirits industry, and among policy-makers, for co-ordinating industry initiatives on a wide range of subjects and for their lobbying on the industry's behalf of many government departments & agencies. In 2003 an SWA campaign in which he played a major part won the CBI's (UK Confederation of British Industry) prestigious Business of Representation Award for that year.
Having been one of the SWA's Directors for almost 7 years, Ian went freelance and established Doublescotch in 2007 as a consultancy in West Lothian, with convenient access to all major centres of business in Scotland and further afield.
In 2009-10 and again in 2011-12 Ian acted as Interim Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), another of Scotland's foremost trade associations. SRC represents the Scottish retail sector and is its authoritative voice to policy-makers and the media. Its membership covers the whole range of retailers, from large multiples and department stores through to independents, selling a wide selection of food and non-food products. The SRC is part of the British Retail Consortium, one of Britain's most influential commercial bodies, working on behalf of some of its best-known companies. In the SRC role Ian was involved in a further broad range of policy areas, dealing once again with various arms of Government.
Doublescotch Consulting is a member of the Association for Scottish Public Affairs.
In 2009 Ian Shearer was appointed by the Ministry of Justice to the new UK-wide Tax Tribunals as a non-legal member. He is a Board member of SNIFFER (Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research) and a Trustee of the Friends of Kinneil. In 2009-10 and 2011-12 he also served as a Board member of the Scottish Business Crime Centre.
He graduated from Oxford University in 1987 with a degree in Mathematics & Philosophy. Subsequently he worked in Southern Spain for 3 years.
Ian Shearer
In previous roles Ian has developed a wide network of contacts in government departments and agencies; in other representative commercial organisations; and throughout the drinks and retail sectors in Scotland. Further details are on the 'Our contacts' page.
He also built up knowledge across a very varied range of specialised policy areas. More information can be found on the 'Our experience' page.