1. business and industrial

Scotland
Spring 2015
www.iodscotland.com
Published for members of the Institute of Directors in Scotland
Breaking
down the
barriers
‘Let’s have the
confidence to
make our
boardrooms
open to all’
High power::
Lady Judge:
is new IoD:
national chair:
Key advice for potential office occupiers
Selecting a commercial property is first
and foremost a business decision.
Selection of the right property can make
a significant difference to an
organisation’s bottom line.
Correct selection of a suitable office
property affects your organisation’s
productivity, recruitment and retention.
The shape, layout and nature of an
open-plan floorplate can save 10 – 15%
on floorspace and total occupational
costs on an annual and over the life of
the lease.
Occupiers should look at total
occupational costs, not just the rental
rate per sq.ft or the incentive package
offered.
Poor advice can lead to unintended and
unnecessary costs, both in the short and
longer term.
It is, therefore, absolutely essential that
occupiers seek sound professional advice
based on experience and track record.
The Edinburgh and Glasgow city centre
office markets are moving from a
“tenants” to a “landlords”-orientated
market, reflecting a shortage of supply
and increasingly strong demand.
This is particularly noticeable in modern
open-plan floorspace in the city centre
in the 2,000 - 5,000 sq.ft bracket,
but also for large floorspace in the
25,000 – 50,000 sq.ft bracket.
It is agreed in the marketplace that rental
and capital values will rise significantly
during 2015, reflecting increased
competition, shortage of supply and a
considerable number of lease events
occurring over the period 2015 – 2020.
For a ‘no obligation’ discussion,
please contact:
Hugh Rutherford, Partner and
Head of Business Space, on
hugh.rutherford@
montagu-evans.co.uk
n Hugh is an IoD Member, and a
corporate business space acquisition,
disposal and development property
advisor across Scotland.
He has acquired or disposed of over
13 million sq.ft of business space, and is
recognised as one of the top corporate
property advisors in Scotland
Parties thinking of relocating or who
intend to acquire office floorspace in
Central Scotland would be well advised
to start their search early.
Montagu Evans LLP provide a Partner-led
approach to all property situations and a
bespoke service structured to meet the
specific needs of individual clients.
Edinburgh | Glasgow | Manchester | London
Chairman’s welcome
Game’s over: lay
off the bankers
I
declare an interest. Alongside not far short
of two million others in Scotland, I am an
RBS customer. That’s right, my name is Ian
and I use a bank.
In fact, my business has its banking there too,
just like 120,000 other companies in Scotland. I
don’t see the company getting fat from my
personal account and I have been with them for
over 30 years so unlikely to be moving
elsewhere – I’m probably just too idle, truth be
told.
Again, I don’t see Otherhand Ltd making a
reverse takeover bid anytime soon; even if my
little start-up’s numbers have probably been a
lot better than those of its bigger friend since
2008. Events of that year and since changed
many things, and I am starting to think we
need to learn from that and move on.
I was at a private dinner with business
journalists recently and asked them when we
would start to move on from the “banker =
bogeyman” headlines.
Like many other people, I got a personal
financial hammering in 2008. I wasn’t pleased
with the sudden lack of financial support from
companies who, a few months before, were
offering me more credit than I could ever have
handled.
However, when I chat to my own bank
adviser about those times, I am reminded that
those employees did not just have to put on a
brave face and deal with many seriously
disenchanted customers, they had to go home
at night and look at personal finances – mostly
shares in their own companies – that had been
Perhaps the time has come for us to stop knocking
everyone’s favourite ‘Aunt Sally’ and learn to appreciate
again the values the financial services sector can bring
to our country, says Ian McKay, IoD Scotland Chairman
decimated; nest eggs and pensions made
worthless overnight.
And these were not fat cats. RBS alone has
11,500 staff in Scotland, another 7,000
pensioners. I don’t mean to single RBS out but
they have come to represent this issue in the
public eye and maybe focus helps us get more
clarity there. Well over £400 million comes into
the Scottish economy each year just from wages
and pensions to those people. The company still
does some good CSR things, too, but we don’t
often hear about a charitable payroll-giving
contribution from those folk of just under a
million a year.
