Mr Mitchell, who has served as operations director since March 2024, takes over the leadership role following a period of significant growth and enhanced political engagement for the Federation.

Since his appointment, Mr Mitchell has been instrumental in raising the organisation’s profile, strengthening its member services and increasing its influence within the Scottish political landscape.

SBF president Euan Clark said: “We are delighted with the progress that has been made since Paul’s appointment as operations director back in March 2024.

“The board of directors agreed unanimously to promote Paul to the managing director position. He has raised the profile of the Federation’s work and enhanced our political engagement whilst continuing to deliver the business support services that our members really value.

“We have also built a great togetherness amongst the membership and it is great to see this camaraderie at the events we hold across the country.”

Mr Mitchell has been a long-serving member of the SBF team, having first joined 16 years ago and previously served as head of employment affairs.

He said: “I am genuinely honoured that the board has placed its trust in me to lead the organisation. We stand at a pivotal moment and my focus is clear - to drive forward the Federation’s influence and value for our members.

“Looking ahead, we are excited about the new membership subscription model which will be key to engaging with and growing our membership base.

“The Scottish parliamentary elections next year represent a fresh chance to raise the challenges facing the construction industry up the political agenda and we are committed to uniting the industry to achieve this collective goal.”

The appointment comes after a strong period for the Federation, which celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2025. Recent activities have included delivering artificial intelligence (AI) training, legal updates on the Building Safety Levy and organising successful member events such as a golf outing in Carnoustie and a President’s lunch in Edinburgh.

The Federation has also actively represented its members’ interests by responding to consultations on late payments and retentions and the Building Safety Levy, holding a CITB consensus vote, commissioning a housing report in Orkney, contributing to resolving the problems with craft apprenticeships and expanding its membership offering.