Business Comment 40

APRIL/MAY 2016

Inspiring Responsible Business

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Far From Standard Tale Helps Hundreds Of Young People

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Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Business Awards

Journey To Deep Green An Exciting One For Skanska

Responsible Business In this latest issue we look at Responsible Business, and why it is such a focus in Edinburgh and why more and more companies are getting on board and understanding that responsible business is good business.

Heart of Midlothian FC, Ann Budge is taking responsible business seriously and urges the value of being a Living Wage employer.

This February we held our 5th Annual Business Awards. Thank you to everyone who helped contribute to a great evening and demonstrated again the rich talent we have in our Capital City.

Enjoy also the articles about many activities being undertaken by our members, who contribute to the success of Edinburgh and beyond.

In particular, we hear from Sandy Begbie of Standard Life on their sterling efforts to provide our young people with opportunities.

As Sandy points out, the work brings benefits to the young people but also to Standard Life, bringing in fresh talent and fresh ideas.

Introduction / Contents 03 Edinburgh CoC Business Awards 04|06 Responsible Business - An Affair of The Hearts 08 Chamber Foreign Exchange 09 Breathe New Life Into Your Workforce 12 Focus on Recruitment 14|15 Feature: Digital Focus 16|19 Feature: Creating the Perfect Event 20|21 British Airways Wins Superbrand 22 Let’s Talks About Youth Talent 23 Understanding The Benefits Of Responsible Business Practices 24 VAT – Love it or loathe it!

30 ScotRail - Connecting Scotland With Opportunities To Grow and Prosper 31 Far From Standard Tale Helps Hundreds Of Young People 32|33 Journey To Deep Green An Exciting One 34|35 Feature: Corporate Social Responsibility 38|43 Getting Started/New Members 44 Ask the Expert 45 Feature: Finance/Legal 46|50 60 Seconds 52 Can Employers ‘Spy’ On Their Employees’ Emails?

52 Partners in Enterprise 49 Be the Best/Get With IT 54 Europe Direct Edinburgh 55 Feature: Motoring 52|53 Chamber Training & Events 58 In The Spotlight 59 Employee Volunteering Good For Business 60 Providing World Class, Integrated, Sustainable and Socially Inclusive Transport 61 Movers & Shakers 62

Join Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce

We also hear from Skanska, one of the world’s leading construction companies and one rightly renowned for its extraordinary commitment to sustainability. Wealth management company Brewing Dolphin share with us their work encouraging their staff development through volunteering, and at one of Edinburgh’s best known brands,

Our membership base is truly multisector, multi-scale and multi- national.

As we develop our geographic reach, we continue to welcome new members who can enjoy exclusive benefits of being part of Scotland’s capital city Chamber of Commerce. We would be delighted to share with you the benefits of joining.

David Birrell

Contact our dedicated membership team on 0131 221 2999 or e-mail leads@edinburghchamber.co.uk

Chief Executive, Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce david.birrell@edinburghchamber.co.uk www.edinburghchamber.co.uk

www.edinburghchamber.co.uk

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CHAMBER AWARDS

Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Business Awards

Our Award winners

Edinburgh’s business community came together at the 5th annual Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Business Awards. The event held at The Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, which was attended by over 450 guests of Edinburgh’s business leaders, celebrated a successful year of continued excellence and growth in the city.

A full list of our winners below: Developing the Young Workforce Dame Sue Bruce Best Performing Business (1-10) Can you Escape?

Best Performing Business (11-50) The Royal College of Surgeons Best Performing Business (51+) Edinburgh Airport Sustainable Development Lothian Buses

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Outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility Sainsbury’s Bank

Lifetime Achievement Gordon Drummond, Former Director of Harvey Nichols

Creative Marketing Cyrenians

Director of the Year Gareth Biggerstaff, Be-IT Resourcing Managing Director

Innovation in Business Queen Margaret University Award for International Trade Heehaw Young Businessperson of the Year Toby Trueman, Creative Director at Heehaw

CHAMBER AWARDS

Jemma Caldwell from Tanami with Alastair Watson from Can you Escape? who won the Best Performing Business (1-10) award

George Primrose from Condies with Scott Mitchell from The Royal College of Surgeons who won the Best Performing Business (11-50) award

Lieutenant Colonel Garry Stimpson from The Reserves with Gordon Robertson from Edinburgh Airport who won the Best Performing Business (51+) award

(Presented on behalf of) Skanska Helen Robertson from Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce with Emma Roy and Jim McFarlane from Lothian Buses who won the Sustainable Development award

Lord Provost with Garry Cossar from Sainsbury’s Bank supported

by Anne McWhinnie from Alzheimer Scotland who won the Outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility award

Miriam Byrne from Law at Work with John Ayscough from Bold, Gary Fraser from Wideo Media and Ian Grimwade from Cyrenians who won the Creative Marketing award

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CHAMBER AWARDS

Brad McKay and Wendy Nicholson from University of Edinburgh Business School /Edinburgh Research and Innovation with Michael Welsh and Penny Cobham who collected the Young Businessperson of the Year award on behalf of Toby Trueman from Heehaw

Stuart Wallace from Forth Ports with Michael Welsh and Penny Cobham from Heehaw who won the International Trade award

Colin Henderson from CityFibre/Edinburgh CORE project with Professor Joe Goldblatt, Professor Petra Wend & Miriam Smith from Queen Margaret University who won the Innovation in Business award

Adam Cameron from Cameron Presentations with Gordon Drummond, Former Director of Harvey Nichols who won the Lifetime Achievement award

Thank you to all our sponsors and supporters:

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Kevin Havelock from Royal Bank Of Scotland with Gareth Biggerstaff from Be-IT Resourcing who won Director of the Year award

Scott House, Mid New Cultins West One Business Park Edinburgh, EH11 4DH T: 0131 458 4255 F: 0131 458 4254 E: edinburgh@srm.com

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CHAMBER NEWS Anne Budge

Responsible Business – An Affair Of The Hearts Making sure her business runs its affairs responsibly is a priority high on the list of Ann Budge – and when your business is one of Scotland’s leading football clubs that goal becomes even more vital.

Few businesses have to conduct their affairs in the same glare of publicity as football.

That’s why the woman who has resurrected Heart of Midlothian believes she, and Hearts, have a responsibility to make sure they set the right kind of example.

Ann, who built up and sold an IT empire, was already one of Scotland’s leading businesswomen when she was persuaded to take the reins at the club she supported as a fan. But even she must have been surprised at the level of interest football generates, and the power it possesses to influence and reach people.

“It’s undoubtedly true that football is an obsession in Scottish life, and that football clubs, by their nature, have an ability to reach out to people and touch them in ways that other businesses really can’t. There is the potential there for football to play a big role in working in our communities to bring genuine benefits.”

However, she is firmly of the view that

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responsible business – like charity – begins at home, and the way her Club behaves day to day in its dealings with customers, suppliers, and neighbours are all issues she takes very seriously.

For example, Hearts has taken the decision to pay its staff the Living Wage. She said: “One thing I noticed fairly early on is that football has a tendency to over rely on the goodwill of staff. Many people who work in clubs are supporters, and the club is something that is close to their hearts and that is admirable and positive. But there is a little bit of a tendency to use that too much, to rely on it. I think it is vital that we treat staff properly and with respect, and demonstrate that we value the job they do for us.

“At the end of the day we want to recruit and retain the best people that we possibly can.

To do that, we need to make sure we treat them fairly and well.”

But she’s equally keen that the Club deals well with its suppliers and customers. “I think when it comes to doing business one of the most responsible things we can do is ensure we treat our suppliers with respect, and for me the key to that is paying bills in a timely way.

“One of the big issues faced by many smaller businesses is cash flow, and it is the responsibility of all of us to pay our bills in a timely way that shows we value and respect our suppliers, and that does not harm their business. If we are slow to pay them, then they will have to be slow to pay the people

who supply them, and so on until eventually someone down the lines goes out of business.”

She is also determined that Hearts play their part in their community.

“We have a fairly big event on at Tynecastle every couple of weeks – and while it brings lots of economic and other benefits to the area it can also cause some disruption for people who live around the stadium.

“Away from match days, the stadium is also used regularly as a venue for a whole variety of events, during the day and night time. It is important that we do everything we can to be good neighbours. For that reason, there are signs all around the ground asking those visiting the stadium to respect our neighbours, and to behave appropriately when they come to and leave Tynecastle.

“I support the Responsible Business campaign for a number of reasons, but I suppose the key ones are these: First of all, it’s the right thing to do. Businesses should behave responsibly – after all the alternative is that they don’t behave responsibly and clearly that is wrong.

“But as well as being the right thing to do, responsible business is also good business.

There has been a load of research that backs that up. Businesses which behave in a positive way are more likely to attract and retain good staff, loyal customers, and suppliers. Surely that’s the best way to do business.”

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CHAMBER NEWS

Breathe New Life Into Your Workforce With Some CSR In The Great Outdoors

By Alison Taylor, Fundraising & Partnerships Manager, Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland Most would agree the value of an organisation should be measured in terms of its people, as well as its bottom line. The strength of communication, workplace skills and motivation within an organisation can propel it to success in financial terms. Without these strengths an organisation can become lack lustre, disjointed, slow and unable to handle change in today’s fast moving economy.

The question is this - what can a company do to develop these lauded characteristics of its workforce? Teambuilding exercises are an obvious choice, as is on going training and development. However, these activities cost time and money, and for smaller companies at least, are not always readily accessible.

A Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partnership with a not-for-profit can help improve, develop and motivate a company’s most prized asset, its staff, as well as boosting the company’s outward image, providing a commercial advantage over competitors.

There may be a collective groan when the phrase ‘CSR’ is mentioned. Its reduction to a dreaded acronym coupled with years of being overused and underrated has resulted in it being drained of all energy and emotion.

In its most basic form, CSR is a business approach that contributes to sustainable development by delivering economic, social and environmental benefits for all stakeholders. Sounds very logical and, in this new era of the ethically minded consumer, one that all businesses should pay heed to.

The Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET), the Royal Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland’s (RHASS) education charity, provides businesses and its staff with a perfect opportunity to give back, highlight and develop each person’s different set of skills and really make CSR something that is considered an essential and popular element of any businesses strategy.

The educational charity runs Food & Farming Days up and down the country. Costs are covered by RHET and RHASS along with vital support from the Scottish Government, which funds the transporting of the children,

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teachers and volunteers to the events. Without this vital financial support, the volunteers and the farmers and landowners who host, these educational activities would not be possible.

The Food & Farming Days are an excellent opportunity for companies to put their CSR aspirations into practice. Instead of a morning commute to the office, staff can volunteer to steward a group of children around a farm or estate along with their work colleagues.

They would spend the morning outside; help children learn where their food comes from and how to make the right choices for a healthy diet - as well as having some fun themselves by engaging in fun activities, such as learning how to milk a fibreglass cow.

For an employee, as well as developing their own skills and knowledge and giving them the chance to interact with peers in a new environment, it also provides the opportunity for a shared staff social & learning experience, regardless of seniority.

For an employer, this team building experience motivates staff and makes them feel valued, one of the most important factors in holding

on to staff and keeping the dreaded staff turnover figures low. The experience might also offer the opportunity to identify suitable candidates for potential promotion – by seeing how staff handle themselves in an unfamiliar situation - watching which ones adapt well to the change, learn quickly and make others feel at their ease.

CSR shouldn’t be an onerous task or be carried out with reluctance. It should be welcomed, encouraged and, most importantly, seen as an invaluable asset to an organisation. There are a variety of organisations here in Scotland, such as RHET, that are ready and willing to give workforces an opportunity to learn, grow and develop.

In return, these organisations can assist with marketing, provide business mentoring or even design websites or help to answer their phones. The possibilities are endless. www.rhass.org.uk If your organisation would like to get involved with RHET, contact RHASS Fundraising & Partnerships Manger, Alison Taylor 0131 335 6200 | alisont@rhass.org.uk

ADVERTORIAL

Level The Playing Field In today’s global market, both large and small businesses are increasingly competing against one another. And it is technology that is helping this mid-market to level the playing field; enabling them to offer more to the consumer and gain parity in many important areas.

Technology advancements such as cloud systems, enhanced security, and remote working mean that small businesses can project their efficiency, resulting in a team more effectively competing with larger businesses. These innovations give SMEs access to the much needed resources and tools used by their global sized competitors.

Never before in business has this level of equality been available for SMEs, and one of the most instrumental ways this can be achieved is through the use of an effective and integrated CRM system.

By using a good CRM system, like OpenCRM, businesses of all sizes can fully integrate all their company’s data and information from across all of their departments. This will give you a rich, detailed, and all encompassing perspective of your customers, the status of your business and ensures your team is aligned at all times.

A CRM system provides the same tools and templates whatever your size of business, as we all require similar things. You could be a one-man band or a growing team of 20, but the software you require is still the same as the larger corporates.

Utilising a CRM system can actually result in the smaller companies becoming more connected to their customers. Larger companies often struggle with this crucial personal touch, due to their sheer size.

In SMEs, employees often need to be able to wear a number of hats, picking up a variety of roles within the company. It’s not a bad thing but can cause some stress if they are also having to use a different system for each of these roles. By using a CRM system they can consistently perform all the jobs on their to-do list in one place. Centralised systems are the perfect way to share information, enabling your team to download, share, communicate, and access data at a moment’s notice, in a safe and secure way.

By implementing a CRM system, small businesses can understand their customers more, analysing their data in the same way as a global corporation would, enabling an SME to grow quicker and expand their customer base at a faster rate.

in many cases entice customers away from them.

An effective CRM system enables small businesses to connect with customers and their team more efficiently. Using this real time information means that SMEs now have the same quality of data as the larger firms, but for a lower cost and more emphasis on a connected approach between the small business and its clients, something the larger companies will struggle to achieve.

Levelling the playing field indeed.

If you have any questions about OpenCRM, please get in touch. I would love to hear from you. Find us at www.opencrm.co.uk or drop us a line at hello@opencrm.co.uk Graham Anderson, is the CEO and founder of OpenCRM, one of the UK’s leading customer relationship management systems.

By working at this same level, whatever the size of business, demonstrates how a small team can share the same knowledge and expertise to that of the larger company and

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FOCUS ON: RECRUITMENT

ADVERTORIAL

Facing up to the challenges of digital transformation There is much talk about the digital revolution and the way it is transforming both the private and public sector.

However, exciting as the situation is, the new landscape does bring challenges as well as opportunities and none more so than finding the skilled people to make the revolution happen.

According to Gareth Biggerstaff, who started Edinburgh technology and digital recruitment company Be-IT Resourcing in 2013, there is a skills gap that could take at least five years to close and which requires attention now to ensure that Scotland can take advantage of all the changes that are happening.

Gareth said: “The talk is all about digital transformation at the moment and the pace is accelerating like never before. This really is going to be a big year for digital.

“That is creating demand for skilled people.

Indeed, the organisations that come to us are not just looking to recruit one or two people, they are looking to bring in whole teams at a time, not just one or two people but dozens.

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“The problem is that, as we see this surge in demand, there simply are not the people with the skills that are required and that is a timebomb that is ticking and getting closer.

“I think what needs to be done is to encourage more of our young people to see digital technology as part of their career ladder.

“That is starting to happen but more needs to be done, more qualifications, more courses. Our young people understand digital technology but they do not see it as an area in which they can work and we have to change that.

“We need to do more to encourage them to consider the digital sector and, although we are already starting to see fresh new talent coming through, we need to do more to encourage the process.

“However, this is not a short-term fix and in the meantime we need to help our SMES to fill the gap.

“Although we are starting to see more young people in the industry that gap could take five years to close and we have a lot of small companies that have the niche knowledge that is required now. They may only have three or four members of staff but they have a wealth of expertise.

“However, they find it too difficult to go through the procurement process with larger organisations.

“We need to simplify that process for them.

We need to find ways to tap in the their expertise and if that means we have to make procurement processes more flexible and relaxed then that is what needs to happen because we must bridge the skills gap.”