It wasn’t the vast majority of the staff who
were to blame. Some of them had become
much bigger than their boots. I remember the
severe personal pressure I received from a then
RBS CEO, not a ‘Sir’ then or now, because I
tried to persuade RBS to sign up, alongside
other main banks, to make their debit cards
usable for customers in Post Offices. I thought
I’d never hear the end of it.
Since the change in its leadership, RBS has
backed the idea – indeed, spent £1.5 million last
year extending the service and has earmarked
another £2 million for further upgrades. So
should I continue to resent the arrogance of the
past, or embrace the community-centred
approach of the present?
Imagine if Scotland did not have the financial
sector: the AAMs, the Standard Lifes, the
Alliance Trusts and the RBSs. Sure, you can get
too much of a good thing. According to The
Economist, “Nokia contributed a quarter of
Finnish growth from 1998 to 2007… made up
30 per cent of the country’s research and
development spend, and generated nearly a fifth
of Finland’s exports... Nokia was sometimes
paid as much as 23 per cent of all Finnish
corporation tax.”
Lloyds Bank will start paying a dividend this
year for the first time since 2008. Great news.
Less good is RBS posting a £3.5 billion loss but
that is a great leap forward from £9 billion the
year before, and the underlying operating profit
is £3.5 billion. It is going in the right direction.
For business in Scotland, we need strong and
healthy financial services. They bring jobs, and
wages, pensions, stimulation to the residential
and commercial property markets, and
transport infrastructure improvement – more
cash in the system for everyone’s benefit. They
bring quality high-grade work with many big
businesses headquartered here, and their
aggregation makes Edinburgh a world financial
centre. And that’s right and proper. Go up the
Mound and look at the museum in the
wonderful Bank of Scotland building. We gave
the world banking – warts and all.
I want to see more cash available for small
lenders; an end to arrogance and sharp practice
in banks and big businesses and the fruits of a
balanced private sector, high-wage, high-skill
economy being there for Scotland’s people.
If we are going to achieve these things, it
might be time to eschew the cheap shots and
make up. It might be time to recognise our
assets and embrace them more as the old
friends they really are.
Contacts & details
Executive Director: David Watt [email protected]
For email enquiries, [email protected]
Web: www.iodscotland.com or www.iod.com/scotland
Address: 29 Abercromby Place, Edinburgh EH3 6QE
Tel: 0131 557 5488
Email: [email protected]
IoD Scotland is the official
membership magazine of the
Institute of Directors and is
published on its behalf by:
Chamber Media Services,
4 West Park Road, Bramhall,
Stockport, Cheshire SK7 3JX
Advertising sales:
Colin Regan
t: 01925 292002 / 07871 444922
e: [email protected]
Production:
Rob Beswick
t: 0161 426 7957 / 07964 375216
e: rob@chambermediaservices.
co.uk
Although every effort is made to
ensure the accuracy of material
contained within this magazine,
neither IoD Scotland nor Chamber
Media Services can accept any
responsibility for omissions or
inaccuracies in its editorial or
advertising content.
The views expressed in this
publication are not necessarily
those of the IoD. The carriage of
advertisements or editorials in this
publication does not constitute an
endorsement of the products or
services advertised.
Cover image: Breaking down the
barriers to create a more diverse
boardroom culture in Scotland
IoD Scotland Spring 2015 | 03
Executive director
Could greater self-belief be
the key to the Boardroom?
David Watt
Executive
Director,
IoD Scotland
R
esearch undertaken by IoD Scotland
has shown that despite wanting to
take on more boardroom level roles,
women still perceive that there are
barriers to achieving greater boardroom
success.
Surveying women in senior positions, IoD
Scotland discovered that around 70 per cent
had ambitions to take on a role as a nonexecutive director, 43 per cent wished to tackle
a public appointment and 25 per cent wanted
to become a trustee.
