She replaces Simon Rennie, who stood down at the end of his three-year term.

Louisa Macdonell said: “I am delighted to have been elected and look forward to working with the staff and volunteers both at CAS and the whole CAB network.

“CAS is the biggest advice charity in Scotland and provides an essential service to hundreds of thousands of people every year. It is also one of the most significant players in the Scottish Third Sector and plays a key role in influencing government and other stakeholders. I am keen to do what I can to help the organisation continue its excellent work.”

CAS chief executive Derek Mitchell said: “We are very pleased to have someone of Louisa’s calibre heading our organisation as we move forward. She brings terrific experience from across many sectors of Scottish public life and everyone at the AGM was very impressed with her enthusiasm and vision. I’d like to thank Simon Rennie for steering our board over the last few years and I look forward very much to working with Louisa as she takes on the role.”