Business Scotland 12

BusinessScotland Scottish Chambers of Commerce Magazine

SUMMER2018

Expanding Scottish business in China Entrepreneurship at the heart of Chambers Spotlight on Scotland

Scottish Chambers of Commerce

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BusinessScotland

CONTENTS

SUMMER 2018

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© VisitScotland / Kenny Lam

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THERE IS NO WAITING. #SCOTLAND IS NOW

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SCOTTISH CHAMBERS HERALDS NEW PHASE IN TRADE TIES WITH SOUTHEAST ASIAN GIANT

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CHINESE AMBASSADOR TELLS SCOTTISH BUSINESS IT’S TIME FOR ACTION ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT HEART OF CHAMBER’S AGENDA

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A SOLUTIONS ORIENTATED ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANCY WITH A PROVEN TRACK RECORD ‘FUTURE CHAMBER’ LAUNCHES AS PART OF A BIG YEAR OF CHANGE AT THE AYRSHIRE CHAMBER DIGITAL DYW IN DUNDEE CALMAC EXPANDS APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMME

Scottish Chambers of Commerce Business Partners

Front Cover image: V&A Museum, Dundee

51 60 69 85

WOMEN IN BUSINESS GROUP HONOURS ACHIEVEMENT OF SCC CHIEF EXECUTIVE LIZ CAMERON RAIL ON TRACK TO MAKE CONNECTIONS TURNING TALK INTO ACTION SPREADING THE MESSAGE ABOUT JCI

Over £1.2million worth of loans approved

FUND THE GAP Business loans of up to £100,000

www.bls.scot

FOREWORD

Showcasing sucess from Scotland’s business community Welcome to this edition of Business Scotland; an outstanding edition showcasing the successes from Scotland’s business community. This edition’s front cover, featuring the outstanding V&A Museum in Dundee provides absolute testimony to Scotland’s ambitions.

Those very ambitions are proudly encapsulated in the new #ScotlandIsNow campaign, placing an international spotlight on our world-leading assets. Scottish Chambers of Commerce is backing this campaign, acting as an important enabler of placing Scotland firmly at the top of the list as a destination to live, work, study, invest and visit.

Tim Allan

President, Scottish Chambers of Commerce

And we’re playing our part too. The Chamber Network’s International Trade outreach has seen tremendous success, with SCC Network leading a Business Mission to China, creating solid links between Scottish & Chinese businesses. With a delegation of over 15, the wide-ranging mission saw one-to-one meetings between Scottish & Chinese businesses, key agreements

signed including with the Silk Road Business Council, giving Scottish businesses access to China’s Belt & Road Initiative, and B2B deals firmly in place. Premiership Experience, on the SCC Network Mission, successfully signed a multi-million pound deal, expanding their business and international presence.

Closer to home, Scottish Chambers of Commerce also played host to China’s and Indonesia’s Ambassador to the UK, recognising the credibility of the Chambers of Commerce brand and the strength of the Scottish business offering.

This is just a flavour of the excellent contributions being made by the Chamber Network, our partners and our members.

Enjoy this edition!

Contributors and featured partners Charlie Smith

Dougie Hawkins

Scotrail

Jim McHarg

Louise Norrie

Scottish Enterprise

Olivia Dunnett

David Horne

Calmac

Lord Duncan

Phil Ford

easyJet

Chief Marketing /Digital Officer, VisitScotland

Glasgow Chamber of Commerce’s President

JCI Scotland, Vice President

UK Government minister

Partner, Clyde Blowers Capital

Digital Marketing Modern Apprentice, Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce

Managing Director for Virgin Trains on the east coast route

Skills Development Scotland

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COVER STORY

There is no waiting.

Charlie Smith

Chief Marketing / Digital Officer, VisitScotland

On my travels, I will never tire of seeing the surprise and wonderment that comes with tales of our pioneering past and present, our multi-cultural and inclusive society, our world-class academic institutions, the beauty of our land and the warmth of our people. We are so immersed in Scotland it’s sometimes too easy to forget what incredible assets we have. Travelling is always a timely reminder of how others see us.

Our people, product and place combine to make a compelling offer to those seeking to visit, work, live, study or invest in Scotland.

The challenge is to make sure that our world-class offer to businesses, visitors and students is known and understood enough by those people we seek to attract in key markets around the world. Scotland doesn’t need to be sold; our story needs to be told.

We operate in a highly competitive global economy where our competitors continue to ramp up their investment in marketing

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and selling their own wares. In addition, continuing global economic uncertainty and Brexit have conspired to dent the confidence of those that seek to explore foreign lands. I’m not sure there has been a more important time in our recent history to show that our inclusive, pioneering and open values are as strong today as they have ever been and that we welcome all-comers.

Over the past year, the team at VisitScotland have been working with the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Development International and many others (including Universities Scotland and Creative Scotland) to pool our resources to look at how we stimulate growth through our combined efforts. This project ‘Brand Scotland’ has looked at how we can best deploy technology, leverage data, build influencer networks and most effectively tell Scotland’s story.

On 11 April we launched a new global campaign ‘Scotland is Now’. The campaign is an optimistic take on the world today in the most challenging of times. We tell Scotland’s story using our rich mix of people, place and experience (old and new, Scots and non-Scots, vibrant assets and urban

culture, historic and contemporary pioneers, dynamic growth businesses and social enterprises) to attract those who would never previously have thought about coming to Scotland. And to actively consider us as a place to visit, work, live, study and invest.

There is no waiting. #ScotlandIsNow For more information about our new global campaign and for tools and advice for your business to get involved go to: www.scotlandisnow.com

The campaign is an optimistic take on the world today in the most challenging of times. We tell Scotland’s story using our rich mix of people, place and experience.

COVER STORY

Spotlight on Scotland ‘Scotland is Now’ will put Scotland in the international spotlight and showcase the country’s world-leading assets to a global audience.

Launching simultaneously on 11th April in North America, London and China, ‘Scotland is Now’ is designed to put the country firmly at the top of everyone’s list of places to live, work, study, invest and visit.

Attracting more migrant talent, international students, expanding overseas businesses and high-spend tourists will grow Scotland’s economy and further cement its reputation as an open, diverse and welcoming country.

The campaign sees the Scottish Government, VisitScotland, Scottish Development International and Universities Scotland join forces for the first time to promote Scotland under a single unified national brand, bringing together combined spending of up

to £6 million to promote Scotland globally.

‘Scotland is Now’ builds on the nation’s acknowledged strengths as a land of unrivalled history, breath-taking scenery and warm welcomes, but shines a light on lesser-known qualities: a pioneering, dynamic and progressive nation taking the lead on key global challenges.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who unveiled the campaign in China, said: “The message at the heart of ‘Scotland is Now’ is of a bold and positive country offering the warmest of welcomes, rich in history and heritage and with a progressive, pioneering and inclusive approach to our future.

Economy Secretary Keith Brown offered audiences in New York a sneak-peak at ‘Scotland is Now’ during Scotland Week, while the campaign is being launched in China as part of the First Minister’s visit.

The campaign brings together public sector partners with key business interests and will be a vehicle to support export growth in the private sector.

“The campaign will inspire people to be part of Scotland’s future and tell Scotland’s story through those who know it best – people who have embraced living, working, studying, visiting and investing here.”

Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde said: “‘Scotland is Now’ is a vibrant and modern way to demonstrate all that the country has to offer. Our university sector is one of the very best in the world and each year we generate thousands of work-ready graduates, discover new knowledge, produce new research and create innovative developments which help society to tackle its biggest issues.

The campaign includes a core Scotland film, alongside a number of ‘people’ films which offer a personal perspective from those who call Scotland home.

“‘Scotland is Now’ showcases to the world our country’s many strengths and the University of Strathclyde is proud to be part of that story.”

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SCC NETWORK INTERNATIONAL

Scottish Chambers heralds new phase in trade ties with southeast Asian giant Business and trade relations between Scotland and Indonesia, one of Asia’s largest and fastest-growing nations have taken a significant leap forward following a “B2B agreement” between SCC and BritCham Indonesia. The deal was signed in Edinburgh by BritCham Indonesia Executive Director Chris Wren, and Tim Allan, President of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce.

The signing, conducted in the presence of the Indonesian Ambassador to the UK, His Excellency Dr Rizal Sukma, and Keith Brown MSP, Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Jobs & Fair Work, commits both parties to share information and pool resources with the joint purpose of improving Scotland’s trading activities in the world’s fourth most populous nation.

of 256 million, Indonesia presents a “major opportunity” for Scottish businesses and educational institutions according to SCC President Tim Allan.

As well as the high-level agreement, the event to promote ties with the vast Southeast Asian nation also saw the signing of a milestone agreement between high-growth Scots space and technology services company Astrosat, with Indonesian conservationists Global Alam Lestari (PT GAL) and Forest Carbon. The agreement will see Astrosat’s powerful Earth observation satellites being used to provide enhanced landscape monitoring of more than 22,000 hectares of rainforest in Sumatra’s Merang biodiversity corridor.

“The experience of our successful and recently completed Trade Mission to China is that business flourishes when businesses spend time together. Although government and its agencies can create the circumstances, only business can do the deals, and the purpose of today’s agreement is to strengthen this B2B ties between us.”

Scottish companies currently comprise only a small fraction of total UK investment in Indonesia, which is slated by consultants McKinsey to become the 7th biggest economy in the world by 2030, and the fourth largest 2050 according to PwC. A tropical archipelago stretching over 3000 miles, comprising 17,000 islands with a population

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“The country is too large for Scotland to ignore” Mr Allan said: “this new agreement is a step towards changing the currently underdeveloped state of our business relations with this exciting market.”

SCC’s intention to boost trade between Scotland and Indonesia was endorsed by the country’s Ambassador to the UK Dr Rizal Sukma, who talked of the country’s aim to increase exports to the UK, while encouraging more foreign direct investment into the country, citing areas such as marine industries and food technology where Scottish expertise “could have a positive impact”.

His support was also echoed by Cabinet Secretary for the Economy Keith Brown MSP,

who held a private meeting with Ambassador Rizal Sukma following the signing. Mr Brown pledged that the Scottish Government would increase its engagement with Indonesia and announced that its overseas trade and inward investment agency SDI was boosting its presence in Indonesia by deploying a representative in Jakarta.

Mr Brown said: “It was a privilege to meet with Ambassador Rizal Sukma alongside British Chambers Indonesia members and Scottish Chambers of Commerce today.

This is an important new agreement which will benefit Scottish businesses wishing to expand into Indonesia. Businesses such as the Musselburgh-based satellite technology company Astrosat will have access to additional support as they expand their services into South Sumatra to support Indonesia’s ecological ambitions.”

Steve Lee, CEO of Astrosat said: “Today’s signing marks the start of a longer-term partnership, based on world-leading technology built in Musselburgh but applied on the other side of the world to help sustain Indonesia’s drive to conserve an unspoilt natural wilderness. It’s an exciting example of the benefits of better commercial and knowledge-sharing links between our two countries.”

REGISTERS OF SCOTLAND

Digital Discharge Service Keeper of the Registers of Scotland, Jennifer Henderson

New chapter for RoS There is never a dull day at Registers of Scotland (RoS), but we had a particularly exciting new chapter open before us at the start of April, as we welcomed Jennifer Henderson as the new Keeper of the Registers of Scotland.

Jennifer succeeds Sheenagh Adams (the first female keeper), who held the post since 2009. Sheenagh’s tenure witnessed some of the most dynamic changes in the history of the Registers, and it culminated in a historic landmark year. In 2017, we rolled out the Digital Discharge Service, won acknowledgment for our Development Plan

Our recently published Corporate Plan reiterates our commitment to completing the Land Register by 2024, promoting ScotLIS as the platform of choice for land and property information, becoming a fully digital business by 2020, and running an agile and sustainable business, where our capable and empowered people anticipate and respond to our customers’ needs.”

Approval service from Homes for Scotland, and launched ScotLIS, Scotland’s Land Information Service – this all took place as we celebrated the 400th anniversary of the sasine register. We’re maintaining that momentum as 2018 continues to gather pace, and Jennifer has hit the ground running.

She has been with the Civil Service since 1994, and most recently has been on a six-month loan as a Deputy Director at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. While there she developed the department’s business plan, and previously supported the initial phase of the Building Safety Programme established in response to the fire at Grenfell Tower.

In her first weeks as keeper, she has been focussed on meeting as many members of staff as possible, and gaining a thorough understanding of different aspects of the business, including registrations and ScotLIS. She’s met with key partners in the Scottish Government, discussing ways that RoS can continue to support the Scottish economy and contribute to the National Framework, as well as attending internal meetings to discuss our key priorities.

Our recently published Corporate Plan reiterates our commitment to completing the Land Register by 2024, promoting ScotLIS as the platform of choice for land and property information, becoming a fully digital business by 2020, and running an agile and sustainable business, where our capable and empowered people anticipate and respond to our customers’ needs. These four key objectives have been the driver behind the new keeper’s first month, and will underpin her activities over the coming months.

A new keeper wasn’t the only major milestone we arrived at in April. We also welcomed Lloyds Banking Group to our Digital Discharge Service (DDS). In terms of standard security discharges, Lloyds processes the largest volume of applications in Scotland, so bringing them onto DDS will bring major benefits across the industry.

Lloyds have been an important stakeholder for years, and they’ve now made the move from our existing services to DDS, which offers a faster, more secure and more efficient mortgage discharge service that’s not just fully digital, but more intuitive and user-friendly as well.

The team at Lloyds have enthusiastically welcomed DDS, with Jayne Royle, Project Manager for Business Change at Lloyds describing the move as a “smooth and easy process”. She went on to say: “We process tens of thousands of discharge applications each year, so DDS holds substantial benefits for our organisation. At the individual level, DDS makes the work of our mortgage specialists far easier, as they’re using the latest digital services, and no longer handling large numbers of paper application documents”.

Bringing Lloyds on board has been great news for us here at RoS too. DDS is an important development for the industry as a whole, so to welcome a major firm like Lloyds is fantastic news, as we work towards making DDS the standard service for discharging standard securities. around the UK. In her role as keeper, she is being no less ambitious. She aims to get out and about, with the intention of meeting as many of our external customers, stakeholders, and partners as possible. The forthcoming Royal Highland Show, and the Law Society’s ‘It’s the Law’ Conference are just two of the high-profile events already inked into her diary. Partnership working, listening to feedback, and developing and delivering services that directly address customer requirements are central to the way that we do business at RoS, and Jennifer is keen to hear what you have to say.

In her personal life, Jennifer has a personal goal of visiting all of the inhabited islands

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SCC NETWORK INTERNATIONAL

Expanding Scottish business opportunities in China Scottish Chambers of Commerce Network’s first full-scale Business Mission to China was a pioneering attempt to create a more direct business-to-business approach to the vast opportunity that China represents. We are proud to report that the Mission has received highly positive feedback from its participants, 20 Scottish companies and universities for whom it provided an opportunity to learn first-hand about the range of market opportunities in the world’s second-largest economy.

In a market that contains many challenges of language, culture and geographical spread, our achievement has been to help participants find the shortest route to engaging with Chinese counterparts, many of them hungry to do business with us. The Mission was a careful balance of necessary knowledge-building and practical engagement with individuals likely to advance the interests of our company participants. A good example of the former was a session with Alistair Michie, the doyen of Scots businessmen in China, and a close

During the 2018 Business Mission: China, football tour company Premiership Experience announced that it had concluded a “seven figure deal” with a Henanbased tour company, doubling the Glasgow firm’s £1.5m turnover. The seeds of the deal were sewn during SCC’s September 2017 Glasgow dinner for the Chinese Ambassador HE Mr Liu Xiaom.

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adviser to President Xi Jinping himself. Mr Michie gave the group the benefit of his overview, expressing his view that Mr Xi’s determination to excel in areas as diverse as green energy, electric cars and football, while gradually opening the Chinese market, should be seized on as an opportunity by Scots companies, with unique and marketleading products.

Content-rich and highly contemporary market information on hot issues such as IP protection were provided by British Embassy-based officials while Weber Shandwick China made clear the extent to which the ubiquitous combination of e-commerce and social media, largely through Tencent’s ubiquitous WeChat platform, had transformed the way China does business - and Chinese daily life in general. But the mission’s most significant achievement was to match member businesses with potential Chinese counterparts chosen for the closeness of their fit with our companies, and for their eagerness to exploit opportunities arising from market synchronicity between Shandong and Scotland.

It also provided a valuable lesson in the importance of connections and introductions, in a country where the nitty-gritty of commercial exchange is accompanied by formal pleasantries and courtesies. We learned the value of engaging with sincerity, and goodwill.

The Civic authorities in Yantai and in Jinan rolled out the red carpet for the Mission,

SCC NETWORK INTERNATIONAL

whose leader Tim Allan skilfully expressed SCC’s reciprocal message in a form that was well-received by our hosts.

A trade mission that was all Embassy visits, civic banquets and noble sentiments would, however, be unlikely to satisfy its SME members. The high point of the B2B programme was the Yantai-Scotland Economic and Trading Cooperation Seminar, a triumph of Chinese organisation, in which our companies were thoughtfully paired with a succession of Chinese suitors, The flurry of exchanged business cards was accompanied by solid agreements, some of which are likely to bear fruit in the very near future.

Elsewhere a packed programme gave them the opportunity to forge strong businessto-business relationships, which were enthusiastically facilitated by our (by now) good friends among Shandong’s local and provincial governments and development agencies.

The generosity of spirit and warm hospitality with which the Scottish Chambers-led

Mission was received in Shandong reinforced the wider sense that Scottish companies who have conducted their market research and who are prepared to invest the time and goodwill to securing close partnerships are likely to be the winners in this exciting market.

In China, perhaps more than anywhere, the power of personal interaction is a formidable force in inspiring collaboration and cooperation. Our Mission taught us that the opportunities are great, also that it takes close market knowledge, and willingness to commit to long-term relationships to make the most of them. Already, we are planning further two-way traffic between Scotland and Shandong, to ensure that the momentum is sustained.

SCC sees the 2018 ‘Business Mission China’ as a strong start, but only a start nevertheless. As part of a One Scotland approach, and with the support and encouragement of the Scottish Government, we have brought necessary additionality to

the national effort to boost our achievements in exports. We have done so quickly, but with quality and with passion.

Much has already been achieved since we started to lay down the groundwork for this mission only 12 months ago. The reward for us is knowing that we have played a part in helping Scots companies achieve greater exports, growth and quality employment.

Our April Business Mission has showed us a clear route to achieving those goals.

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SCC NETWORK INTERNATIONAL

Chinese ambassador tells Scottish business it’s time for action China’s Ambassador to the UK, His Excellency Mr Liu Xiaoming last night invited Scottish business to “roll up its sleeves and get down to business” in order to profit from China’s ongoing transformation from “high speed growth to high quality growth”.

Mr Liu was speaking at a special Scottish Chambers of Commerce Network “Q&A” dinner at St Andrews, where he was briefed on the success of the SCC’s inaugural Trade Mission to China (14-22 April). The Ambassador offered his “sincere thanks” to SCC Network for its “commitment to cooperation between Scotland and China in trade, investment, energy and infrastructure development”.

Held at St Andrews’ Old Course Hotel on Wednesday 2 May and co-hosted with Fife Chamber of Commerce, Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce and Perthshire Chamber of Commerce, the

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Q&A was preceded by an address in which Mr Liu outlined China’s advances in areas including trade liberalisation, green energy development, increased intellectual property rights and China’s flagship transEurasian “Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative.

Titled “A Conversation with the Ambassador”, and also addressed by Deputy First Minister John Swinney MSP, the Global Business Dinner marked another major milestone in the Chamber Network’s pioneering business-to-business engagement with China.

The event offered an opportunity for Scottish

businesses engaged in, or considering, trade with the world’s second largest economy to directly question Beijing’s envoy on aspects of economic and commercial policies affecting the world’s second largest economy.

Ambassador Liu’s visit came only six months after he attended a previous Chambershosted dinner, held in Glasgow, at which he praised the strength of China-Scottish relations and toasted “the future of ChinaScotland cooperation” in a “Golden Era” of Sino-British relations.

His presence in St Andrews allowed Mr Liu to meet Scottish businesses, and to give

SCC NETWORK INTERNATIONAL

his views on Scotland’s “unique strengths in processing, manufacturing, energy and innovation.”

He also praised the Memorandum of Understanding signed by SCC and the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC) last month, designed to encourage Scottish participation in China’s multi-trillion dollar Belt and Road programme.

He said; “The complementarity between our two sides is obvious, we should leverage our respective strengths and grab opportunities arising from innovation, economic transformation and the Belt and Road Initiative.”

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “The recent success of the Scottish Chambers-led Mission to Shandong has highlighted the vast opportunities in China for Scottish companies and showcased the unique and market leading products that Scottish companies have to offer.

“As highlighted by the First Minister’s recent visit to China, the economic ties between our two countries continue to flourish as the Scottish Government is supporting more

Scottish companies to export to China. We continue to see significant investment into Scotland from Chinese businesses – which are now among our top five sources of inward investment.”

Tim Allan, who led the SCC Mission to China said: “Ambassador Liu is one of China’s most admired and influential statesmen, and it is a mark of his commitment to encouraging Scottish companies in China that he joined us for this highlight of the Chambers’ 2018 calendar. His description of the win-win potential of the relationship should encourage more Scottish businesses to push harder at China’s increasingly open door.”

“Particularly in Yantai a city of 8 million people, where the Scottish Chambers opened a trade office a year ago, we find we are able to reach substantial deals in an atmosphere of increasing trust and good will. Ambassador Liu Xiaoming is a major contributor to these warm relations, and we value his friendship very highly. “ During the recent trade mission it was announced that the Glasgow football tourism company

Premiership Experience had signed a “seven figure” agreement with a major Henan-based Chinese conglomerate to bring Chinese tourists to Scotland, an agreement instigated by a connection made at the Glasgow dinner for Ambassador Liu. During the recent trade mission it was announced that the Glasgow football tourism company Premiership Experience had signed a “seven figure” agreement with a major Henan-based Chinese conglomerate to bring Chinese tourists to Scotland, an agreement instigated by a connection made at the Glasgow dinner for Ambassador Liu. In his answers to questions from guests, Mr Liu gave details of China’s increasing openness to trade, as announced

by President Xi Jinping in a major speech last month when he laid out plans for several key areas to make the domestic economy more accessible to foreign businesses, and pledged to increase imports, significantly lower tariffs and speed up its efforts to open up its financial markets and increase enforcement of intellectual property protection.

As highlighted by the First Minister’s recent visit to China, the economic ties between our two countries continue to flourish as the Scottish Government is supporting more Scottish companies to export to China. We continue to see significant investment into Scotland from Chinese businesses – which are now among our top five sources of inward investment.

