Clydesdale Bank Chief Operating Officer Debbie Crosbie has become the first woman to sign a Scottish banknote.

The new run of 30 million £20 notes - worth £600 million - feature the iconic images of the historic mill house at New Lanark on one side and Robert the Bruce on the other.

Ms Crosbie joined Clydesdale Bank in 1997 and has been an executive director since May 2014.

During a visit to New Lanark yesterday, Ms Crosbie said: “I feel personally honoured to be the first woman to sign a Scottish banknote and hope that it helps serve as recognition of the many ground-breaking achievements of women across banking and the wider Scottish economy.”

Meanwhile, a new study has shown that gender inequality starts at an early age, with girls expecting to earn less than boys when they start work.

Research involving more than 3,000 teenagers found that girls believed they would earn £7,000 a year less than boys in their future careers.

The report, by qualifications group City & Guilds, also revealed there was little understanding of how to secure a dream job.

Kirstie Donnelly, managing director of City & Guilds, said the findings “highlight a concerning mismatch between the aspirations of young people and the reality of the jobs market they will be entering.”

The SNP has pledged to improve gender balance in the Scottish Parliament, after the World Economic Forum published its 2015 report on the Global Gender Gap which placed the UK 23rd for political empowerment.

SNP MSP Clare Adamson said: “While there is much work still to be done, Scotland is showing global leadership on this issue. Nicola Sturgeon is Scotland’s first female First Minister and her cabinet is one of only a handful in the world that is gender balanced. We are equally determined to improve gender balance in the Scottish Parliament and we will go into next year’s election with more female candidates than ever before.”