Nestrans, the Regional Transport Partnership for the North-east of Scotland, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Paul Finch as the new partnership director.
Mr Finch has an extensive career of almost 30 years in transport planning and strategy, working on a wide range of projects in the North-east and across Scotland. Mr Finch has served as interim director of Nestrans following the retirement of Mr Rab Dickson in March 2025.
Mr Finch began his career with Grampian Regional Council as it drew to a close and thereafter joined Aberdeenshire Council as graduate engineer, where he contributed to work on active travel, transport strategy, town centre development and trunk road maintenance.
He then spent 15 years as a transport planner at the company that would later become AECOM. His remit included a wider range of transport policy and projects, including the Queensferry Crossing, Rail Upgrade projects, transport strategies and business cases across the whole of Scotland. Mr Finch established AECOM’s Aberdeen Office in 2003 and led it until 2014, managing numerous local studies for both Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils.
In 2014, he rejoined Aberdeenshire Council, initially working on the transport aspects of major planning applications, before assuming the role of strategic transportation manager, where he led the Council’s input to the delivery of Kintore Station, and also the City Region Deal.
For the last five years, Mr Finch has served as Transport Strategy Manager for Nestrans, continuing his role with the City Region Deal, but also the wider delivery of the Regional Transport Strategy.
Councillor Michael Hutchison, chair of Nestrans, led the Board’s Appointments Committee last week, and said: “Paul has a wealth of experience, including within Nestrans and in the private sector. I have already seen from his time as interim director that he is very capable of filling this role and I am excited by what he can contribute to the organisation.
"As chair of Nestrans, I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Paul, as we drive forward with the many important projects that Nestrans is helping to deliver.”