My friend and former colleague Ian Arnot, who has died of cancer aged 45, was an LGBTQ+ activist, charity leader and fellow of the Chartered Institute of PR (CIPR). He was also a longstanding non-executive director in the charitable sector in Edinburgh, and served as BT’s head of corporate communications from 2020 to 2025.
Ian became well known in media and political circles in Scotland and London during his 24-year career with BT Group. He was appointed a chartered fellow of CIPR in 2023, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the institute and the profession, and was elected vice-chair of CIPR Scotland in 2025. He was about to start a new role with the IHG hotel group at the time of his terminal diagnosis, which he bore with typical resilience, courage and hope.
Ian was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to a single mother, Kate Arnot. Within days of his birth he and Kate moved to settle in Falkirk, where she worked for Women’s Aid in Glasgow and became director of Pollok Credit Union, imbuing a strong sense of public and community service in her son.
Ian went to Graeme high school in Falkirk, then graduated with a degree in film and media studies at the University of Stirling in 2001. He worked as a complaints manager in a BT call centre in Glasgow while he studied, before joining the company full-time. His early career spanned business development and various communications roles until he joined BT’s Scottish press office, building strong relationships with the media and rural communities.
In 2008 he co-founded Scottish Workplace Networking (Swan LGBT), a charity connecting gay people across Scotland. He remained involved for more than a decade, including as trustee. He was also a chair of BT’s LGBT network, Kaleidoscope.
A longtime resident of Edinburgh, Ian spent many years chairing the board of directors of Waverley Care, a charity established in the city to promote the welfare of people living with HIV and hepatitis C. At the time of his death he was also a member of the board of directors at the William Syson Foundation, a charity supporting music and the arts in Scotland.
In his spare time Ian had interests in travel, the arts, current affairs, politics, nature and Scotland’s beautiful places.
In 2024 he married Gordon, who works at Lloyds Banking Group. Gordon survives him, as does Kate.