Gareth believes that digital transformation brings with it another major challenge – the threats posed to cyber security.

He said: “We really are not on top of cyber security yet. If you look at the wider UK in

FOCUS ON: RECRUITMENT

ADVERTORIAL

“I think what needs to be done is to encourage more of our young people to see digital technology as part of their career ladder.” general there are is a higher ratio of people employed in IT who are in cyber security than in Scotland. That needs to change.

“As more and more organisations enter the digital world, the risks from hackers grows greater and we have to be mindful of that.

It is crucial that we ensure that our digital platforms are secure and that means giving cyber security a higher priority than it has at the moment.

“I am not use sure that cyber security is being given priority in Scotland and we need to address that.”

However, for all he sees the challenges that face the digital sector, Gareth remains optimistic that it can continue to grow and provide opportunities for Scotland.

He said: “Things are moving quickly both in the private and public sectors and we are seeing genuine transformation taking place.

“We just need to make sure that, as the sector grows, we are doing enough to ensure that it has the skilled people that it requires, that we are bringing through the next generation of talent, and that we are doing enough to make sure that it keeps its platforms secure.

Gareth Biggerstaff

“One thing is certain; the pace of change is only going to increase as both the public and private sectors undergo transformation.”

And that can mean opportunities. Be-IT Resourcing itself has grown to become one of the new leaders in IT and digital recruitment with an enviable list of preferred supplier agreements across sectors including banking, digital, software, consultancy, manufacturing, logistics, government, financial services and oil and gas.

You can contact Gareth Biggerstaff at: 0131 344 4778 Gareth.biggerstaff@be-itresourcing.com www.be-itresourcing.com

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ADVERTORIAL

FEATURE: DIGITAL FOCUS

Training company seeks out Cyber Stars as part of battle against hackers Specialist training company Inteltrain is offering a programme to help organisations keep their digital data secure from hackers, by creating ‘Cyber Stars’ in each of their departments.

The Level 2 Award in Cyber Security Awareness for Business helps people working at all levels of organisations to identify cyber security risks.

The programme will allow them to take action to prevent the kind of attacks that have hit a number of high profile businesses over recent months, costing them millions of pounds and resulting in the details of thousands of customers being stolen. The attacks are costing global business more than £200bn a year.

Inteltrain says that, rather than living in fear of an attack, businesses can take practical steps to prevent it happening. The programme, being delivered by Inteltrain in partnership with cyber security specialists Intqual-Pro, is a new qualification which includes practical

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examples and scenarios to allow learners to train using real-life incidents.

Those successfully undertaking the Cyber Star initiative will become an officially qualified representative tasked with ensuring the implementation of cyber security policies within their area of responsibility.

The training for the OFQUAL-regulated qualification is delivered by a range of former Government and HM Armed Forces cyber security specialists Nick Atkinson, Inteltrain Commercial Manager, said: “This training is critical. Data security should not just be about a small number of people, it should run throughout the business. The Cyber Stars programme helps organisations achieve that.

The threat of cyber-crime to UK business users continues to rise each year. The Cyber Stars programme provides employees with the skills to ensure that their organisation operates safely online.”

You can find out more about Inteltrain and its products at www.inteltrain.com

FEATURE: DIGITAL FOCUS

ADVERTORIAL

Digital Orchard IT – demystifying cyber security As the world increasingly moves into the digital age, keeping online data secure has never been more important. Indeed, the media headlines are full of stories of companies having their security breached, causing damage to company reputation and clients alike.

That is why it makes sense to bring in an expert like Simon McCullagh from Edinburghbased Digital Orchard IT to advise you on your cyber security.

Simon, who has 15 years of industry experience, works across central Scotland, providing, IT support, management, system design, business continuity and information security.

He said: “Cyber security is important but some companies still under-estimate the impact it can have on their operations.

“The key thing to remember is that a system is vulnerable at every point where a computer receives data from the internet. Hackers seek out the chinks in the armour, which is where the security breaches can occur.

“The consequences of not taking cyber security seriously can be catastrophic, including having clients’ data stolen and incurring serious damage to the reputation of the business.

“The 2014 Information EU Security Breaches Survey underlined the importance of taking cyber security seriously, showing that 87% of SMEs had experienced a breach within the previous year.

“It is a major problem. UK cyber-crime exceeded £6 billion in losses in 2014 alone, yet so much of it could have been avoided by taking a few simple precautions.

“The problem is that many SMEs don’t have dedicated cyber/IT security skills within the business, rather relying on buying their IT from a local re-seller, from the high street retailer or over the web.

“I don’t think that buying an off-the-shelf product is necessarily enough. Every company’s needs are different and relying on a one-size-

fits-all solution doesn't go far enough.”

Digital Orchard IT combats cyber-crime by providing a tailored solution through an easyto-manage programme of monitoring online activity and taking action to prevent possible breaches.

This includes installing high-security antivirus protection, creating systems that constantly scan for vulnerabilities and offering mail protection.

Simon said: “The need for cyber security can only increase in the years to come as our dependence on online information continues to grow.

“The UK is currently the most cyberdependent economy of the G20 nations.

A total of 74% of the adult population buy goods and services online, spending £91 billion in 2013 alone, and each transaction has to be secure.

“Whatever kind of business you are in, we can help you to make the best use of the opportunities presented by digital technology.”

To find out how Digital Orchard IT can help your business stay secure online, contact: Tel: 0131 208 0080 / 07793 739237

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FEATURE: LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Your comprehensive guide to SQA Qualifications in Scotland ADVERTORIAL

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SQA qualifications are designed and structured to support people on their individual learning journeys, and give Scottish businesses a competitive advantage by enhancing the quality of the workforce.

At first sight, the Scottish qualifications system might seem complex, but it is really very straightforward. Qualifications sit at various levels allowing the learner to make strides from one qualification to the next, or to change paths at an equivalent level, which gives everyone the opportunity to achieve their full and true potential.

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SQA has a wide range of robust, relevant and respected qualifications which are designed in partnership with industry experts to ensure learners gain the skills and experience needed in the workplace. “SQA is proud to be at the heart of the education and skills system in Scotland and is committed to helping young people realise their potential and to achieve their ambitions.�

Dr Janet Brown, Chief Executive of SQA

FEATURE: LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

SQAADVERTORIAL offers a wide range of qualifications that help young people progress on their individual learning journeys. These include: National Qualifications NQs are normally taken at school or college, including Nationals, Highers, Advanced Highers, Group Awards, Skills for Work and Baccalaureates.

Scottish Vocational Qualifications SVQs cover nearly all occupations in Scotland and are designed in association with industry and business to develop the skills employers need to succeed.

Qualifications for Work Developing the skills and attitudes employers look for, they include Workplace Skills, and Apprenticeships.

Professional Development Awards PDAs develop the skills of those already in professional employment, extending or broadening their skills.

Awards Flexible, credible qualifications which allow the learner to gain skills, confidence and motivation to participate in the wider community.

Wider Achievement Recognising life and work skills in a wide range of areas such as Leadership, Enterprise, Employability and Wellbeing.

Higher National qualifications HNCs and HNDs are offered internationally to meet the needs of employers, or give candidates access to 2nd or 3rd year University entry.

General SQA also offers qualifications in areas including Internet Safety, Safe Road Use, Cycling, Personal Finance and Customer Service.

This ready reckoner shows SQA Qualifications in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.

SQA Qualifications in the

Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework

SCQF

Levels

12

Doctorate*

11

Masters*

10

Honours Degree*

9

Ordinary Degree*

8 7 6 5 4 3

SCQF

Levels

12 SVQ 5

10 Professional Development Awards

9 SVQ 4

Higher National Diploma

Advanced Higher Scottish Baccalaureates Higher Skills for Work Higher National 5 / Skills for Work National 5 National 4 / Skills for Work National 4 National 3 / Skills for Work National 3

2

National 2

1

National 1

11

7

Higher National Certificate Awards

SVQ 3

National Progression Awards/ National Certificates

8

6

SVQ 2

5

SVQ 1

4 3 2

*Benchmark qualifications of higher education institutions

1

Download your Qualifications Guide here – www.sqa.org.uk/qualsguide

Business Development T: 0303 333 0330 E: mycentre@sqa.org.uk W: www.sqa.org.uk/qualsguide

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ADVERTORIAL

FEATURE: CREATING THE PERFECT EVENT

Introducing Cameron Presentations “Hello, we’re Cameron Presentations. It’s good to meet you.”

Some of you may already know us. We’ve been around for quite some time. It’s been 16 years since we opened a very small operation called Bright Eyes (now Cameron Presentations) in Edinburgh, which offered basic projection and screen hire and not much else. Our growth in Edinburgh has been slow and steady, but now we’re ready to take the main stage.

Our brief history will give you a feel for our family run company.

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Established in 1946 as an audio installations company, C W Cameron created a laboratory environment (white coats and all) for his staff to carefully construct and maintain his products. As the company grew his sons Chris and Alan Cameron took the reins and invested in reselling the latest audio visual technology to Europe from Japan and North America working alongside companies such as Panasonic, 3M and Sony. In the 90’s we bought an audio visual hire company as well as producing and replicating VHS for Scotland’s largest selling titles in sport, comedy to documentaries. Our evolution took an expected leap as, when faced with a daunting recession, we invested in creating All Event Hire, now an industry leader in

furniture hire and event management.

Another string to the bow. It’s now the turn of Chris Cameron’s sons, Adam and Chris Jnr, to lead the company in to the next era in our history and we hope Edinburgh will play a major part.

As specialists in delivering high-quality event presentations and multi-media services, we have led developments in the sector and can provide a number of solutions in all areas of events; from audio visual requirements to full event production including lighting, staging, filming and editing, theming and event furniture.

We provide a dedicated team to work with clients offering support through all stages

ADVERTORIAL

of the event; from creation and design to delivery and support on the day. With a wealth of experience in dealing with client requirements of all shapes and sizes we offer a completely comprehensive level of service for any event. In order to offer the best possible service, we ensure we’re always looking ahead, so that our clients benefit from the latest ideas and technology from the events industry.

It’s always been our belief that anyone can buy the same products as anyone else, but they can’t always offer the same creative solutions or, more importantly, service.

Utilising products in a creative and inventive way will always separate you from the pack.

Offering this creative solution using highly experienced and trained individuals and teams will make you an industry leader. If you add to this, a dedication to R&D and a commitment to investing in the latest

FEATURE: CREATING THE PERFECT EVENT

technology and innovative products, you’ve got something quite unique. We believe that’s what we have here at Cameron’s.

We invest in people. Offering a path to grow and develop a career within a family business can be viewed as difficult, but we believe continuous growth and development of the company striving for the highest possible standards is something for our staff to believe in too. Our staff retention is quite remarkable.

Across 3 offices in 2 cities, our staff of 40 staff have been working with us for 11 years on average, some more than 30 years. In this industry, that’s almost unheard of. We must be doing something right.

Already the main audio visual (AV) based events supplier in Glasgow, we’re now making our move in Edinburgh. Having recently retained the AV contract at the Parliament for a further 5 years. A 3 year

contract with both Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and Scottish Golf to deliver their Annual Awards alongside creating the video content for Edinburgh Airports New terminal, we like to think that our “unique” offering is providing value for some of Edinburghs leading and most progressive companies.

0131 652 6007 ehire@cameronpres.co.uk www.cameronpres.co.uk

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CHAMBER NEWS

It’s A Hat Trick… British Airways Wins Superbrand A Record Three Times British Airways has smashed Superbrand records by being named both the UK’s number one Consumer and Business Superbrand 2016.

British Airways is the first organisation to be independently voted number one Consumer Superbrand for three years in a row.

Last October British Airways appointed Troy Warfield to the position of Director of Customer Experience; he joined from Avis Budget Group, where he was Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer (Europe, Middle East and Africa).

At British Airways, Troy is responsible for the brand, customer experience and service proposition as well as overseeing more than 14,000 cabin crew, customer insight, customer relations, product development and partnership activity.

Speaking about the airlines Superbrand success he said; “We are thrilled to win this award, it is fantastic recognition for the thousands of people who each day wear the British Airways uniform with pride.”

Explaining what he thinks has contributed to BA’s Superbrand status he said: “The essence that makes British Airways the brand it is today is its innate British-ness. To us that means being caring, professional and treating everyone as an individual. It’s about quality and understated style. It’s about brilliant innovation and great design along with operational expertise. And while we may not all be British at BA we do all try to embody those qualities when we’re dealing with our customers and each other.”

He continued: “Our motto is "To Fly. To Serve."

Its part of the DNA of British Airways. It is on our coat of arms, which is stitched into the lining of our uniforms. It encapsulates our expertise for flying and our commitment to

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customer service. In short - it describes our purpose.”

of the East and Great British Breakfast, which are proving really popular.”

“Our highly trained cabin crew are recognised for their delivery of the unique British Airways service style which is a combination of intuitive service delivered with personality.

Consistent delivery of this service style is critical to the success of our brand.”

Speaking about technology he said: "We will continue to develop new useful services. For example our BA app allows customers to save multiple boarding passes in their device and we’ve just launched a new version of it for iPad users featuring a searchable 3D globe and more detailed destination information."

Looking to the future Troy believes British Airways will thrive through constant innovation.

He said: "Last year we started taking delivery of our newest aircraft type, the 787-9 Dreamliner complete with our latest first class cabin, and another 11 will arrive this year. We have refreshed our short-haul fleet and continue to invest in lounges: last year Edinburgh was among our new lounge openings and recent launches this year include Dubai and Singapore."

Troy continued: “We have introduced new champagnes in short-haul, and launched six pre-paid enhanced meal options for longhaul customers in economy, including Taste

He concluded: “We’re not resting on our laurels, we’ll continue to innovate for our customers and deliver it all in a very British style.”

Troy Warfield, Director of Customer Experience

CHAMBER NEWS

Let’s Talks About Youth Talent: Engaging in Education education and is woven throughout in Developing the Young different forms. Whether inspiring primary 3’s Workforce, Scotland’s Youth to think about Science by leading an activity to build and launch elastic band boats or Employment Strategy, asks a vocational course linked to a business to be more involved co-designing growth sector for pupils in secondary schools, in the shaping and recruiting engagement in education adds value and has of youth talent with educators benefits for all involved. and businesses working BENEFITS of engaging in education: together as co-investors to n Nurturing youth talent through school initiatives and work placements gives create a skilled workforce for Ways to engage in schools and colleges: them a flavour of your organisation’s n Offer meaningful work placements Scotland’s future. culture and an opportunity for you to Your Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian Regional Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Board and partners invite you to join us in delivering our two ambitions: 1. Deliver an improvement in employers’ engagement with schools and colleges in the region by encouraging and supporting more employers to actively collaborate with schools, colleges and other learning providers to better align skills supply and skills demand, which will result in delivering an increased economic and societal impact from investment.

2. Encourage and support employers to open up job and development opportunities to more young people, investing in their future careers, stimulating increased economic growth, productivity and earnings.

In exploring our future workforce we identified in Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian we are hosts to 160 Primary Schools, over 40 local authority High Schools and 3 Colleges. The region has an average of 10,000 young people leaving school and college each year, all with individual talents and ambitions of what the future holds.

What is clear in our youth employment strategy is that employers play a vital role alongside educators, parents and guardians and young people themselves in the shaping of youth talent. Huw Martin, Director Head Resourcing and Regional DYW Board Member agrees;

generate your future talent pipeline. Skills gaps are prevented and progressions from initiatives and placements mean savings on recruitment costs. n Positive image, brand awareness and exposure of your business to young people and the local community, demonstrating a clear commitment to be a responsible business n It can contribute to a community benefit requirements of contract delivery n It can be an opportunity to be a mentor, role model and advisor to a young person while training, coaching and developing their skills.

We know that a large number of Corporate businesses engage in education, along with enhancing this engagement we are keen to support more SME’s to join in. In a recent FSB report ‘School Tips: Transforming Small Business Engagement with Schools’ it is reported that a quarter of SME’s do engage in education yet the report also highlights the need to make it easier for businesses to be involved. The report recommends a one stop shop online matching service which would allow both business and schools to logon and find their best fit. This is reassuring as one of the key focus areas our Regional DYW Group are exploring is the development of a digital platform to make it easier for employers to actively collaborate in education.

