Russell Brown

Russell was employed for 23 years at the ICI sites at Powfoot and Dumfries in a number of roles including: Plant Operative, Security Officer, Quality Assurance Inspector and Senior Production Supervisor. During that time, from 1986-1997, he served as a Councillor on Dumfries & Galloway Regional Council, Annandale & Eskdale District Council and Dumfries & Galloway Unitary Authority. In 1997, Russell was elected as the Member of Parliament for Dumfries Constituency and in 2005, as a result of boundary changes, was elected as the Member for Dumfries & Galloway.

During his time in Parliament, Russell was the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the House of Lords, and various Secretaries of State for Scotland, as well as the Secretary of State for International Development. Between 2010 and 2015, Russell served as the Shadow Defence Minister with responsibility for International Security Strategy, and also the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Scotland Office.

The imposition of early retirement in May 2015 has enabled Russell to become involved with some local charities in Dumfries and Annan, and he has taken up the opportunity to start SFA Football Coaching by taking an Under-13 team at Annan Athletic. Retirement has enabled Russell to spend more time with his family, especially his 4 grandchildren, but it has also given him the chance to begin to clock up additional miles on his motorhome!