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BUSINESS PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

Using innovation for business growth In Scotland, our public bodies are ideally placed to stimulate change. Working day to day in complex environments covering an immense range of services with a wide array of technologies – from collecting rubbish to performing life-saving surgery – they touch every area of our lives.

We’re a country filled with smart start-ups fueled by bright minds from world class universities, supported by a government that has already established initiatives designed to stimulate innovation.

So, with a private sector brimming with talent and public bodies keen to become better, faster and more efficient, we’re championing opportunities for open innovation.

Unveiled last November, the CAN DO Innovation Challenge Fund aims to connect Scottish public bodies and industry to create a mutually beneficial environment for ideas and solutions to flourish.

An innovation challenge is a current problem faced by a Scottish public body, where there is no clear fix or current market solution.

We’re providing Scotland’s public bodies with the opportunity to receive up to 100% funding to support the development of innovative solutions.

The Fund is a single point of contact for public sector-led innovation, with support and funding for projects and access to multiple sources of open innovation assistance.

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“Our ambition is clear: to create a culture in Scotland that supports businesses to use innovation to grow, all underpinned by a clear, easy to navigate, well-connected system of information, advice and support,” said Paul Wheelhouse, Scottish Minister for Business, Energy and Innovation, as he unveiled the fund in Edinburgh.

Terry Hogg, Project Manager of the CAN DO Innovation Challenge Fund , explains: “The problem we had was how to link public bodies and their challenges with the private sector who could solve them, without creating more hoops for a small business to jump through. They can then take forward the problem, which ultimately may well end up going to market.”

Successful businesses will receive research and development contracts of between £10,000 and £50,000 to deliver their vision of a solution in three to six months.

Those with the most potential enter the next phase, with additional contracts of up to £200,000 and around 18 months to create a prototype and demonstrate its efficiency. “We then expect the public body to buy the solution if it meets their requirements,” says Terry

“The company concerned always retains its IP, they’ll have a ready-made product to take to market elsewhere and have a large scale public body as their first customer to show it has already secured a credible customer.

They come away with a product to sell, a customer and are not out of pocket.”

For businesses who don’t make it through the process but with ideas that show potential, doors can open to funding and support from the Fund partners. The CAN DO fund is a joint project between the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and the Scottish Funding Council.

More information on the CAN DO Innovation Challenge Fund and the challenges seeking solutions is available at: www.scottish-enterprise.com/knowledgehub/articles/insight/can-do-innovationchallenge-fund www.scottish-enterprise.com/services/ new-opportunities/solve-achallenge/applyfor-a-challenge

ANDERSON ANDERSON & BROWN LLP

Are you feeling a little ‘Out of Kilter’ with our Scottish ‘Tartan’ tax?

The 2018/19 Scottish budget was passed by Holyrood on 21 February, but what does this really mean for Scottish Tax Residents?

Working the numbers is complicated! HMRC fully accept their tax calculators haven’t been able to cope since changes to savings allowances in 2016, and taxpayers have faced unnecessary tax bills as a consequence.

This doesn’t provide taxpayers with any confidence that they will get it right for 2018/19, particularly if you are someone who will be paying tax on income partly at English rates, and some at Scottish rates, which involves also having to take into account different tax bands in both countries, on the different sources of income.

How will this affect the Business Community? Firstly these tax changes only apply to individual taxpayers, not corporate bodies, and only on non savings income. So income from employment, self employment, partnerships, or rents from property investments, will be included in these new rates, but UK ‘English’ rates continue to apply to investment income.

Lynn Gracie

Anderson Anderson & Brown LLP, Chartered Accountants & Business Advisors Tax ‘Winners’ - Derek MacKay was keen to confirm the many winners, including those individuals earning less than £26,000, who make up around 55% of the Scottish tax paying population. They will now, comparatively speaking, pay less tax than their English counterparts.

Tax ‘Losers’ - they however include some 1.1M Scots, who will now pay more tax than people in England on the same earnings.

“Highest Rate of Marginal Tax and National Insurance (NI) rate in the UK” - an

unfortunate headline, but one impact of these changes results in Scottish resident employees earning between £43,430 and £46,350, now paying 53% tax and NI, compared to 32% in the rest of the UK. This 53% rate, is actually some 6% higher than someone in England earning £1M a year, who then receives just £1 extra in earnings.

In addition, individuals earning over £100,000 will lose 63.5% in tax and NI on every pound up to £123,700, as their personal allowance is tapered away to zero, compared with 62% in the rest of the UK.

This means shareholders of Limited companies could pay themselves dividends, take advantage of the 2018/19 £2,000 dividend savings allowance, and continue to pay English rates of tax. The added bonus of paying dividends rather than salary, is the NI savings for both shareholder/ company.

Combining this with reducing corporation tax rates, will inevitably result in some unincorporated business, or investment property owners rethinking their current legal structure, and considering incorporation more than ever before. The tax and NI savings are attractive, but the compliance and administration costs could be prohibitive, so professional advice must be taken, especially where there are assets held in the business.

HMRC famously coined the phrase ‘Tax doesn’t have to be taxing’. For Scottish residents...I would definitely beg to differ.

The correct formula for your business ANDERSON ANDERSON & BROWN LLP

AUDIT & ACCOUNTING • TAXATION • CORPORATE FINANCE • PAYROLL & EMPLOYMENT TAXES CONSULTING • OUTSOURCING • GLOBAL MOBILITY • WEALTH MANAGEMENT t: +44 (0)131 516 8791 • e: edinburgh@aab.uk • www.aab.uk

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Entrepreneurship at heart of Chamber’s agenda Jim McHarg

Glasgow Chamber of Commerce’s new President

As the new president of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, I will be standing on the shoulders of many giants from the last 235 years.

One aspect of the Chamber of which I am acutely aware is how close to the heart of the city it sits, working on behalf of our members to help make Glasgow the very best place for entrepreneurs to establish and grow a business. I want to retain that position.

So what are my priorities for doing that?

We have listened closely to our members and to the positive story they have told us about our Chamber. We have been told that we are highly valued and that we do make a difference.

Over the next two years I will support our chief executive Stuart Patrick and his excellent Chamber team in bringing

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in a fresh wave of new members. I want that new generation of members to be as diverse as our city, representing all sizes, ages, sectors, different stage businesses and communities – and I especially want to encourage the entrepreneurs amongst them.

We want to see growth in Glasgow’s economy. We have strategic relationships that we will aim to strengthen with the City Council and its arm’s length organisations, with Developing the Young Workforce and with Zero Waste Scotland.

In the year ahead we will be making a special effort to promote Glasgow as a circular economy, helping to make the city a world leader and involving as many of our SME members as we can. Innovative entrepreneurs will play a big part in that.

We will be making our case to the national Developing the Young Workforce board for another three years of funding support so that we can grow our impact on career opportunities for the young. We have skills shortages in Glasgow and we want to help tackle them.

This has implications for entrepreneurial spirit, and we need people of all ages having all the skills to start and run their own successful companies.

We will be placing a strong emphasis on the relationship with the new City Government, supporting its aspirations for a growing, inclusive economy and plans for giving more weight to the implementation of the Glasgow Economic Strategy via the Glasgow Economic Leadership and the Glasgow Partnership for Economic Growth.

We will also take our place on the Connectivity Commission, providing constructive input in shaping recommendations that will influence how our city centre is improved in the years ahead.

We will continue our work to connect members to export markets as demand and funding allow.

I am keen to have our new policy forums up and running in the early months of 2018.

We want these to shape the Chamber’s agenda – identifying the issues that the Chamber should be tackling with all levels of government.

Glasgow Chamber has a long and bold history, and as a Glaswegian who was born, raised, educated and has spent all his working life in this great city, I am very excited by the future.

Entrepreneurship is an important part of that future, and one that this Chamber has always enthusiastically supported.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

We have plenty of members who are entrepreneurs – including such as Andrew Duncan at mobile and web technology company SwarmOnline, Laura Birrell at Sticky Heelz, whose product makes sure your high heels never slip off, Andrew Dobbie at branding agency MadeBrave and too many more to mention here.

Our monthly Glasgow Talks series has its next event on February 28 about Entrepreneurship in Life Sciences – an important sector for Glasgow, and one in which entrepreneurs can flourish. We’ll hear from Florida-based Chris Hillier, a former professor at Glasgow Caledonian University, now CEO of Angry Health and Scientific Advisor of GuideWell, a not-for-profit mutual holding company that is the parent

to a family of forward-thinking companies which are focused on transforming health care. The Glasgow Business Awards in October, run by the Chamber, has as one of its categories The Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which recognises the most inspiring, dynamic and driven leader. Current holder of the title is Uisdean Fraser, managing director of energy engineering firm Synergie Environ.

The Chamber also administrates the Watson Foundation Fund, which was established following the gift of £100,000 in 2016 from entrepreneur John Watson, founder and former owner of John Watson and Co. John became a global player in the printing of high quality labels for the drinks industry in general and Scotch whisky industry while competitors fell by the wayside in a difficult time for the industry.

Entrants must show how they have overcome challenges to grow their successful business and how they have achieved this through risk taking, resilience, identification of opportunity, passion, commitment, market knowledge, innovation and inspiring and motivating their team with all the virtues that make up an entrepreneur.

Chamber members and organisations across the west of Scotland can apply for a loan from the Fund - between £5,000 and £10,000 to help develop their business goals and achieve their growth ambitions.

Entrepreneurship is what made Glasgow great, and it will always be at the heart of Glasgow Chamber’s agenda.

Glasgow Chamber has a long and bold history, and as a Glaswegian who was born, raised, educated and has spent all his working life in this great city, I am very excited by the future. Entrepreneurship is an important part of that future, and one that this Chamber has always enthusiastically supported.

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BUSINESS PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

The changing world of electricity The power generation industry has seen a growing number of exciting developments in recent years, and at Clyde Blowers Capital (CBC) we are encouraged by the increased levels of investment into the sector as it continues to evolve rapidly.

Dougie Hawkins

Partner, Clyde Blowers Capital

It’s well documented that an expanding global population and growing urbanisation is placing a heavy strain on the world’s natural resources. Undoubtedly, we risk damaging our planet if we can’t get a proper handle on polluting emissions. In addition to these macro trends, people are relying on a huge amount of electrically powered appliances from hand held devices to motor vehicles and this is only set to increase.

Whilst the development of electric vehicles, for example, is positive in that it helps lower the amount of carbon dioxide and diesel particulate emissions released into the atmosphere, unless we can source the electrical energy needed to propel these vehicles or power those devices from sustainable, low emission sources, we’re not really making the progress required to avoid burning more fossil fuels.

This is where forms of renewable power generation, such as wind, solar and hydro come in. As these industries grow, we are beginning to see the cost of all forms of renewable energy fall rapidly, to levels where it is now starting to compete, subsidy free, with conventional power generation.

At CBC, we have observed this trend across our investment portfolio and in particular our companies Moventas and Cone Drive, are leading the way here, embedding newly developed technologies into more efficient products and services, playing their part in lowering the overall cost of renewable energy.

Energy storage - a catalyst for progress Growth in renewable energy generation will be sustained through the development of power storage technologies, and this is where it starts to get exciting, as power storage is a catalyst for transforming the way we traditionally generate and distribute power.

Cost effective energy storage solutions circumvent the obvious drawbacks of renewable energy, given the need to generate power at times of demand, even when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining. Energy storage solutions allow you to efficiently generate energy and then store it when generating conditions are favourable

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then release that stored energy when it is required, ensuring that supply and demand can be more readily balanced.

Evolution in energy storage technology is also helping to change the way we think about how we have traditionally generated and delivered electrical power to consumers.

Increasing storage efficiency, scalability and storage density provides consumers with greater confidence in security of supply from locally generated and stored sources.

This brings less reliance on the need for large scale methods of power generation that connect consumers through extensive national transmission and localised distribution networks.

With a more localised approach, power can be generated from smaller scale, localised renewable power plants and used to power dedicated buildings, industrial facilities or even small towns and villages, without the need to link up and extend expensive national grid networks. And, indeed, where that localised facility can connect to a grid, surplus power can then be uploaded and sold to a broader market of consumers.

More than just batteries Hydro electric power generation is one of the most developed and well known forms of power storage, although large dams can have a detrimental impact on local eco systems. We have read about the rapid development of lithium-ion battery technology, that amongst other benefits, is actively encouraging retail consumers to think about clean energy. But there are many other storage technologies at various stages of development and commercialisation.

At CBC we have followed the development of molten salt storage technology used in large solar thermal power plants, to underground

thermal energy storage systems used to heat large buildings. And there are plenty more storage technologies out there, including fly wheel technology, compressed air energy storage and supercapacitors to highlight a few, each satisfying different applications and sometimes combining to solve more complex challenges.

The huge leap in the development of battery powered electric vehicles in recent years has been partly driven by investment into lithium-ion battery technology.

Consequently, we have witnessed rapid falls in the cost of lithium-ion, by as much as 70-80% in the last 10 years, helping to commercialise the technology and open up a wider market opportunity.

Additionally, hydrogen fuel cell technology will likely challenge lithium-ion in the transport space, and that competition should bear positive results for continued product development and ultimately, for the green minded consumer. In this area, CBC portfolio company Ferguson Marine Engineering is bringing to market the world’s first zeroemissions vehicle and passenger ferry, powered by hydrogen fuel cell technology, having received support of EU grant funding.

With electrification becoming increasingly prevalent in both consumer and industrial markets, demand for electrical power consumption continues to grow. It is great to see the industry rise to the environmental challenges by innovating and developing new technologies and solutions that are helping drive sustainability into the future. These exciting trends are opening up new growth and investment opportunities for those industrial companies that are able to stay ahead of the trends. Without doubt, at CBC, we will continue to watch this space with great interest.

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Alternatively, you can pop in for a site visit. The kettle is always on.

+44 (0)141 275 6232 | secmeetingacademy@sec.co.uk | sec.co.uk/secmeetingacademy

BUSINESS MENTORING

A solutions orientated environmental consultancy with a proven track record

Headquartered in Glasgow, with offices in Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh Envirocentre is a leading Scottish environmental consultancy. It employs 50 people with gross annual sales of around £3.25 million.

Mentor

Duar Fleming Managing Director, Envirocentre Ltd

Henry Perfect Sector Experience: Engineering

The company has grown in response to the demand for private housing development and national infrastructure projects to conduct preliminary environmen tal surveys and remediation w ork, often in partnership with bodies such as SNH and SEPA. Envirocentre services compromise ecology, water, hydrology and drainage consultancy, environmental assessment and engineering work.

Scottish Business Mentoring programme on how best to prepare and implement growth plans.

A spin-out from Strathclyde University, where its founder George Fleming was a Professor, the company is now headed by his elder son Duar Fleming. Account managed by Scottish Enterprise, the company is looking for new routes to growth, hence its conversations with

Duar Fleming explains why he felt that mentoring would help Envirocentre: “I had been doing the job of managing director for five years after taking over during the more difficult trading times of the recession.

Following a period of milk and honey when work came easily, we realised we had to do

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Mentee

The company had been going through challenging times in the recession, issues to which compounded by the special and often sensitive shareholding, governance and succession problems posed by having a founding family - in this case, father and son - at the heart of a business.

something quite different if we wanted to expand, which meant understanding what parts of our business were strong enough to withstand difficult times, and which were not”.

“Having downsized the company to weather this, the idea of bringing in more staff made people nervous, but as a young business, we felt we had to change that mentality.

This meant bringing some external thoughts into the mix and thinking ahead to avoid us treading water”.

Envirocentre talked to Carol Anne Morris, Scottish Business Mentoring executive about the company’s needs. After “sieving” volunteer candidates, she proposed Henry Perfect, whom Duar says “looked like a strong fit based on his strong engineering sector experience”.

“Henry had been chairman of Babtie [the venerable Scots engineering company sold to US giant Jacob in 2004 in a multimillionpound deal]. He understood the sector and the demographic of the employees, he seemed the natural choice, and from

BUSINESS MENTORING

Henry says: “In general my mentees have included companies in areas as diverse as equestrian sport, several architect practices, contractors, builders, quantity surveyors and have included small companies with a turnover of half a million to those with a £4045m turnover. I act as a sounding board, one that gives a company a helpful opportunity to take a step back. Questions I often get asked include when to take on staff, often a big step for firms on the programme”. the first meeting, we created a strong link.

I decided there was no point in bei ng halfhearted, it was a cards-on-the-table job. We got into the grittier aspects of what needed to be done and I was able to be open and honest”.

“I always advise: try when possible to ‘grow your own’ people, spend time with them and monitor what they do, they are often capable of much more than you think”.

“Sometim es the solutions occurred quite naturally. Henry’s experience meant that he picked up on little things and helped me to understand the situation better. I fel t we made good progress. His advice helped to develop confidence in my own decisionmaking, I needed some external reference for my own thoughts: should this be a priority or am I missing something else?”

Working as a mentor since 2002, Henry Perfect is an experienced business leader who has filled his retirement with various board and advisory roles in business and academia. He describes the engagement with Envirocentre as a “positive set of meetings”.

“With Envirocentre, we met at 2-monthly intervals with an agenda that covers finance, operations and strategy”.

Henry’s view of mentoring is that, when the fit is right, the experience is “very very satisfying”, and in the case of Envirocentre, the feeling is clearly mutual. 12 months of engagement provided a mutually satisfying transfer of knowledge and insight, that left the mentor with the knowledge that he had made a positive difference to a promising company, and the mentee with a strengthened business in which all employees could feel more connected and invested.

Our business is stronger as a result of Henry’s input, having experienced growth in existing markets. The mentoring input has helped build confidence in our plans and has built upon my confidence as a leader and has better equipped me to tackle challenges going forward.

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

‘Future chamber’ launches as part of a big year of change at the Ayrshire chamber Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce welcomed 28 new faces last week as they launched the eagerly anticipated ‘Future Chamber’ initiative. The exciting new concept provides FREE Enterprise Membership in addition to a structured program of relevant business and personal development activity throughout the year.

As the Ayrshire Chamber celebrated their 70th platinum year in 2017, one of the key areas of focus was to engage with and support a younger audience from across Ayrshire. In welcoming Future Chambers launch, President Graeme McKinstry said “Future Chamber focuses on young entrepreneurship and innovation and reflects the Chamber’s commitment to the future economic and business growth across Ayrshire. This is the first of several initiatives to be introduced by the Chamber which spring from our review of our offering to Ayrshire Business and there is much more to follow.”

Future Chamber members will be able to access a new exclusive online digital market place, attend the extensive range of events and networking opportunities, obtain Legal, Tax and HR support, and have free editorial exposure within the quarterly ‘Your Business’ Magazine.

Stephanie Lynch one of the new ‘Future Chamber’ entrepreneurs said, “I own two beauty and wellbeing establishments in Prestwick and the focus has been to grow over the past few years, although this will continue, Future Chamber is going to support me with personal development objectives and provide the opportunity to

be part of something new with like-minded people.”

Chamber CEO Val Russell says “This is a natural progression of some of the work Ayrshire Chamber already does with young people as part of Developing the Young Workforce. #AYE (Ayrshire Young

Entrepreneurs) exposes young people whilst at school to the possibilities of having their own business.”

To find out more about ‘Future Chamber’ call 01292 678666 or visit www.ayrshirechamber.org Applications for 2019/2020 will open in January 2019.

Innovative projects developing skills for work DYW Ayrshire’s Innovative projects are funded in partnership with the Princes Trust Development Awards and the training is delivered by Ayrshire College.

Whilst the majority of these funded projects are aimed at young people at risk of leaving school without achieving 5 subjects at National 5, the opportunities are offered to all pupils. The projects provide a catalyst to re-engage the young people who are currently disengaged or are at a risk of disengaging.

The main aim of these projects is to develop skills for work, the projects are also run as a business which give participants an invaluable experience.

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Innovative Projects

HRFCA

Executives Stretched…leadership training with a difference!

Employees from all over Scotland were put through their paces at Exercise Executive Stretch during a weekend of leadership training at Redford Barracks in Edinburgh. Over 50 participants from a range of businesses took part to gain first -hand experience of the Reserve Forces and learn about the many valuable transferable skills which Reservists bring to their civilian employers.

Arriving on Friday afternoon, the participants were fed and watered by the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry – the Army’s newest combat regiment – before learning some basic drill and cooking skills to prepare them for the challenges ahead. A night in the barracks was followed by the shock of a 5am Reveille on Saturday and the teams headed out into the Pentland hills where the hard work began! Activities included a gun run with 105 Regiment Royal Artillery, gap crossing with 71 Engineer Regiment, minefield vehicle extraction with 154 Regiment RLC and a message decryption lesson courtesy of 32 Royal Signal Regiment.

The teams also took part in emergency evacuation from a sinking ship, courtesy of the Royal Navy.

After a long day, the teams were then taken to their accommodation for the night – a woodland – where they were taught how to create a shelter, organise their kit and prepare their rations. Expert advice was provided by 6 Scots and a dry, if chilly night under canvas was had by all.

Day two was another early start and the teams returned to Redford Barracks for their toughest challenge yet; an energy sapping stretcher run and assault course.

The focus was very much on teamwork and, encouraged vociferously by their army instructors, the teams pushed, pulled and carried each other over the finish line to huge cheers from their employers and friends.

Once they had got their breath back, the teams had a welcome hot shower and change of clothes in time for the closing ceremony and prize giving. Col Toby Gaddum, Commanding Officer SNIY praised the participants for their hard work and

enthusiasm, and thanked the many service personnel who had put so much time and effort into making the event such a success.

A buffet lunch was provided to round off the weekend, and the buzz and laughter as the teams mingled and congratulated each other showed how much everyone had enjoyed the weekend, with lots of new friendships and business contacts having been made.

Ron Macgregor from the Highland Reserve Forces and Cadets’ Association, one of the organisers of the event commented, “The aim of Executive Stretch is to demonstrate to employers the wide range of skills that Reservists can bring to the workplace, and for their employees to have the opportunity to develop their leadership and teamwork skills in a unique training environment.

It is a great experience for all concerned

and the teams taking part have really done themselves, and their employers, proud.”

The civilian employees who took part gained a huge amount from the weekend.

“Brilliant…fantastic….amazing!” were just a few of the words used to describe the event with teams praising the army instructors who helped them complete the command tasks. “The whole weekend was challenging in lots of ways,” said one participant,” but it gave me a real insight into what reservists do and I learned a lot about myself over the weekend.”

If your business would like to find out more about engaging with Defence, employing Reservists, Veterans or Military Spouses, or about working with Cadets please contact Highland RFCA hi-reed@rfca.mod.uk for more information about how you can get involved.