“It’s absolutely vital that education & business work closer together. It’s critical for our economy that education develops young people with the required skills, behaviours & competencies for the world of work but also that business has a huge responsibility to help shape the curriculum and make people aware of what opportunities exist for young people.”

n Be a mentor to a young person n Offer insight and inspiration, raising industry awareness and aspiration n Co-develop and deliver programmes n Get involved in careers events, talks to teachers and parents as well as young people n Get involved in employability and skills initiatives already established n Sponsor activities established in schools “There has never been a more important time for partnership working between education and business. It is undoubtedly a key component in building aspirations and in helping to prepare young people for life and work.” Kenneth Lawrie, Chief Executive, Midlothian Council Your Regional DYW group are making this ask now, come and join us in achieving our ambitions; inspire youth talent, be inspired, be part of something that has impact and join us in investing in Scotland’s young workforce.

Are you in?

Find up to date information on support available on our website, www. edinburghchamber.co.uk/DYW you can follow us on Twitter @DYWEdinMidEast and we would love you to join us in our ‘Let’s Talk About Youth Talent’ Group on LinkedIn, where we will discuss best practice, challenges and ideas – involving everyone in this discussion.

Business engagement begins in early

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CHAMBER NEWS

Understanding The Benefits Of Responsible Business Practices The case for responsible business has largely been accepted in Scotland and there is a real commitment by Scottish businesses to support local communities.

A Social Value Lab survey in 2015 found that 43% of Scottish businesses have programmes for community engagement, releasing resources, skills and assets to communities and third sector organisations.

Such programmes include making financial donations, donating products and services, working in partnership and supporting employee volunteering in the community.

Edinburgh Napier University is collaborating with the Voluntary Action Fund, one of Scotland’s biggest independent grant-makers, in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership to research the relationship between business and the third sector in Scotland (the #VAFConnect project).

The research seeks to understand better the relationship between business and the current and emerging needs of communities and the organisations which work with them.

Forging connections between sectors is seen as an important step in better aligning business goals with societal challenges in ways which deliver benefits for all parties.

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Part of the research has recently focussed on the responsible business practices of four businesses who have committed to the Scottish Business Pledge: GSK, KCP Ltd, Heart of Midlothian Plc and PR Print & Design Ltd. The Pledge was launched by the Scottish Government in May 2015 with the goal of boosting productivity, competitiveness and fair work practices and is a key part of the Government’s Fairer Scotland vision.

The research has identified some common themes and benefits arising from committing to the Pledge including raising awareness of business credentials; forming strategic partnerships in local communities; investment in future talent and building engagement within the workforce.

Dr Miles Weaver, Lecturer at Edinburgh Napier’s Business School said: “We are delighted that our KTP with the Voluntary Action Fund is leading to connections between sectors, sharing values, and identifying new ways that businesses can find opportunities to grow, while at the same time enabling people and communities to thrive.”

The KTP research led to a first groundbreaking Responsible Business Forum, held

at the University’s Craiglockhart Campus on February 25th in conjunction with the enterprise agencies, the Scottish Government and Business in the Community Scotland.

The Forum, which is intended to become an annual event, aims to strengthen the relationships between all sectors and highlight best practice to better utilise resources within communities.

The February event also offered the 100 or so participating businesses and organisations the opportunity to take part directly in the research project and discuss perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility, now increasingly referred to as Responsible Business practices.

The ultimate aim of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership is 'to design a grant making platform that connects the CSR activities of Scottish businesses and the real and emerging needs in Scotland and the third sector' and it will be completed in February 2017.

To find out more about the project contact Dr Miles Weaver, Lecturer in Operations and SCM at the University: m.weaver@napier.ac.uk

ADVERTORIAL

Host your 2016 Golf Day at Gleneagles Host Venue to The 2014 Ryder Cup and The 2019 Solheim Cup, voted The Best Golf Resort in The World

by UltraTravel magazine for four consecutive years, and home to three championship courses - Gleneagles is the ultimate venue for a corporate golf day to remember.

Holding a corporate golf day at Gleneagles will challenge your most experienced clients and colleagues with some of the finest golf courses in the UK, just as much as those enthusiastic beginners.

Golfing activities can be tailored to any event, from individual golf lessons to structured group tuition and tournament administration.

On-course corporate branding, coupled with golfing products and gifts displaying your company logo can be organised to add impact to your event.

Few will fail to be impressed by the luxury and

legacy of Gleneagles. So if you’re looking for a special yet affordable way to entertain clients, then you couldn’t choose a better place.

situated in 850 acres of beautiful Perthshire countryside, just one hour’s drive from Edinburgh and Glasgow.

And, for 2016, there are some fantastic packages on offer. Book a golf day for 8 or more golfers and Gleneagles will include the following:

The resort is home to three championship golf courses, and a range of over 20 outdoor activities including shooting; falconry; fishing; off-road driving; horse-riding and archery. It’s the ideal destination for team-building, with a whole host of unusual options on offer: explore the grounds with an interactive GPS treasure hunt; take part in your own Highland Games; or learn some new culinary skills with cookery demonstrations and whisky blending masterclasses.

n Morning bacon or sausage roll with tea or coffee n 18 holes of golf on either The PGA Centenary (Host Venue of The 2014 Ryder Cup and 2019 Solheim Cup), The majestic King’s or the scenic Queen’s Course n A two-course golfer’s meal in The Dormy Clubhouse Bar and Grill.

All of this from only £105 per person in April, £145 in May and £165 in June.

To enquire about holding your next event at Gleneagles, please get in touch with Ashley Thomson, Regional Sales Manager on 07803 857193 or email ashley.thomson@ gleneagles.com. Alternatively, call our Group Sales team on 0800 587 8806.

With 232 luxury bedrooms and suites; an award-winning Spa by ESPA; and four restaurants including Scotland’s only two Michelin-starred restaurant, Andrew Fairlie, Gleneagles is the perfect location to entertain valued clients and colleagues.

About The Gleneagles Hotel The Gleneagles Hotel was built by The Caledonian Railway Company in 1924 and is

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ADVERTORIAL

A bright future ahead It has been an incredible eighteen months at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre and with an even brighter future ahead, Marshall Dallas, who took up the role of Chief Executive in October 2014, explains more.

In 2015 we experienced one of the EICC’s most successful years, with a significant turnaround in our operational and financial performance. In our busiest year on record we hosted over 150 conferences and events with around 70,000 attendees. We welcomed a great diversity of events from AGMs, international conferences, product launches and road shows to high profile banquets like the Scottish Business Awards which saw George Clooney captivate an audience of 2,000 dinner guests in November.

This year, we aim to build on these successes and are set to double the number of international association conferences being hosted in Edinburgh at the EICC. The uplift in business is largely down to a more focused sales and marketing approach and an ability to move with the changing expectations of the events industry.

In recent years, client expectations within our industry have changed hugely with greater demands for competitive rates, excellence as standard, flexibility and the availability of the latest technologies. Our clients also demand greater clarity and transparency, particularly in terms of costs.

Since opening in 1995, the EICC has always focused on quality, service excellence and innovation and these areas remain the cornerstone of our strategy. What we have recognised in more recent times though is that we needed to change perceptions in some quarters of the industry when it came to our offering.

As a response to how the events industry is evolving we have introduced a series of changes to help move the EICC away from being perceived as too expensive and being a venue which hosts only large-scale conferences. These changes have included simplifying our terms with more transparent, competitive and flexible rates, designed to make our clients job of budgeting for conferences and events as straightforward as possible.

The ÂŁ35 million expansion of the venue means we now have world class facilities that match the international competition. We

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are really seeing the benefit of the expanded space and it has been a huge driver in securing more of the international corporate and association conferences. Alongside these conferences we can now host a greater diversity of event types which we would not have previously been able to cater for.

Within the city itself, improvements to infrastructure as well as greater collaboration between city partners have contributed to Edinburgh being increasingly viewed as a global events destination and have helped us to welcome more international delegates to the city than in previous years.

The great news for us and the city is that Edinburgh is now the highest ranked UK conference destination outside London according to leading global industry organisations, like the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). While we are now widely regarded as one the world’s top conference venues, the years ahead will be about investing in our people and technology to ensure that we remain at the forefront of the industry.

Contact the EICC Team on 0131 300 3333 to start planning your next event. sales@eicc.co.uk www.eicc.co.uk Follow us @eicc

Marshall Dallas is Chief Executive of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre

ADVERTORIAL

About to lose your About to lose your bin?

No problem. bin? No problem.

Across the city trade waste policy is changing, businesses will no Across longer the be allowed to store waste on public property. city trade waste policy is changing, businesses Far from being a hassle McDonalds a positive will no longer be allowed to storemade wastethis on public property. changeFar and was one of the first businesses to adapt to the from being a hassle McDonalds made this a positive new trade waste Initial concerns about the changes change andpolicy. was one of the first businesses to adapt to the were eased by working with Changeworks new trade waste policy.

Initial concernsRecycling. about the changes were Andrew eased byWatson working quickly with Changeworks Recycling.

Franchisee noticed the benefits.

Franchisee Andrew Watson quickly noticed the benefits.

“At first I was concerned about the timescales and “At first I was concerned timescales and disruption to my business, butabout I alsothe knew it would disruption to my business, but I also knew it would make such a difference to the look of the street and the make such a difference to the look of the street and the environmental sustainability of the restaurant,” explains environmental sustainability of the restaurant,” explains Andrew.Andrew.

The fiveThe large containers looked unsightly and fivewheeled large wheeled containers looked unsightly andtook took up a large amount of space. up a large amount of space.

“We removed thesethese and replaced them with smaller “We removed and replaced them with smallerwheelie wheelie bins and a for cage for recycling, which could store inside bins and a cage recycling, which we we could store inside own premises.”

Andrew. theseout out our ownour premises.” says says Andrew.

“We“We nownow putput these on the street for one hour every morning to be collected, on the street for one hour every morning to be collected, which greatly reduces the likelihood of litter and vermin which greatly reduces the likelihood of litter and vermin on the street.” on the street.”

Having smaller bins gave Andrew the opportunity to review

Having the smaller bins gave Andrew the opportunity to review amount of waste the restaurant produces. They recycle the amount of waste the restaurant produces.

They recycle cardboard, clean plastic, paper, tin, used cooking oil and cardboard, food clean waste.plastic, paper, tin, used cooking oil and food waste.

Andrew is delighted with the results, “The overall cost of process is with more the or less the same it was cost before, Andrewthe is delighted results, “Theasoverall ofonly now it’s much easier to manage and looks a lot better on the process is more or less the same as it was before, only the street.

My city centre store is in such an iconic location, now it’s much easier to manage and looks a lot better on sitting the centre shadow store of Edinburgh Castle, that keeping the the street.

Myincity is in such an iconic location, streets around the stores clean and tidy is hugely important sitting in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle, that keeping the to the business.” streets around the stores clean and tidy is hugely important Avoid costly fines and hassle call 0800 694 0158 to the business.”

Email info@changeworksrecycling.co.uk

Avoid costly fines and hassle call 0800 694 0158

CHANGEWORKS RECYCLING 36 NEWHAVEN ROAD EDINBURGH EH6 5PY CHANGEWORKS RECYCLING

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E INFO@CHANGEWORKSRECYCLING.CO.UK WWW.CHANGEWORKSRECYCLING.CO.UK A CHANGEWORKS COMPANY

T 0800 694 0158 E INFO@CHANGEWORKSRECYCLING.CO.UK WWW.CHANGEWORKSRECYCLING.CO.UK A CHANGEWORKS COMPANY

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ADVERTORIAL

Perth Racecourse off to a flyer with Edinburgh firms

New CEO targets growth in corporate hospitality bookings as Capital’s businesses gallop towards Scotland’s most popular racecourse Four months after taking the reins of Scotland’s most popular racecourse, new Perth Racecourse chief executive Hazel Peplinski has indicated that this season is on course to be its biggest yet in terms of hospitality and sponsorship at the picturesque track.

Perth, which has the largest average attendance of any racecourse in Scotland, is engaging with more Edinburgh-based businesses than ever before through its thriving corporate hospitality facilities, and Mrs Peplinski says she sees the Capital’s business community as a key strand of her strategy in the year ahead.

She said: “We’ve been blessed by geography here at Perth with the racecourse sitting within a 90-minute drive of 90% of Scotland’s population, and given the facilities here and the beauty of the surroundings, businesses from far and wide are choosing to do their entertaining here.”

One of the new chief exec’s first meetings after taking on the new role was with Scotland’s Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy, John Swinney.

Mr Swinney visited the racecourse to discuss a variety of issues ranging from the impact

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of the new Queensferry Crossing, to the racecourse’s plans for a new £1.8m hotel.

The trackside hotel, known as The Lodge, is due to open for business this summer and will provide accommodation for up to 70 stable lads on race days as well as supporting the local tourist trade.

Mrs Peplinski said: “It was great that the Deputy First Minister would take time out of his schedule to discuss our plans for the season ahead. Perth Racecourse is such an important contributor to the economy not just in Perth but to the wider national economy.

Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, said: “I am always delighted to visit Perth Racecourse which represents an extremely important business, visitor attraction and employer for both Perth and Perthshire.

“The opportunity to meet new CEO Hazel Peplinski is an added highlight and Hazel’s appointment, together with her impressive career in racing, speaks to the latest step in the ambitious development of the Racecourse.

“I wish Hazel and her team all the very best for the future and look forward to her vision and expertise converting into even more visitors and events at the Racecourse to the continued benefit of Perthshire and Scotland.”

Ahead of Perth’s popular three-day festival that runs 20-22 April, hospitality at the Friday fixture has sold out with limited availability remaining in the first two days.

“We have a great relationship with a variety of big-name firms in Edinburgh such as Investec, Baillie Gifford, and Aberdeen Asset Management and we look forward to welcoming even more in the season ahead”, added Mrs Peplinski.

The racecourse is also going through a purple patch in sponsorship. For the first time in the Perth Festival’s 27-year history, every race in the three-day event has been sponsored, which shows the growing appeal of the racecourse to the wider Scottish business community as a venue to do business and be seen.

For further information on booking hospitality or sponsorship at Perth Racecourse, see www.perth-races.co.uk, email tracey@ perth-races.co.uk, or call 01738 551 597.

ADVERTORIAL

hospitality at the races

2016 april - september

www.perth-races.co.uk book online

tel: 01738 551 597

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CHAMBER NEWS

VAT – Love it or loathe it! A Charity Perspective

By Lynn Gemmell, VAT Strategist at Condies

At the risk of sounding clichéd, experience tells me that VAT is like marmite and there are a great number of people who definitely don’t love it! Even if it’s not to your taste though, ignoring VAT could mean falling foul of the rules and regulations and bring significant penalties; not an appetising thought.

While we’re on the subject, it’s important to dispel the myth that charities are immune to VAT; there is no general VAT relief for charities. The normal rules do apply with a few limited reliefs allowing certain goods and services to benefit from reduced rates of VAT. VAT can adversely affect charitable organisations and it can have a huge impact when coupled with any financial constraints that already apply. An unexpected VAT liability could cause significant damage, so having a general awareness of how VAT affects activities undertaken by charities will arm Trustees with enough knowledge to know when to seek specialist VAT advice but as a general rule, if in doubt ask an expert!

It’s not possible for me to create an army of VAT specialists with one article but, by providing an overview of common areas of concern I hope to highlight the key issues you should keep in mind.

The Liability of Income Has due consideration been given to VAT in relation to the charity’s income generating activities? Would you be surprised to know that each of the following sources of income have a VAT angle and have resulted in VAT liabilities for numerous charities?

