Introduction
Roderick Lewis Macdonald MA, PhD, (born 1 January 1957) is a Scottish Labour politician and regional list Member of the Scottish Parliament for North East Scotland since 2011. He was MSP for the Aberdeen Central constituency from 1999 until 2011.
Background
Born in Stornoway, Macdonald moved with his family to Aberdeenshire as a child, and attended Inverurie Academy and later the University of Aberdeen. Macdonald received an MA in history and a PhD in African studies and later lectured at the university. He is a member of the trade union Unite. Dr Macdonald is married to Sandra who is an employee at Conoco Phillips. Macdonald also has two children, both of whom attend university.
Career
Prior to his election as MSP he worked as a parliamentary researcher for the MPs Frank Doran and Tom Clarke. Macdonald was a deputy minister in the Scottish Executive between March 2001 and May 2007, holding various portfolios. He is also a trustee for the Aberdeen Football Club Supporters' Trust. He had led for Labour on energy, enterprise and tourism, infrastructure and justice, as well as serving as the Labour Chief Whip at the Scottish Parliament between June 2013 and December 2014. He is currently the Scottish Labour spokesperson for Culture, Sport, Tourism and External Affairs