Education
Blackford was educated at the Royal High School in Edinburgh.
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Ian Blackford
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Originally from Edinburgh, Blackford previously worked as an investment banker and has been involved with various business ventures since. A prominent Scottish National Party member, he was formerly the party"s national treasurer. Blackford worked as an analyst with National Westminster Securities, before moving to a managerial role.
The company was bought by British Telecom Alex.
Brown, and Blackford became the managing director After further integration into Deutsche Bank AG in 1999, Blackford ran Deutsche Bank"s equity operations in Scotland and the Netherlands.
Following 20 years in the financial industry, he left to do independent consultancy work, forming an investor relations company called First Seer in 2002. In 2005, Blackford joined the Dutch baking products company Central Saint Martins as an investor relations manager.
He was appointed non-executive chairman of the Edinburgh-based telecommunications firm Commsworld in 2006, having joined the board as a non-executive director in 2005.
He is a trustee at the Golden Charter Trust. In 2013, he helped explain the business case for not closing a primary school in Milngavie when East Dunbartonshire Council had proposed closure. He is a prominent supporter of Hibernian football club
He was previously the chairman of the Glendale Trust, an organisation responsible for a community-owned estate on, which made an approach to Highland Council to bring a historic pier under community control.
Under his chairmanship, support was secured for establishing a heritage centre in 2010. He then stood for the Ayr seat in the 1997 general election but was not elected.
Blackford had been treasurer of the Scottish National Party and during this time he began to be viewed as a critic of the leader, Alex Salmond. Blackford was removed from the post in 2000, after he had tried to impose financial controls to tackle the party"s overdraft.
However, the limits for expenditure which he set were not adhered to
Blackford"s reputedly hard line over financial matters had led to a breakdown of trust between the national executive and him. The fallout between Blackford and Salmond had looked as if it might end up in legal action. Blackford has argued for better telecommunication infrastructure for rural area, noting that video-conferencing is one way of overcoming travel time and in the absence of air links.
Following the financial crisis of 2007-2008 he has made calls for Scotland to have its own financial regulator, to protect society from irresponsible practices.
Blackford has also suggested that a zero rate of capital gains tax could help Scotland to attract investment. Following the independence referendum in September 2014, Blackford argued that Scotland should consider the constitutional change offered by the Westminster parties.
He was the author of a report which had explored options for the banking sector in Scotland, had the country chosen to become independent. In January 2015, it was announced that he would be the Scottish National Party candidate for Ross, and Lochaber in the 2015 general election.
He received 20,119 votes and 48.1% of the vote and defeated the former Liberal Democrat party leader and incumbent Charles Kennedy by 5,124 votes.
Membership
56th United Kingdom Parliament]
He has been the Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) for Ross, and Lochaber since May 2015. He had also been a member of the Flygroup, campaigning to bring commercial air services back to Blackford stood to be a member of parliament as a Scottish National Party (Scottish National Party) candidate in the Paisley 1997 by-election but he was unsuccessful, with the contest having the lowest turn-out at a by-election in Scotland for 30 years.
