Bio
Mackay joined the SNP at 16 years old and was involved in both the youth and student movements. He was first elected for Renfrewshire Council in 1999 when he was 21, making him the youngest male councillor in Scotland.
Between 2007 and 2011, Mackay was Leader of the Council as part of an SNP-Liberal Democrat coalition. From 2009 to 2011, he led the SNP group in the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).
From 2011-2014, he was the Minister for Local Government and Planning, and between 2014 and 2016, the Minister for Transport and Islands before moving into his current role as Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution.
Why did Derek Mackay make the Financial Power List 2018?
Mackay was named in 18th position on the Accountancy Age Financial Power List 2018:
Tax and policy divergence from the UK is high on the agenda for the Scottish finance secretary. Having delivered the 2018-19 budget at the end of last year, Mackay sought to distance Scotland from Hammond’s policies by announcing an income tax reform, increasing the higher and top rates of tax and introducing new bands. There are obstacles ahead. He must now win support for the budget ahead of the vote in February, but Mackay will be confident he can rise to the challenge and deliver in 2018.
View other individuals who made Financial Power List 2018.
SNP
The SNP is a Scottish nationals and social-democratic political party in Scotland. It supports and campaigns for Scottish independence.
It is the second largest political party by membership in the UK, and the third largest by overall representation in the House of Commons. It is the largest political party in Scotland with the most seats in the Scottish Parliament.