Grant funding Donations Membership subscriptions Charity shop sales Admission to galleries/museums Charges between charities for staff and resource sharing n Fundraising events n Property rental n n n n n n

While it is often thought that VAT registration needs to be avoided at all cost, have you actually considered whether it is a

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compulsory requirement or indeed would it in fact be beneficial?

architectural reason for this other than appearance!

While VAT liabilities can arise, it’s not all doom and gloom! By structuring transactions in a particular way VAT costs can also be minimised.

Almost anyone in a financial role will have come across VAT at some stage in their career and they will also know that the nature of VAT is that there is always an if, but or maybe and that the answer is not always straight forward.

VAT Relief on Costs In addition to the general reliefs available for printed matter and fuel, VAT relief can be available* for advertising, goods used to collect monetary donations, medicinal products, medical and scientific equipment, aids for the disabled and energy saving materials. In addition, zero rating can apply to certain capital projects where the relevant conditions are met, often resulting in significant VAT savings.

As an example - one charity inadvertently lost out on zero rating relief as a result of a newly constructed building being attached to an existing one, when there was no real

Ensuring that VAT is given due consideration at an early stage does mean that the action required is often a lot less taxing than trying to fix things retrospectively. I also know firsthand that dealing with HMRC pro actively as opposed to sorting out a retrospective muddle results in far more favourable results.

So, in summary, while you may find you never particularly enjoy the VAT process, some guidance and forethought can make the whole experience a lot more palatable! provided specific conditions are met by the charity and, where relevant, appropriate certificates are issued *

CHAMBER NEWS

ScotRail - Connecting Scotland With Opportunities To Grow and Prosper

Rob Shorthouse

By Rob Shorthouse, Client and Communications Director, ScotRail Alliance

Abellio assumed guardianship of the ScotRail Franchise on 1 April, 2015.

One promise at the heart of our successful bid was to transform Scotland’s railway.

We also want our franchise to make a contribution to the success of our country.

Our view is that the value of transport lies not in what it is. We think that the real value comes from what it can do. It is the connections that transport provides – whether between people and jobs, businesses and customers or communities with opportunities to grow and prosper – that really matters.

This notion of Connecting Scotland has been at the heart of our first year of operation.

Our first action was to join up the two parts of the railway that were separated over 20 years ago. Our deep alliance with Network Rail means that Scotland’s railway is one team, doing the right thing for our customers and our country.

The pace of change has been swift. In a matter of months we have: n Launched the largest ever Train Improvement Programme in ScotRail’s long, proud history. This will deliver new trains, a refurbished fleet and great benefits like enhanced WiFi and at-seat power sockets n Launched a range of exciting new products - including our £5 flat fare

These are but a few of the highlights – as was the hugely successful campaign to ‘keep people moving’ during the 44 day Winchburgh Tunnel closure. And, when the Forth Road Bridge closed, we literally worked day and night to remodel our timetable and to bring in the extra trains that helped us deliver thousands of extra seats.

Our proudest achievement, though, came when the first National Rail Passenger Survey results since we took over were published in January.

We were delighted when the results showed that the public were noticing what we are trying to do, and clearly demonstrated that it was the quality of our people which made such a fantastic score possible. A record equaling 90 percent satisfaction rating was a rise of 3 percentage points on the last survey and 7 points above the UK average.

Borders Railway A lot of numbers have been used in relation to the Borders Railway: 30 miles of new line, 7 new stations, 500,000 passenger journeys in five months.

But when we think about the new line, we don’t just think about numbers. We think about the transformation that is occurring because the railway has been reintroduced to the area after an absence of five decades.

Businesses are expanding, tourist attractions are reporting record attendances, and the economic opportunities that come from

being directly linked to a major city like Edinburgh are being felt right across the Borders.

Transforming Customer Information One of the most common complaints any transport provider receives from their customers is about the lack of information available to them during periods of disruption. We have sought to address this and are transforming customer information.

Over the course of our first year, we have rolled out 5500 smart devices and designed a raft of apps that ensure that our frontline staff always have access to the right information, at the right time in the right place. In particular, our Contingency App provides staff direct access to the contingency plans during disruption which means our staff are ready to tell the customers about it.

Exciting times Introducing our new fleet of faster, longer greener electric trains between Glasgow and Edinburgh will transform travel between our two biggest cities. Our SMART ticketing system will take the hassle out of travelling and our relentless focus on the customer will deliver innovations across Scotland.

These are exciting times.

n Signed up over 100,000 people to our new Club 50 n Re-introduced services on the Borders Railway n Recruited an extra 100 train drivers n Established four new Community Rail Partnerships n Launched Bike & Go schemes at 11 stations n Become the first private company to sign up to the Scotland’s Town Centre First Principle

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INSPIRING RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS

Far From Standard Tale Helps Hundreds Of Young People If any business needs an insight into the benefits of supporting its local community, and in particular the young people who will play a big part in shaping the future, Sandy Begbie is happy to talk about what can be achieved with a little vision and a lot of commitment.

Sandy, Chief People Officer at Standard Life, is an energetic advocate of the benefits of ensuring that businesses maintain, and use, the talent pool of our young people.

The company was an early partner in The Edinburgh Guarantee, created under the auspices of Dame Sue Bruce, then Chief Executive of City of Edinburgh Council, to tackle the” difficult problem of the 500 or so young people who were leaving the capital’s schools each year with no positive destination (i.e. employment, training or further education).

Sandy said: “We looked at our own workforce, and it came as something of a shock to realise we no longer had any employees under the age of 21. Our pool of employees, although full of talented and committed people, risked not being refreshed. We had focused on graduates, and had stopped creating chances for school leavers in our local community to build careers with us. We knew we wanted to do something to make a real difference.”

Standard Life set about tackling this anomaly through a number of initiatives, including the Edinburgh Guarantee Scheme, Modern Apprenticeships and Investment 2020, alongside structured support and on the job training. The company introduced a Young Person’s Development Network, put mentors and buddies in place, and helped existing staff learn more about working with young people.

Sandy added: “All of this effort has had a positive impact on our business - and brought real benefit to the young people and our communities. We now have almost a 100 people under the age of 21 working at Standard Life and hundreds more under the age of 25.”

Sandy and his colleagues have been delighted with the outcome of the Edinburgh Guarantee scheme – which provides a six-month paid internship for young people who have recently left school, and has so far benefited more than 130 young people with 98% of them moving into full time employment or further education.

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“We have expanded the scheme to offer opportunities for young people in Glasgow and London. We also support the Investment 2020 initiative at Standard Life Investments by offering 12-month work placements.

We also offer Modern Apprenticeships and traineeships to encourage young people to pursue technical and specialist career routes.”

Standard Life works with a number of charities in creating programmes to remove barriers to employment, including The Prince’s Trust, Remploy and Tomorrow’s People Sandy added: “Many people face barriers and have complex needs stopping them from entering the work place. This includes people who have been through the care system, people serving as carers, people with disability and people who are transitioning from a career with the Armed Forces.”

Charity also begins at home, and Standard Life has recognised this in a number of ways.

The company is a committed supporter of the Living Wage, and in addition is determined to work with its staff to help them to progress in their careers and reach their potential by achieving their ambitions. Sandy said: “To realise this we work to provide diverse and inclusive employment practices and supported development opportunities which help to create sustainable skills for our business.”

Working with young people remains a high priority. As Chair of the regional Developing the Young Workforce initiative, Sandy intends to make even greater inroads.

Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce will use its considerable reach and influence to help deliver the initiative under a cross-sectoral advisory board chaired by Sandy.

The scheme is part of the Scottish Government’s seven year plan to reduce youth unemployment by 40 per cent, ensuring more school leavers find positive work while helping businesses tap into a pool of talented young people.

An executive team has been established to help carry out much of the work, and Sandy is hopeful that the involvement of Edinburgh Chamber will be a positive factor. “Involving SMEs in this will be vital, and Edinburgh Chamber, with over 1000 SME members, is well placed to help us do that. We need to show SMEs that attracting and finding skilled and talented young people creates a win for all of us.”

Sandy Begbie, Chief People Officer (far left) and Mark Smith, Sustainability Programmes Manager (far right) with the latest intake of school leavers to join Standard Life through the Edinburgh Guarantee scheme.

INSPIRING RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS

"All of this effort has had a positive impact on our business - and brought real benefit to the young people and our communities. We now have almost a hundred people under the age of 21.�

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INSPIRING RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS

Journey To Deep Green An Exciting One For Skanska Skanska’s Journey to Deep Green may sound like the title of a sci-fi movie – but for this leading construction company, it’s a vision of where they want to be and maps out their journey to a sustainable future.

The company is renowned for its focus on sustainability in its widest sense – including its environmental ambitions, approach to health and safety and commitment to contributing to the communities in which it works - with a genuine philosophy that underpins everything that it does.

Adam Crossley, Director of Environment, is – as you would imagine, given his role – an articulate and passionate advocate.

“Our new business plan is ‘Profit with Purpose.’ Our aim, in everything we do, is that we should not just be trying to minimise our impact on the environment – we should

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be trying to have a positive impact. There is a dialogue between profit and purpose, in which each supports the other. The company wants to give back to the environment and to the communities it operates in, and to be responsible in all we do.

Green goes beyond compliance, but is not yet at a point where it can be considered to have a near-zero environmental impact. Deep Green means we have a near-zero negative environmental impact or, better, a positive impact.

“That is the philosophical perspective. In practical terms how does it work? As a construction company, we operate a Color Palette™in which we grade our projects, from Vanilla to Deep Green. It is our internal method of measuring and guiding the green performance of our projects. Vanilla is a project which is fully compliant with all of the environmental policies and regulations.

“We clearly want to be involved in more Deep Green projects.”

Skanska need to take a lot of people with them on their Journey to Deep Green if they are to reach their destination – shareholders, stakeholders and customers all need to buy in to the vision.

That’s not something that causes either

INSPIRING RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS

Adam, or the company, to lose sleep. He believes the argument has rational and commercial strength as well as advocating the responsible thing to do.

He said: “Our strategy is out there, and our philosophy is something we are proud of.

Our shareholders like the fact that we are a successful business, a commercial business, but also a values-led business. They like ‘profit with purpose’.

“Similarly, we often find that we are working with like-minded people. Most businesses want to be responsible in their dealings, of course. Being responsible and ethical in your approach is, in the eyes of most business people, good business.”Skanska operates across the globe, and Adam acknowledges that circumstances and opportunities differ from home market to home market. But the underlying trend remains pretty constant – customers want to build as sustainably as they can.

“Sometimes we have conversations which, essentially, revolve around the need to balance the front-end cost of building something that may cost a little more initially, but will save significant on-going costs in the

longer term, for example through far greater energy efficiency.

“It is a conversation that people are increasingly willing to be engaged in, and that has to be positive.”

While the environmental impact of all of their work is a key focus for Skanska when it comes to the way they act, there is much more to their view of sustainable and responsible business.

Like many construction businesses, Skanska has tender review teams in all of its home markets, and these team’s review business that the company is interested in pursuing, how it can approach it, and what the positives and negatives might be.

He said: “Our teams will often give equal weight to the sustainability issues around any potential project to the commercial impact it has. For example, they would look at the project’s potential environmental impact, at any ethical issues, and very importantly at any health and safety issues for our own people or for people who might interact with the project at any time.

“The project has to work for us across all of

Adam Crossley

these areas before we will pursue it further.”

Diversity and inclusion is another big focus area for Skanska, ensuring that their own workforce profile accurately reflects the communities in which the business operates.

To that end, the company is very active in the UK in working with young people through a whole variety of programmes and initiatives and has a number of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Ambassadors – including Adam – who visit schools and give young people an insight into the career opportunities that are available to them in construction.

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ADVERTORIAL

Breaking down the barriers between deaf and hearing people This article is based, as many other interviews are, on a conversation between two people over the telephone.

It took the form, as all interviews do, of a series of questions and answers but what was unusual was that interviewee Joel Kellhofer, the founder of Edinburgh-based SignLive, is deaf and the interviewer is not.

And yet they were able to communicate clearly and effectively with the conversation freely flowing between them because the instant video interpreting service offered by SignLive allows deaf and hard of hearing people to communicate easily with hearing people.

SignLive, which started operations in April 2015, is the UK’s newest, boldest and most technologically advanced of the UK’s Video Interpreting providers and works both over the phone and face to face using an app or a computer.

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The company was created after Joel, a deaf entrepreneur and media specialist who has worked in the media industry for more than 20 years, brought his technical expertise to the burgeoning video interpreting market with the result that the technology used by SignLive is amongst the most advanced in the world.

So how does it work? Take the scenario that two people, one deaf, one not, wish to have a telephone conversation over the phone.

Using SignLive’s Video Relay Services (VRS), the deaf person gets out their mobile phone or fires up their computer, and clicks on the SignLive app. The app calls SignLive and an interpreter answers on video, dials the number the deaf person wants to call and interprets using a headset.

The system, which means that organisations can talk to deaf service users or potential customers who might have been missing out on important opportunities, is playing a vital role in breaking down barriers.

Joel said: “It is a very flexible system. For instance, say you want to talk with your insurance company to query your latest bill, or you want to speak with your boss at work, or to a customer. “As a hearing person, it is simple to have a conversation there and then, but if you are deaf this is difficult, particularly if it is a complex conversation. You could

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arrange for an interpreter but this needs to be done well in advance and you need to have this conversation now.

interpreting because there are no minimum call-out charges and there are no travel or booking costs

“With our system, the deaf person can also use an online interpreter to have a conversation with the hearing person by their side, this is known as Video Remote Interpreting (VRI). The deaf person calls SignLive on their computer or mobile phone and turns on the speakers. An interpreter comes on screen and the deaf person is able to hold a conversation with the hearing person at a normal pace, through the onscreen interpreter.“SignLive allows deaf and hard of hearing people to connect much better with the world around them.”

Brief meetings or appointments - When

Conversely, if a hearing person , such as the insurance company wants to call back a deaf person following an initial query, to tell them they were right, the insurance company made a mistake, they can call the deaf customer via SignLive and pass on the good news!

SignLive is compatible with Windows, Mac, iPhones, iPads and Android devices and benefits include:

Reduced Costs - Video Interpreting can reduce the cost of interpreting provision by at least 50% when compared to on-site

used for short periods i.e. between 2 and 30 minutes, Video Interpreting is far more cost effective than on-site interpreters because there is no minimum call-out charge which is typically 2 or 3 hours, or even a full day

Last-minute requests - Not everything can be planned in advance. With Video Interpreting, last-minute requests can be met by using immediately available interpreters, no matter where you are located, provided you are within range of a suitable internet connection

Rural areas - It can be difficult as well as expensive to provide interpreting in remote areas because of the lack of local interpreters.

Video Interpreting allows interpreters in other places to serve locations which lack sufficient local interpreters, provided you are within range of a suitable internet connection

Security - Some organisations require site visitors to be given security clearance in advance which poses an issue for interpreters booked at the last minute, and this can be overcome by the use of video interpreters, as

“SignLive allows deaf and hard of hearing people to connect much better with the world around them.”

no on-site security clearance is required!

Increased Efficiency - Instant access means no more waiting for on-site interpreters or scheduling challenges. For deaf people, encounters with professionals are smooth, effective and quick

Reduced Risks and improved outcomes - Risks posed to healthcare and other professional service providers are greatly reduced, decisions can be conveyed instantly and all participants have equal access, enabling better-informed diagnoses, avoiding unnecessary tests, and reducing readmissions

Last-minute requests made easy - Video Interpreting has the potential to be available on-demand at any time, 24/7, 365 days a year Joel said: “I am passionate about developing fast, easy and convenient communications solutions and over the past 12 years, I’ve worked with a variety of businesses and organisations including BT, Barclays and the Scottish Parliament, to help them communicate with deaf and hard of hearing people. Using our services takes away a lot of the frustrations for everyone involved.”

To find out more about how SignLive can help you communicate with members of the public who are deaf, email hello@signlive.co.uk or call 0330 822 0288 visit www.signlive.co.uk

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ADVERTORIAL

FEATURE: CHARITY/CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Crucial work supporting homeless women in Edinburgh Keymoves - Support for Homeless Women in Edinburgh provides vital support to vulnerable homeless women in Edinburgh, a service that it has delivered since the 1840s.