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – EAST AYRSHIRE COUNCIL

East Ayrshire is ready for business Invest in East Ayrshire and be part of something bigger….This is the message from businesses and local support agencies to anyone thinking of investing in Scotland.

In the heart of Kilmarnock, Wabtec Faiveley Ltd and Brodie Engineering collectively refurbish and repair 25% of all railway rolling stock in the UK. In Newmilns, Dustacco Ltd is a leading UK manufacturer of dust extraction systems.

In the heart of South West Scotland’s landscape, East Ayrshire is a great place to live, work and invest.

We have an excellent quality of life with a growing economy, a strong sense of community good educational opportunities and a choice of modern and traditional homes to meet all needs and budgets.

We also enjoy good public health care and efficient, fast transport and communications links.

Textiles World renowned textile companies manufacture fabric linings for aircraft, bullet proof material for combat vests and medical solutions for heart valves.

Our 120,000 residents live in a mix of urban and rural communities and our principal towns are Kilmarnock in the north of the area and Cumnock to the south. These are complemented by a network of smaller towns and villages with a strong sense of community at their core.

Our proximity to ports, airports and the UK’s motorway network; our easy accessibility to both the central belt in Scotland and to the Northern Powerhouse in England; our highly skilled labour pool and the quality of our property portfolio all combine to make East Ayrshire an attractive proposition for investors.

Perhaps less well known is our industrial heritage and the diversity of the business base that calls East Ayrshire home – we have strengths in key sectors and a number of internationally renowned companies keen to welcome new investors and to support the economy grow.

Engineering Traditional industries, such as textiles and engineering are thriving. Locally over 1500 people are employed in engineering

MYB Ltd is the only remaining manufacturer of madras lace in the UK and combines the use of modern technology with the original looms installed in the factory in the early 20th century to supply bespoke pieces to fashion houses including Ralph Lauren and to produce specialist work for film companies and restoration projects.

Ingram Enterprise Centre, Kilmarnock

and manufacturing, covering everything from traditional mechanical engineering to aerospace and marine engineering.

Emergency One in Cumnock is the leading manufacturer of fire engines in the UK, while the ScotSeat Group in Stewarton designs and manufacturers bespoke seating for marine, military, commercial and passenger vehicles.

Mahle Engineering is responsible for the design and manufacture of bearings and brushes for formula one vehicles, while TPS Weldtech Ltd provides welding solutions to the oil and gas and construction industries across the USA and around the world.

In Cumnock, a new retail development on Townhead Street is providing a modern, stylish option for local retailers and further new units will be available for rent in winter 2018 with the redevelopment of the former Glaisnock Centre which includes a 10,000 sq.ft. Farmfoods store.

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Mackies in Stewarton produce high quality jumpers, scarves and bonnets for a number of high street and international retailers while Lochaven International produces the knitwear for the Harry Potter franchise and supplies garments to fashion houses Burberry and Prada.

Food and Drink Employing over 4000 people in food production and hospitality, the local food and drink sector supplies fine, home grown produce.

Woody’s Ice-cream, Dunlop Dairy who produce artisan cheese, Ethical Ales , a craft brewer , Everything Chilli, and Grants of Scotland, a long established haggis producer are just a few of our many and varied food and drink producers thriving and supplying national and international markets. The Food & Drink sector in East Ayrshire also continues to expand with a number of growing businesses across the region.

Crucial Drinks, an award winning boutique drinks manufacturer based at the Dumfries House Estate, Cumnock has recently appointed a Brand Ambassador to operate in Asia Pacific region to develop the market for their products which includes a range of whiskies and rums demonstrating that this East Ayrshire business has great growth ambitions and is taking positive steps to expand into international markets and be part of something bigger.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – EAST AYRSHIRE COUNCIL

Niche industries East Ayrshire is also home to a range of unique businesses such as Olympic curling stone manufacturers, Kays of Scotland leading fabrication and specialist metalworkers Annandale Designs, Microtech Systems Ltd which manages patient record systems of health boards across the UK and McCallum Bagpipes whose exquisite highland and lowland pipes are exported across the globe.

So whatever your business, there is a network of sectors and companies in East Ayrshire who will welcome you and help you understand that this is a thriving, exciting place to do business. This is a special part of the country, proud of its past and ambitious for the future.

East Ayrshire Council has a number of support mechanisms to help you to relocate and invest - our website Invest East Ayrshire (www.investeastayrshire.com) is a one stop shop for companies to tap into a wide network of assistance, giving them access to

a wealth of advice and support to help them succeed.

Business support ranges from helping to find commercial property and recruiting, developing and training staff, to accessing funding to embark on new projects.

Our beReady business growth programme targets the development needs of businesses. Through beReady a business can access a team of specialists in sales and marketing, digital, procurement, people, innovation, and management development.

These experts share their wealth of knowledge and experience with businesses through workshops and one-to-one support.

The integrated approach helps companies make the best decisions for the biggest business benefit and is the route to financial assistance from East Ayrshire Council’s Business Grants Programme.

Partners include The Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme, which offers training, mentoring, funding and resources to help 18 to 30 year olds start their own businesses; Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International, who can assist with national and international growth.

We can also offer a range of commercial property solutions, including industrial units, offices, retail premises and land available for new developments.

Kays of Scotland

to the M77 trunk road with Glasgow only 30 minutes away in addition to the excellent proximity of both Prestwick and Glasgow International Airports.

The former Johnnie Walker bottling plant site in Kilmarnock is the focus for the Halo Project, an imaginative new retail, leisure and business park, while extensive refurbishment work has recently been completed on the Ingram Business Centre in the heart of the town, which offers tenants flexible serviced office units for small and start-up businesses with all-inclusive rental packages available.

In Cumnock, a new retail development on Townhead Street is providing a modern, stylish option for local retailers and further new units will be available for rent in winter 2018 with the redevelopment of the former Glaisnock Centre which includes a 10,000 sq.ft. Farmfoods store.

To speak to us and to find out more about how we can help you and to learn more about support available please contact 01563 578304 or info@investeastayrshire.co.uk Further information is available www.investeastayrshire.com

In Kilmarnock, the principal site, Moorfield Business Park, is zoned for industrial use and the imminent completion of two new speculative industrial units is offering both local businesses and inward investors the opportunity to secure new large modern industrial units which have excellent access

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - CETERIS

Award winning business property in Central Scotland Based centrally in Clackmannanshire, Ceteris has 13 business locations spread across Central Scotland offering over 260,000 sq ft of serviced offices, industrial units and workshops.

Clackmannanshire has benefitted greatly from recent infrastructure improvements, a new train station and the Stirling & Clackmannanshire City Regional Deal promises transformational change for the area.

With over 150 tenant businesses (employing almost 1000 employees’) choosing our property portfolio, we take seriously our responsibility as landlord to deliver the very best in customer service, to manage sustainable, environmentally friendly buildings and to offer additional services such as our free, informative and timely workshops and events.

Indeed, in 2017 both the Alloa Business Centre and Cooperage Way Business Village were awarded Gold Level accreditation from Keep Scotland Beautiful National Awards for Environmental Excellence whilst, in recognition of our commitment to the environment, we were finalists in The VIBES - Scottish Environment Business Awards.

Our programme of added-value tenant events have recently included Modern

Apprenticeship & Recycling information sessions, Defibrillator Training and a workshop on how to Combat Cybercrime.

The location is stunning; strategically located in the middle of Scotland, Clackmannanshire lies between the majestic Ochil Hills and the River Forth providing the perfect business base, less than 9 miles from Stirling and no more than a 40 minute drive from Glasgow and Edinburgh city centres.

Our varied portfolio includes modern, custom built offices alongside renovated historical buildings full of character. We can offer town centre locations, bustling business parks or beautiful, tranquil views across countryside and the aforementioned Ochil Hills.

Clackmannanshire is growing, call us to find out how Ceteris property can benefit your business.

BUSINESS PROPERTY RENTAL Offering customised serviced offices, industrial units and workshops in business parks across Central Scotland.

All-inclusive, flexible and cost-effective leases include utilities, reception, insurance, maintenance, cleaning, meeting room hire, car-parking, refuse and recycling.

T: 01259 721454 E: property@ceteris.co.uk

Visit ceteris.co.uk for more information

01259 721454 | property@ceteris.co.uk | ceteris.co.uk

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FROM RWANDA TO MIRANDA VIA TEESPORT Miranda loves a good cup of tea before she starts work. She drinks Yorkshire Tea; milk, one sugar. But before she switches on the kettle, before she goes to the supermarket and long before the shelves are stacked; Teesport made sure her tea was where it needed to be.

Serving the UK from the North East, Teesport brings your goods closer to home and closer to your customers, saving you time, money and reducing impact on the environment.

That’s what we did for Taylors of Harrogate and that’s what we can do for you.

If you import it, Teesport it.

To see how we can help you call +44 (0) 1642 877 000 or visit www.pdports.co.uk

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

DYW team L-R Andy Maxtone, programme manager; Rowan Morrison, Aimee McCo

Journey into construction

DYW Inverness: Boosting skills and confidence Launched in early 2016, DYW Inverness and Central Highland forms part of the Scottish Government’s Youth Employment strategy, ensuring our young people have the skills and confidence needed to make the seamless transition between school and the work force.

Working with schools, partner agencies, employers, parents and young people, our goal is to bridge the gap between learning and working and allow each respective group to engage with one another, fostering a culture of collaboration.

We’ve been met with fantastic support, including: n 484 employers formally engaged to work with schools n 4293 young people we have engaged with so far Our work goes towards preparing the next generation for the 49,800 jobs available in the Highlands in the next 10 years.

Helping to upskill young people in the Highlands In 2016, we launched the first of our Journey Into… initiatives. Designed to give young people an introduction into different industries, so far we have successfully co-ordinated Journey into Construction and Journey into Beauty programmes.

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Journey Into…Beauty Local secondary school Dingwall Academy approached us following a number of pupils’ disappointment at being unable to secure a place on a vocational college beauty course.

We worked with teachers to explore the possibility of offering training through the school, and with the help of the Social Enterprise Academy, Dingwall Academy’s inhouse nail bar, File’n’Style, was launched.

Ten pupils underwent professional training courses before putting their skills to the test in a specially created classroom, offering treatments to staff and pupils and opening for Christmas and spring fayres.

The pupils’ confidence has grown, with their new responsibilities resulting in the development of customer service skills as well as providing them with insight into running their own workplace and business – valuable life skills. They also understand the importance of business planning and providing a well-run service.

At the same time, a number of senior pupils at Dingwall Academy set up The Sunflower Café, redesigning, refurnishing and redecorating a classroom into a fullyfledged coffee shop. Run by volunteer pupils under the assistance of staff, the team carry out all of the baking, cleaning, serving, planning and hosting, taking bookings from community groups, teachers, sporting associations, classes and regional working groups.

Ever-enterprising, the pupils soon set up a joint venture between The Sunflower Café and File’n’Style, inviting residents of a local care home for an afternoon of tea, coffee and cakes followed by a nail treatment. The

interaction between the residents and pupils was a joy to see and the pupils and their clients thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Further care homes in the area have also enquired about visiting the café and nail bar in the future, proving it to be a valuable and sustainable venture.

Both enterprises have been very successful and for the most part, pupil-lead. The employability skills developed will undoubtedly help the pupils in the future.

Now our first batch of recruits are ready to use their experience to train junior pupils.

Journey Into…Construction The Journey into Construction programme was tailor-made to provide young people interested in a career in construction with the insight and qualifications required to work in the industry.

The pilot programme saw seven budding constructors from local secondary schools spend two weeks on site at construction companies around Inverness. One student – Declan Kelly – impressed his managers at Compass Building & Construction Services Ltd so much that he was offered an apprenticeship.

Compass’s Safety and Quality Manager Graham Bell said: “During Declan’s initial work experience, we were really impressed by his attitude and work ethic so offered him an additional four weeks paid work experience, during which Declan received in-depth introductions to different aspects of the construction site. After continuing to impress us, we took Declan on as a full-time apprentice.”

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Digital DYW in Dundee While Millennials and Gen Z are digital natives, they do not automatically have the skills needed for the future workforce.

At the same time, the current work force can learn from young people’s digital skills, particularly in things like social media marketing. Current professionals can also play a key role in helping engage with the future workforce and address skills gaps.

Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) is a Scottish initiative that promotes workbased learning pathways and employer engagement in education to help young people transition more easily from education to employment and address skills shortages. The Dundee and Angus DYW team have worked closely with the Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce since conception and share their office space with them. Through this close partnership they have built a relationship

with Zudu, a young, successful web and app development company based in Dundee. Zudu sit on the DYW Dundee and Angus board and have seen the advantages of engaging with young people to emphasise the important skill sets for their industry and begin building talent pipelines, as well as gaining some great community exposure.

James Buchan and Rick Messitt, cofounders of Zudu, have worked with college students and senior secondary school pupils to develop both their digital and soft skills. Using their work for clients as tangible examples, James and Rick walked the students through the ideation and design process that they follow, illustrating the need for customer focus and flexibility in their work.

Having experienced professionals in the class engaging with the young people provided a real – life learning experience for the students. James and Rick gave an insight into the working world, discussing the importance of digital marketing and networking, the need to minimise risk

and how to keep a client happy through communication and good customer service.

This type of engagement is invaluable for young people as it broadens their horizons, introduces them to the workplace and demonstrates how what they learn in school relates to a possible career, creating a better prepared future workforce. Businesses also benefit from this type of engagement. In the case of Zudu, they were able to use some of the students as a focus group to explore and improve one of their current apps. It was also an opportunity for one of the Zudu team members to develop their own public speaking skills.

To see lots more examples of this type of work, have a look at the case studies on DYW Dundee and Angus’ website and if you are interested in engaging with young people get in touch with your local DYW team who can help connect you to your future workforce.

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

How can young people be best prepared to enter the labour market and thrive?

There is little doubt that the world of work is changing more rapidly and dynamically than ever before. The ‘rise of the machines’, the rise of non-standard work and the importance of core employability skills are all changing the face of the labour market across the UK. But the interesting questions are: do we know what all this means in terms of skills needed for the future, and how can young people be best prepared to enter this labour market and thrive?

To answer these questions it’s important to understand the implications of what’s happening. Will automation wipe out wide swathes of jobs? Is juggling multiple jobs at the same time going to be the new norm?

Which sectors will offer the best growth and employment opportunities?

Last year Skills Development Scotland produced a ‘Jobs and Skills in Scotland’ labour market report which looks at what’s happening across Scotland. The current trends have been shaped by the legacy of a deep recession, which has seen sectors such as manufacturing and construction hit hard.

Some regions such as Edinburgh, East and Midlothian have weathered the storm better, when employment growth, productivity,

In my role as Developing the Young Workforce Board member I am passionate about work based learning and the huge range of benefits that this can offer to young people.

During the last 2 years on the Board it has been fantastic to support the successful launch of the ‘Marketplace’ to link school pupils to employers offering a wide range of work based opportunities.

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The labour market has now taken an hour glass shape with sustained demand for higher skilled roles, lower skills and elementary roles, but a hollowing out of the mid-skilled centre. This then raises the question of how young people can be supported into and through the labour market when there are fewer opportunities to progress upwards through a hollowed-out centre? What skills will they need to have to make them as competitive as possible in the labour market?

Phil Ford, Skills Development Scotland

earnings and unemployment are considered, but rural areas have been hardest hit.

Since 2012, employment has started to increase again however this has been driven by private sector growth at a time when the public sector is contracting. So, although employment is increasing, the number of full time permanent job opportunities have declined. As a result, there are more people working in part-time, temporary or self-employed roles, and despite improved employment figures, low pay and in-work poverty persist in certain areas.

The report also highlights that automation will continue at pace. Inevitably some roles will become redundant, but new roles will also be created and existing skills can be combined in new ways. Take construction for example; a skilled tradesperson building houses on a construction site could use their skills to build house components off-site in a factory environment.

So where are the opportunities going forward?

SDS produces annual Regional Skills Assessments for Edinburgh, East and Midlothian and the future forecasts highlight employment growth opportunities in areas such as construction; health; professional, scientific and technical roles, wholesale and retail; ICT and Digital. However, numbers are expected to decline in the public sector and manufacturing.

One important point is that some of the skills required for these jobs can cut across traditional sector boundaries. Take the house builder example again. This individual may need to acquire digital skills to programme machinery to make the house components in a factory.

The focus then has got to be around the core or meta skills that young people will need to succeed. SDS has established the Centre forWork Based Learning to look at these issues and has drawn on research to identify seven of these skills; resilience, entrepreneurialism; problem solving; social skills; creativity; manipulating technology and managing complexity. The intention is to establish the value of work based learning in the Scottish education and training system to reduce skills shortages, improving productivity and supporting inclusive economic growth.

In my role as Developing the Young Workforce Board member I am passionate about work based learning and the huge range of benefits that this can offer to young people. During the last 2 years on the Board it has been fantastic to support the successful launch of the ‘Marketplace’ to link school pupils to employers offering a wide range of work based opportunities, and see 7,970 work placement opportunities last year. Its also been great to see the expansion of work based learning opportunities available to young people through current and new apprenticeship pathways.

Employers are now able to take on young people from across 12 Foundation Apprenticeships in areas like Social Services and Healthcare; IT (Software and Hardware); Engineering, Financial Services; Food and Drink etc). There are also 11 Graduate Apprenticeship frameworks which offer young people the opportunity to be in paid employment while they learn. This is in addition to the established Modern Apprenticeship programme which helped 2,726 young people across Edinburgh, East and Midlothian in 2015-16.

In this fast-moving environment, where young people will need to be more agile, work based learning is the key to helping them to be more successful and to best prepare them for the world of work.

BUSINESS PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

CalMac expands apprenticeship programme Ferry operator CalMac is expanding its Modern Apprenticeship (MA) programme to include harbour operations.

The company has joined forces with Forth Ports Ltd to devise a new Port Operations MA, the first time the port owner has partnered up with another company to deliver specialist training.

CalMac operates out of 33 harbours and slipways across the West Coast, and apprentices will learn all aspects loading, unloading and securing cargo, mooring, passenger operations and workplace transport operations.

‘Increasing training opportunities was a key commitment of our successful bid to continue delivering ferry services across the west coast, and I’m delighted to announce the expansion of our MA programme. These will be the next generation of staff with the key task of ensuring the safe berthing, loading and unloading of our fleet,’ said CalMac’s Director of HR, Christine Roberts.

Increasing training opportunities was a key commitment of our successful bid to continue delivering ferry services across the west coast, and I’m delighted to announce the expansion of our MA programme.

‘Port operators need to learn to deal with everything from fishing boats to cruise ships. This new MA will give them the ideal foundation to build a career in harbour management.’

Over the 15-month programme of on-the-job and classroom training MAs will qualify to SVQ level 2 in Port Operations along with an additional industry qualification in Plant and Health & Safety.

Training will be carried out at ports across the CalMac network and at Forth Ports’ facility in Grangemouth.

Jackie Anderson, HR Director from Forth Ports said: ‘We are thrilled to be working in partnership with CalMac to deliver the

Port Operations Modern Apprenticeship. We are the only approved SQA centre for Port Operations MA’s in Scotland and are pleased to support the skills and development of people within the Marine and Port sector.

We are investing in our training and development programme at Forth Ports and as part of this we are currently building a new training academy at the Port of Grangemouth.’

CalMac is the UK’s largest ferry company and last year transported more than 5.3 million passengers and 1.4 million vehicles across 27 island and remote mainland locations.

This year CalMac will be recruiting a total of 25 MAs. Six Deck Ratings, four Engine Ratings, 10 Retail Ratings and five Port Ratings.

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BURNESS PAULL

Morag Hutchison

New laws on shared parental leave “needed to close gender pay gap” Legislation to make shared parental leave compulsory will be needed to help close the gender pay gap, according to a report on the workforce of the future by legal firm Burness Paull.

The Future Chemistry report says the UK Government will need to legislate because businesses are unlikely to act voluntarily to tackle the issue – and without new laws, the so-called ‘pregnancy penalty’ will remain.

Burness Paull is one of Scotland’s largest law firms employing more than 480 people, including 65 partners, across its key locations of Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

A full service firm, with clients in more than 60 jurisdictions, its core sector areas include Property and Infrastructure, Corporate and Financial, Energy, Technology and Employment.

completely ridiculous debate because that’s so much a part of it’.”

Ms Hutchison said existing rules on shared parental leave were complex and not all parents were eligible. She added: “Much depends on the employer and it was clear from our debates that human resources professionals believe companies won’t act alone to introduce a ‘use it or lose it’ system for parental leave.

Sean Saluja, Head of Employment at Burness Paull, added: “Our Future Chemistry report looks much more broadly at diversity in the workplace and recognises the wide range of complex issues at play. The debates were designed to hear what senior HR leaders from a wide range of business sectors thought about these issues – to deliver a realistic view of the challenges ahead and how businesses are facing up to them.

Burness Paull held a series of debates with major employers in London, Edinburgh and Aberdeen to gauge the views of the business community on diversity and equality in the workplace - and used the insights from the conversations to produce the report.

“The reporting of gender pay gap figures and the ‘pregnancy penalty’ emphasises how UK society still has conflicting views about the role of men and women. If businesses won’t go down this route voluntarily, legislation would appear to be the only route to tackle this aspect of the gender pay gap. New laws would in effect make it compulsory for both parents to take time off work to raise their child, a system already in place in some Scandinavian jurisdictions.

Morag Hutchison, a partner in the Employment team at Burness Paull, said: “The root cause of the gender pay gap is biology – women take time off work to have children.

“However, politicians will need pressure from society to enact such legislation, which in turn will require changes in the way society perceives the roles of parents and carers.”

“That ‘pregnancy penalty’ is at the heart of the gender pay gap because when women return to work, their male contemporaries have often moved on into higher-paid positions and it is more difficult for women to progress as they often remain the primary carer. If we as a society want to truly address

Ms Hutchison highlighted one contribution to the London debate: “As one female participant put it, ‘If you talk about women’s place at work without talking about who looks after the kids at home, it’s like talking about why the ground is wet without being allowed to mention the rain’. It’s a

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this issue, we need to take a long hard look at how we divvy up parenting duties.”

“This paper recognises that wider changes must take place in society if voters are to lobby politicians to introduce new laws. The gender pay gap is just one part of a huge debate.”

The report examines other major workforce issues such as tackling sexual harassment, supporting employees with mental health challenges, understanding that gender is only one issue when it comes to true diversity and the impact of technology on the workplace of the future.

It was published to mark the passing of the statutory deadline for companies with more than 250 members of staff to publish their gender pay gap, the difference between the average earnings of men and women, expressed relative to men’s earnings.

