Oct 14, 2009. /Lesprom Network/. Simon Hodge has been appointed as CEO for Forest Enterprise Scotland (FES), the agency that manages 665,000 hectares of national forest land, as TiC reported. Currently, he holds the post of head of policy within Forestry Commission Scotland, and will take up his new role in early December. He succeeds Dr Hugh Insley, who is retiring. Hodge said: “Hugh Insley will be a hard act to follow, but this is an exciting time to be taking the lead in managing the national forest estate. It will be a privilege to work with the first class FES team to deliver more from Scotland's forests in areas as diverse as climate change, rural economic development and urban regeneration.” As head of policy for four years, Hodge has taken forward a number of important developments in the forestry sector, including policy development in climate change, carbon management, energy forestry and urban regeneration. He also developed the Scottish Government’s Rationale for Woodland Creation and advised ministers on all aspects of forestry policy.