Although much has changed in the city over the past 170 years, the charity’s work is just as relevant today as it was in the middle of the 19th Century.

Keymoves, a Housing Support Service and regulated by the Care Inspectorate, provides a lifeline to women who may be facing homelessness, violence, abuse or poverty by helping them to create a new life for themselves.

The charity’s team offer care and support that is tailored to the needs of the individual, driven by a belief that women affected by homelessness should have an opportunity to reach their full potential and have a home of their own.

If you would like to have an informal discussion about how you may be able to support Keymoves or work together.

Please contact Rose Turnbull on 0131 556 8939 at the charity’s city centre offices or email rose@keymoves.org.uk

Taking a healthy approach to the workplace The importance of healthy eating is increasingly being recognised by employers who feel that they should be doing more to encourage their staff to take care of their health.

Poor nutrition can have a serious effect on workforces, affecting energy levels, concentration and general health, but Edinburgh Community Food (ECF) is helping companies to tackle the problem.

Established in 1996, ECF has nearly 20 years’ experience of tackling health inequalities and working to promote healthy eating, including for businesses through their social enterprise which sells fruit and vegetables to the corporate sector.

With research proving that by adopting healthy workplace initiatives, employee productivity and company performance can be significantly improved, ECF encourages the corporate sector to provide fruit (100% tax deductible) in the workplace for staff.

The venture is growing all the time and you can be part of that success by encouraging a healthy workplace and supporting the work of ECF at the same time.

You can contact them on 0131 467 7326 E: kmiller@edinburghcommunityfood.org.uk W: www.edinburghcommunityfood.org.uk

Providing support for vulnerable people Rowan Alba is transforming lives as it works across Scotland to support vulnerable people on their journey to a home of their own.

The charity gets its name from the Rowan tree, which was in Celtic mythology known as the Travellers’ Tree, because it prevented people getting lost.

Today, Rowan Alba works with men, women and children whose lives are chaotic, often due to domestic abuse, drug or alcohol dependency or mental health issues, which can lead to homelessness.

Rowan Alba services in Edinburgh, Perth and Kinross and Angus reduce the chances of that happening through services based on: Accepting people as they are.

Supporting those ready to move to a more independent life, offering a balance between independent, supported and communal living.

Including people in society with ongoing care for those who are not ready, or whose life experiences have left them unable to live independent of support.

This year Rowan Alba celebrates its 10 year anniversary and is hosting a wide range of events. To find out more information please visit our website or social media.

0131 229 7554 info@rowanalba.org www.rowanalba.org /RowanalbaLtd

KEYMOVES Support for Homeless Women In Edinburgh

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@RowanAlba

ADVERTORIAL

FEATURE: CHARITY/CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Reduce your impact on the environment

Diabetes UK No-one should be homeless in Scotland Choosing Bethany Christian Trust as your charity partner is a good move.

With our made-to-measure approach, you can engage your team in the local community in whatever way suits you best.

Whether you are looking for a one-off activity or a longer term partnership, our experienced staff are on hand to guide you through.

We know that each and every organisation is different and that your staff have preferences about how they like to give back. Our corporate partnership opportunities are designed to engage your staff, build your team and enhance your reputation as a community focussed organisation.

Homelessness can affect anyone and the demand for our services is growing. Our work stretches far beyond emergency shelter for rough sleepers. We work with young people, families and older people to stop them becoming homeless in the first place.

No-one should be homeless in Scotland.

Please help.

Contact supporters@bethanychristiantrust.com or call 0131 561 8927 to find out how you can make a difference today.

Changeworks identifies opportunities for your organisation to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and waste by managing your resources more efficiently.

Every day in Scotland 48 people learn they have diabetes. And every day, those 48 people join over 276,000 in Scotland who are living with the condition.

We deliver practical sustainability solutions based on over 25 years’ experience and the latest in good practice.

Our services To support you with the efficient management of your resources and staff behaviour change, we provide consultancy advice, project management and training in all aspects of:

Diabetes UK is the leading charity that cares for, connects with, and campaigns alongside and behalf of people living with or at risk of diabetes. We’re here to provide support, expert advice and the opportunity to talk through the challenges people are facing.

n Energy efficiency and fuel poverty n Recycling for businesses (via Changeworks Recycling) and waste n Carbon reduction.

We campaign to ensure that everyone affected by diabetes, no matter their age, ethnicity or what type they are living with, have access to the highest quality of care.

How we help n Specialist advice: Our expert team will advise your organisation on energy efficiency, renewables, transport, trade waste, carbon reduction and behaviour change. To support your goals and decision making, we can conduct independent research and analysis in these areas.

We lead the way in pioneering diabetes research with 19 funded projects underway at Scottish institutions, including University of Edinburgh, and a commitment of over £5.3m to better understand the causes of diabetes, improve prevention, develop more successful treatments and, eventually, a cure.

n Project management: We can manage your energy and waste reduction projects, working in partnership with others, either locally or internationally. n Training: To empower your staff, our experts design and deliver specialist training such as energy awareness, climate change and behaviour change theory.

Our vital work wouldn’t be possible without the amazing generosity of our corporate partners. If you want to join the team, or would like more information please get in touch with Susie Williamson on 0141 245 6380 or email at susan.williamson@ diabetes.org.uk

Contact us now: Call 0131 555 4010 Email workwithus@changeworks.org.uk Visit www.changeworks.org.uk

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ADVERTORIAL

FEATURE: CHARITY/CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Erskine - support for veterans As Scotland’s foremost provider of care for veterans and their spouses, Erskine offer unrivalled nursing, residential, respite and dementia care in their four homes throughout Scotland, with its East Coast home based in Gilmerton, Edinburgh.

Erskine’s strength lies in the very special blend of dedicated care, compassion and understanding they offer to residents and their families with Erskine’s person-centred care being tailored to the needs of each individual veteran.

Our Service personnel display the highest levels of bravery and courage throughout the world, and it is only right that Erskine is there for them should they need care in the future.

Erskine depend heavily on support not only from individuals but from corporates too.

Company of the Year partnerships are crucial to Erskine and the support it provides to its veterans.

Erskine has to raise £8.8m in 2016, its Centenary year, to support veterans in their care, that’s £170k each week – Can you help?

For further information please call Shona Langlands, Erskine’s Fundraiser in the East on 0131 666 9961 shona.langlands@erskine. org.uk www.erskine.org.uk.

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Cyrenians We all have a past, a present and a future At Cyrenians we know that great things can be achieved when a charity and a business team up. Getting involved with Cyrenians will benefit your business, help us reach our goals and make a real difference to the community.

What's in it for you? Your staff can enjoy a completely different team experience, getting the chance to give something back to their community and be inspired by the people Cyrenians support. Your organisation can help by becoming our charity of the year partner, organising some office fundraising, or though pro bono support.

"Cyrenians have been brilliant to work with over the years. They consistently find creative ways to work together that meet our needs as a business, and - more importantly - provide innovative, long-term solutions that help people turn their lives around." - Sandy MacDonald, Head of Sustainability, Standard Life 0131 475 2354 fundraising@cyrenians.scot www.cyrenians.scot

British Heart Foundation Scotland Reading this column could help save a life. And it could be a life you love.

Choose British Heart Foundation Scotland as your organisation’s charity of the year and we’ll help you to raise vital money to fund the life saving research that’s happening in labs across Scotland, including here in Edinburgh.

At our Centre of Research Excellence at the University of Edinburgh scientists are working closely with clinicians to find out how to prevent heart disease, how to diagnose it and how to treat it.

Thanks to the science we’re funding in the capital, more women are now being diagnosed with heart attack, which means they’re getting the care and treatment they need to reduce the risk of them dying or suffering future heart attacks.

In return for your fundraising we’ll help your people to become more heart healthy and equip them with life saving skills through our Call Push Rescue CPR training.

It really could be that simple to help save a life.

Call Gizem Fowler on 0131 561 3365 or email fowlerg@bhf.org.uk to find out more. bhf.org.uk/research

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FEATURE: CHARITY/CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Providing support & re-establishing community connections Cornerstone is one of Scotland’s largest social care charities. In 2015, we opened our first premises and services in Edinburgh.

Located in Wester Hailes, Cornerstone Canalside is a bright, modern and welcoming day service for older people and people with dementia. The building is designed to be dementia-friendly and provides a range of functional spaces for both activity and rest. Our highly trained staff provide a range of cognitive stimulation therapies using art and music and we soon plan to dedicate one day each week to reablement - supporting people to regain daily living skills that will enable them to continue living at home.

Our Canalside Connects outreach service is available for those unable to attend the day centre - offering support, advice and opportunities for older people living with dementia or experiencing mental ill health to socialise in smaller groups within their community.

We have also recently launched a new service called In Your Corner.

Operating across Edinburgh, this service aims to support young adult carers aged between 16-25.

By volunteering your time, or making a donation, you can support Cornerstone’s work within the local community. To find out how you or your organisation could get involved, please contact the Cornerstone Canalside team on 0131 458 9860 or email enquiries@cornerstone.org.uk.

No One Expects Let’s Work Together To Be A Victim Of A Crime …It Can Stand out from your peers.

Happen To Anyone!

In growing and competitive markets, make dementia your business and lead the way in your industry sector. Make steps towards making your business Dementia Friendly by partnering with Alzheimer Scotland today.

Sainsbury’s Bank recently won the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Award for Outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility in recognition of their partnership with Alzheimer Scotland and their Dementia Friendly work.

Dementia is at record levels in Scotland and is something that businesses need to acknowledge. We can help you to empower your staff, retain customers and be a business that everyone wants to work for.

A partnership with Alzheimer Scotland can improve morale and team cohesion through fun and engaging fundraisers to better engage your staff with your business values.

We know your business takes customer and client care seriously. We can work with you to up-skill staff in how best to support the ever increasing number of vulnerable customers and clients affected by dementia, making your workforce and workplace more dementia friendly.

Be a leader in challenging dementia and make dementia your business today.

Tel: 0131 243 1453 or email corporatefundraising@alzscot.org

Why choose VSS as your charity partner of choice? n We can help you support your employees who may become victims of crime. n Fundraise for us and your money will directly support a child or adult affected by a crime in Scotland’s communities. It costs as little as £25 to support a person through their experience. n Share your life skills and experience to develop and grow VSS. VSS is a national support charity.

Any victim, any witness, any crime, anywhere in Scotland, whether reported to the police or not. We provide practical help, someone to talk to, safety and security advice, support if a case goes to court, and information about how the police and courts work.

Our services are tailored to the needs of the individual and care, compassion and support are core to our work.

If you want to have a chat about how you may be able to support us please call Louisa King - 0131 6625402 or email louisa.king@victimsupportsco.org.uk www.victimsupportsco.org.uk

Scottish Charity No: SC004780

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ADVERTORIAL

FEATURE: CHARITY/CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Sick & tired of feeling sick & tired?

We’ll take care of it!

Partnerships help to provide care for the people of Edinburgh St Columba’s Hospice in Edinburgh is the city’s only independent palliative care provider, looking after patients, as well as supporting families and loved ones. We work with a number of businesses, large and small, who want to support a local charity and help the Hospice care for people in their local community. We like to work in partnership with companies so that the experience is mutually beneficial and you can help us by taking part in events such as dinners, balls and sporting challenges, or joining us for an evening’s entertainment at the Spring Fling.

We have events throughout the year and they are perfect for team building, entertaining clients and rewarding colleagues’ success.

It’s not all about fundraising for us, it’s about sharing your knowledge and skills across the Hospice to support and develop our staff. From helping practically with maintenance or volunteering to working with our staff to provide essential skills that your company may have to help us continue to provide care in our community.

Please get in touch to find out more about working together. Call the fundraising team on 0131 551 1381 or email fund@stcolumbashospice.org.uk.

The CHSS Health Promotion Scheme supports businesses across Scotland to improve the health and wellbeing of employees.

Age Scotland Age Scotland is the largest charity in Scotland dedicated to enabling everyone to make the most of later life.

At Age Scotland, we provide vital services and support at a national and local level to inspire, enable and support older people. We provide a platform and stand up and speak for those who have reached later life, while also protecting the long-term interests of future generations.

Our vision is a Scotland where everyone can love later life. Our ambition is to inspire people to see that they can change their lives and those around them, engage with people and enable them to change later life for the better, and support older people who are struggling as they live longer to achieve better, happier and healthier lives.

To find out how you and your company can make a real difference to the lives of older people in Scotland please contact alisdair.caulfield@agescotland.org.uk for more information.

Participation in the scheme can help meet corporate social responsibility goals for your business. Research shows that workplace Health Promotion Schemes can: n Reduce employee absenteeism n Improve work performance and job satisfaction n Achieve a positive return on investment Our Health Promotion Specialists provide: n Blood pressure screening and lifestyle assessments: Individual lifestyle assessments raise awareness of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and provide advice on how to reduce these through healthier lifestyle choices. n Interactive workshops: These fun and engaging workshops cover a range of topics to equip staff with important healthy lifestyle messages. n Support for staff-run health promotion activities: Guidance and resources for staff to run their own health and wellbeing groups.

Get involved: From bake sales to abseils, there’s something for everyone: n n n n n

Choose us as your ‘Charity of the Year’ Organise fundraising events in the workplace Enter our adrenaline fuelled events Promote payroll giving Encourage staff to volunteer for us

Call George Grierson or Laura Hastings on 0131 225 6963 or email healthpromotion@chss.org.uk www.chss.org.uk/healthpromotion Registered with and regulated by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (no SC018761), Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland is a wholly Scottish charity. It also operates as CHSS and is registered in Scotland as a company limited by guarantee, no SC129114.

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ADVERTORIAL

FEATURE: CHARITY/CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Productive Teams Participate in The Push

Looking to increase the team cohesion, efficiency and morale within your workplace? Don’t have the budget to run conventional team-building sessions? Do you need a new and exciting way to bring your team together without resorting to normal team-building methods?

Whatever your end goal, The Push provides you with the perfect platform to reach it.

The Push is Scotland’s toughest challenge event, taking place on Edinburgh’s doorstep, through the stunning Pentland Hills. Taking place on Saturday 10 September, The Push features three challenging distances to choose from - 14 miles, 20 miles or a full marathon distance of 26.2 miles. You will climb 2,358 meters, tackling off-road tracks and paths along the way. Whether you walk it or run it, The Push offers achievable goals and incredible views in equal measures.

Teams, individuals, colleagues and friends tackle this ultimate cross country challenge for various reasons with many businesses having used The Push as a cost effective team

building activity. By achieving something together, you will enjoy a sense of shared pride and accomplishment. There is no better boost to morale than overcoming a significant challenge together and in Edinburgh, The Push is the most rewarding challenge available.

Graham Reid, Group Finance Director at Cala Homes, has taken part with his colleagues and said: “Our team completed a number of fundraising events previously and it was important to us to find a new challenge but also to fundraise for a good local cause. The Push gold route for St Columba’s Hospice met our objectives. We put in a number of training walks to ensure we had the confidence to complete our route on the big day and not disappoint our sponsors –we were glad we did because the combination of the marathon distance and elevation (not just up but down too!) provided a really tough challenge. We felt an immense sense of achievement completing the event, not only finishing our first ever marathon but a huge amount of pride in the money we raised for St Columba’s Hospice.”

must work together, fundraising and training to ensure they meet their targets, creating many innovative solutions along the way.

The event raises money for Edinburgh’s only independent palliative care provider – St Columba’s Hospice. The Hospice provides free, specialist care to people at the end of their lives, along with support for the patient’s family and loved ones. The Hospice costs £8million a year to run and must generate 70% of the running costs itself. The Hospice relies on the generosity of the public to meet its running costs – which is the equivalent of £22,000 every day.

