Born and educated in Scotland, Reid studied trumpet at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, and at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has performed with the Hall_, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and the City of Birmingham Symphony.

Ken MacQuarrie, BBC Scotland's controller, said in a statement, "Gavin Reid has already established a reputation as an outstanding orchestral manager, and I am delighted that he will be taking the Scottish Symphony Orchestra forward into a new era."