Ports Are the How: Infrastructure, Energy Transition, and Long-Term Thinking at Forth Ports

The Purposeful Strategist · Jun 18, 2026

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus speaks with Stuart Wallace, Chief Executive of Forth Ports Limited, about what it takes to lead critical national infrastructure at a moment of profound transition — and what a long career inside one organisation teaches you about strategy, culture, and purpose.

Stuart joined Forth Ports in 2002 as financial controller for its Scottish operations, making a habit of getting to know people in other roles and ‘what makes the business tick.’ He became COO in 2016 and Chief Executive in 2024, having held nine different roles across the…