To request a copy of the Future Chemistry report please email info@burnesspaull.com

PRODUCTIVITY

Increasing productivity The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) in its workforce survey of 2017 reported that four in five businesses have been hit by rising employment costs as a result of changes in employment law, including auto-enrolment, the national living wage and the apprenticeship levy.

By Stuart Swan

Senior Solicitor, Just Employment Law

There are many strategies that can be pursued to increase productivity, for example: a) increasing automation; b) specialising in a particular area; c) working smarter rather than harder; and d) exploring other markets.

So what has been the response to these apparent challenges facing UK businesses?

One traditional response to rising costs is for a business to raise prices of its products and/or services. From the survey, 38% of the businesses that responded indicated that is what they intended to do. However, that may not always be commercially viable and can, in some cases, be seen as a short-sighted approach – particularly with increased competition and advances in technology.

Some of the other options being considered were reducing pay and benefits; changing investment plans; recruiting workers on a flexible basis; and making redundancies.

The BCC also reported that almost half of all respondents had skills or labour shortages over the past 12 months. To deal with these shortages, the top five answers given by the respondents were: increased investment in recruitment; increased investment in training; increased pay and benefits; used self-employed workers; and retained older workers. All perfectly rational, and perhaps predictable, ideas to address skills and labour shortages.

The fact that these strategies overlap but pull in different directions however points to the tension between rising costs of employment and skill shortages. So, what can be done to reconcile these tensions?

The answer may appear to be greater productivity from employees, however that is easier said than done The Office for National Statistics reported in October 2017 that productivity fell for the second quarter in a row, referring to this as ‘a continuation of the UK’s “productivity puzzle”. This term refers to the rather static employee productivity since the recent economic downturn began. Following this, the Office for Budget Responsibility (the government’s economic watchdog) revised its forecasts, indicating that economic productivity will see only weak growth in the next five years. A sobering reminder of the challenges faced by business when attempting to increase productivity whilst battling rising costs and statutory obligations.

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In the context of employee engagement, employees respond in different ways to the same strategy. This is human nature and of course no too employees are the same.

For example, giving greater autonomy to employees might let some of them shine with an associated increase in productivity whereas others could be unsure/fearful with an associated reduction in productivity.

Recognising and responding to the individual needs and circumstances of employees could increase productivity overall and be best for the business.

Three strategies that can be pursued in respect of all employees are: a) reducing absences; b) offering appropriate financial incentives; and c) effectively engaging with employees.

Employees who are at work more often generally have the ability to produce more.

According to the Centre of Economic and Business Research workplace absence is costing the UK economy £18 Billion per year in lost productivity. Some absences are unavoidable but active steps can be taken to improve attendance levels through effective absence management procedures. Offering appropriate financial incentives with a performance component could also increase productivity at an acceptable and proportionate financial cost.

Achieving greater levels of engagement with employees can also be worth pursuing as employees who feel valued are more likely to be more productive, and there is no financial cost in doing so.

In an ideal world, putting these simple strategies in place would result in increased productivity with all employees meeting their individual goals. However, there will always be employees who do not meet expectations irrespective of appropriate guidance, support and employer engagement. Dealing with those situations can be difficult for everyone involved. Whether the situation is dealt with informally or formally is often a matter of discretion – at least initially. A successful business outcome might be achieved by

transferring an employee to a different role within the business or changing aspects of the existing role. Ultimately, however, if sufficient improvement is not achieved, and there are no viable alternatives, the best course of action could be dismissing the employee. Perhaps counterintuitively, it could also be the best thing for the employee as they might excel in a different environment.

Dismissing an employee is rarely without risk. An employee attains the right to bring an ordinary unfair dismissal claim after they have two years of continuous service. Where an employee has less than two years of continuous service there are other potential claims that they could bring including claims for breach of contract, for automatically unfair dismissal and for unlawful discrimination based on the protected characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

Sometimes, in an attempt to avoid risk, employers will enter into ‘without prejudice’ or ‘protected’ discussions with a view to achieving an amicable settlement with an employee. While entering into a settlement agreement typically means that there will be a higher upfront cost, the employer can achieve the certainty and peace of mind that there will be no employment-related litigation from the employee and avoid much greater cost and liability further down the line. Any time spent by employers defending litigation is time that they are not spending productively on meeting business objectives.

Having appropriate documentation in place including robust contracts and clear policies, and following fair processes are essential to both reducing risk and increasing productivity.

Navigating the ever-changing landscape of employment law is not easy. Unless an employer has a good sense of direction and is confident that it will reach its final destination without falling down it would be worthwhile engaging an expert guide to help them reach their goal.

Just Employment Law specialises exclusively in the field of employment law providing bespoke advice and assistance to clients throughout the UK. If you have any queries in relation to this article or would like to get in touch, please call 0141 331 5150 or email enquiries@justemploymentlaw.co.uk.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Fife Chamber members debate the future of tourism in a digital world Fife Chamber partnered with the IoD and VisitScotland to deliver its latest interactive Fife Learn session, part of the Chamber’s growing programme of events to bring together industry experts and local businesses to share their business knowledge and insights. VisitScotland Chief Executive Malcolm Roughead gave the keynote speech during the event at the Cluny Activities Centre.

He highlighted the number of direct and jobs that tourism already supports in Fife and he spoke about how digital technology forms an important part of VisitScotland’s strategic communications to promote Scotland as a destination. He focused on the growing importance of digital platforms as a branding and marketing tool for companies within the sector, describing how businesses that had been early adaptors of digital marketing were already seeing significant benefits, while starkly reminding everyone that failure to embrace it would put their company at a distinct disadvantage.

2018 Awards demonstrate Fife’s business pedigree Twelve very different Fife businesses were recognised in front of 330 guests when they were announced as the winners of the 2018 Fife Business Awards.

Held for the first time at the unique, Art Deco style Glen Pavilion in Dunfermline, the Kingdom’s business community turned out en masse and in style to support the annual showcase.

James Donaldson & Sons Ltd won the Outstanding Business Achievement Award, being recognised for its exceptional turnover and profit growth record over the last five years, as well as its impressive record in developing its workforce and improving its environmental performance.

Most Enterprising Start-Up Company Beat Box Productions Best Performing Business (Under 50 employees) EPS Services & Tooling

James Donaldson and all the other victors will get another chance to celebrate their success when they join the 2017 winners later this year at the inaugural Champions Lunch to launch the 2019 Awards.

Best Performing Business (Over 50 employees) Fairmont St Andrews

Fife’s generosity, as well as its business acumen, was on display at the Glen Pavilion, with a prize draw raising £3500 to be shared between two local charities: Fife Gingerbread and Furniture Plus.

Developing the Young Workforce Kingdom Housing Association

Excellence in People Development sponsored by Exxon Mobil Velux Company

Success through Sustainability Bright Green Hydrogen

Success through UK and International Trade Ingenico Northern Europe Excellence in Customer Service MKM Building Supplies Success through Innovation Fife Health and Social Care Excellence in Tourism Connoisseur Golf Excellence in Food and Drink Ivan Wood & Sons Outstanding Business Achievement Award James Donaldson & Sons Ltd

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GDPR

GDPR has arrived… the employment contract, the right to be forgotten does not apply - so the person(s) responding must be aware of the various restrictions and exemptions that may be relevant to any exercise of a data subject’s rights. This is where the appointment of a data protection officer, even where not legally required, may be useful.

Melanie Schwindt Senior Associate Morton Fraser LLP

With the arrival of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on 25 May 2018, many organisations have been focusing exclusively on the “outward facing” aspects of GDPR compliance. This includes publishing new privacy notices (to website users, to customers and to employees), ensuring that GDPR-compliant direct marketing consents are obtained and updating data processor agreements.

However, the question for all organisations is whether they also have the necessary internal procedures to deal with, for example, the exercise of an individual’s rights under the GDPR. All organisations will be “controllers” in respect of their own employees’ personal data and will therefore be subject to such employees’ rights under the GDPR. This means that any employee could submit a subject access request to an employer, object to the processing of personal data where the processing is based

on the employer’s legitimate interests, request to be “forgotten”, ask for personal data to be rectified or query any decisions based on automated decision-making processes.

A controller must respond to the exercise of such rights within one calendar month, so it is important that the organisation has procedures for identifying the exercise of a data subject’s rights (whether or not the employee refers to the legislation when making the request) and for responding appropriately. None of these rights are absolute - for example where the processing is based on the performance of

Other important internal procedures include implementing the organisation’s records retention policy, establishing any “bringyour-own-device” or other remote IT access policy, and responding to and reporting data breaches within the new timescales.

All organisations will be responsible for their own employees’ personal data, but it is not enough simply to distribute GDPR-compliant privacy notices to the employees. Having the structures and processes in place for dealing with requests from employees will be vital and HR teams will be at the forefront of ensuring ongoing compliance with the GDPR in respect of employees’ personal data.

The nature of online trading The nature of online trading creates considerable virus, spyware and hacker risk exposures, including theft of customer banking information, privacy liability following a breach of personal identity data, and e-business interruption. policies bought reflect the cover required. An experienced insurance broker will be able to review your risks and provide professional advice on the best cover for your business.

These risks may not be adequately covered by traditional standard policy forms. Modern businesses, of all sizes, are vulnerable to this type of attack from a local B&B with an online booking system to large online retail businesses.

Cyber liability is a hot topic, with insurers and brokers alike looking at this new and emerging risk. A report published by the UK government and a global insurance broker, warned of knowledge gaps among business that is holding the UK cyber insurance market back. The government has worked with the Information Assurance for Small and Medium Enterprises (IASME) consortium and the Information Security Forum (ISF) to develop Cyber Essentials, a set of basic technical controls for organisations to use. It offers a certification process for businesses to show they have taken the necessary steps to prevent cyber-attacks. Insurance firms and brokers have backed the scheme.

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Michael Hashim Cert CII - Account Executive e: Michael.Hashim@jelf.com m: 07469 350 261 Leven House, 10 Lochside Place, Edinburgh Park, Edinburgh EH12 9DF t: 0131 255 0312 f: 0131 255 0301 e: Michael.Hashim@jelf.com www.jelf.com Sensational news stories help promote the need for cover, but buyers, as always, need to be aware. Many policies that are emerging are very specific in what they cover and what they don’t cover. It is imperative that those buying this insurance think long and hard about the risks they run, and ensure that any

GDPR - CLARK IT

GDPR – Solved Tired of attending endless seminars listening to people pontificating about the problem, but never suggesting a solution?

The GDPR deadline is the 25th May 2018, and still a number of companies are yet to start the process to become compliant. But does this mean that it is too late? No. Becoming compliant of this law, like any other law, is an evolving discipline. The Information Commissioner’s Office (effectively the police of the law) has informed the country that you must be seen to start their process of compliance as a minimum by the deadline.

But what is the process?

Generally speaking, companies will not suggest a solution, this is mainly because they don’t want to put their reputation at risk.

This is all very well, but in the meantime, hundreds of companies are left stranded looking to the ‘experts’ for help, and it becomes increasingly frustrating for them with every passing day, not getting any closer to compliance. There have been several seminars on GDPR over the last year, and most of them have been very informative.

However, on review, what have they informed us about? So far, we’ve been given fantastic explanations of what GDPR is, when it comes into effect, and why you should pay attention to it. Has anyone ever told you what you need to do about it though? More importantly, have they told you how to do it?

What does our solution achieve?

Firstly, it will achieve compliance to the full extent of the GDPR law as it stands now.

This law will inevitably change and adapt as it progresses, and case law is introduced.

However, we will work with you to adapt alongside it and ensure you remain as compliant as possible as society move forward.

Although it doesn’t seem like it, there are solutions to this problem. Clark IT have created a solution that has a proven track record of success. We’re working with several companies, of all shapes and sizes to ensure compliance is met with each.

Our track record in this service spans from Micro-Businesses with less than 5 employees, to Global Organisations.

Clark IT are also one of very few Certifying Bodies for the UK Governments ‘CyberEssentials Scheme’. This is currently the only UK Government sponsored certification for Cyber Security. Although this is our recommended pathway to help you with your compliance, other alternatives may also provide value, such as; ISO27001 and EU GDPR Seal.

We are a trusted partner of the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) and have advised organisations such as Scottish Enterprise. Our Managing Director, has been asked to sit on multiple panels as a thought leader on the new law, including one at IT Nation Europe, alongside the Information Commissioners Office.

The CyberEssentials scheme is designed to give organisations a realistic and attainable framework for compliance, which lacks the timescales and the cost of the 2 accreditations above. Having this certification in your organisation will take care of the ‘technical measures’ that are required by the new GDPR law. Clark IT guarantee a pass for this scheme.

So how do we do it? For starters, we’re not alone in the fight. We work in collaboration with companies with the correct skills to ensure that we cover all basis. We don’t believe this service can be delivered as a whole by one organisation. It requires a multitude of expertise, including legal, HR, I.T., training and more. We have taken the time to build strategic relationships with the right partners to provide such expertise, and thus provide a ‘whole product’ that will allow you to gain compliance from one point of contact.

Setting aside the technical measures, the GDPR is mainly surrounding business process and policy, and to ensure you handle personal data in the correct manner.

With that in mind, we, with the help of our strategic partners, are able to provide all services that are required for this function, such as the implantation of – Business Process and Policy Templates; Outsourced Data Protection Officer Service; Process Mapping; Consultancy and 3rd Party Advice.

It is of vital importance that it is understood that the deadline for the new law is not the end of the road. Once GDPR comes into effect, companies must continually comply going forward. Clark IT have set in motion continual compliance efforts with several companies already, and look to do so with all companies that go through our process. This ensures that the standards of the law does not diminish within your company, and the processes set in place are continually followed by every employee.

The clock is ticking. With the deadline of the 25th May coming in fast, the time for simply talking about the problem is over.

Companies need to commit to a strategy to become compliant, instead of adopting the ‘wait and see’ approach. Action will need to be taken before the deadline, or companies will be seen to be breaking the law.

There are a few solutions available to you, but you will need to find the one that is right for you. Clark ITs’ solution provides a solid basis for GDPR Compliance, due to our collaborative efforts with our strategic partners.

If you have been struggling with the implantation of the new law, or simply do not know where to begin, please give us a call and we will be happy to help in any way we can.

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DOTSCOT REGISTRY

From small acorns…

Founded as recently as 2013, Ogilvies of Haddington may well be proof that from small acorns mighty oaks grow, for they are a fine furniture and cabinet makers that are making their mark in Scotland and further afield.

As well as one-off furniture commissions, the skilled team design and build highquality handmade cabinetry that endures, for kitchens, studies and wine cellars, for example.

Their growing success is all the more intriguing given founder Ewan Ogilvie began his career in accountancy, before retraining at a local furniture school and building the business up gradually over the last five years.

“Customers can visit our workshop and see their furniture take shape, everything is made right here in our workshop in East Lothian,” explains Ewan.

“We always strive to make a better product and use higher quality materials than any other company you’ll find. Each piece of furniture is designed from scratch, then crafted with a fine attention to detail.

“Provenance is important to us and our customers, so we use materials sourced from Scotland wherever possible.

Sometimes we’re able to say from which particular tree a piece of furniture has been made – this is our ideal, as it adds to the resonance of the piece.

“We are proud to be Scottish, and the .scot domain emphasises our identity and helps us to stand out from the crowd on the internet too.

“On a practical level, the .scot domain is a good fit for our business because it makes our location clear to customers, helps us to find other local businesses and for them to find us.

“Scotland has a tradition of excellence in arts and crafts; the domain helps us to connect with other people in our field and work together to raise the profile of the Scottish furniture building industry.”

“Having a .scot is extremely important as it sets us apart from the huge number of .co.uk & .com websites.”

- crafting.scot

THE DOMAIN FOR SCOTTISH BUSINESSES Get yours: www.dot.scot | #OutstandingScotland Business Scotland

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IT GOVERNANCE

The Scottish Public Sector Cyber Resilience Scheme: Are you ready?

Now is the time to act. The Scottish public sector’s resilience to potential cyber attacks is being overhauled. The Scottish Public Sector Cyber Resilience Scheme, set up by the Scottish government, is enforcing a change to the way the public sector treats cyber threats. With this legislation potentially extending to general businesses in the future, the question is: are you ready?

In light of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Directive on security of network and information systems (NIS Directive), organisations would be well served by aligning themselves with what the government is doing and start developing a cyber resilience strategy based on the principles of global best practice in information security and business continuity management.

The three stages of progression In order for a public-sector body to be fully compliant the Scottish government has set out three stages of progression to tackle this issue: 1. By the end of June 2018 (or end of October 2018 in the case of Cyber Essentials certification and independent assurance of critical controls) public bodies must have achieved the ‘initial baseline stage’ which involves having in place a common baseline of good cyber resilience practice in the short term.

2. Target: Public bodies are expected to be aligned with the new Security Policy Framework Technology Security Standard and other key existing standards and guidelines.

3. Advanced: These requirements will align with the NIS Directive legislation and guidance. Scottish public bodies in the health and water sectors will automatically be subject to these requirements under relevant legislation.

Alan Calder, the founder and executive chairman of IT Governance, the leading provider of governance, risk management, compliance (GRC) and cyber security compliance solutions, says that it is critical that Scottish organisations start their compliance journey as soon as possible.

He said: “Cyber crime is perhaps the single biggest threat to modern businesses, and attacks are continually on the rise.

The Scottish government’s legislation is something that we as an industry welcome to encourage more organisations to incorporate effective cyber resilience into their practices.

“What’s fantastic to see is that the scheme aligns with leading examples of

cyber security, such as the international information security standard, ISO 27001, and the UK’s Cyber Essentials Scheme, and that the Scottish government has acknowledged that effective business continuity management is a crucial part of a comprehensive cyber resilience programme.”

Scottish Cyber Resilience Scheme June 2018 deadlines With two key deadlines already passed, Scottish public bodies will now have an eye on June 2018, the next deadline for cyber resilience foundations to be laid. Some of these foundations include: n Confirming that a Cyber Essentials preassessment has taken place n Having cyber resilience training and a cyber incident response plan in place n Become an active member of the of the NCSC’s CiSP (a joint industry and government initiative set up to reduce cyber threats) A comprehensive guide with solutions to enable compliance with the entire Scottish Cyber Resilience Scheme framework can be downloaded from the IT Governance website: www.itgovernance.co.uk/scottish-publicsector-cyber-resilience-framework.

The Scottish government has identified a range of standards, guidelines and controls that can contribute to increased cyber resilience, including ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

IT Governance recently opened a new Edinburgh office to further support local organisations and the Scottish public sector in aligning their cyber resilience strategies with international best practice.

IT Governance is a specialist in ISO 27001 implementation, Cyber Essentials certifications, the PCI DSS and the GDPR. Please visit our website www.itgovernance. co.uk for more information about our cyber resilience products and services, or email servicecentre@itgovernance.co.uk or call +44 (0)333 800 7000 to get in touch with our consultancy team.

www.itgovernance.co.uk

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Combined 49.6 (5.7/100km). CO2 emissions 150g/km. Figures are obtained in a standardised test cycle. They are intended for comparisons between vehicles and may not be representative of what a user achieves under usual driving conditions.

Park’s of Hamilton (Holdings) Ltd is a credit broker. *Business users only. *Prices exclude VAT at 20%. Prices shown are for a 24-month Contract Hire agreement, with a contract mileage of 8,000 miles and an excess mileage charge of 17.64 pence per mile.

Applies to new vehicles ordered between 1 April 2018 and 30 June 2018 and registered by 30 September 2018 (subject to availability). At the end of your agreement you must return the vehicle and vehicle condition, excess mileage and other charges may be payable. Available subject to status to UK residents aged 18 or over. Guarantees and indemnities may be required. The amount of VAT you can reclaim depends on your business VAT status. Terms and conditions apply. Offer may be varied, withdrawn or extended at any time. Hire provided by BMW Group Corporate Finance. BMW Group Corporate Finance is a trading style of Alphabet (GB) Limited, Alphabet House, Summit Avenue, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 0FB. We commonly introduce customers to BMW Group Corporate Finance. This introduction does not amount to independent financial advice. BMW (UK) Ltd, Summit ONE, Summit Avenue, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 0FB. Registered in England and Wales 1378137. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for credit broking activities. Douglas Park Ltd, trading as Douglas Park is an Appointed Representative of Park’s of Hamilton (Holdings) Limited, FRN 308476 of 14 Bothwell Road, Hamilton, ML3 0AY, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Park’s of Hamilton (Holdings) Limited permitted business is Insurance Mediation and to act as a Credit Broker. We can introduce you to a limited number of finance providers including BMW Financial Services to assist with your purchase, who may remunerate us for introducing you to them. †Test drive subject to applicant status and availability.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Bee’s Knees Awards - the results are in!

Thirty finalists will line up for the Bee’s Knees Business Awards 2018, the 15th annual challenge for Inverclyde businesses and a major highlight in the Inverclyde Chamber of Commerce calendar of events.

Finalists were selected from a shortlist of entrants who have presented their case to category judging panels over the past few weeks.

Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony and gala dinner in the Marquee at the Chartroom, Kip Marina, on Friday 8 June, when the Lifetime Achievement winner, selected by Inverclyde Chamber President Linda Scott, will also be revealed. The evening will be hosted by one of Scotland’s best-known comedy actors, Karen Dunbar.

Bee’s Knees Business Awards 2018 finalists in the ten categories are: Inverclyde Business of the Year: sponsored

by Riverside Inverclyde Ferguson Marine, Specsavers, Waterfront Cinema Inspiring Sole Trader: sponsored by the Waterfront Cinema Clyde Activity Bikes, Leapmoor LLP, PJH Bookkeeping Proud to be in Inverclyde: sponsored by West College Scotland Compassionate Inverclyde, Holiday Inn Express Hotel, Inverclyde Tourist Group Outstanding Customer Service: sponsored

by Holiday Inn Express Hotel Specsavers, The Chartroom, Waterfront Cinema Inspiring Professional of the Year: sponsored by Inverclyde Council McClure Solicitors, Specsavers, Welsh Walker Excellence in Skills and Learning: sponsored by Autotec Scotland Ferguson Marine, Holiday Inn Express Hotel, Morton in the Community, Welsh Walker

Emerging Young Talent: sponsored by Texas Instruments Michael Sinclair, Project Planner, Ferguson Marine; Emma Smith, Business Development Executive, PG Paper Company; Stuart McKenzie, Online Sales & Distribution Manager, Wet Wall Works Most Promising New Business: sponsored

by Peelports - Clydeport PJH Bookkeeping, The Pirate and Bluebelle, Wet Wall Works “Our sponsor representatives and Inverclyde Chamber directors who made up the category judging panels, found themselves challenged once again with an exceptional and diverse line up of shortlisted candidates, each showcasing their achievements and ambitions to claim their place in the Bee’s Knees Business Awards finals,” said Linda Scott, President, Inverclyde Chamber of Commerce.