So it’s time to get your colleagues signed-up, get training and take on The Push! Together you will achieve something amazing for yourselves, as well as raising funds which provide much-needed care for people across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

To find out more visit www.pentlandpush.com

The Push presents teams with clear targets and defined deadlines; however there are no set paths to completing these end goals. Teams

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GETTING STARTED

Name: Shaun Gillon Business name: Odd Panda Design Start up date: 11th Nov 2013 Website: www.oddpandadesign.co.uk Q1: Tell us a bit about your business?

Odd Panda Design is a Web and Mobile App Development Company based in Edinburgh, specialising in native development.

Q2: What gives your business ‘the x-factor’?

We work closely with clients to deliver their products providing a personal experience.

Q3: What motivated you to set up in business for yourself?

Having enjoyed studying my Software Masters Degree, I was passionate about setting up a joint business and being my own boss.

Q4: What do you like most about working for yourself?

I love the flexibility and being able to organise my responsibilities in a way that suits my work ethic and drive.

Q5: What has been your greatest business success to date?

Growing our business over the course of two years from two members of staff to (at one stage) seven, increasing our range of services.

Q6: What has been your lowest moment?

Losing a key employee at a critical time was challenging, however this solidified our team and provided an opportunity for further training.

Q7: In terms of business achievements, where do you want to be within the next 5 years?

We expect a larger staff growth whilst increasing development productivity, by investing profits back into OPD.

Q8: What would be your top tip to someone thinking of starting up their own business?

Set yourself short and long-term goals and evaluate them as your business continues to grow. KPI’s are invaluable to monitor your progression as a business.

NEW MEMBERS

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Aon Risk Solutions (Scotland)

Elliot Bibby Magician

Merchiston Castle School

Baltic Training Services

Evviva Brands

BMZ Dynamix

Fuel Card Services

Principle Hayley Hotel Group (Encompasses The George, The Roxburgh & The Bonham)

CCLA

Grant Thornton UK LLP

The Desk Hop

Earth Self Ltd

Innovate FS

The East India Company Fine Foods

Electrosonic

Meraki Talent

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ASK THE EXPERT

Ask the Expert - I am asking you!

Allow me to reintroduce myself- my name is Sian and I recently returned to the ECC after taking some time off to go travelling the world.

So after checking off lots on my bucket list, I am now undertaking the challenge of revamping the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Training and Development Department.

For this issue of 'Business Comment' I really wanted to do something different with the 'Ask the Expert' article. Expert is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as an adjective that means 'Having or involving a great deal of knowledge or skill in a particular area', now as many of you will know I work in an open and honest fashion, so I am in no means an expert in training but I would class myself as an expert in bringing people together.

Having seen some really robust and tangible results in the Events Department over the last three years I plan on applying the same methodology to Training and Development, mainly starting with- you guessed it- bringing people together.

And that is what I have been doing a lot of recently, starting with hosting focus group and town hall style meet ups with members and trainers to find our exactly what we need to be doing, where we are going and fundamentally, what you, our members want.

I am now excited to share with you some of the strategy that I presented to our Council recently.

Many of you will know that I would never class myself as a data expert, but I have really analysed our figures and from these figures and the above mentioned focus groups, have generated the three key themes of what we will be delivering going forward. All our courses will now fit in the following categories: Sales, Leadership and International.

We are moving swiftly to incorporate new courses from our vision into our programme, starting with Assertiveness Training with Catherine Bowie on April 21st 2016, #WhyIran part of the #WhyInternational series that will lead the way on informing business how to trade into new markets on May 18th 2016.

as successful as possible we have also looked not just at the membership as a whole but also at what are out most populated sectors, and being Edinburgh it will probably not surprise you that the two dominating sectors are Tourism and Hospitality. With this is mind we are also launching our first course aimed solely at these sectors on the theme of customer service: “Welcoming Visitors” will take place here at our George Street Offices and aims to equip businesses with practical advice and learnings for becoming world class hosts.

In order to make this rejuvenated programme

I am really dedicated to ensuring that training

can be accessible for all businesses, be it SME’s, sole traders or large corporates. Also to make training not feel like ‘training’ and understand how different people consume information, we are looking at different times of the day, delivery styles and venues. If you have any ideas or thoughts then please do let us know by emailing me at sian.downes@ edinburghchamber.co.uk. I hope to see as many of you as possible come through our doors. Don’t forget, if you have been to an ECC course and recommend us to another business you will both receive £30 off of your next training booking!

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ADVERTORIAL

FEATURE: FINANCE/LEGAL

It’s not just your pension pot that may suffer due to the reduction in the Lifetime Allowance The Lifetime Allowance is currently £1.25m, and will reduce to £1m in April 2016. That may sound like a generous figure, but benefits other than your pension may need to be taken into account.

One of the most popular employee benefits provided in the UK is Death in Service, where a lump sum, usually a multiple of the employee’s salary, will be paid out to the nominated beneficiaries of the employee in the event of death. This may be up to ten times the annual income, depending on the scheme.

Death in Service is usually provided via a Group Life insurance scheme, but unless that scheme is deemed an Excepted Group Life scheme, the proceeds paid out in the event of a claim will be tested against the Lifetime Allowance at the time of death.

This may have additional implications for the tax treatment of the late employee’s accrued pension benefits.

If you have an existing scheme, check whether it meets the criteria to be classified as an Excepted Group Life Scheme. If not, you may want to consider your alternatives.

You could replace it with an Excepted Group Life scheme, although this restricts the manner in which you provide benefits to your employees. However, if you have a large number of employees this may be the most effective way to proceed.

Alternatively, a Relevant Life scheme will provide many of the benefits of an Excepted Group Life scheme, but with fewer restrictions. This type of scheme requires more input from the individuals to be covered, so is generally best used for company directors and key employees rather than the workforce as a whole. An added benefit is that your firm will pay the premiums, and the individual covered will not incur a benefit-in-kind tax charge, making this a particularly attractive route for higher- or additional-rate tax payers.

If you do not currently offer any form of life cover for your employees, it is worth considering as a valued benefit, which also offers good value for money for your business.

If you would like to review your existing arrangements, or discuss the options for setting up a new scheme, please call Bryan Keith on 0131 656 5500, or email bryan@ spenceandspence.com.

Bryan is an Independent Financial Adviser with Spence & Spence (Scotland), which is a trading name of Fairstone Financial Management Ltd. Fairstone Financial Management Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (475973).

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FEATURE: FINANCE/LEGAL

ADVERTORIAL

Handelsbanken Trade Finance

Founded in Sweden in 1871, and pro-actively support our customers in developing their international business Handelsbanken has become however simple or complex it may be. We one of the world’s strongest are experienced in working closely with colleagues in other markets to implement banks (Bloomberg 2015) tailored solutions for our customers. with over 850 branches in 25 What we offer: countries worldwide.

Offering local relationship banking with products and services tailored to the needs of our personal and business banking customers, Handelsbanken has a different perspective from most other banks. We are driven only by what our customers want, designing bespoke solutions to suit their demands. And because we are not target driven, we take a long-term view, investing time to get to know our customers, their needs and ambitions.

Each of our branches is run much like a small business, with banking decisions taken by the experienced local team who work hard to ensure everything runs smoothly for you.

Our customers appreciate the direct access they have to the branch team, by phone, email or face-to-face; and this local relationship is complemented by modern online and mobile banking services.

Our international presence means that we are well placed to satisfy our customers’ international requirements, from trade finance to multi-country banking facilities

n A team willing to invest the time to really understand your banking requirements with the desire and ability to develop customised facilities to suit your company’s unique funding needs. n Direct access to a highly experienced team of trade finance specialists based here in the UK. n Pro-active support from a team of Trade Finance Managers experienced in all forms of international finance. n Fast and efficient processing of documents enabling companies to achieve prompt payment and clearance of goods. n Strong bank and country risk appetite made available to support exporting companies. n Simple, transparent and competitive pricing.

products and services. Through our flexible approach, we are able to customise our services to meet your particular needs.

Our products include: n Import Letters of Credit (On-line Delivery via Handelsbanken TradePath®) n Export Letters of Credit n Import Collections n Export Collections n Bonds & Guarantees n Standby Letters of Credit n Import Loans n Export Loans To discuss your Corporate Banking or international banking needs, please feel free to contact Iain Henderson, Branch Manager, Edinburgh West End on 0131 337 0581 or e-mail iahe01@handelsbanken.co.uk or Colin McGill, Branch Manager, Edinburgh Charlotte Square on 0131 225 1171 or e-mail comc01@handelsbanken.co.uk

Products As you would expect from a major global bank, Handelsbanken offers a wide range of

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FEATURE: FINANCE/LEGAL

ADVERTORIAL

Needing help with Employment Law and other Legal Support for your business? But you need it to be cost effective? Then read on: Why should I go to a solicitor for my employment law advice?

Employment law can be a daunting prospect, especially if you are an SME with limited resources. The issues you face may be straightforward or complicated. Legal issues can come up throughout the experience of being an employer, from taking on staff, dealing with ongoing issues, and bringing employment to an end. These days you do need expert help to keep on the right side of the law.

You may, for instance, need to resolve a dispute with an employee, or require to make redundancies, and do not know how to do so legally. Or you may be involved in a disciplinary or grievance process.

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These can be difficult prospects for an SME, and getting things wrong or going about things in the wrong way can waste time and in some cases be costly. Some businesses may have an HR person, which is great, but there can be a huge benefit in taking legal advice from experienced solicitors, and it doesn’t have to cost the earth. We have deliberately developed our business to allow us to provide high quality employment law support to SMEs with a fee structure that is viable for them.

Why should I choose ELP? ELP stands for Employment Law Practice. You need to be represented by a solicitor who specialises in employment law because that ensures that you have a solicitor well versed

in both the relevant law and the tactics to employ in order to get you the best result.

It is not enough to only know what the law says, or only be experienced in negotiating.

You need both of these skills, which is what we offer.

You also need to be represented by a solicitor who has acted for both employees and employers – you need a solicitor who knows what the other side is thinking. Our Duncan McFadzean and Ian Wells have more than 25 years’ experience between them of advising employers and employees and dealing with Employment Tribunal claims.

What’s more, you want someone who will take you through the process, listening to you and explaining things sensibly on

FEATURE: FINANCE/LEGAL

ADVERTORIAL

When should I come to ELP?

the way. You need to be represented by a solicitor who actually appears for clients in Employment Tribunals, not someone who will give you some advice over the phone but will not be able to help properly when things get serious. You want to have the confidence that your solicitor will go all the way for you. We do all that, and we do it in a way that SMEs can actually afford. We have flexible fee structures to suit individual clients and particular situations. We do not insist on monthly retainers, and our clients can seek assistance from us as much or as little as they require. We offer fixed fees for specific projects in order that our clients know exactly where they stand, and also offer discounted packages for clients who have ongoing matters which need a lot of work. Our aim is to allow SMEs to get the expert advice that they need. As an SME we try to put ourselves into the client’s shoes.

As soon as possible. We won’t charge you for an initial chat to see if we can help. It is not a good idea to soldier on your own. That runs the risk of a situation deteriorating and finally ending up in a costly employment tribunal or court action when bringing us in early often allows the situation to be dealt with, or those involved to negotiate a settlement before things get too serious. We will always advise from a common sense point of view, and using our experience we can recommend the best way to achieve a positive result quickly.

But surely hiring a solicitor is expensive?

Not necessarily. You need to be represented by a solicitor who will charge you a fee which is realistic in your circumstances. We are in the rare position of being able to provide at least the same level of expertise as tends to be enjoyed by larger employers, but we do it for SMEs.

What will I get if I hire ELP? You will have one particular experienced employment law solicitor as your main point of contact and that solicitor will do the work on your file. We do not pass work "down the chain" behind the scenes, although we are lucky to have excellent support staff.

We do not take on so much work that we cannot represent you properly. We go into great detail with you at an early stage to ensure that we are fully armed with the right information to allow us to get the best result for you. That is hugely important for all of our clients.

We will always make ourselves available to meet you and speak to you and we will return your messages. We will explain the relevant points in your case clearly, and keep you informed of developments.

We will not waste time (and, therefore, your money) arguing points that are irrelevant or never going to be won – this is another good example of why it is important to choose the right employment law solicitor.

Duncan McFadzean, Director

if such action proves necessary then we can see this through for you.

We can represent you in the ordinary, summary cause and small claims sections of the Sheriff Court, without having to “pass you elsewhere”, and we always seek to find the most commercially sensible outcome for our clients.

We also advise on business purchases, and commercial leases for tenants and landlords. Commercial leases are complex agreements. We give our clients advice on what should and should not be agreed, what they should consider going forward, and we help our clients make sure that their interests are protected.

Our fee packages are flexible and can be tailored to suit your needs, whether you are starting out in business or you already employ a workforce. We know that SMEs do not want to be spending money every month on legal fees, and that the money that they do spend has to be reasonable and add value.

Getting in touch ELP Arbuthnott McClanachan is an Edinburgh law firm that has been providing specialist employment law advice and Employment Tribunal representation to employees and employers on all areas of employment law for more than 12 years. We are always happy to have an initial discussion with you or respond to an email enquiry. If you would like to discuss matters on a no obligation basis please fill in our enquiry form on our website, email us on enquiries@elpamsolicitors. co.uk or call us now on 0131 554 8649.

Can you help my business with other legal issues?

Yes we can, and that is one of the main differences between ELP and other employment advice and HR firms. We have backgrounds in both employment law and general litigation, and our firm also has strong and very experienced property and private client departments.

For SMEs we handle a wide range of legal problems, including recovery of debts, contract and commercial disputes and sheriff court litigation. We can set up debt recovery processes for you in order that we can take steps to recover a debt for you at low cost and without the need for court action, but

Supporting Your Business Employment Law

98 Ferry Road, Edinburgh EH6 4PG

Debt Recovery and Dispute Resolution

Tel. 0131 554 8649

Business Purchases

enquiries@elpamsolicitors.co.uk

Commercial Leases

www.elpamsolicitors.co.uk

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FEATURE: FINANCE/LEGAL

ADVERTORIAL

Pensions: why Australia is a model for auto enrolment success

By Lisa Bruce, Director at Acumen Accountants & Advisors.

When thinking of Australia, it would be natural to think about beautiful sunshine, maybe a few barbecues and possibly even the odd kangaroo. What might not come to mind immediately is auto enrolment, however, there are a lot of things we could learn from the Australians about it.

While we might envy their sunny lifestyle, we should also envy their pension funds.

Did you know that by 2017, working Australians will retire with an average pension pot of between $200,000 and $300,000. In British pounds, that’s between £101,000 and £152,000. That is a significant difference from the current average UK retirement fund of approximately £32,000.

This is the main reason why auto enrolment is being introduced into the UK market, helping us to save a worthwhile pension fund for when we retire. While Britons are given the option to optout of the agreement within the first year, Australians could not opt out of superannuation – their version of auto enrolment, which was introduced in 1992.

The Australian scheme also sees employers make majority contributions. What this has meant is that there was far more radical a change compared to the introduction of auto enrolment in the UK. While there were initial teething problems – as there seems to be in Britain too – compulsory superannuation has been hailed a great success.

While our system focuses on contributions from both the employee and employer, it’s clear that UK policy-makers are hoping that auto enrolment moves people to take a more active role in saving for retirement. This should increase when we think about the different and competitively priced investment funds.

A move towards transparently providing an

overview of the investment charges and dy for Auto Enrolment?

Are you ready for Auto Enrolment? advisory fees incurred should encourage

ers are legally eir staff into a utions.

taging date; this eed to have a nrol workers.

ayroll Bureau ealing with ever cies, we can take t procedures,

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Don’t leave it too late! individuals to seek out the best deal.

The implementation of a compliant scheme can take time.

New legislation states that employers are legally required to automatically enrol their staff into a pension scheme and make contributions.

If you would like further advice or assistance on Acumen can assist with all elements of employers have been given a staging date; this any areas of auto enrolment or wouldAll be interested Auto Enrolment, relieving the additional is the deadline by which you will need to have a administrative burden and providing peace of scheme in place and in outsourcing your payroll, contact a member of be ready to enrol workers. mind for the employer. the Acumen team on 0845 270 1688.

