SMISA is currently recruiting for our next representative on the club board. From a very high-calibre shortlist we have now chosen a preferred candidate, who – under our appointment rules – the members must now vote on whether to accept.

Our choice is Alex White, who has recently retired as the chief operating officer of Scotrail, after a long career in the rail industry. As part of his application, Alex submitted a personal statement outlining why he wants to be SMISA's next representative on the board of the club, which you can read below.

Members can cast their vote via the link to our membership platform VeryConnect, which you'll find in our November member email.

Alex White personal statement

I am proud to be lifelong St Mirren supporter and to have spent the majority of the first 37 years of my life living in Paisley, with most of that time in Ferguslie. My career dictated a move south to Derbyshire for over 17 years, but I never lost my identity or roots, attending St Mirren games when I was home and visiting my mother who, until passing away recently, lived close to the SMiSA stadium.

Having now returned to Scotland to live and having spent a bit more time in Paisley, particularly through the period of my mother’s illness, I couldn’t get away from the feeling that the town has to some extent lost its identity. I think that a successful St Mirren will help the town to reverse this concern.

Regarding the personal attributes that I would bring to the role if selected, I am a hard working and committed individual with a focus on achieving the best outcome possible, recognising that there are always constraints that need to be recognised. I am forthright in my approach, maybe a little direct on occasion, but always honest. I get on with people but recognise that opinions will differ from time to time. That situation has not caused me any problems in the past as, if a consensus is achieved, I will always support the position that is reached and work to deliver this.

As I have outlined in the information above, I have had a professional career that has allowed me to operate at board level for over 20 years. This has helped me to develop my skills and understanding of how businesses and organisations function and how these arrangements can be optimised. Having now retired, I believe that I can use this experience to help our club to evolve and develop, allowing us to create an arrangement that has a focus on enabling a sustainable club that can deal with the perturbations of life and economic pressures.

We need controls around the things that we do, but these should be influenced by the ambition to drive St Mirren forward with the supporters at the heart of the club, and it would be a privilege to be part of this. Ultimately, I feel that this is a fantastic opportunity for me to give something back to the community where I grew up and, no matter where I am, will always be close to my heart.

Alex White