Best Use of Innovation or Digital Technology: sponsored by River Clyde Homes Balmore Group, RIG Arts, Waterfront Cinema

“Our congratulations go to all finalists who are helping us demonstrate continued business growth here in Inverclyde. We have a great deal to be proud about and we thank our sponsors for joining with us to recognise the talent within our resilient local business community.

Best Brand Promotion/Campaign: sponsored by The Chartroom Caledonian MacBrayne, Wet Wall Works

“We look forward to celebrating their impressive achievements at our awards dinner this June, where we will welcome the

local business community, their customers, friends and family, to a wonderful evening hosted by Karen Dunbar in the spectacular setting of Kip Marina.“ Each finalist is invited as a guest of Inverclyde Chamber to attend the summer gala awards dinner, where the business community will unite to hear the winners announced. As well as enjoying the accolades of success, category winners are awarded a crystal trophy and certificate.

For their own promotional purposes, they will receive a DVD showcasing their business from media sponsor Gryffe Studios, screened for the first time during the awards dinner. PR sponsor, Elaine Stewart Public Relations, and programme sponsor, Love & Humphries, are also supporting the Bee’s Knees Business Awards 2018.

Tickets are now available for the Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner on Friday 8 June at: www.inverclydechamber.co.uk. Further details are available online or by contacting Inverclyde Chamber Senior Executive Officer, Margaret Moran, on Tel: 01475 806824, Mobile: 07534 196253, Email: seo@inverclydechamber.co.uk.

Everyone is invited to join in the Bee’s Knees Business Awards chat by tagging Tweets #BeesKneesAwards2018.

Our congratulations go to all finalists who are helping us demonstrate continued business growth here in Inverclyde. We have a great deal to be proud about and we thank our sponsors for joining with us to recognise the talent within our resilient local business community.

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BUSINESS LOANS SCOTLAND

Over one million pounds worth of funding awarded to Scottish SMEs by Business Loans Scotland Supporting twenty Scottish businesses to date, Business Loans Scotland is a new local authority backed scheme which can provide loan finance of up to one hundred thousand pounds to growing small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

Building on the previous successful loan funds, the West of Scotland Loan Fund (WSLF), the East of Scotland Investment Fund (ESIF) and the South of Scotland Loan Scheme, Business Loans Scotland aims to help accelerate the growth of businesses in Scotland complementing other private and public-sector forms of funding.

With over one million pounds being awarded so far to Scottish SMEs across eleven different local authority areas, the money has helped these businesses to successfully undertake a management buy-out, assist in new product manufacturing, support the build of a new visitor centre, invest in suitable office space and much more.

The twenty businesses supported so far include Kelso based manufacturer Scotmas, South Lanarkshire swim teaching business Making Waves and Moray brewing company, Wooha, to name a few.

Making Waves owners Tom and Nicola Mitchell were delighted to be awarded the maximum loan amount of £100,000 from Business Loans Scotland to support their dream of a purpose-built swimming pool as a permanent home for their swim teaching business.

The 25-metre pool in the new town’s Playsport complex has harnessed a wide range of innovative new technologies that aimed at giving users a great experience and helping to protect the environment.

Creating twelve new fulltime jobs along the way, Tom stated: “We have spent 14 years building up our business and it has been a labour of

love. Teaching swimming gives children confidence, exercise, fun and can even save their lives. We felt the time was right to take it to the next level and this purpose-built pool has been designed from the ground up to meet the specific requirements of what we do.”

Nicola added: “We installed an innovative filtration system which means we use less chemicals and the water is gentler on sensitive skin, Making Waves is the first pool in Scotland to use this DAISY technology. We also have a heat exchange system so warm air being taken

Access to capital remains a major hurdle to many small and medium sized businesses which are looking to start up and grow. Often, our funding can make the difference between a business struggling or flourishing and that in turn will have a positive impact on employment, profitability and making communities stronger.

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out by the air conditioning actually heats the pool water. It has been a lot of work but having this full-time base is incredible.”

In addition to awarding loan funding to Tom and Nicola at Making Waves, Business Loans Scotland have been able to support nineteen other Scottish SMEs in their growth and expansion plans. Providing loans ranging from forty thousand pounds right up to the maximum of one hundred thousand pounds, Business Loans Scotland have awarded loans totalling more than massive £1.2million.

Speaking of the funding available, Andrew Dickson, Fund Manager from Business Loans Scotland, said: “Access to capital remains a major hurdle to many small and medium sized businesses which are looking to start up and grow.

Often, our funding can make the difference between a business struggling or flourishing and that in turn will have a positive impact on employment, profitability and making communities stronger.”

With a dedicated pot of six million pounds still available, Business Loans Scotland are keen to speak with any Scottish SMEs who may be looking for gap funding.

To find out if you are eligible please visit the Business Loans Scotland website – www.bls.scot

LUFTHANSA

The Lufthansa Group in Scotland.

Lufthansa, part of the Lufthansa Group, is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious airlines as well as the first European 5 star airline. The airline is widely known for its premium services. Lufthansa has recently invested in introducing and upgrading a wide range of products and services, including our Signature Service in Business Class on our long-haul services.

The Lufthansa Group comprises Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Lufthansa and SWISS. It is the airline group with the largest network in the world.

We offer well-timed, easy transfers from Glasgow and Edinburgh as well as numerous UK and Irish airports via the efficient hubs of Vienna, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich, Geneva and Zurich to over 400 global destinations.

Additionally, March 2018 saw the further expansion of Glasgow for Lufthansa.

Lufthansa now operates a new daily flight from Glasgow to Frankfurt flying 7 times a week and has even expanded its Glasgow to Munich service to 5 times a week. All flights will be serviced with the Airbus A320 family.

Announcing the new flight, Andreas Koester, Senior Director Sales UK, Ireland & Iceland, Lufthansa Group said: “This new daily service opens up a huge number of business and leisure opportunities to Scottish passengers. Not only does it provide access to one of Europe’s financial capitals, but it also introduces new options for onward travel to hundreds of worldwide destinations.

Passengers are now able to travel to both Frankfurt and Munich, giving them more flexibility and increased connections to numerous destinations in our large, multihub network. We have been able to increase Lufthansa’s flight offer at Glasgow from a single weekly service to 12 flights a week in just 6 months. This level of growth is almost unprecedented and underlines the

importance of Glasgow Airport within the Lufthansa worldwide network.”

Furthermore as a business customer you can reward your business travel with our Lufthansa PartnerPlusBenefit programme - a loyalty programme that’s all about rewarding you and your company for your business travel. It is designed to make your travel budget go further while giving some great benefits along the way. After all your hard work, we believe you deserve to be rewarded.

So how does it work? Each time any colleague of your company travels with one of the airline partners – any Lufthansa Group carrier plus Air Canada, United, TAP, LOT and ANA - your company will earn BenefitPoints. These can be exchanged for a range of exclusive benefits that will make business travel easier and more budget friendly, like award flights, upgrades, hotel eGiftcards, limousine transfers or carbon

offsetting. You can also exchange them for business, office and lifestyle accessories in our online WorldShop. You can even swap them for cashback - very wallet friendly.

PartnerPlusBenefit is the first programme of its kind, letting you collect rewards for flying with a total of 10 airlines. And with so many flights covering well over 500 worldwide destinations, building up your BenefitPoints is easy.

Together the Lufthansa Group offers customers the best possible combination of all travel options. By harmonising our schedules and having joint airport facilities we create a seamless travel experience with a large, modern and environmentally friendly fleet, and we look forward to welcoming you on board soon.

This new daily service opens up a huge number of business and leisure opportunities to Scottish passengers.

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

East Renfrewshire Business development opportunities have been put in place East Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce launched a new strategy in August 2017 to facilitate business opportunities for their Supply Chain members arising from numerous major projects planned over the next five years within the area. Infrastructure, tourism and over 1050 new homes are just a selection of the projects leading from the Glasgow City Deal and Local Authority’s Local Development Plan developments.

To facilitate their member’s access to the local business opportunities, the Chamber works closely with East Renfrewshire Council’s (ERC) Community Benefits Officer to create a process of information whereby an up to date pipeline of all major projects is made available to the Chamber.

This is published within the Members area of the Chamber’s website along with each project’s stage of procurement or where it has been awarded, the name of the Contractor. The Chamber then liaise with the Contractor to publish details of their forthcoming projects, their Supplier List application form or process, and the name and email to submit it to.

The process that has been put in place to enable members to identify which Primary Contractor or House Builder is active in the area, and crucially gives them tangible means to start the process toward winning sub-contracts; to see the trades or projects they have won; the entry point to apply to their approved list in order to apply for sub-contracts; and the name and email of the right person within their business to submit their entry form to.

This helps them to overcome the barriers many SME’s report they find when trying to pin point how to apply and who is the right person within a large business to speak to.

To date a total of eleven projects have been listed within the pipeline, with Supplier List information from two house builders and three construction companies published within the tenders and contracts section including Robertson, CCG (Scotland) Ltd, Taylor Wimpey West Scotland, George Leslie and Miller Homes.

The Chamber recently met with Paul Masterton MP to raise the profile of the process the Chamber has put in place to ensure its members have the best possible access to this information.

To date, Chamber member archiSTarchi Ltd, a locally based architectural firm, has been awarded a design contract by George Leslie Ltd, for a renovation project for their premises in Barrhead. Other Supply Chain businesses are encouraged to join East Renfrewshire Chamber to take advantage of the business developments opportunities that they have put in place.

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Clyde Training Solutions scoop Dunbartonshire Chamber Business of the Year at working4business Awards 2018 Clyde Training Solutions were announced as the first ever winner of the exciting new “Dunbartonshire Chamber Business of the Year” Award at this year’s Working4Business Awards.

The marine, offshore and renewables training company were announced as the overall winner at the glittering awards dinner attended by more than 200 guests and hosted by Scottish comedian, Karen Dunbar, at Clydebank Town Hall.

Damon Scott, Chief Executive, Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce, commented: “The entries for this new category were really strong and it was tough to pick the winner from the three excellent finalists that included European Circuits Limited, Turkey Red Media and Clyde Training Solutions.

“Ultimately. Clyde Training Solution’s entry impressed our panel of judges most, demonstrating effectiveness in business with a clear vision for the future, innovation, people development and community impact.

This is a fantastic fit with many of the values of award sponsor, Ascensos whose team were also invaluable in picking an outright winner.”

Alan Whisker of Ascensos adds: ““A huge congratulations to Clyde Training Solutions for winning Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Business of the Year Award.”

Commenting on the win, General Manager

Gareth Mathias stated: “On behalf of CTS, many thanks to the Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce for creating this new category as part of the Working4Business Awards. It provided a great opportunity for us to enter and it is a real honour to be picked as the winner.

“I’m very proud of all our staff for what has been achieved & this award is a credit to them and everyone who has played a part in making Clyde Training Solutions a success, and one that continues to grow.

“We take such pride in operating our stateof-the-art centre right here in Clydebank, serving not only the needs of Glasgow & the Central belt but delegates from much further afield who work within the Marine, Offshore & Renewables sectors.”

Companies interested in joining Dunbartonshire Chamber or finding out more about Partner+ should contact Damon Scott on 0141 280 0272 or email damon@dunbartonshirechamber.co.uk, www.dunbartonshirechamber.co.uk

Dunbartonshire Chamber launches partner+ package with Ascensos “Partner+” has been designed to meet the specific needs of businesses more effectively. Each package is tailored to the individual business to help meet corporate objectives whether those are to Increase Profile, Business Engagement, Events, Staff Development or aligning with specific Corporate Social Responsibilities.

Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce recently launched an exciting new Partnership Package with Ascensos, a leading multi-channel contact centre outsourcer, operating in Clydebank.

Damon Scott, Chief Executive, Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are delighted that Ascensos are supporting the chamber through Partner+.

We were keen to create a package that matched their aims as a business as an alternative to an off-the-shelf proposition.

“In consultation with Ascensos we created a brand new business award

category, “Dunbartonshire Chamber Business of the Year”, as part of the Working4Business Awards, celebrating the wealth of entrepreneurial talent in West Dunbartonshire.”

Alan Whisker – Director of Client Operations said: “Ascensos is a proud supporter of the Chamber and this brand new award category. It is great to see so many local businesses focusing on people development and innovation Ascensos is a big believer in these values. We have developed an excellent relationship with the Chamber over the last two years and we’re excited to explore the opportunities of Partner+.”

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FINANCE FOCUS

Emma McDonnell MICB/ACPA Accountant

Making tax digital – are you ready for the change In the 2015 Budget, HMRC set out their commitment to transforming the tax administration by 2020, and in December 2015 the Making Tax Digital Roadmap was launched.

This guidance highlights major changes afoot for the way you report and submit your usual returns to HMRC. In a bid to simplify the tax reporting system, HMRC is moving away from annual returns, and replacing this with quarterly deadlines. Similar to the personal tax account which has been running effectively for the last couple of years, all businesses will have an online (Digital) Tax Account. This will mean that some information, such as bank data and other government department information, can flow automatically into this account for ease of reporting and transparency.

Initially, the changes only stand to affect VAT registered businesses who must have a digital reporting process in place by April 2019, but HMRC will expect that all businesses (Landlords and Sole Traders included) trading over the VAT threshold (currently at £85,000), to keep their records digitally (for VAT purposes), and also

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Many Software providers offer systems with similar features, some that have additional applications which may be more suited to one business than another, working with a wide range of self employed individuals has helped us identify what works best.

to provide their VAT return information to HMRC through Making Tax Digital compatible software.

It is now time to implement the processes and procedures your business needs to get ready for this change, most businesses will be approaching a year end before this April 2019 deadline arrives, and ideally you should be starting your new tax year on Making Tax Digital Compatible software, to ensure that when you are mandated by HMRC to take part in this scheme, it is a seamless integration process for you.

As Accountants in practice, we have been researching various systems to introduce to our clients in order for us to ensure we are up to speed with the current offerings available and also to ensure we take a proactive approach and can advise our clients on the best software for them.

We believe that this change is going to allow business owners to have a much more ‘real-time’ idea of where their business is headed, and a clear picture of their financial obligations. If your accountant is ‘moving with the times’ it should also help them to collaborate with you much more freely, being able to access your up to date information in real time and offer pro-active advice based on this, to allow you to make important decisions.

Please get in touch with us directly if you have any questions, and we would be happy to discuss some options for you to ensure you keep ahead of the Making Tax Digital changes. e: emma@b-able.co.uk t: 0141 435 7206 m: 07584 253164 www.b-able.co.uk

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FINANCE FOCUS

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If you’re looking to expand, acquire new assets, manage cash flow or need personal finance, our established and expanding team of experienced finance specialists, based in Scotland, can help you.

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With a panel of 70 funding partners, as well as our own lending platform, we have a range of products and finance solutions that are flexible, efficient and offer you great value.

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CELEBRATING SUCCESS

Women in business group honours achievement of SCC chief executive Liz Cameron

Scottish Chambers of Commerce Chief Executive Liz Cameron OBE has been recognised for her “trailblazing” contribution to the growth of Scotland’s business sector, with a Women of Inspiration award announced on International Women’s Day. Awarded by the Association of Scottish Businesswomen (ASB), the umbrella group for Scotland’s proliferating professional women’s clubs, the judging panel cited Ms Cameron’s “commitment and leadership in forging closer partnerships between business and government” which they said “has resulted in real and lasting change… Liz turns vision into reality, positively impacting on peoples’ lives in Scotland.”

The ASB’s annual Women of Inspiration Awards celebrate the achievements and contributions of inspirational women in business and the wider community.

Announced at a reception hosted on 8 March by Virgin Money the awards went

to 12 Scottish businesswomen nominated by their peers as an inspiration to others, role models or leaders in their professions; “women who have excelled in their careers or who have encouraged others and impacted lives in the wider community”. Val Russell, chief executive of Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce was also recognised for her ability “to lead, persuade and innovate” on behalf of business in Ayrshire.

Liz Cameron OBE, Director & Chief Executive, Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: “I’m honoured to have been nominated and to receive this award from ASB, a network that has played a vital part in promoting female talent, to the vast benefit of Scotland’s economy and society.”

“The Chambers network itself is a showcase of female business talent, with half of the individual chambers being led by women, including my fellow Women of Inspiration winner Val Russell.”

“In addition, very many of the key staff and many of the business mentors we work with within the network are women of exceptional dedication and professionalism whose contribution has changed the face of Scottish business for the benefit of all. Scotland is a close business community and these awards

celebrate the fact that we are all in this together.”

ASB president, Wendy Maltman said “we were overwhelmed by the number of nominations received this year, celebrating the contributions and achievements of women from all walks of life, making the decision of the nomination committee very difficult.

“Our “Inspirational Women” are business leaders, chief executives, trailblazers, charity champions, entrepreneurs, mentors, motivational speakers and adventurers, women who are truly inspirational and worthy of these awards.

“Each of these women are impacting the businesses and communities in which they work; they are passionate and pioneering business leaders, selfless and committed charity champions, inspiring and encouraging those around them to overcome barriers and reach their own goals.”

2018 ASB HONOURS LIST

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THE GLASGOW MBA

TRANSFORMING CAREERS SINCE 1976 Find out more at:

glasgow.ac.uk/mba

The University of Glasgow is a registered Scottish charity: Registration Number SC004401

OPEN CRM

The One-Stop-Shop vs The Specialty Retailer

When you’re looking at apps for your business, there is an argument for both.

With a specialty app, you get a depth of functionality and that industry (or process) expertise. Which is great. It’s often hard to get a single product that has the depth of functionality available from ‘best of breed’ applications that might be available.

Going with a single app with integrated functionality, of course, gives you less specialisation, but you’ve only got to train people on one piece of software and there is less confusion over “where” any particular bit of information is stored.

In my experience (speaking as someone who has been selling integrated software solutions for longer than I care to admit), SME’s in particular often struggle to be able to find the time to understand, integrate and afford many separate applications.

In addition to the issue of training users on multiple applications, there is the added pressure on time and resources, upkeep of multiple systems, and the internal knowledge or software/hardware required to plumb these solutions together.

So even though the theory of a singular, specialised solution with multiple applications sounds appealing, it is often not translated into the reality within the business.

Saying all that, though, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that going for a “one-stop-shop” application is settling for something as a way to save money.

A proper single, integrated solution, especially in this day and age, is often the

preferred solution for the business owner.

Yes you might not get that specialisation, but other benefits can far outweigh that individual draw back.

Streamlined A single application is easier to manage, that’s the obvious one. You’ve got joined up writing and terminology when you move from one part of your business to another. It keeps the context of data and information, after all, it’s all there in the same place.

This allows you to make better use of the knowledge you gain.

The whole customer journey Being able to see all of the interactions you have with your customer, from the first enquiry through the sales cycle and acquisition phase, in one place is great for the team on the ground. But it is also a great way for the Management to get deep insights into the ongoing relationship…and pinpoint trouble spots so you can zero in and fix them.

Integration options These days it’s hard to find a system that doesn’t integrate with other applications and that’s especially true for the bigger software out there. It’s good to integrate sometimes, so yes you need a system that has the capability to reach out into other systems when needed. Industry specific applications may be mandatory but also complex, so consolidating this information into a central touchpoint system makes the data available to a wider audience.

GDPR easier to manage It would seem you can’t have an article nowadays without mentioning GDPR. But I’m not just mentioning it for the buzz word. Having a single, auditable system makes the process of managing the data and compliance so much easier. You know where everything is and you can find (and correct) the data that needs the attention.

Using the right tool for the job is really important Regardless of whether you want specialist software for your business or a single integrated solution, the most important thing is that you get the right tool for the job.

The first steps when you start your search is to map out what you ‘really’ need. Be clear about the ‘would likes’ as well, though. That will help you find the system(s) that will grow with your business, expanding into new departments and processes without financial or user stresses.

To talk to a member of OpenCRM team about how CRM software can benefit your brand, just call 01748 473000 or visit the website: www.opencrm.co.uk Graham Anderson, is the CEO and founder of OpenCRM, one of the UK’s leading customer relationship management systems

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REDUCING CARBON FOOTPRINT

Errol, Perth, aerial images ©Elgin Energy

Scotland a ‘world leader for renewables’ in 2017 Scotland remained at the forefront of the global renewables revolution during 2017 said environmental and industry groups.

Highlights from this year included the world’s first floating wind farm delivering electricity to the Scottish grid and the largest solar farm in Scotland receiving the green light.

Other great achievements are published in a synopsis of key Scottish renewables achievements of 2017 [1].

Dr Sam Gardner, Dr Sam Gardner, WWF Scotland Acting Director said: “There’s no doubt this year continued to build on the great success we saw during 2016. Scotland remains a world leader in renewables innovation, utilising our immense natural resources. With well over half of our electricity needs now being met from renewable sources the low carbon revolution is well and truly underway.

“We now need to build on the success we’ve seen in renewable electricity to drive forward renewable energy in our heat and transport sectors. The Scottish Government’s commitment to deliver 50 per cent of all energy from renewables across heat, transport and electricity was one of the year’s most significant signals of

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intent. The announcement about phasing out new polluting petrol and diesel vehicles by 2032 is an important first step but the commitment to 50% renewable energy needs to be matched by bold, concrete new actions to deliver.”

Claire Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said: “The achievements made

by Scotland’s renewable energy industry in 2017 are something of which the whole country can be proud.

“In an uncertain policy environment the 26,000 people who work in green energy have continued to ensure that the maximum economic, social and environmental benefits from the growth of renewables are delivered across Scotland.

“Also worthy of mention is the work which is being carried out in offshore wind, where projects are now starting to get steel in the water, providing a long-awaited boost for that sector’s many talented supply chain businesses.

“With the active backing of government, and the determination of industry, this industry can continue to deliver the benefits of our

commitment to tackle climate change, bring secure, affordable energy to the UK and assist in the shift to a cleaner, more sustainable energy system.”

Dave Pearson Director of STAR Renewables said: “We know that there is an eight fold surplus of heat in the Clyde for large heat pumps to deliver the heat that Glasgow city centre needs. The Scottish Government funding in the Gorbals will allow us to demonstrate this. However, widespread uptake needs more than vision and support.

We must see downward pressure on the use of gas as despite it being a large contributor to climate emissions (NOx as well as CO2) it is still the accepted norm even when renewable heat will result in cleaner air and more jobs. It is fundamentally wrong for public sector funds to be spent in Universities, Hospitals, schools etc on the continued use of gas that will undermine progress towards national and international goals.”