Acumen Accountants & Advisors Payroll Bureau Failure to comply can incur considerable fines.

Please do contact us for more information and advice, email our in-house expert Lisa Bruce at lisa.bruce@acumen.info or visit www.acumen. info

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has over 20 years’ experience in dealing with ever changing legislation and compliancies, we can take the pain out of the Auto Enrolment procedures, ensuring that you are prepared.

Don’t leave it too late!

The implementation of a compliant scheme can take time.

Acumen can assist with all elements of Auto Enrolment, relieving the additional administrative burden and providing peace of mind for the employer.

Failure to comply can incur considerable fines.

Please do contact us for more information and advice, email our in-house expert Lisa Bruce at lisa.bruce@acumen.info or visit www.acumen. info

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60 SECONDS

Name: Gary McGurk Company Name: Worksmart Contracts Ltd Website: makeitworksmart.co.uk Q In five words or less, what do you do?

A Refurbish commercial property.

Q How long have you been a Chamber member?

A About 3 years with a previous employer but 1 week in my new role.

Q Why did you join?

A The networking events are a great opportunity for me to promote our business.

Q What services do you use?

A Predominately the networking events, but hoping to use the Directory and the Chamber Golf Club more.

Q What’s the best business/benefit you have won through the Chamber?

A Hopefully the best business won from being a chamber member will come this year.

Q Are there any additional services or information you’d be particularly interested in?

A Not at the moment.

Q If you were telling another business person about the Chamber, what’s the first thing you would say?

A If you are hoping to promote your business get along to the networking events as they are well attended and well organised.

Q Where do you read your copy of Business Comment?

A At my desk in our new West End office when I get some quiet time.

The Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility Onyx Group CEO, Neil Stephenson, discusses the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the key role it has played in the growth of the business.

within the region via the launch of our own apprenticeship scheme, which allows young people in the community to gain invaluable work experience whilst gaining a nationally recognised qualification along the way. It is vital that stakeholders understand that your business cares about its external environment and is determined to make a difference in the lives of passionate young people who are looking for a chance to start their career.

working environment by not only supporting the personal development and growth of our staff through the funding further education courses, but also arranging dedicated employee appreciation days to reward staff for their hard-work and dedication. Your staff are ambassadors for your brand and a happy, motivated and determined workforce have the potential to build strong, long-lasting relationships with your customers.

Established in 1994, we have grown from a regional B2B broadband supplier to one of the UK’s leading providers of IT Infrastructure & Support. As the company began to mature, we started to place more focus on our CSR strategy and the affect it would have on stakeholders both internal and external to the business. We feel that it is vitally important that company’s integrate their business values and operations to meet the expectations of customers, employees, investors, suppliers, the community and the environment.

Onyx have been able to support the development of many SME’s, which in turn has helped create employment opportunities for many people throughout the UK. Our relationship with the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce has also proved an excellent opportunity to help small Scottish businesses by providing advice, guidance and support.

Our profile in Scotland, and membership of the 'Inspiring Communities' group, has allowed us to provide further support to third party organisations and has helped us share opportunities, knowledge and expertise with the local business community. A stronger and more successful Scottish economy is beneficial to everyone.

Establishing a Green Data Centre Environment; Here at Onyx, we have taken major steps to help us reduce the consumption of energy and resources via the monitoring of the environmental impact of our facilities. We do this through extensive reporting to our stakeholders. We can offer reports on data centre uptime, Power Usage Effectiveness and total power consumption.

These measurements have helped us track the evolution of our data centres to complete green environments, for example, following the installation of our new natural cooling aids, we were able to identify a reduction in our carbon footprint by just over 50%.

These are the three key processes we have implemented into our plan and the social, economic and environmental value they have created: Investing into the local community: A key element of our recruitment drive involves investing into the development of people

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Attracting and retaining talent: It is important to keep your workforce fully engaged and passionate about your brand. At Onyx, we have taken huge steps to create a positive

By implementing such procedures into our business we have been able to communicate with our key stakeholders our passion about preserving the environment for future generations.

PARTNERS IN ENTERPRISE

Can Employers ‘Spy’ On Their Employees’ Emails?

Recent tabloid headlines and newspaper stories such as “Britain has a new human right, granted to us by the judges of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg…

British bosses have just been given the freedom to spy on their employees’ emails” might have led employers to think they can now ‘spy’ on the emails which their employees send from their work email address.

Most employees would be horrified at the thought of their employer being able to monitor their every move. However, this tabloid summary of the recent European Court of Justice decision (Barbulescu v Romania 2016) is entirely inaccurate.

Right to a private and family life Article 8(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights states: “Everyone has a right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence”. Few would argue that such a right was inappropriate.

However, it is often effectively pled as a right to “not get caught”. In the Barbelescu case, there was no right to “not get caught”. The furore surrounding the case appears to ignore some crucial factors in the court’s decision: n The messaging account in question was set up for professional purposes. n The employer had a clear policy prohibiting personal use. n The employee told his employer that all messages on the account were work related.

Necessary and proportionate Employers do have a limited right to monitor employees’ behaviour. For example, this can extend to hiring private investigators where an individual is suspected of fraudulently claiming sick pay or of stealing. More commonly, however, employers’ monitoring of employees relates to their internet and email usage. However, even where an employee is on work time and using work equipment, the monitoring must be justified.

In Copland v United Kingdom there was a human rights breach where there was no IT policy in place and the employee was not told that they might be monitored.

Rather than endorse ‘snooping’, through various cases the court has confirmed that, in the absence of a warning to the contrary, employees have a reasonable expectation of privacy in relation to telephone calls, emails and internet use – even where conducted in their employer’s time. However, the court considers that it may not be unreasonable for an employer to verify that working hours are spent working. The employer in the Barbelescu case had only looked at a particular business account and after having been

assured by the employee that the account had not been used for personal purposes.

If an employer has reasonable grounds for a suspicion that the employee is committing misconduct, has previously warned employees (through a policy for example) that monitoring may take place and does not delve any deeper than necessary, it is likely to successfully defend allegations of a breach of human rights.

Employees also have certain protections under the Employment Rights Act 1996, the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000.

So, in summary, any notion that an employer has a right to snoop at will is misguided.

Andrew Brown is a Partner in the Employment Unit of Scottish full service law firm, Anderson Strathern

We thank our Partners in Enterprise for their continued support of the Chamber.

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BE THE BEST

Tourism Is Everyone’s Business!

By Catherine Bowie, trainer at the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce

When you have an industry worth some £5.4 billion into our income streams it pretty much becomes a national responsibility. And that is exactly what tourism is to Scotland!

Visit Scotland believe that tourism is leading economic transformation across Scotland: job creation, sustaining communities and fundamentally providing a critical shop window for business activity across all sectors.

Therefore we must take our role in welcoming visitors seriously and equip our team members to greet and look after our

visitors in such a way that they will not only have great experiences, want to return, but most importantly relay their stories to their friends and families.

We need to become savvy on topics such as cultural awareness, expectations and even some basic language training on commonly spoken languages.

Working together with the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, CBTS examined the needs of our city and the membership base, ensuring that the skills and knowledge gap we face, have a solution. You may ask, what type of gaps could arise, we are Edinburgh after all and we are really great at attracting visitors (PWC named Edinburgh in a 2015 report as the best city to visit in Western Europe and 4th in the world.) But these gaps are created from businesses not reviewing their ‘service offering’. Our visitors have various perceptions of what our country has to offer so let’s not make assumptions about their wishes. Let’s listen!

The training devised explores complaint handling and how to develop solutions for trickier situations along with the importance of asking for feedback to ensure we are delivering what our visitors are looking for.

Let us not be scared to tackle our areas of development!

GET WITH IT

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For more information please email sian.downes@edinburghchamber.co.uk.

By Bill Magee Scottish Business Technology Writer of the Year

The season of the Bard may be a wee bit behind us but an exemplar of business and commerce in action for good causes is the Microsoft Scotland Burns Night 2016 raising a highly impressive record breaking £81,756.

On a more serious note, such a collective effort makes all the difference in what has become a pretty harsh economic environment for charities. There’s also an invaluable knock-on effect.

Four organisations benefited from the evening: Bridges Project, STV Appeal, Aberlour and Drake Music Scotland (check out #MSFTBurnsSupper for details and some fun pictures).

Bringing together upwards of 600 charity and business/IT folk together, in such a convivial setting as the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh is the perfect way to create synergies and long-lasting relationships

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So we are asking you to review how you are your company welcome the world and join us on April 20th to become world class hosts on our “Welcoming Visitors” course.

A Charity IT Association survey highlights how mid-sized charities are typically underresourced techwise with CITA stressing how many don’t know whom to trust about their IT problems and are not aware of resources available in the marketplace.

between charities and the business world.

In the case of Drake Music Scotland - a firsttime recipient of the generosity displayed on the MS Burns Night - they believe disability is no barrier to communicating through making music.

Since 1997 they’ve created opportunities for over 6000 children and adults with disabilities to learn to play music independently and to whatever level they aspire.

Drake delivers a wide range of education and training projects in a variety of settings across Scotland.

Check them out www.drakemusicscotland.org

EUROPE DIRECT EDINBURGH

Europe 2020 -Inclusive Growth – A High-Employment Economy Delivering Economic Social Cohesion Europe 2020 - Inclusive Growth, is a strategy to raise Europe’s employment rate, assisting member states to provide more and better jobs, especially for women, young people and older workers. This will be achieved by helping people of all ages anticipate and manage change through investment in skills & training and so modernising labour markets and welfare systems.

With this strategy, the European Commission intends to aid member states deliver high levels of employment, productivity and social cohesion and it is tailored to each country providing specific recommendations.

The UK economy continues to grow thanks to a strong domestic demand which has left the UK relatively unaffected by global activity weakening and inflation is on a downward trend with energy prices continuing to fall.

However the government debt rate continues to increase, meaning the UK is experiencing macro imbalances, which require policy monitoring & action. Key risks relate to the housing market and while the economic and financial sector has increased, high house prices will continue to leave the sector less resilient to risk.

Focuses of the UK Europe 2020 Strategy are: n Reinforcing the budgetary strategy, endeavouring to correct the excessive deficit in a sustainable manner.

Addressing structural bottlenecks related to infrastructure, skills mismatches and access to finance for SMEs to boost growth in the export of both goods and services. n Increasing the transparency of the use and impact of financial regulation in respect of the housing sector, therefore

responding to the rapid increases in property prices and mitigating risks related to high mortgage indebtedness. Adjusting the Help to Buy 2 scheme if necessary and considering reforms to the taxation of land and property including measures on the revaluation of property to alleviate distortions in the housing market, while still continuing efforts to increase the supply of housing. n Maintaining commitment to the Youth Contract, improving skills that meet employer needs and ensuring employer engagement by placing emphasis on addressing skills mismatches and furthering apprenticeship offers in order to reduce the number of young people with low basic skills.

that welfare reforms deliver adequate benefits with clear work incentives and support services also improving the availability of affordable childcare. n Increasing the presence of ‘challenger’ banks and the effective functioning of the Business Bank to improve the availability of bank and non‑bank financing for SMEs. n Focus on the National Infrastructure Plan to increase the predictability of the planning processes as well as provide clarity on funding commitments and ensuring transparency and accountability by providing consistent and timely information.

n Continuing efforts to reduce child poverty in low‑income households, by ensuring

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ADVERTORIAL

FEATURE: MOTORING

DISCOVERY LANDMARK

UPGRADE YOUR ADVENTURES TO FIRST CLASS

New for 2016, Discovery Landmark is the most luxurious model yet, with Tan Windsor Leather seats. Now available from £55,995 on the road.

You can make it even more capable and hardwearing, with an accessory pack. This includes fixed side steps, front and rear mudflaps and a loadspace rubber mat, all for £999.00 inc. VAT. Pentland Land Rover Newbridge, Edinburgh, EH28 8TH Tel: 0131 202 5440 www.pentland.edinburgh.landrover.co.uk Locations also at: Cupar, Elgin, Perth Official Fuel Consumption Figures for Discovery in mpg (l/100km): Urban 33.2 (8.5), Extra Urban 39.8 (7.1), Combined 36.7 (7.7). CO 2 emissions 203 g/km.

The figures provided are as a result of official manufacturer’s tests in accordance with EU legislation. A vehicle’s actual fuel consumption may differ from that achieved in such tests and these figures are for comparative purposes only.

THE ICON EVOLVES

ELISE SPORT AND ELISE SPORT 220 The new Elise Sport and Elise Sport 220, the latest incarnation of the iconic Lotus Elise – long celebrated as one of the best sports cars money can buy.

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FUEL CONSUMPTION Lotus Elise Range (mpg** [l/100 km]) Urban 27.4 - 34.0 (10.3 - 8.3), Extra Urban 47.9 - 56.5 (5.9 - 5.0), Combined 37.7 - 44.8 (7.5 - 6.3), CO2 emissions 173 - 149 g/km. * Plus on the road prices, please contact your local dealer ** Performance results may vary depending upon the specification of the particular vehicle, environmental conditions, driving style and other factors. MPG figures are obtained from laboratory testing and intended for comparisons between vehicles and may not reflect real driving results. Published MPG figures and performance results are intended for comparisons between vehicles only. Verification of performance results should not be attempted on public roads . Lotus recommends that all local speed and safety laws must be obeyed and safety belts worn at all times.

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ALL-NEW JAGUAR XF

THIS IS NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL.

There is nothing usual about the All-New Jaguar XF – from its lightweight Aluminium Intensive Architecture, to its extraordinarily efficient Ingenium engine and state of the art connectivity.

Contact us today to book your test drive.

PENTLAND JAGUAR

THE ALL-NEW JAGUAR XF PRESTIGE FROM £359 A MONTH ON PERSONAL CONTRACT HIRE PLUS INITIAL RENTAL OF £2,153* 36 month term. Model pictured (including optional metallic paint) from £369 a month, plus initial rental in advance of £2,211. Based on a mileage of 10,000 miles per annum. Excess mileage charges apply.

John Clark Motor Group is an introducer and not a provider of Contract Hire

107 GLASGOW ROAD, EDINBURGH, EH12 8LH

WWW.PENTLANDJAGUAR.CO.UK 0131 603 5238

THE ART OF PERFORMANCE Official fuel consumption for the All-New Jaguar XF range in mpg (l/100km): Urban: 24.1-58.9 (11.7-4.8); Extra Urban 44.878.5 (6.3-3.6); Combined 34.0-70.6 (8.3-4.0). CO2 Emissions 198-104 (g/km). Official EU Test Figures. For comparison purposes only. Real world figures may differ. *Important Information. Based on an XF Diesel Saloon 2.0D 163PS Prestige 4dr 16 standard specification. Contract Hire subject to status. Over 18s only. You will not own this vehicle.

Must be returned in good condition to avoid further charges. Excess mileage charges (at 11.4p per mile). The promotion cannot be used together with other manufacturer’s promotion and is subject to availability at participating Retailers only for new vehicles ordered by 31st March 2016. Provided by Jaguar Contract Hire a trading style of Lex Autolease Limited, Heathside Park, Heathside Park Road, Stockport, SK3 0RB. Vehicle shown is an XF Diesel Saloon 2.0D 163PS Prestige 4dr 16 with optional Rhodium Silver paint.

