OBITUARIES

Donald McGruther CA  

4 October 1948 – 11  October 2025

Duncan Donald McGruther (M11498) has passed away in the Royal Alexandra Hospital after a long illness.

He qualified in 1975 after training with DM McNaught, Glasgow, and in September of that year moved to Salisbury, Rhodesia (as the country and its capital were then known) to take up a position with Barbour Rob & O’Connor accountants. It was here that he was given his first job in insolvency, with Yomba, a farm about a third of the size of Northern Ireland.

Due to the dangers of the political situation he returned to Scotland in July 1976 and joined Deloitte’s in Edinburgh. He then worked for Ernst & Young in Glasgow, and in 1981 he was offered a position with Grant Thornton, where he rose to become a partner in the firm. That was his favourite time as an insolvency practitioner, and he had memorable successes in rescuing companies, including Falkirk FC.

He tried retirement but was persuaded to join Mazars where he spent some happy years before retiring for good in 2012.

Donnie was very keen on researching his family history and published a book, Wha’s Like Us, that sold well in the US. He loved taking American visitors to the heartlands of the McGruthers in Perthshire and managed two trips there in the months before his death.

He was delighted to receive his gold pin marking 50 years as a CA shortly before he died. Donnie is survived by his wife Sandra, son John, daughter Suzanne and grandchildren, Eloise and Blake. 

This is a personal submission from his family

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Ian Suttie CA  

8 June 1945 – 5 October 2025

Ian Alexander Suttie (M10680), one of Scotland’s leading businessmen and philanthropists, has died following a brave battle with dementia.

The 80-year-old was one of the most prominent industrialists to emerge from Aberdeen’s transformation into the oil and gas capital of Europe, and he played a central role in shaping the city’s modern energy sector through a string of entrepreneurial ventures spanning exploration, services and manufacturing.

Both he and wife Dorothy spent millions of pounds supporting local good causes, most notably the £21m Suttie Centre – a partnership between the University of Aberdeen and NHS Grampian – and the Suttie Art Space at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Born in Aberdeen in 1945 to Jack and Maisie Suttie, Ian grew up in a close-knit family. His father ran three licensed grocery shops, while his mother worked as a hairdresser. He attended Broomhill Primary before moving on to Robert Gordon’s College, where he laid the foundations for a career in business.

After school, he joined Meston & Co in Golden Square and studied part-time at the University of Aberdeen as part of his CA qualification, which typically took five to six years for school leavers at the time. He met Dorothy in 1967, and they married in 1971 at King’s College Chapel.

In 1972, he moved to Hastings, East Sussex, to work for an American conglomerate establishing a manufacturing facility for televisions and white goods. He returned to Aberdeen five years later to join the rapidly growing oil and gas sector, holding senior roles at companies including Houlder, lnterdrill and Dan Smedvig.

In 1988, as Managing Director of Petrocon, he led a management buyout of the Aberdeen business with private equity backing – a move that would shape the next decades of his career. This led to the creation of Offshore Rentals, which became a cornerstone of Orwell Group, a collection of businesses including Wellserv and Downhole Technology. Orwell grew rapidly and, in 2000, was acquired by Weatherford.

A year earlier, Ian had quietly acquired a 0.91% share in the Buchan oil field, laying the groundwork for First Oil Expro, which became the largest private, UK-owned oil and gas company, turning over £100m at its peak with just seven employees.

However, there were also lows. Like many firms, First Oil Expro was hit hard by the 2015 oil downturn, which led to the business falling into administration and its assets being sold off. Elsewhere, an attempt to revive the troubled Richards textile mill in Aberdeen also proved unsuccessful when the company entered administration in 2004.

Undeterred, serial entrepreneur Ian continued to be involved in a wide range of ventures, including whisky bottling, property development, hospitality and further oil and gas service companies. These enterprises were brought together under the First Tech Group, which today employs 400 people across the UK in energy, oil and gas, and renewables. Today the business is led by Ian’s son, Martin.

Ian’s impact on Aberdeen's business community and civic life will be felt for many years to come. Through his entrepreneurial vision, he helped shape the city’s modern energy sector, while his family’s philanthropic contributions have left a lasting mark on its healthcare and cultural landscape.

He will be remembered not only as a formidable businessman and innovator, but as a devoted husband, father and grandfather, whose energy, ambition and generosity touched the lives of many.