[1] Synopsis of renewable achievements in Scotland during 2017

REDUCING CARBON FOOTPRINT

Taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the green revolution The move towards renewable technology and waste reduction represents exciting opportunities for businesses in Scotland.

Over recent years, the area has been developing an expertise in a variety of renewable technologies with its companies taking that expertise across the UK and abroad.

One of the key themes is the way that men and women who once worked in more traditional areas have turned their hand to the challenges presented by the need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

For instance, people skilled in the engineering industry have been able to turn those skills to solving the challenges that accompany wind turbine technology, the first renewable technology to really become established.

Wind is not alone in offering opportunities and companies are also investigating the potential for new technologies in everything from chemicals to transport.

Some of the technologies being researched include: Solar: based on the idea that the power of the Sun can be captured and transformed into electricity, solar power can operate on a large scale with huge panels or on a very small scale with ones that can fit on a house roof

The Hydrogen Economy: work is under way to develop hydrogen as an energy source, taking advantage of the large amount of hydrogen already produced as part of chemical processes. Used properly, hydrogen can be a immensely useful power source which produces only water as a byproduct Biofuels: the move towards vehicle fuels that do not produce pollutants has created the biofuels industry. Biofuel is made from the likes of vegetable oils and wheat and is low on pollutants, which is crucial because car exhausts are a major source of greenhouse gases Transport: the Edinburgh area is witnessing many initiatives to reduce the emissions from private and public service vehicles

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Anaerobic digestion/biomass: some companies are investigating ways of turning organic material into energy. For instance, anaerobic digestion uses bacteria to break down waste to produce biogas which can be used to generate energy. Its use of bugs means it is a natural process which lends itself as easily to back-yard concerns as it does to industrial-scale operators Waste minimisation/recycling: many companies are experts in the reduction of waste, partly through more efficient processes and also through recycling, including developing the idea of symbiosis where materials produced from one industrial process can be re-used in another instead of being discarded.

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BUSINESS PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

David Horne

Rail on track to make connections As David Horne, Managing Director for Virgin Trains on the east coast route explains, Edinburgh is a city shaped, in no small part, by the railways. Whether you look north across the steel cantilevers of the Forth Bridge or south down the East Coast mainline linking the Scottish and UK capitals, rail has played a major role in connecting this great city’s people, its businesses and its economy.

And that role is set to continue over the coming years, when rail will help shape the kind of city that Edinburgh will become.

is faster, greener, sleeker and more comfortable, designed with the needs of the 21st Century rail passenger in mind.

In the three years in which I’ve worked as managing director of Virgin Trains’ east coast route, we’ve been working to transform Edinburgh’s connectivity – and I’m really proud of the progress we’ve achieved. There are now an extra 48 services a week connecting Edinburgh to London; we’ve completely refurbished the interiors of the existing fleet and invested heavily in train reliability and new customer service innovations like free wifi and the Seatfrog app, which allows customers to bid for lastminute upgrades to First Class.

But more than that, the Azuma fleet will deliver a profound and positive impact on Edinburgh’s economic development, creating more jobs, investment, and opportunities for the city to flourish.

But the biggest transformation is yet to happen. From December this year, the first of 65 specially build Virgin Azuma trains will enter passenger service on the east coast route, with the first passenger-carrying train reaching Edinburgh in March 2019.

These state-of-the-art trains, built by Hitachi just south of the border in County Durham, will deliver a step-change in the experience of the train-travelling public. The Azuma, whose name means “East” in Japanese,

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Azuma will support Edinburgh’s ambitions to be one of the UK’s greenest cities, reducing its dependence on domestic air travel to London. Following roll out of the full fleet, regular train journey times between the two capitals will drop to just four hours, all but erasing the time advantage air has over rail, while the number of services will increase further still.

We’re already seeing a record level of people choose train over plane, an historic shift that has saved thousands of tonnes of CO2 every year. We’re confident that this step-change in the rail offer will see train overtake plane on the UK’s busiest domestic air route for the first time since the 1980s.

For a city famed for major events such as the festivals and Hogmanay celebrations, having

a big increase in rail capacity will allow these events to grow further. When the full Azuma timetable is delivered, we will see a 28% increase in the number of seats available from King’s Cross in the peak hours.

We already employ around 360 people in Edinburgh. Not only will this grow as the number of services increase, but we’re confident that the upturn in Edinburgh’s rail connectivity will create new opportunities for investment and reasons for businesses to locate themselves here.

Edinburgh’s development in the 21st Century will depend on it becoming greener, better connected and more attractive to visitors and investors. Rail has a pivotal role in making these changes happen.

EASYJET

easyJet showcases its new Airbus A320neo at Glasgow Airport and continues its decarbonisation strategy The A320neo aircraft provides 15% savings in CO2 emissions and a 50% noise reduction easyJet, Europe’s leading airline, is today showcasing the Airbus A320neo at Glasgow Airport. The neo brings significant environmental and operational benefits – up to 15 percent savings in fuel burn and CO2 emissions, and a reduced noise footprint of 50 percent on take-off and landing phase. Crucially, this means the quieter aircraft minimises its noise impact on local communities.

Over 22 years ago, easyJet’s first ever flight, EZY121 took off from London Luton for Glasgow and since then easyJet has remained committed to the airport by maintaining a continuous operation. The airline continues to see strong growth at Glasgow and now has an unrivalled network of 19 routes and bases four aircraft at the airport. easyJet’s diverse portfolio of routes in Scotland caters for outbound and inbound demand. Passenger traffic is an almost equal split in directionality with nearly half of passengers travelling inbound to Scotland delivering significant investment into Scotland. The airline is excited to be introducing the neo aircraft to some of these routes this year, as the airline’s fleet of A320neo aircraft increases.

Since 2000 easyJet has reduced its carbon emissions per passenger, per kilometre by over 32%. Its current target is a 10% reduction from its financial year 2016

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performance by 2022, which would be a 38% improvement from 2000.

Minister for Transport and the Islands, Humza Yousaf MSP said: “It’s great to see Glasgow Airport hosting the launch of this advanced aircraft and I’m delighted to be involved in this exciting event.

“The environmental credentials of the A320neo are eye-catching, bringing significant reductions in both CO2 emissions and noise. This development is very welcome as we look to balance sustainable growth in Scotland’s aviation sector with our responsibilities to the environment and local communities.

“I congratulate both easyJet and Glasgow Airport on this project and will follow it with great interest.”

Ali Gayward, easyJet UK Country Manager, said: “We are very pleased to have continued to deliver a reduction in the amount of CO2 we emit and look forward to reaching our target of 77 grams by 2020. By using modern Airbus aircraft and flying them efficiently we have reduced the carbon impact of our flights by a third since 2000.

“We are delighted to be showcasing our new Airbus A320neo in Glasgow today. easyJet is the largest airline in Scotland carrying almost one in three Scottish travellers and in calendar 2018 will grow further with an increase in the number of seats on sale of around 5% to over eight million. We’re committed to finding ways to increase efficiency, for example by incentivising higher load factors as well as the use of modern and efficient aircraft like the Airbus A320neo.

“The A320neo is also 50% quieter during take-off and landing, which is hugely important to easyJet as it minimises our impact on the local community.

“Next summer, easyJet will also introduce the 235-seat A321neo which will enable easyJet to continue to deliver growth in slot constrained airports and deliver a further improvement in CO2 per passenger kilometre.”

Derek Provan, AGS Airports Ltd Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are proud to play our part in welcoming easyJet’s new Airbus A320neo aircraft to Glasgow Airport.

“Our long-standing relationship with easyJet dates back to November 1995 and the airline’s first-ever flight from London Luton Airport, so we’re thrilled to see this latest arrival touch down in Glasgow.

“The Airbus A320neo brings with it significant environmental and operational benefits and easyJet’s decision to operate this revolutionary aircraft underlines the airline’s continued commitment to operate both efficiently and sustainably.” easyJet’s biggest impact on the environment is its fuel consumption and the associated carbon emissions and that is why the airline is currently working on several projects with the aim of continuing to significantly reduce its carbon footprint.

From summer 2018 easyJet will also start to receive 30 A321neo aircraft, with 235 seats compared to 186 seats on the A320neo aircraft. This will also contribute to easyJet’s carbon reduction target by reducing the amount of fuel used to carry each passenger.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Lochaber is a great place to live, work, and study Lochaber is a great place to live, work, and study. However, businesses are finding it increasingly challenging to operate in the ever-growing digital world when, as a region, we still have the poorest broadband in the UK. A British Infrastructure Group (BIG) survey published in August 2017 found that nearly two thirds (65.6%) of broadband connections fail to reach the government’s proposed minimum standard of 10mbps. There is a long way to go before reaching the Scottish Government’s commitment to delivering 100% superfast broadband access across Scotland by 2021.

Not only are local businesses being disadvantaged by the digital situation, but the hardwork being done by our Destination Marketing Organisation ‘The Outdoor Capital of the UK’ is left potentially devalued. The increasing number of high value tourists visiting Lochaber do not always have their expectations met as those very visitors assume that fast connectivity is a basic feature when travelling to a world-class tourist destination. This frustration is also felt locally with the increasing necessity for

tourism businesses to offer online bookings and engage with booking search engines and other digital services. They face a potential disadvantage in not doing so as online booking is so prevalent and requires good digital connectivity to maintain basic business functions.

As an effort to move forward, Fort William was named as one of four Highland areas to benefit from the £4.7m funding secured

by Highland Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) as part of a major partnership bid to the UK Government for the Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) programme.

As a Chamber, we were delighted to have had the opportunity to contribute to Highland Council’s successful bid to the LFFN Challenge fund. This is designed to maximise the availability of gigabit

capable broadband services to business and residential users in Fort William and is a positive step towards reducing the digital disadvantage faced by rural business.

The Infill Programme through the Scottish Government, for a £25 million investment in 4G mobile connectivity across rural Scotland, will also make a significant, and positive, difference. Lochaber generally has good 4G connectivity but a Scotland wide investment can further boost business links.

There are still many businesses without sufficient digital connectivity within Lochaber, but these changes are a positive start. An increasing number of SMEs, and some large businesses, are moving into the area making our need for reliable digital connectivity more important than ever to ensure we remain a desirable place to live and work.

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CONFERENCING AND EVENTS

The New Dunkeld House Hotel Dunkeld House Hotel has gone through some exciting developments over the past year. Formerly under the Hilton brand, Dunkeld House Hotel is now independently owned and has recently completed a £3 million refurbishment.

The significant investment has seen the tasteful modernisation of the hotel while being mindful of the building’s history and traditional iconic features.

Despite being located on a 280 acre estate, Dunkeld House Hotel is incredibly central being about an hour from two of Scotland’s major cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh but still has fantastic access to the great outdoors.

With 98 fantastic guest rooms and six individually designed function rooms, Dunkeld House Hotel has the capacity to cater for both small and large meetings and events of up to 160.

Although providing offerings for both the leisure and MICE markets, Dunkeld House Hotel has found the perfect balance so that everyone can enjoy what they have to offer whether it be the activities on the grounds such as clay pigeon shooting (County Clays on

the estate is the biggest sporting clay pigeon range in Scotland), getting an adrenaline rush with Land Rover Experience or enjoying some ‘me’ time in their health club and spa.

Having hosted conferences and events for clients such as Deloitte, Cannonball Ireland, Peter Vardy, the NHS, and the Bentley and Jaguar car clubs, it is clear that Dunkeld House Hotel is becoming a popular choice for industry professionals.

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CONFERENCING AND EVENTS

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SCOTTISH ENTERPRISE CONFERENCING AND EVENTS

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SCOTTISH ENTERPRISE BUSINESS PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

Turnip and go – farmers’ market moves to station Dumfries station will be transformed into a farmers’ market in the coming weeks. Local producers will be given space under the canopy in the station car park when the Dumfries Farmers’ Market relocates from Lockerbie Road on Sunday, 1 April 2018.

The monthly event is the largest local food market in the south of Scotland, and up to 30 producers will be setting up their stalls under the Victorian pavilion next to the station building.

On sale will be a wide variety of locallyproduced food and drink, including locally reared meats, pies, soups, baked goods, and locally produced drinks.

Dumfries Farmers’ Market has been based at Tarff Town & Country on the Lockerbie Road since it launched in 2011. The first market at the new location will take place on 1 April, Easter Sunday, and organisers hope the relocation will make the market more accessible to local people.

The arrival of the market is the latest in a number of initiatives for customers in the south west of Scotland. In December, the ScotRail Alliance introduced ten new daily services between Dumfries and Carlisle, boosting the number of seats available to customers by 1,500 each day. A food

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and drink service was also introduced for services between Glasgow and Carlisle via Dumfries, creating 15 new jobs.

from the elements too. So the time is right to bring the market closer to the people of Dumfries.

ScotRail Alliance Station Manager Heather Collins said: “We’re building the best railway that Scotland has ever had – and supporting the communities along our routes is a key part of this.

“We are delighted to be working with the station and we look forward to creating an exciting farmers’ market experience in Dumfries; one that focuses on quality, provenance and accessibility of local produce.

“We’re confident that hosting the Dumfries Farmers’ Market at the station will deliver a great deal for local producers, as well as for our customers.

“Where else can you buy award winning pies, sticky toffee puddings, freshly roasted coffee, and local ales while you wait for your train?”

Dumfries Farmers’ Market Chair Sarah Burchell, said: “Over the past couple of years customers have been telling us that they’d prefer a more central location and the station gives us exactly that, putting us within walking distance for many people and providing a degree of weatherproofing

“It’s the shopping experience that makes farmers’ markets so appealing, and getting the right venue is an important part of that experience. We’ll be focussing on providing a curated mix of food and drink, including some streetfood, available for customers to buy direct from the producer in a comfortable and accessible location.”

LORD DUNCAN

Turning talk into action

By UK Government minister Lord Duncan

Since I took up my post last June I have made it my job priority to listen to you and your members – business experts across all sectors – to help you be as successful as you can be.

And a great way to do this by holding a series of roundtables. Getting people from different industries across Scotland, with different priorities, round a table and to talk to me.

To tell me what they want raised in the corridors of Whitehall as the UK approaches its historic exit from the European Union.

That’s why in March, I invited a delegation of you – members of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce – to come to Dover House in Whitehall to sit round my table and talk about international trade and Scottish exports. I wanted to explore opportunities internationally, but also think about the UK Government’s City Region Deal initiative, and how the joint investment from Scotland’s two governments can impact and help drive regional economic growth.

Scotland has huge potential as a global exporter. It offers a world-class services industry from the financial and legal sectors to marine engineering, high value manufacturing and an impressive life sciences sector. It also boasts the UK’s single most valuable export product – Scotch.

But too many businesses in Scotland – particularly smaller ones – aren’t yet

taking advantage of the chance to access international markets, where they have potential to achieve phenomenal success.

technologies of the future that will transform the country and place Scotland at the forefront of modern business.

We want to help businesses across the UK achieve that success, and the UK Government offers an array of support to help you make the leap to become exporters and deepen international relationships.

I was pleased to hear that members were happy with projects in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and could see the potential for real transformation. But I also welcomed the challenge that there needed to be more clarity on how businesses can get involved in these opportunities and that’s certainly something my team and I will look at, working closely with the Scottish Government and partners as we do on all elements of City Region Deals.

The UK Government’s Department for International Trade offers one of the largest international trade networks, with a presence in more than 100 markets worldwide. Its focus is on opening markets and improving trading environments, building a global appetite for UK Goods overseas.

It’s clear that the SCC places just as much emphasis on exporting as we do, and wants to help members overcome perceived obstacles to accessing new and valuable markets.

The UK Government needs to work with the SCC to help Scottish businesses feel more confident in exporting, getting them away from the mentality of “exporting is what other businesses do”. In order to achieve that, I’ve asked the Department for International Trade to look at ways of working more closely with the SCC to share resources, and provide clarity on exactly what support is available and who from.

But it’s not just internationally that the UK Government can support businesses – there are significant opportunities right here in Scotland. The UK Government’s City Region Deal initiative is investing millions of pounds into Scotland’s cities and regions – funding research in innovation, data, connectivity and

But my challenge back is that we need your help – these deals give us the opportunity to tackle inequality, to solve some of the big challenges and to create jobs of the future.

But for them to land and achieve these lofty goals, then we need the support of businesses organisations such as the SCC, to help us maximise the impact and get the word about how our enterprising Scottish businesses can get involved.

It’s conversations and discussions like this that are the reason I have been so committed to roundtables. Government policy shouldn’t be about dictating from high what should happen and then imposing it, it’s about getting together and debating the ins and outs and formulating plans that work for the benefit of everyone.

I know that members of the SCC have ambitious plans for the future of Scottish business, and want to help them realise those plans, so I look forward to continuing the conversation and transforming that talk into positive action.

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TRANSPORT

“A week without lorries” A week without lorries! Imagine!

Chic Brodie

M.D. of Caledonian Strategy and Associate of the Scottish Road Haulage Group There are some things we take for granted in life. People, events or objects that seem to be, are, a normal part of our lives. Just because they have always seemed to have been there.

But our world, your world, your customers’ worlds, your employees’ worlds could change, and change rapidly over the next few years. No, it is not Brexit, not even snow but something even more tangible and more immediate. It concerns the serious impact that a loss of lorries, or a reduced number of lorries, might have on our personal lives and circumstances and on your business and organisations.

We are facing an impending and near crisis because of the ever diminishing numbers of lorry drivers. The events of the last few weeks, be it the consequences of severe weather or a change in the means of delivering chicken product brings the issue close to home.

A recent report prepared by and for the Scottish Government indicated that we, in Scotland, are short of 11,000 such drivers.

When we look more keenly at that number we find that only 2% of our goods vehicle drivers are under the age of 25, 1% are women and 3% from a BAME background.

So what, you may ask? Well let’s look at the whole picture. 55% of lorry drivers are over the age of 50 and approaching retirement. The need for them to re-certify as drivers i.e. re-sit their lorry driving test, driver CPC etc; which when they are already suitably qualified may seem to be nonsense but add to that the possibility of a ‘hard‘Customs Union after Brexit, with all the border delays and frustrations that that will entail and it will ensure, and secure, the additional loss of older and Continental drivers.

So what we hear you ask again? – well here’s what!. Given the above scenario, let’s ask

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ourselves what may happen when you and your business and /or organisation are faced with that shortage and reduction of trained and qualified drivers allied to a consequent reduction in lorry capacity. Imagine all of these faced with, for example, a week without lorries. Just the impact of a few difficult days recently because of weather has witnessed the impact on loss of food, health and other critical key supplies.

The simple economic and personal truths is that if we don’t embrace the vital contribution that lorries and truck transport have on our daily lives then the future is stark.

A Week without Lorries?

Lorries and trucks, and the people who drive them, are the threads of our economic web, linking not just our airports, harbours, rail but the core of everything that impacts our living and sleeping days.

Truck transport is the commercial blood that flows through our personal, business and commercial arteries. With its drivers come all our living essentials—a combination of superior IT, of driving and technical skills, a knowledge of logistics and quality customer service and the need to be an integral part of health and safety on the road “arteries” here and abroad.

n Company stocks – local and imported – are depleted;

So, a Week without Lorries?

Day 2:

A “crisis” that has until now been largely subdued and avoided because of the dedication of those leading the sector, of those securing the highest quality training parameters and of those who see this not just as a “job” but as a seriously contributing career. But there is a “crisis” is now with us.

“A Week without Lorries” We all face our different and major challenges in our day to lives and activities but let’s consider how much worse it might be in a world where we have that one week without lorries.

Day 1: n Milk and fresh bread run out; n Hospitals run out of clean linen; n Chemists face shortages in medical supplies;

n Production starts to slow; n Construction and infrastructure material shortages start to bring these activities to a stop; n Senior Citizens Care impacted by lack of food deliveries; n Chemists are forced to close; n Fresh vegetables and produce start to run out; n Some service stations run out of fuel; n Restaurants and Hotels run out of supplies –less fresh food; n Large supermarkets lose their 10-15 deliveries each day; n (Urgent) medicines depend on daily deliveries. Urgent medicines will be delayed; Day 3: n Waste and water sludge become a problem; n Milk can no longer be picked up; n Serious fuel shortages; n Serious impact of fuel shortages on public transport;

TRANSPORT

n No clean sheets for hospitals, hotels etc.;

This is Project Reality not Project Fear

n Because of fuel shortages, air tourism affected with a serious impact on the tourism industry;

Firstly, the general public will feel the cold draught of shortages of food, of fuel, of disappearing jobs because of lack of supplies and components, of disruption to gas, electricity and water supplies, of no waste disposal and of a shortage of healthcare supplies.

n Routes of bus/train services cancelled; Day 4: n A serious shortage of food supplies; n All fuel depleted from service stations; n All bus services stopped; n Air traffic and airports stop functioning; n House waste and general waste piles up in the streets; n Significant sanitary, health and safety issues; Day 5: n Drinking water depleted; n Hotels close-no customers or supplies; n Restaurants close; n Industrial production stops because of shortages of fuel and lack of delivery of imported components for finished goods production; n Water supply stopped as no treatment chemicals delivered to water plants; n Food and supply deliveries to schools, colleges and universities and to care centres stopped;

Secondly, farmers will immediately feel the impact on milk distribution, disposal of the animal supply chain, delays in harvesting a lack of space all resulting in severe cash flow problems.

Thirdly, production will be affected because of a lack of materials, a lack of or no fuel, a lack of storage space and waste and component disposal.

The list goes on – be it retail, utilities, transport operators, exporters, the hospitality and tourism industries, the fuel supply industries including oil and gas producers, postal and delivery services, manufacturing, construction, and the waste and energy sectors.

We know a week without lorries may be too hard to contemplate or accept. The time for contemplation has gone and the time for acceptance is now with us. Tomorrow is a day too late. One week, only one week, when a major artery of our lives and of a major life

blood of our economy could suffer a major flutter or a minor seizure. Snow?

So, in one hour, each of the leaders of major organisations in all our sectors, and each in its sector’s or organisation’s interests pursues and secures a demand for the creation of a larger community (remember the 11,000 driver shortage in Scotland) of professionally qualified and trained drivers of all ages (particularly the young), of genders and ethnicity, and that the Government accepts its role along with the industry and the customers of establishing through that, a commitment to what will be a major contributor to overall productivity and competitiveness.

To leave you with one thought in our busy daily and personal lives –Please remember; “If you’ve got it – a lorry brought it” Notes: (i) Study prepared under the auspices of the Scottish Road Haulage Group. (ii)Document prompted by an earlier study and documentation produced 9 years ago by the Swedish Association of Road Haulage Association and by Professor Alan McKinnon for Commercial Transport

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DISCOVER DIVERSITY IN DUNDEE

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FOCUS ON TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Discover diversity at Al-Maktoum College

Speaking the same language as potential clients is regarded as a major and obvious advantage. Our staff, who are highly qualified native speakers with great experience in teaching Arabic as a foreign language, will deliver the summer courses.