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CHAMBER TRAINING

Training Course Calendar April

Monday 18th April 2016 (09:30 - 16:30) Winning Presentations: How to Speak in Public with Power, Passion and Confidence

Tuesday 10th May 2016 (09:30 - 16:30) Introduction to Project Management: How to Plan, Manage and Close Successful Projects

Wednesday 20th April 2016 (09:30 - 16:30) Welcoming Visitors

Friday 13th May 2016 (09:30 - 12:30) How to Create a Social Media Strategy

Tuesday 5th April 2016 (09:30 - 16:30) Process Mapping: How to Create Process Maps and Improve Your Business Processes

Thursday 21st April 2016 (09:30 - 16:30) Assertiveness at work

Monday 16th May 2016 (09:30 - 16:30) Time Management: How to Get More Done in Less Time

Wednesday 6th April 2016 (09:30 - 16:30) Documentary Letters of Credit

Monday 25th April 2016 (09:30 - 16:30) Keep Your Customers: How to Understand and Improve your Customers Experience

Monday 4th April 2016 (09:30 - 16:30) Negotiating: How to Negotiate and Achieve the Right Deal for You and Your Customer

Thursday 7th April 2016 (09:30 - 16:30) Advanced Google Analytics for Business Monday 11th April 2016 (09:30 - 16:30) Finance for Non-Finance Managers: How to Understand and Speak with Confidence About Financial Issues in Your Business Tuesday 12th April 2016 (09:30 - 16:30) Difficult Situations: How to Deal With Difficult Customers and Staff Effectively and Confidently

Tuesday 26th April 2016 (09:30 - 16:30) Managing Change - Enabling Organisational Transformation Thursday 28th April 2016 (09:30 - 12:30) Delegate with Confidence

May

Wednesday 18th May 2016 (09:00 - 11:30) Why Iran?

Friday 20th May 2016 (09:30 - 12:30) Twitter and Blogging for Business Monday 23rd May 2016 (09:30 - 16:30) Sales Skills: How to Enjoy and Get Great Results When Selling Face-to-Face or

by Telephone Thursday 26th May 2016 (09:30 - 16:30) Export Documentation

Monday 9th May 2016 (09:30 - 16:30) Networking: How to Build Great Business Relationships and Enjoy Meeting Strangers

Tuesday 31st May 2016 (09:30 - 16:30) Leadership: How to Lead, Manage and Coach Your People to Success

April

May

June

Wednesday 6th 60 Really Useful Minutes 40 George Street (10:00-11:00am) Fighting Edge

Wednesday 4th 60 Really Useful Minutes, 40 George Street (10:00-11:00am) Foundation Scotland

Wednesday 1st 60 Really Useful Minutes (10:00-11:00am) 40 George Street RHASS

Wednesday 13th Chamber Dining Club Lunch: The Bonham (12:30-2:30pm)

Wednesday 11th Chamber Dining Club Lunch: Doubltree

by Hilton (12:30-2:30pm)

Tuesday 7th Standard Life Pensions Seminar (7:45 – 09:30)

Wednesday 20th Anderson Strathern Breakfast

Friday 13th Breakfast Speed Networking, Surgeons Hall (8:45am-11:45am)

Wednesday 8th Chamber Dining Club Lunch (12:30-2:30pm)

Tuesday 17th Inspiring Women in Business Lunch (12:30-2:30pm)

Tuesday 14th Inspiring Women in Business Workshop (12:30-2:30pm)

Friday 27th Chamber Catch Up

Friday 25th Chamber Catch Up

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Wednesday 26th Inspiring Women in Business Workshop (12:30-2:00pm) Friday 29th Spotlight Breakfast with Bruntsfield Links and Visit Scotland CEO. (8:30- 10:30am)

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Company name: Partner Brodies LLP Who? Joyce Cullen (Partner) Website: www.brodies.com What were you doing between 10 and 12 this morning?

Attending an appeal hearing at the Court of Session –representing a client in dispute with the other directors of the company he had built up over 40 years – appealing to three judges to have his shares bought out at a fair valuation after an adverse decision of a single judge.

What do you see as your job’s biggest challenge?

Understanding what our clients want to achieve and aligning that with what is actually in their best interests. Whether that is by negotiating a settlement or using other dispute resolution methods – or fighting it out in court.

What do you consider your biggest business triumph?

Being part of the team, as Chairman, which transformed Brodies into the largest and most highly respected law firm in Scotland.

Do you have any money-saving business tips?

Investing in the best people saves money in the long term.

What do you believe are the 3 key stages on your career ladder?

Graduation from university up to becoming a partner in Brodies; becoming a Solicitor Advocate and becoming Chairman of the firm were all important milestones, but I like to think that I am still on my career ladder looking for the next rung.

Where do you stand on work/life balance?

Being able to rely on a great team - at work and at home - is essential. If you enjoy work and see it as a good part of your life then there is no real problem with achieving a balance.

What do you like to do on your spare time?

Spend time with my family, take holidays, and I have two sessions a week with a personal trainer at the gym.

What qualities do you need to see in your employees?

in Scotland. Self- effacing but also optimistic about the value of keeping negotiations going, despite every setback.

Any business (or other) projects you would like to plug?

In business, is it more important to be liked or successful?

The New School Butterstone – an excellent school for children with special educational needs, where I have been a governor for a number of years. Also the Two Percent Club – for business women seeking to drive forward the issue of the underrepresentation of women in top roles in organisations.

I don’t see the two as unconnected. I think you have to be able to be trusted and to make a connection with clients, opponents and colleagues to be successful in the business of law.

Other than your current position, what would be your dream job?

Intelligence, hard work, loyalty, enthusiasm for and enjoyment of whatever they are doing.

What is the one piece of advice you would give to others trying to reach the top?

Be confident that you can do whatever you are asked, if you put in the hard work. Confidence comes from being well prepared (and if you don’t feel confident, act as though you are).

Who is your hero?

There are lots of people I admire. I was really impressed with Kofi Annan when I met him a few years ago at an SCDI event

Secret Service, but nothing too dangerous…

Who (living or dead) would you invite to a fantasy dinner party?

Dinner parties are nerve racking for me because I am not much of a cook. I would like to meet Christine Lagarde.

Outside of business, what is the most important thing in your life?

Family, of course.

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CHAMBER NEWS

Why Employee Volunteering Is Good For Business During the general election campaign last year, Prime Minister David Cameron promised that all public sector employers and companies with more than 250 employees would be required to grant staff up to three days’ paid leave each year to do voluntary work.

There has even been speculation that Mr Cameron’s bid to revive the 'Big Society' has been shelved amid concern among some business leaders about the cost and regulatory burden the scheme would introduce.1 It is easy to understand why a negative view of volunteering might prevail in some parts of the business community. There is no denying that giving staff paid leave to carry out volunteer work involves extra expense and effort for an employer. However, such a view ignores the many benefits that employee volunteering brings to a business.

Brewin Dolphin, one of the UK’s leading wealth managers offering investment management and financial planning advice, launched its own corporate foundation in 2012 and through the initiative, employees are entitled and encouraged to take one paid day off each year for charitable activity.

“There are a number of benefits,” says Rosie Richardson-Aitken, Corporate Responsibility Manager at Brewin Dolphin. “It makes people feel more engaged and creates links between people, community and the business.”

Brewin Dolphin has 28 offices across the UK and its Edinburgh office, following a consultation with staff, recently selected the Sick Kids Friends Foundation as its charity of the year. Alongside fundraising, the office is looking forward to engaging in volunteering opportunities with the charity, which aims to improve the experiences of children and young people in hospital and healthcare facilities in Scotland.

A volunteering experience can be “transformative” for both individuals and the

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companies involved, says Corey Diamond, Partner at Canada-based social enterprise Realized Worth. The company works with corporates and non-profit organisations to identify ambassadors within businesses who can galvanise their colleagues to volunteer.

“The concept is that if you are part of a volunteering experience, it’s not only about the person you are helping and the thing you are doing, it can change your entire outlook on life,” he explains. “If that happens, and you connect that experience to your company, you’re much more likely to be loyal or satisfied with the company.”

Deloitte’s 2014 Millennial Survey, Big demands and high expectations, found that companies who display integrity and a strong moral compass are increasingly sought after by the millennial generation. It highlights that 50% of millennials surveyed wanted to work for a business with ethical practices.

Linz Darlington, founder of social enterprise Benefacto, which helps charities find skilled volunteers who can contribute their time on a short-term basis, says: “The millennial

generation is much more entrepreneurial and it’s more important for them to work in firms that they think are doing good things.”

But she adds: “People have got to know that they’re going to find it a fulfilling experience, but also, more culturally within the firm, that there is a big business case for volunteering.”

“We want people to feel able to go out and get involved in their communities and that the business is giving its blessing for them to do that,” says Richardson-Aitken.

The information contained in this article is believed to be reliable and accurate, but without further investigation cannot be warranted as to accuracy or completeness.

The opinions expressed in this document are not necessarily the views held throughout Brewin Dolphin Ltd. Johnny McGlynn - Divisional Director Tel: 0131 300 2810 johnny.mcglynn@brewin.co.uk

1

Financial Times: ‘Big Society’ fades again as three-day volunteering plan shelved, 8 June 2015

CHAMBER NEWS George Lowder

Providing World Class, Integrated, Sustainable and Socially Inclusive Transport The vision for Transport for Edinburgh is simple: to provide world class, integrated, sustainable and socially inclusive transport for Edinburgh City Region through a variety of modes of transport, including walking, cycling and others.

This contributes to the continued success of Edinburgh as a fantastic place to; work, live, invest, study and visit.

George Lowder joined Transport for Edinburgh as Chief Executive in early January 2016 from the armed forces, where he served for almost 35 years, the last 14 of those years at Director Level. He has commanded at every level from Platoon to Brigade, deploying on operations in UK, Northern Ireland, Iraq, Afghanistan and The Occupied Palestinian Territories. During this time he was awarded The US Bronze Star and nominated for The US Legion of Honour.

Previously he also completed two tours of duty in The Ministry of Defence, where he led transformational change programmes.

For the last three and a half years he was the Director of Defence Intelligence Operations, responsible for operations around the globe.

George said: “In addition to providing leadership to Edinburgh Trams and Lothian Buses, Transport for Edinburgh is an integrator, coordinator and collaborator. It is important that we strive to offer customers

the best possible services and part of that is choice. At the moment passengers can choose between bus and tram, and in the future I hope the suite of services offered by Transport for Edinburgh will be developed, including how people travel, how they get information about travel and how they pay for travel in and around the City. We provide services that are a vital part of the city’s economy, essential to the continued wellbeing of the City and its neighbours.”

Transport for Edinburgh was formed in 2013 when Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams joined forces. Both companies are successful in their own right and boast impressive passenger patronage and satisfaction.

Transport for Edinburgh will provide the strategic direction of the businesses and collaborate on transport integration throughout the Edinburgh City Region and beyond.

George added: “We want to be at the heart of the discussions that take place as the transport framework for the City develops.

The healthy relationship between Transport

for Edinburgh’s shareholder, The City of Edinburgh Council and Transport for Edinburgh means there can be an open and honest dialogue at both the political and officer level.”

George’s appointment comes on the back of another positive year of activity for Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams who together carried nearly 126 million passengers in 2015.

Lothian Buses continue their commitment to sustainability by introducing more hybrid, diesel-electric buses to their fleet, supported by the Scottish Government’s Scottish Green Bus Fund. Whilst both bus and tram continue to enjoy high levels of customer satisfaction.

George said: “Edinburgh has a good public transport story, but we must not be complacent. There is much to do to provide integrated public transport that is expected in a “smart” 21st Century city. I am delighted to have been selected for this appointment. It’s an exciting time to be in the capital and I look forward to working with the Chamber and the wider business group.”

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MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Royal Zoological Society of Scotland Appoints Development Manager The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has appointed Laura-Jane Sheridan as Development Manager, taking a lead on the charity’s fundraising portfolio. A key element of this role is to increase engagement with the corporate sector to help fund the charity’s range of initiatives both in Scotland and across the world.

Laura-Jane has held fundraising roles within the third sector for a number of years, working across a range of channels including corporate support, grants, legacies and individual giving.

On her appointment, she has said, “I am delighted to be joining RZSS and becoming part of such a historical organisation. Our supporters are a vital source of income for the charity - I look forward to working alongside them to deliver real results for the many vulnerable species RZSS work to protect”.

Barbara Smith, Managing Director of RZSS, said “This is an important focus for RZSS and we are pleased to make this appointment.”

BUSINESS COMMENT IS AN EDINBURGH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PUBLICATION. Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, Business Centre, 2nd Floor, 40 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2LE www.edinburghchamber.co.uk President: Scott Black Chief Executive: Dave Birrell E D I TO R: Mayan Grace, Tel: 0131 221 2999 Email: mayan.grace@edinburghchamber.co.uk F E ATU RES ED ITO R David Forsyth, Tel: 07887 955778 Email: david@benchmarkpr.co.uk PRO D U CTIO N & D ES IG N Distinctive Publishing, Unit 6b, Floor B, Milburn House, Dean Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1LE Tel: 0845 884 2383 www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk ADV ERTIS ING Distinctive Publishing, Unit 6b, Floor B, Milburn House, Dean Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1LE John Neilson, Tel: 0845 884 2343 john.neilson@distinctivegroup.co.uk

DI S C L A IM ER

Distinctive Publishing or Business Comment cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies that may occur, individual products or services advertised or late entries. No part of this publication may be reproduced or scanned without prior written permission of the publishers and Business Comment.

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Worksmart Contracts Launch Edinburgh Office and Appoint a New Regional Manager Leading interior fit-out and refurbishment company Worksmart Contracts have opened their third UK office in Edinburgh and have appointed Gary McGurk as Regional Manager.

New Regional Manager Gary McGurk, said “I believe there is a gap in the market within Edinburgh for a reputable, considerate multitrade contractor with a genuine East Coast presence. There is an air of optimism and positivity in the commercial property market in Edinburgh and we believe it is a great time to open an Edinburgh Office” Worksmart’s Managing Director Steve Neilson agrees “We have been waiting for the right time to launch in Edinburgh and we are delighted to have Gary join the team.”

Edinburgh Leisure Appoints New Director of Operations Remko Plooij has been appointed to the role of Director of Operations at Edinburgh Leisure. Plooij joins from Center Parcs where he was Leisure Services Manager and prior to that was General Manager, responsible for a number of visitor attractions with the National Trust in England, including Sizergh Castle and Fell Foot Park.

June Peebles, Chief Executive at Edinburgh Leisure said: “We are delighted to welcome Remko to the post of Director of Operations at Edinburgh Leisure. Remko has a strong operational background in the travel, tourism and visitor attraction market and will bring a different perspective to Edinburgh Leisure; one that adds to the wealth of knowledge and expertise we currently have in operations, physical activity and sport.”

Bilfinger GVA Announces Key Appointment in Glasgow Bilfinger GVA, one of Scotland’s leading commercial property advisors, has announced a new addition to its Glasgow office with Paul Broad joining as Director. Broad joins the organisation’s Business Space Team having previously worked at DTZ/Cushman & Wakefield for 14 years, most recently leading their Glasgow Business Space Team.

Paul Broad, Director of the Business Space Team at Bilfinger GVA, said: “This is a great time to be joining Bilfinger GVA, with the team already working on a number of high profile projects. I am pleased that I can be part of such a strong organisation with such a fantastic reputation in the market.”

Alison Taylor, Head of Business Space Scotland at Bilfinger GVA, commented: “The strong performance of the sector in Glasgow, coupled with the robust results of the Business Space team has allowed us to expand our services. I am delighted that we have been able to add Paul to the team, and we look forward to using his experience to benefit our clients.”

Distinctive has Appointed Lesley Baxter as Business Development Manager Edinburgh and London based Event Management company Distinctive has announced the appointment of Lesley Baxter as Business Development Manager. Lesley has 8 years’ experience working within the events services industry and will adopt the role promoting the Distinctive brand, sourcing new clients and developing existing business.

“The appointment has taken me into a vibrant, creative area of the business working with a close-knit team of highly experienced, passionate Event Managers that deliver a first class customer experience. Distinctive offers event management services including exhibitions and trade shows, conferences, awards dinners, product launches, incentive travel, team development and destination management.”

No-one should be homeless in Scotland

Choose Bethany as your charity partner and together we can transform lives in Scotland.

With our made-to-measure approach, you can engage your team in the local community in whatever way suits you best. Whether you are looking for a one-off activity or a longer term partnership, our experienced staff are on hand to guide you through.

Contact supporters@bethanychristiantrust.com or call 0131 561 8927 to find out how you can make a difference today.

Bethany Christian Trust is a registered charity no SC003783.

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