SLCC Appoints New Chief Executive Officer

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) has announced the appointment of Matthew Vickers as its new Chief Executive Officer.

On completing doctoral research on the history of Victorian Liverpool, Matthew joined Safeway where he held head office and regional roles specialising in customer care and customer insight. He later joined McCurrach UK, serving on the Operating Board and taking overall responsibility for in-store execution for AG Barr Scottish and Newcastle.

In 2009, Matthew joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) as British Consul in the Canary Islands, subsequently moving to take up the role of Consul in Madrid. Last year he was awarded the Foreign Secretary's Award for Service Delivery recognising his significant contribution to improving the support which the FCO offers to Britons abroad.

Jane Irvine, Chair of the SLCC, said: "The SLCC is delighted to appoint Matthew as our new Chief Executive Officer. Matthew will bring fresh thinking to the SLCC just as we really start to push our performance for the benefit of all our service users - legal practitioners and consumers. In our search, in keeping with our aspirations for the SLCC, we set our sights high and were delighted to be able to select Matthew from an exceptionally strong field of candidates."

Matthew Vickers, who will join the SLCC as Chief Executive Officer on 5 June 2012, said:"Customer service and efficient and effective ways of working have been themes throughout my career, and I hope to help a talented and enthusiastic team build on what the SLCC has already achieved. As the gateway for legal complaints, the SLCC must inspire trust and confidence in the legal complaints system. It's vital that consumers and legal practitioners recognise us as impartial, accessible and independent if we're to continue to do so."

Brief biography:

Matthew is forty years old and originally from Merseyside. Matthew studied Modern History at Merton College, Oxford before a Master's in Industrial Relations at the LSE. Matthew later returned to Oxford for doctorate entitled "Civic Image and Civic Patriotism in Liverpool 1880-1914" and joined Safeway on graduate scheme in 1998 working at Ferry Road store in Edinburgh. Matthew moved to McCurrach UK in 2002, made Board Director in 2004 and later joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2009.

Matthew is married with a two-year old son.