Dundee’s Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education is in a unique position to help companies interested in forging business links with the Middle East.

This summer, it is offering two speciallydevised, intensive courses in Arabic language that could prove to be of interest to businesses dealing with Arabic speakers, or those seeking to create new opportunities.

The independently-funded College was founded in 2001 and it is the first HE establishment of its kind in Scotland. It was established with the aim of promoting multiculturalism and greater understanding while building bridges between communities through its promotion of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies.

Its patron is His Highness Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and Industry of the United Arab Emirates.

As a result, in addition to its proven academic successes, it has played a significant role in building progressive links between the UAE and Scotland including a sister city agreement between Dundee and

Dubai as well as direct daily flights between Dubai and Glasgow with Emirates Airlines.

Participants need no prior knowledge of the language for the two Arabic language courses that will run in July, August and September – and those who successfully complete the courses can move on seamlessly to any of the six full-time courses in Islamic Economics and Finance, Arabic and Islamic studies that get under way in September.

College Secretary, Dr Abi Abubaker, said that during the planning stages of all courses every effort was made to structure them to appeal to as wide a selection of potential candidates as possible.

“These courses are open to all with no restrictions whatsoever but we believe that they may also be of special interest to businesses who have dealings with Arabic speakers,” said Dr Abubaker.

“Attractive business opportunities in the Middle East are increasingly available so our courses could benefit those seeking to work in that particular region.

“Speaking the same language as potential clients is regarded as a major and obvious advantage. Our staff, who are highly qualified native speakers with great experience in teaching Arabic as a foreign language, will deliver the summer courses.

“We are confident they will prove popular and extremely helpful. At Al-Maktoum College we encourage students to discover diversity – our language courses are an example.”

College Secretary, Dr Abi Abubaker

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The Beginners I course is for students with no prior knowledge of Arabic so it will cover greetings and introductions, family, food and

asking questions.

Beginners II is for students who have completed Beginners I or who have some knowledge of Arabic. Those enrolled will develop reading, writing, speaking and listening skills and will relate to topics such as travel, weather, clothes, professions and descriptions.

The College constantly seeks to offer contemporary courses and to date 175 students from more than 30 countries have graduated from its postgraduate degree programmes.

Dr Abubaker said the College has advanced plans to run degree programmes in the specialised area of Islamic finance that involves a new collaboration agreement with the University of Dundee.

The programmes in MSc Islamic Finance, MSc Islamic Banking and Finance and MSc Islamic Banking, Finance and International Business were developed, utilising both institutions’ recognised academic expertise.

The agreement involves the University providing conventional finance modules with the ‘Islamic’ elements being designed by the College and delivered by its staff.

FOCUS ON TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

“We hope that this collaborative relationship will benefit students from all over the world and that the city will emerge as a major centre in the UK in the area of Islamic studies, in general, and Islamic finance, in particular,” said Dr Abubaker.

The College firmly believes that the agreement will help it grow in the academic world as it increases academic staff numbers and attempts to attract more students to Dundee to enrol for the three new post graduate programmes.

The College has also announced that it has worked jointly with Istanbul 29 Mayis University to deliver a one-week intensive course offering a Certificate in Islamic Economics and Finance – and other courses are likely to be run in this manner in Turkey and other locations.

“This is an interesting development for the College,” said Dr Abubaker. “The Islamic finance industry is becoming more and more important. This makes it essential that anyone interested in the area of Islamic finance becomes properly equipped to become effectively involved.”

Dr Abubaker and his staff believes these new developments at the College co-incide with a

widely-held view that there has never been a better time to study in Dundee, UNESCO City of Design 2016.

The courses currently available are:

The international spotlight has been turned on the city not least because the £80 million V&A Museum of Design, which is part of an acclaimed billion pound waterfront development, is due to open later this year, attracting thousands of visitors.

n Advanced Diploma in Islamic Studies

Dundee has also been named one of the world’s top ten places to visit with a further accolade describing it as a “design-savvy city.”

Looking ahead to September, the College is offering six full-time courses – SCQF-credit rated by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

n Professional Diploma in Islamic Economics and Finance n Advanced Diploma in Arabic Language n Diploma in Arabic Language n Certificates in Arabic Language n Introductory Certificate in Arabic Language Dr Abubaker said these courses could benefit students in many ways.

“Students who qualify can open up professional career options in the public and private sector at local, national and international levels, plus the voluntary sector, social and charitable organisations, and other multicultural contexts,” he said.

“These are contemporary courses and, once again, we have designed them to have a wide-ranging appeal.”

The College’s popular evening language classes will also resume in September.

Bursaries for students are available and full information on them, plus details of all College courses, can be found at: www.almcollege.org.uk

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Change is good for the next generation of talent

Louise Norrie

Digital Marketing Modern Apprentice, Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce

Being ‘the next generation’ is a daunting prospect. With limited experience, no track record to trade on and often some high expectations to live up to, it’s a label that brings with it a certain amount of trepidation.

Whether we’re talking about technology, people or thinking, what it essentially boils down to is change – and that can be both a rewarding and challenging thing to manage.

I joined the Chamber as its first ever digital marketing modern apprentice in August.

People of my generation are often perceived as entitled and self-absorbed, lacking in basic skills and unable to comprehend either their own limitations. This isn’t a description that I, or I hope the Chamber, recognises.

It is fair to say I had no idea what to expect when I started. I’d been to college and while I’d learned a lot of theoretical skills, I knew that the impact of what I was doing day in and day out would be far more rewarding for me.

I also knew I wanted responsibility. It’s a far busier role than I had imagined but I am continually learning, refining and advancing my knowledge both in terms of the handson practical aspects but also the softer business skills which are, in many ways, just as important.

The biggest thing it has given me however is confidence. Being part of the team delivering real-life projects has given me faith in my

abilities, something I didn’t really have before. I now feel comfortable to contribute in meetings, to ask for clarification if needed and even challenge the traditional ways of doings things if I think I can offer a more effective alternative.

I hope what I have brought to the table is fresh ideas, enthusiasm to learn and a new dynamic in the multi-generational workforce which, when I started, encompassed people from their teens through to their seventies.

I’ve learned a lot during my time here and look forward to what is still to come. 2018 is the Year of Young People and I would encourage any employer thinking about offering an apprenticeship, or any young person thinking about applying for one, to do just that. Because whether it’s in our business, through the products and services we use; and especially when it comes to the next generation of talent, change is not only good, it is vital for keeping us moving forward.

I’ve learned a lot during my time here and look forward to what is still to come. 2018 is the Year of Young People and I would encourage any employer thinking about offering an apprenticeship, or any young person thinking about applying for one, to do just that.

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Credit Where Credit’s Due

SQA’s Credit Rating Service SQA’s Credit Rating service gives national recognition to your existing in-house qualifications and training programmes by positioning them on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.

We work with organisations in public, private and third sectors, helping them achieve their training goals.

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

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Digital – the change driver empowering SMEs We are surrounded by change – much of it in our personal lives as communities and consumers but lots outside in the world of work and commerce.

The Digital world has empowered SMEs to reach directly to clients, suppliers and markets. They no longer need the traditional support systems – they can just do their own thing and succeed.

Gateway to Future Skills West Lothian has been working towards creating a better skills base for all, particularly focusing on opening opportunities for students and the future workforce while showcasing potential career paths.

Recently, over 800 pupils from across 25 West Lothian schools took part in a pioneering Farm to Fork ‘agri-event’, giving them an insight into a variety of industries and career opportunities associated to the land-based and hospitality industries.

The showcase, organised in partnership with Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) West Lothian Regional Group and Lantra Scotland successfully provided an understanding about how skills can be gained around the entire food chain – from ‘Farm to Fork’.

The pupils from the region’s Primary 7, S1 and S2 year groups, took part in a broad range of interactive workshops developed by employers across the food development, horticulture and hospitality industries, giving the pupils a taster of the industry career choices available to them in the next few years.

Des Martin, Learning Resources Manager at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Oatridge, said: “The Farm to Fork event was an outstanding success. Local schoolchildren learned more about the many different industries involved in producing the food we eat. It was great to see so many youngsters inspired by the range of interactive activities and a huge thank-you goes to everyone involved.”

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Aynsley Bates, Principal Teacher, Linlithgow Primary School said “The event certainly encapsulated what DYW is all about. Our learners were fully engaged with every session. They could easily see how skills in the classroom could translate to the work place. The event also highlights many different job opportunities and industries for our young people.”

Now in its 4th year, the PumpIt Up Challenge is a proven highly successful project between Mitsubishi Electric Air Conditioning, West Lothian Chamber of Commerce and all local secondary schools. The PumpIt Up challenge is designed to give pupils a better understanding of the science and technology involved in green energy and the workings of the Mitsubishi Electric Heat Pump.

The challenge for the S3 students is to design a heat pump and is judged on their successful group working to come up with an idea, their creative, presentation and literacy skills as well as encouraging them to be active in STEM subjects.

Linda Scott, CEO, West Lothian Chamber commented that: “The PumpIt Up Challenge has shown to be a great encouragement to the young people to be active participants in the school while thinking about possible career path”

Recognising this fact and embracing the change drivers that digital strategies unlock is the only rational course of action. It might be uncomfortable to start with, it might not suit everyone in the organisation, but it has to happen - like it or not.

The art of trading – finding buyers and selling them goods – remains one of the enduring economic processes. But this ageold process is fraught with trip wires and disconnected business tools and systems.

Add to this the wrapping of regulation and compliance and we soon see that being a trader means you can soon become a victim to inertia and bureaucracy.

In the new world beyond Brexit, although this in itself is not the only major change catalyst, the world is more uncertain than ever. Gone will be the barriers of paperwork and authentication and in will come online documents transfer and approval systems and a new digital ‘trust’. SMEs will be empowered to self-certify and trade in a trusted environment by Government and they will seek out the tools to do this efficiently and these tools will be digital and highly collaborative and connected.

Driven by their clients to change, or just simply to compete, SMEs will have to adopt the digital technology and use it to their advantage. They can grasp the digital drivers and lead from the front by adopting smart products, or they can languish burdened by apparently crucial but laborious administration systems and change resistant people.

Morgan Goodwin is a digital solutions designer, but one that recognises the change drivers for business, seeking to secure a place on their journey through relevant product innovation. Their Edge Combined Trading Platform (www.edgectp. com) will empower the SME community’s traders, facilitating increased efficiency and supporting business growth.

By partnering with the forward-looking West Lothian Chamber, we will present SMEs with tools to compete – tools to win new business.

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Our acclaimed MBA programme can be studied on a full time, part time or flexible learning basis which means you don’t have to give up the day job – or travel far – to get a world class MBA.

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lifeSKILLS Centres Short Course About Our Courses

lifeSKILLS has been delivering high quality, employer facing and client centred training for over 10 years and we offer a wide range of short courses, including hospitality, retail, customer service, social care, administration, health and Beauty, security and construction training.

We have an extensive footprint and existing infrastructure in 22 of the 32 local authority areas in Scotland.

Funding All our courses are eligible for an Individual Training Accounts (ITA’s).

ITA’s are for people who are 16 or over, living in Scotland and who will benefit most from this support. Individuals can apply for an ITA if:

n They do not have a degree or above, are not undertaking any secondary, further or higher education, training through the Employability Fund or Modern Apprenticeship n They are not participating on the Community Jobs Scotland programme n They must also have an income of £22,000 a year or less, or be on benefits SDS Individual Training Accounts give up to £200 towards the costs of learning or training for eligible learners.

For detailed eligibility criteria, please contact a member of our team or alternatively visit: www.myworldofwork.co.uk

Construction Courses CSCS HS&E Test and Card and two free re-sit (including materials) Self-Study & Test Day - £175.00

REHIS Health and Safety and Green Labourer's Card One Day plus & Test Day - £150.00

Overview

Overview

Overview

Once both examinations have been passed lifeSKILLS will then apply for the Green Labourer’s or Skilled Card on behalf of the candidate.

On successful completion of this REHIS Health and Safety award candidates can then apply for their Green Labourer’s Card.

On successful completion of this REHIS award candidates can then take the next step to booking their CITB Health, Safety & Environment test.

The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) have made changes to obtaining a Green Labourer’s Card. These new requirements were introduced in July 2014 and state that along with the CITB Health, Safety and Environment (HS&E) Test, a QCF qualification (or alternative) must be achieved in order to apply for the Green Labourer’s Card.

Group course Max 12 participants

The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) have made changes to obtaining a Green Labourer’s Card. These new requirements were introduced in July 2014 and state that along with the CITB Health, Safety and Environment (HS&E) Test, a QCF qualification (or alternative) must be achieved in order to apply for the Green Labourer’s Card.

28 Training Centres throughout Scotland www.lifeskillscentres.com

Tel: 0300 200 4113

enquiries@lifeskillscentres.com

(+44) 01698 456 800

REHIS Health and Safety, CSCS Test and Green Labourer’s Card and one free re-sit One Day plus Self-Study & Test Day - £200.00 Group course Max 12 participants The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) have made changes to obtaining a Green Labourer’s Card. These new requirements were introduced in July 2014 and state that along with the CITB Health, Safety and Environment (HS&E) Test, a QCF qualification (or alternative) must be achieved in order to apply for the Green Labourer’s Card.

BUSINESS PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

Eilidh Riach

Digital skills developed in schools Senior pupils in schools across Scotland are developing skills in Digital Technology through Foundation Apprenticeships.

To ensure young people are given the opportunity to develop relevant skills in key growth sectors, SDS has developed 12 different Foundation Apprenticeships to support them.

Last year, over 1200 young people chose a Foundation Apprenticeship alongside other subjects, including three different types covering digital skills.

In the two years since they were introduced, over 250 young people have taken up Foundation Apprenticeships across IT Hardware, IT Software and Creative and Digital Media.

Foundation Apprenticeships give young people the chance to gain valuable, realworld work experience and access workbased learning whilst at school.

Pupils spend a significant amount of time on a work placement supporting their learning towards a qualification at he same level as a Higher, which can be used to help them get into work, a Modern Apprenticeship, Graduate Apprenticeship college or university.

I’ve always been interested in software development, so the Foundation Apprenticeship seemed like a great opportunity – it also gave me the chance to experience new places and things.

Arbroath teen Eilidh Riach took up a Foundation Apprenticeship in Software Development as one of her school subject choices.

The S5 Arbroath High pupil opted for a Foundation Apprenticeship in Software Development as one of her subject choices.

Two afternoons a week, Eilidh goes to Dundee and Angus College where she’s taught alongside pupils from different schools.

Eilidh said: “I’ve always been interested in software development, so the Foundation Apprenticeship seemed like a great opportunity – it also gave me the chance to experience new places and things.”

With the chance to develop new skills like web development, the 16-year-old believes the apprenticeship is a great way for young people to find out more about the growing world of IT. Eilidh says that the apprenticeship has taught her so much more than technical skills for an IT career.

She said: “The Foundation Apprenticeship has made me more confident, coming to a new place to try new things. It pushes you outside of your comfort zone.”

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Parkinson’s UK & SQA — Recognising Training for Health Care Professionals

SQA’s Credit Rating service helps organisations in the public, private and third sectors across Scotland achieve recognition and value from their in-house training programmes by helping position them on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF).

SQA has been working with Parkinson’s UK since 2012, when we helped with their Understanding Parkinson’s for Health and Social Care Staff qualification.

The charity had received feedback over a number of years that many health and social care professionals did not fully understand Parkinson’s, and that carers and families were not always confident that staff were aware of the complexity and impact of the condition.

In response, Parkinson’s UK developed the Understanding Parkinson’s for Health and Social Care Staff programme to enable carers working in residential, respite, day care, home care or health settings to become facilitators for inhouse training programmes. The programme aims to improve knowledge and confidence among all staff to provide quality care for people with Parkinson’s and sits within the UK Parkinson’s Excellence Network.

This programme supports facilitators to share learning with colleagues on:

• the common signs, symptoms and progression of the condition • the impact of Parkinson’s on the subject and on those around them • processes, procedures, methods, techniques and services to manage it • issues, side effects and related procedures associated with medication • associated communication and cognitive challenges, their impact and ways to deal with them One issue was ensuring the programme was useful for staff development, and comparable to other similar programmes. Jackie Burke, Education Advisor at Parkinson’s UK, said: ‘We wanted assurance that the quality of our learning programme was of a high standard and credible in Scotland. We had identified a need for health and social care staff to learn and develop a better understanding of the condition, and sought to have this recognised on the SCQF. ‘We recognised SQA as the principal credit rating body in Scotland with an established reputation. We felt confident that we could work together to achieve our aims’

SQA appointed subject experts set the programme at SCQF level 6, with 2 SCQF credit points so that it is now more widely recognised and easy to compare to other programmes. It was recognised at the 2015 Charity Awards, winning the prestigious award for Education and Training. Judges noted that it was an innovative response to a simple but serious problem.

‘Our learners are confident that the credit rating for Understanding Parkinson’s is credible as it’s recognised by SQA, an awarding body used by many organisations in Scotland, and the rest of the UK.’ Parkinson’s UK continue to work with SQA to deliver cascade learning and the Understanding Parkinson’s Learning Programme as part of their Excellence Network strategy to raise awareness of the condition.

Natalie Tweedie, SQA Credit Rating Manager is delighted with the relationship: “SQA credit rates programmes on behalf of organisations in the public, private and third sectors. Working together we bring recognition to a wide variety of training programmes by placing them on the SCQF — allocating a relevant SCQF level and SCQF credits.”

Parkinson’s UK Parkinson’s UK aims to ensure that no one has to face Parkinson’s alone, campaigning across the country to change attitudes, challenge myths and improve understanding.

It is the largest charity funder of Parkinson’s research in the UK, investing over £70million to find a cure for the disease and improve the lives of those affected by the condition. They provide expert information on every aspect of Parkinson’s and offer training and resources to help improve services through the Excellence Network.

To find out more about SQA’s Credit Rating service visit: www.sqa.org.uk/creditrating e-mail mycentre@sqa.org.uk or call 0303 333 0330

Management and Leadership Human Resource Management Sales and Marketing Contracting Management Sustainable Resource Management Health and Safety Management Want to find out more?

Want to know more? www.fife.ac.uk Call Michelle 0344 248 0117 on 0344 248 0117 email info@carnegiebusiness.com sales@fife.ac.uk or visit www.carnegiebusiness.com Your degree, your journey #inFife

INTERVIEW: OLIVIA DUNNETT, JCI

Spreading the message about JCI Olivia Dunnett,

JCI Scotland, Vice President

Tell us a little about yourself My name is Olivia Dunnett, 26 and from Edinburgh. I currently work for Lloyds Bank as a software Engineer and have been in IT for around 5 years now. The start of my career journey seen me leaving school at a very young age straight into the world of work starting off in a small law firm as an admin assistant, during that time I really wished I continued with my education so I decided to start studying for my degree in Computing and IT with the Open University part time whilst continuing to work full time.

This was a long 6-year journey which took me from the Law firm into an accounts role with a chartered surveyors then into my apprenticeship with Lloyds bank, onto a Java developer and eventually graduating with my degree in 2016.

Whether you are looking to increase your network or get hands on with a community project or boost your career, JCI has it all and it’s a very supportive environment which helps take you out your comfort zone and open up so many opportunities.

Throughout juggling Uni and work the one thing that kept me going was JCI, 2 years into my degree, I joined JCI Edinburgh at 20 and as it gave me so much out of it personally and professionally within the first 6 months I started another journey with them at the same time. I have been on the board of directors for 4 years and became Local President in 2017. This year I am immediate Past President of Edinburgh and Deputy National President for JCI Scotland leading to National President in 2018.

So what is JCI? JCI stands for Junior Chamber International and we are world-wide organisation of young active citizens aged between 18 to 40. We help develop individuals personally and professionally through a wide range of opportunities. Networking on a local, national and international level, Personal and professional training from evening courses to full leadership academies, Leadership opportunities to take on board positions. Helping make a difference in their local community through running projects that create impact and much more. We are in over 110 countries worldwide and have over 150,000 members.

Who can join JCI Anyone can join JCI who is aged between 18-40. A lot of people join for one reason but remain a member for many more reasons.

Whether you are looking to increase your network or get hands on with a community project or boost your career, JCI has it all and it’s a very supportive environment which helps take you out your comfort zone and open up so many opportunities for yourself.

What’s the biggest challenge that JCI has helped you overcome?

JCI has helped me tackle so many challenges but the biggest one for me

would be my own self confidence and public speaking. Looking back when I joined I had a very small network, terrified of public speaking and wasn’t getting out networking and seeing what opportunities were available – every event, every training, every conference I go to keeps pushing me out my comfort zone and helps me grow and gain skills. Never in a million years did I think I would be able to lead an organisation at my age but JCI helped me to do this through phenomenal leadership academies, training and mentors

Next year when your president what are your plans to take to JCI to the next level?

For JCI Scotland next year my biggest aim is to increase our membership nationally and visibility of who we are and what we are about– JCI is very unique and we provide so many individuals aged 18-40 with outstanding development opportunities in many areas. I really want us to reach more individuals to help them become great leaders and to help others excel in their personal and professional lives. I also want to ensure JCI Scotland has solid foundations to remain a key organisation nationally and create strong partnerships with other businesses and organisations to help Scotland’s young people gain access to great opportunities

How can someone get involved in JCI? To get involved in JCI, visit our website www.jciscotland.org.uk for a lot more information and find your local chapter, currently we are in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. Drop your local chapter an email and they will arrange to meet up and tell you much more on what you can get involved in and events to attend. You can also email me directly or get me on LinkedIn and will be more than happy to let you know all about JCI in Scotland!

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CYBER SECURITY

Protecting business in a cyber world One Scottish company taking the lead in tackling cyber security is AST Risk Consultancy & Training Services Ltd. Founder, Alan Stenhouse has assisted numerous businesses of all sizes to address their security concerns, now he is offering you the chance to attend a breakfast seminar in which he’ll provide advice on cyber security and how engaging with cyber risk on a personal basis is key to addressing the biggest vulnerability in any organisation – it’s employees.

“Traditionally responsibility for a business’s security has rested solely with their IT or risk teams, but effective cyber security is the result of strong cultural awareness throughout the entire organisation, rather than the technical knowledge of a few,” explains Alan.

“Figures consistently show that the vast majority of cyber crimes are the result of human error in some way, indeed, employees are increasingly likely to be targeted by cyber criminals so it makes

sense to equip them with the right training to deal with such attacks.