Martin said of his father: “In every business, he pushed the teams to keep moving forward. Decisions were made quickly, and things got done – creating an environment where both the companies and the people within them could thrive.

“Of course, not everything went perfectly, but the culture he built allowed people to learn, grow and succeed. I know many will feel, as I do, that they learned a great deal from working with Ian Suttie – none more so than me.”

Ian leaves behind his wife, Dorothy, three children and eight grandchildren. Dorothy said: “Ian had a tremendous zest for life, and together we shared so many wonderful times. Over more than 50 years of marriage, we travelled the world and made countless friends along the way.

“I was proud to support Ian in his business endeavours, and together we raised three lovely children, Julia, Fiona and Martin. I will miss him deeply, but I have a lifetime of memories to cherish, and I look forward to creating new ones with our children, grandchildren and the friends who have been such a great source of support in recent years.”

 This is a personal submission on behalf of his family

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Bayne Shaw CA

Bayne Alexander Pollock Shaw (M08123) has died aged 87. He trained with Smith & Williamson, qualifying in 1962. He was retired and living in Crieff at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2012.

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David Watts CA

David Ewart Watts (M05814) has died aged 90. He trained with Thomson McLintock & Co, qualifying in 1954. He was retired and living in Tunbridge Wells at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2004.

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David Erskine CA

David John Erskine (M14940) has died aged 66. He trained with Robertson Carphin & Co, qualifying in 1985. He was on a career break and living in Edinburgh at his time of death.

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Hal Connor CA

Hal Ronald Connor (M06213) has died aged 94. He trained with Thomson McLintock & Co, qualifying in 1956. He was working for Peter McConnell when he retired and was living in Glasgow at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2006.

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Hugh McCreath CA

Hugh Maxwell McCreath (M07619) has died aged 87. He trained with Wilson Stirling & Co, qualifying in 1961. He was working for McCreath Taylor & Co when he retired and was living in Stirling at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2011.

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Ian Mackenzie CA

Ian Douglas Mackenzie (M07341) has died aged 86. He trained with A & CM Davidson Smith, qualifying in 1960. He was working for the North British Distillery when he retired and was living in Edinburgh at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2010.

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Ian Gardiner CA

Ian George Gardiner (M07753) has died aged 93. He trained with Clunie & Scott, qualifying in 1961. He was working for Burrows & Cow when he retired and was living in Edinburgh at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2011.

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James McLatchie CA

James Calderwood McLatchie (M09915) has died aged 79. He trained with Galbraith McEwan & Co, qualifying in 1969. He was working for Bell Ogilvy when he retired and was living in Castle Douglas at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2019.

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James Gilchrist CA

James Russell Gilchrist (M11379) has died aged 73. He trained with Touche Ross & Co, qualifying in 1975. He was self-employed when he retired and was living in Glasgow at his time of death.

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John Maceachern CA

John Maceachern (M08549) has died aged 83. He trained with Mann, Judd Gordon & Co, qualifying in 1964. He was working for Imperial Chemical Industries when he retired and was living in Stevenage at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2014.

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June McPhail CA

June Priscilla McPhail (M07028) has died aged 89. She trained with Thomson McLintock & Co, qualifying in 1959. She was working for the same firm when she retired and was living in Glasgow at her time of death. She received Gold Club membership in 2009.

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Kenneth Scobie CA

Kenneth Charles Scobie (M07669) has died aged 86. He trained with Romanes & Munro, qualifying in 1961. He was self-employed when he retired and was living in Reading at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2011.

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Peter Moodie CA

Peter Laidlaw Moodie (M09126) has died aged 80. He trained with WR Campbell Baxter, qualifying in 1967. He was retired and living in Falkirk at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2017.

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Robert McConnell CA

Robert Anderson McConnell (M07618) has died aged 88. He trained with Chrystal McIntyre & Co, qualifying in 1961. He was working for Dumfries & Galloway council when he retired and was living in Kilmarnock at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2011.

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Thomas Murison CA

Thomas Murison (M07647) has died aged 89. He trained with AG Murray & Co, qualifying in 1961. He was self-employed when he retired and was living in Edinburgh at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2011.

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William Boyd CA

William Coull Boyd (M05726) has died aged 91. He trained with WM Rogers Simpson & Son, qualifying in 1954. He was retired and living in Glasgow at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2004.

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