“People commonly hear the word ‘cyber’ and panic or switch off thinking this doesn’t affect me but in truth, our way of life in a digital world through our use of social media; the internet and our increasing reliance on Internet of Things devices, leaves us all susceptible to cyber crime.

“I want to dispel the myths of cyber security and show that ensuring your business is secure needn’t be a costly or complicated exercise.”

The breakfast seminar is to be at held at Apex Grassmarket Hotel, on 5th July at 8.30am, with an expected finish time of 10.00am, providing a convenient and

accessible means by which to learn.

Attendees will come away from the event with a deeper understanding of the cyber threats to themselves as individuals and their business together with a clear idea of the protective steps to be taken.

Places are limited, to stay one step ahead of the threat and confirm your place now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/protectingbusiness-in-a-cyber-worldtickets-46284782029 Learn more about AST Risk Consultancy & Training Services at www.astriskconsultancy.com 07969 050 393 as@astriskconsultancy.com

Free Breakfast Seminar: Thursday, 5th July 2018 Apex Grassmarket Hotel, 31-35 Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2HS Registration: 8:30AM - 9:00AM - (10:00AM Finish)

Protecting Business in a Cyber World Learn more about AST Risk Consultancy and Training Services: For more info: www.astriskconsultancy.com

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Celebrating Europe Day – introducing young people to food, culture and history Europe Direct Information Centre North Highlands & Islands (EDIC), which is hosted by Caithness Chamber of Commerce, has been helping local primary schools to celebrate Europe Day in partnership with North Highland College UHI and Developing the Young Workforce North Highlands (DYW). what the EU nationals do in this country.

The ERI, part of North Highland College UHI, works with partners across Europe as well as further afield and is internationally recognised as a centre for distinctive and innovative environmental science.

European neighbours, and it is important that our young people are given the opportunity to learn more about European food, culture and history, and to celebrate the peace and unity that Europe has seen since 1950.

Working with staff and students from the College, along with the DYW team, the EDIC put together a range of activities to help teach local pupils about Europe. Their day started with a cookery demonstration and a chance to sample some European delicacies, followed by interactive activities which included a treasure hunt around the college.

Activity packs and educational materials on Europe were also provided to primary schools across Caithness and north Sutherland and the EDIC team is hard at work preparing for future activity with DYW such as the European Day of Languages (Wednesday 26 September), to make young people more aware of the importance of other languages.

“Businesses in this region have strong links with Europe – through sectors such as tourism, fishing and food & drink, amongst many others – and as business leaders in the community we recognise the importance of maintaining those links into the future.”

EU nationals working at the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) also took part, giving pupils an insight into life in their own countries. This was a great way to introduce young people to new languages, learn about other European countries and discover

Speaking about the event, Trudy Morris, EDIC Manager and Chief Executive of the Chamber, said: “Regardless of the outcome of the Brexit process, the North Highlands, Scotland, and the rest of the UK will continue to have a close relationship with our

Taking place on 9 May each year, Europe Day is held in commemoration of the Schumann Declaration in 1950, which represented the first steps towards the entity that would ultimately become today’s European Union, and offers a chance for communities to celebrate peace and unity in Europe.

Regardless of the outcome of the Brexit process, the North Highlands, Scotland, and the rest of the UK will continue to have a close relationship with our European neighbours, and it is important that our young people are given the opportunity to learn more about European food, culture and history, and to celebrate the peace and unity that Europe has seen since 1950.

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Pupils from all over the world attracted to school Gordonstoun, a boarding school in Moray, attracts young people from all over the world. The school aims to be the world leader in character education and combines outdoor expeditions and sailing exercises with technology-led classroom learning.

“I’m really excited about starting on the EY School Leavers’ programme this September.

It was a fairly arduous selection procedure but I was able to demonstrate the kind of skills they were looking for. I feel that, on the 5 year programme, I’ll be able to see at first hand all the technological developments in the business world that will take place. I just didn’t think I’d get so much exposure to that at University. ”

“I came to Gordonstoun to broaden my horizons and try things I’d never tried before.

At school in the south of England, I didn’t really fill my days as much as I’d like to but I certainly do that at Gordonstoun” said one student, who is about to graduate in her final year at the school.

“I studied A Levels in Business Studies and Economics and my predicted grades were good enough to gain acceptance from several UK Universities. However, I spent my summer holidays as an intern with one of the Big 4 accountancy firms and decided that a career in Chartered Accountancy was for me. I applied for and won a place on EY’s School Leaver programme and I’m looking

forward to starting with the firm’s Edinburgh office in August 2018 and commencing my 5 year training to become a qualified CA.

At Gordonstoun, students are able to improve their digital skills using the IT infrastructure available. They also meet regularly with business people from around the world who visit the school and they gain insights into a variety of industries from visiting speakers.

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SOUTER INVESTMENTS

Souter Investments invests in Broadway Partners

Souter Investments is pleased to announce it has invested in Broadway Partners, a leading provider of broadband services in rural areas.

Broadway is pioneering the commercial use of TV WhiteSpace radio to connect remote rural communities. Using radio spectrum made available by the shift from analogue to digital TV, the technology is uniquely capable in the challenging geographies that are typical of rural areas, where trees, hills and low population densities typically prelude the

High speed broadband connectivity has become almost utility like in its importance to participating fully in society, whether that is in personal or business matters.

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use of conventional radio or fibre solutions.

The technology has been some years in development and in gaining regulatory approval, but it is coming to the market at precisely the right time, with the Scottish and Welsh Governments, as well as English and Irish counties, all embarking on multimillion pound procurement exercises to address the final few percent of households and businesses not yet enjoying the benefits of superfast broadband.

In commercialising this innovative technology, Broadway has been working closely with Microsoft, the global promoter of TVWS; Nominet, the provider of shared spectrum database services; the University of Strathclyde’s Centre of WhiteSpace Communications; and King’s College London, a leader in emerging 5G technologies.

The Broadway team has a long track record in the communications sector, and has come together specifically to develop the opportunity presented by TV WhiteSpace radio. With the UK and Europe’s first commercial deployment of TVWS, on the Isle of Arran in Scotland, and other networks now operational in Inverness-shire and Perthshire in Scotland and Monmouthshire in Wales, Broadway has proven the power, flexibility and viability of broadband networks using a mix of technologies to deliver high speed broadband to 100% of the community, regardless of geography.

Michael Armitage, founder and Chairman of Broadway, and Barry Weaver COO and CTO, commented: “We are extremely pleased to have an investor of the calibre of Souter Investments supporting us in this exciting venture. People need to be connected, wherever they are, in town or country, at home or at work, and TV WhiteSpace is an important part of the mix of technologies that can guarantee that digital connectivity is available to fully 100% of the population”.

Calum Cusiter, Investment Director of Souter Investments, said “High speed broadband connectivity has become almost utility like in its importance to participating fully in society, whether that is in personal or business matters. Broadway has impressed us by their enthusiasm for the challenge of providing this service to rural and underserved communities, and by embracing new technology and new business models to make it both possible and affordable. We are excited by the potential in this market and believe we are backing a first class management team at Broadway that is well placed to make the most of the opportunity”.

Souter’s diligence partners for the transaction were Dickson Minto WS (legal), EY (financial), Coleby Associates (tax) and FWB Park Brown (management).

Broadway’s legal advisers were Wedlake Bell.

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documents are our business

Services that

from the crowd

At Box-it documents are our business We provide a wide range of document management services, including:

• Paper and Digital Storage • Scanning

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This gives our customers; Reduced costs, improved efficiency, compliance and greater control over their organisation.

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The Alpha Group

CROWN CANLINES GROUP

Proactively managing currency risk amid global uncertainty Crown Canlines leverages FX facility to protect margins In light of widespread currency volatility, a global supplier of spare parts and equipment to the can making industry has taken measures to protect profit margins on its export driven revenues.

Crown Canlines Group, based in Glasgow, is a leading supplier to the Metal Packaging Industry, specialising in the food and beverage markets. The business supplies over 300,000 products to can manufacturers.

In addition to its office in Glasgow, the business has operations in Texas, USA and recently it opened a third office in Alicante, Spain following the EU referendum vote.

The business exports to the Middle East, Europe, South East Asia, Africa and Russia.

Undertaking all sales in U.S. dollars means that the Group receives over $2million USD per annum which it looks to convert back into pounds as well as euros.

Looking to protect profit margins in the face of widespread exchange rate volatility, Crown Canlines spoke with Bibby Financial Services’ Foreign Exchange team, which was able to identify an improved sterling return on the income USD receipts.

Ken Crown, Director of Crown Canlines Group, said: “While the devaluation of

the pound has been advantageous to our business so far, the EU referendum vote is a serious cause for concern for our business, particularly as we see the EU as a strong growth market. For exporters such as us, there are a large number of unknowns concerning what a future relationship will look like. Following the result we took the decision to move quickly and set up an additional office in Alicante, Spain to give us access to the EU, as well as improve our access to markets in Africa and the Middle East.

“We recently reviewed our FX positioning and by working with Bibby Financial Services we were able to secure a better rate and improve our margin on FX by 0.5%. Across a whole year, this better return makes a huge difference to our business.

“By securing currency rates for transactions with FX from BFS, we can mitigate the risk of currency fluctuations and forecast for growth more accurately”.

Michael McGowan, Managing Director of Foreign Exchange, at BFS explains: “Crown Canlines is a fantastic business with a strong international supply chain and exports all around the world. When we got on board with the business, we undertook a pricing exercise to identify how our FX offering could help. Through this process we were able to secure favourable FX rates on the

U.S. dollar, improving the returns for the business.

“As well as the financial saving, Crown Canlines can use our Foreign Exchange facility to exchange currencies on the same day, as well as tap into the vast expertise that our forex experts have to offer. This flexibility gives the manufacturer the opportunity to fund global invoices with any preferred currency.”

Findings from Bibby Financial Services new Trading Places research revealed that currency fluctuation was the biggest challenge for exporters, with over a third (34%) seeing it as a problem. For UK importers, the challenge was even bigger with over half (51%) identifying currency fluctuations, while almost a fifth (18%) said that they would benefit from support in this area.

Michael McGowan, added: “The past 18 months have seen a lot of volatility with the pound and we are seeing an increase in demand from SMEs that want to book in their FX rates. But despite many UK importers and exporters being financially impacted by the effects of this volatility, almost a quarter of businesses trading overseas have never reviewed their FX facilities.”

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

The Digital workplace - make use of the assets you have bought In today’s IT landscape there are a number of products that have become the default standards, in the past it was Lotus 123, Word Perfect and Novell, these in general have long gone and there is a new Sherriff in town!!! Microsoft’s Office 365 product has all but taken over the business desktop information market, with its standard packages becoming synonymous with Word Processing (Word) Email (Outlook) and Spreadsheets (Excel).

There are few other players in that market who are making an impression, but as we all know it, it has become an overhead as opposed to a capital expense with a monthly fee coming out the bank for as few or many users as you require, enabling a business to micro manage its licencing as required.

Along with Excel, Word and Outlook, we at Cloud Cover IT find our users have been utilising PowerPoint, occasionally One note

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and Skype but in-reality, few are aware of the power and flexibility that their office 365 licence brings them. I have outlined below some of the products that we are helping our client base with to help them manage their data and develop their company communications, all within the licencing they have already purchased.

Here are a few that we have been working with customers recently but there are more

than 20 applications now included in your office 365 subscription, that with some tuition and training you can utilise in your company to improve productivity.

SharePoint Many companies and IT professionals see SharePoint as a great cloud storage facility. Which they are correct in believing.

SharePoint can manage all files and folders

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in the same manner an on-premise server can. Recycle bin, folder & file permissions, etc.

Cloud Cover IT don’t just see SharePoint as a document storage facility, it is so much more. A full business suite of CRM, HR, IT Support, Training, Facility Management, Project Management, and many more solutions can and are being built in SharePoint by Cloud cover IT. With clients around the world running their businesses using the SharePoint solutions we have developed.

To a name only a few of the key benefits of utilising SharePoint for your business solutions: - 99% Customisable to your specification, your logo, company name, company colours. Turn your current paper forms which employees fill out into digital forms which are on SharePoint and easy to access from an ‘End User Portal’, submit time sheets, Holiday requests, purchase requests. Most forms which are being manually written on paper can be digitally created upon SharePoint. Automation allows SharePoint to handle the dirty work instead of you, automated time off requests, approval processes, with our consultancy whole roles within the business can be automated.

Reporting upon all the information you have in SharePoint is also a key benefit, You are already putting the data into a system why not start gaining business intelligence (BI) from that data.

PowerApps With the business world becoming very mobile Microsoft have released PowerApps.

A mobile application development tool. Say goodbye to extremely costly Android/iOS development invoices to get a mobile app for your business.

As with all of Microsoft licensing models this is no different, you are already paying for an office 365 license therefore all that is required is the development time required to make an application which fits your needs and looks perfect for your business.

PowerApps is also integrated with SharePoint out-of-the-box! Making the CRM, Training… or any solution your business creates in SharePoint for that matter, capable of having a mobile app with a little development time!

Power BI Companies are collecting sales data, client data, Asset data, sales figures, and much more daily. How many businesses are using that data to generate useful reports with 1-click of a mouse. Microsoft have Introduced Power BI to help businesses generate useful, easy-on-the-eye dashboards which can be used on big

screens in offices to your mobile device when in a meeting.

When your business is collecting this data through users carrying out their day to day jobs in a system like SharePoint you gain the ability to manipulate that data to show facts and figures easily.

Cloud Cover IT are Microsoft Gold Partners and as such specialise in helping Microsoft’s clients get the most out of their packages.

We can help optimise your office 365 or build Business Intelligence Dashboards so people can see how the business is performing on TV screens in the office at an instant. We have been developing both small and large SharePoint solutions either to hold data or to form fully functioning HR systems, Helpdesk systems, Facilities management and Asset management automated systems from within SharePoint.

Cloud Cover IT are Microsoft Gold Partners and as such specialise in helping Microsoft’s clients get the most out of their packages.

We can help optimise your office 365 or build Business Intelligence Dashboards so people can see how the business is performing on TV screens in the office at an instant.

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CHAMBERCONNECTIONS

CHAMBER CONTACTS

Scottish Chambers of Commerce Strathclyde Business School, 199 Cathedral Street, Glasgow G4 0QU T: 0141 444 7500 E: admin@scottishchambers.org.uk President – Tim Allan Chief Executive - Liz Cameron OBE

Dumfries & Galloway Chamber of Commerce

Scottish Chambers of Commerce

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce The Hub, Exploration Drive Aberdeen Energy Park, Bridge of Don Aberdeen, AB23 8GX T: 01224 343900 E: info@agcc.co.uk www.agcc.co.uk Chief Executive - Russell Borthwick President - John Brebner Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce & Industry The Mezzanine, Glasgow Prestwick International Airport, Prestwick, KA9 2PL T: 01292 678 666 F: 01292 678 667 E: enquiries@ayrshire-chamber.org www.ayrshire-chamber.org Chief Executive - Val Russell President - Graeme McKinstry Cairngorms Business Partnership Ltd Inverdruie House, Inverdruie Aviemore, PH22 1QH T: 01479 780539 E: office@visitcairngorms.com www.visitcairngorms.com Chief Executive - Mark Tate President - Angus McNicol Caithness Chamber of Commerce Naver Business Centre Naver House, Naver Road Thurso, KW14 7QA T: 01847 890076 E: info@caithnesschamber.com www.caithnesschamber.com Chief Executive - Trudy Morris Chairman - Stephen Sutherland

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Hillhead House, The Crichton, Bankend Road Dumfries, DG1 4UQ T: 01387 270866 E: admin@dgchamber.co.uk www.dgchamber.co.uk President – Tom Armstrong Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce Whitecrook Business Centre 78 Whitecrook Street, Clydebank, G81 1QF T: 0141 280 0272 E: admin@dunbartonshirechamber.co.uk www.dunbartonshirechamber.co.uk Chief Executive - Damon Scott President - Stewart Rennie Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce Unit 27, City Quay, Camperdown Street Dundee, DD1 3JA T: 01382 228545 F: 01382 228441 E: info@dundeeandanguschamber.co.uk www.dundeeandanguschamber.co.uk Chief Executive - Alison Henderson President - Colin Loveday East Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce Barrhead Foundry Main Street, Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, G78 1SW T: 0141 887 6181 E: info@eastrenchamber.org.uk www.eastrenchamber.org.uk President – John F Hamilton Director – Laura Molloy Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce 40 George Street, 2nd floor Edinburgh, EH2 2LE T: 0131 221 2999 F: 0131 261 5056 E: membershipadmin@edinburghchamber.co.uk www.edinburghchamber.co.uk Chief Executive – Liz McAreavey President - Scott Black

Fife Chamber of Commerce John Smith Business Centre, 1 Begg Road John Smith Business Park, Kirkcaldy Fife, KY2 6HD T: 01592 647740 E: info@fifechamber.co.uk www.fifechamber.co.uk CEO – Alan Mitchell President – Peter Southcott Forth Valley Chamber of Commerce Group (incorporating Stirling Chamber of Commerce) Suite 2, Scion House Stirling University Innovation Park Stirling, FK9 4NF T: 01324 665 500 E: info@forthvalleychamber.co.uk www.forthvalleychamber.com www.stirlingchamber.co.uk Chief Executive – Michelle Cook President Lynn Blaikie Glasgow Chamber of Commerce 30 George Square, Glasgow, G2 1EQ T: 0141 204 2121 E: chamber@glasgowchamberofcommerce.com www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com Chief Executive Stuart Patrick President - Jim McHarg Inverclyde Chamber of Commerce Greenock Ocean Terminal Patrick Street, Greenock, PA16 8UU T: 01475 888622 M:07939 272787 E: enquiries@greenockchamber.co.uk www.greenockchamber.co.uk Senior Executive Officer - Margaret Moran President - Linda Scott Inverclyde

Chamber of Commerce

CHAMBER CONTACTS

Inverness Chamber of Commerce Metropolitan House 31-33 High Street, Inverness, IV1 1HT T: 01463 718 131 E: info@inverness-chamber.co.uk www.inverness-chamber.co.uk Chief Executive - Stewart Nicol President - Liam Christie Lochaber Chamber of Commerce 15 High Street Fort William, PH33 6DH T: 01397 705 765 E: membership@lochaberchamber.co.uk www.lochaberchamber.co.uk Chairman - Bruno Berardelli Chief Executive - Lesley Benfield Midlothian & East Lothian Chamber of Commerce Moulsdale House, Edinburgh College 24d Milton Road East, Edinburgh, EH15 2PP T: 0131 603 5043 E: dita@thebusinesspartnership.org.uk www.melcc.org.uk Joint Chief Executives - George Archibald and Keith Barbour Moray Chamber of Commerce Suite 7, Elgin Business Centre Maisondieu Road, Elgin, IV30 1QP T: 01343 543344 E: info@moraychamber.co.uk www.moraychamber.co.uk Chief Executive - Sarah Medcraf President Carol Stewart

Perthshire Chamber of Commerce Saltire House, 3 Whitefriars Crescent Perth, PH2 0PA T: 01738 448 325 F: 01738 450 402 E: info@perthshirechamber.co.uk www.perthshirechamber.co.uk Chief Executive - Vicki Unite President - Ross Graham

Scottish Chambers of Commerce Scottish Chambers of Commerce Strathclyde Business School 199 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G4 0QU T: 0141 444 7500 E: admin@scottishchambers.org.uk www.scottishchambers.org.uk @ScotChambers Like us on Facebook

Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce Bute Court, St Andrews Drive Glasgow Airport Paisley, PA3 2SW T: 0141 847 5450 F: 0141 847 5499 E: info@renfrewshirechamber.com www.renfrewshirechamber.com Chief Executive – Bob Grant President – Tom Johnston

Production & Design Distinctive Group 3rd Floor, Tru Knit House, 9-11 Carliol Square Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 6UF Telephone 0191 5805990 production@distinctivegroup.co.uk www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk

Scottish Borders Chamber of Commerce Academy House, Shedden Park Road Kelso, TD5 7AL T: 07771 865 758 E: communications@borderschamber.com www.borderschamber.com Convenor - Jack Clark Vice Convenor - Bruce Simpson West Lothian Chamber of Commerce Alba Centre, Alba Business Park Rosebank, Livingston, EH54 7EG T: 01506 414808 E: chamber@wlchamber.com www.wlchamber.com Chief Executive Linda Scott President Billy MacLeod

Advertising John Neilson Commercial Director Telephone 07813 874970 john.neilson@distinctivegroup.co.uk This publication is also available as an ebook at: www.issuu.com/distinctivepublishing

PUBLISHING Disclaimer

Distinctive Publishing or Scottish Chambers of Commerce 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 Scottish Chambers of Commerce.

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Galloway beef project goes global The Galloway Cattle Society is looking for two young people to send on a once in a lifetime learning journey to Australia. The prize is a trip to the Galloway World Congress, taking place in Melbourne from 28thSeptember to 3rd October this year.

The Society is looking for one inspirational young farmer with an interest in Galloways plus one young supply chain partner, such as a young butcher or chef, who are keen to capitalise on the opportunity of a paid trip to the World Congress to see how Galloways are reared down under. The goal of the learning journey is to encourage an interest in Galloways and to add to the knowledge base of young Galloway farmers and supply chain partners in Scotland.

unlock that international learning and experience of this breed and bring it back to Scotland to inspire and educate young people within our industry.

The learning journey competition is being run as part of the Society’s Defining Galloway Beef project during Scotland’s Year of Young People, and the project is part funded by Dumfries and Galloway’s LEADER programme.

“This project is a super opportunity to inspire the next generation of young farmers and our supply chain partners, so I’m delighted to now invite applications to this competition.“

Chair of the Galloway Cattle Society, John Finlay, said: “Dumfries & Galloway might be the home of the Galloway but the popularity of the breed is global and we’re keen to

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“It’s important that young farmers in our region don’t take for granted the fantastic attributes of Galloways, so to see the breed being valued and managed in different climates and landscapes is important in making sure we don’t lose sight of how important our own native cattle are.

The competition is open to any young person aged between 18-30 years who is actively working within the farming or beef supply chain industries. Application forms are available from the Society who can be

contacted on info@gallowaycattlesociety. co.uk.

The trip is the second in a series of three international learning journeys designed to inspire and upskill farmers’ under 30 who have an interest in the Galloway breed. The first learning journey to the Denver Cattle Show earlier this year resulted Andrew Hunter Blair from Dalry (pictured) who took part in the Denver trip said: “It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip and I would encourage anybody with an interest in Galloways to apply for one of these learning journeys. We learned a great deal on our trip, and it was interesting to see the similarities as well as the differences in grading and stock handling. For example, I found it very interesting to learn about the American meat grading system and seeing another country’s ideas of what they look for in a beef animal.”