A significant chunk of respondents
expressed a desire for either support on the
application and interview process for board
appointments or more board behaviour
training in a bid to help them break into the
boardroom, and succeed once there.
It’s becoming clear that one of the key issues
blocking boardroom diversity is the lack of
self-confidence to apply for positions, get
through the interview process and sometimes,
if successful, a lack of assertiveness in the
boardroom.
“There are many studies showing that boardroom diversity
positively impacts on performance. It is one of IoD Scotland’s
key goals to help to achieve greater diversity of boards”
Of course, female directors and potential
directors are skilled – both technically and
strategically, yet it seems this is another hurdle
that requires to be crossed.
No matter how many initiatives there are,
coming either from training providers or
legislators, if we don’t all tackle the confidence
issue, then we won’t see much needed change
coming about.
Some also cited as a barrier a lack of time
– either to network sufficiently in order to
secure positions, or to serve a board over and
above their existing executive role.
However, the recruitment process has just
left some women frustrated and that’s very
disappointing. Despite being qualified and
experienced, and applying, women are not
securing senior director positions.
“I need to cultivate gravitas!” said one of the
respondents.
Gravitas is one of the most prized skills in
the boardroom and if this is what interviewers
are looking for in a non-executive director,
then they need to broaden their horizons.
At the same time, women need to highlight
their valuable skills – there’s much more to
being successful in the boardroom.
IoD Scotland is leading the charge in
boardroom diversity in a number of practical
ways as well as being the leading advocate on
the subject. We have a gender- balanced
membership, and our Women into the
Boardroom events are oversubscribed every
year. We’d like to think that we are setting a
good example.
Some might say that all-female shortlists
or quotas are the answer to greater
boardroom diversity. However, we know
enough of the reasons behind the gender
gap to allow us to tackle them first without
resorting to artificial targets.
Training women to have more confidence,
managing family issues and making the
application and interview processes more
accessible, with more transparent criteria,
would be a really good start.
There are many studies showing that
boardroom diversity positively impacts on
performance.
It is one of IoD Scotland’s key goals to help
to achieve greater diversity of boards and we
continue to deliver our existing programme of
support as well as explore practical new ways
of taking this forward.
Save the date! .... November 5 & 6
Join us for
IoD Scotland
Conference 2015
Speakers at the
2014 Conference
at Cameron House, Loch Lomond
Full details released soon - see www.iodscotland.com for updates
04 | IoD Scotland Spring 2015
Boardroom diversity
Book spotlights skills
needed to build
effective boards
The Resilient Director –
Building an Effective Board
by Michael Willis, Tony O’Rourke
and Michael Fass
Pre-publication price is £15 + £3.50 p&p
The difference between the average director and
the effective director is not experience or
qualifications but qualities such as resilience,
perseverance and ‘stickability’.
In this new book, The Resilient Director,
Michael Willis of IoD Scotland and his
co-authors argue that directors need to learn
ways to resist undue pressures around the board
room table that can often lead to group-think
and bad decision making.
Rather than dread failure, or refuse to fail at
all costs, a resilient director expects disruption
and pressure, and the need to adapt, change and
transform themselves.
On appointment the director is under
immediate pressure to conform to the culture of
the board. This book seeks to close the gap
between the theory of how organisations ought
to be directed and the practice of what actually
works. The authors have garnered reflections
and insights from directors and trustees who
have served on the boards of a wide variety of
organisations – including many members of the
IoD.
When resilience is needed
The book is intended to be a roadmap to help
directors learn about their responsibilities; to
guide them through the maze of governance
theory and to help them to fulfil their roles in
directing companies and other enterprises.
The following situations typify the
requirement for the resilient director within the
boardroom:
• The board that is unable to deal with an
over-dominant CEO
• The chairman who has lost control of the
board
• The board which is little more than a
glorified management committee
• The NHS board which does not understand
or measure the ‘patient’s experience’
• The charity board which does not know
where the next quarter’s funds will come from
• The NXD of the listed bank who is ignorant
of the product range
• The board of directors who talk a lot, but
struggle to make decisions
• The executive directors who do not
understand the role of the NXD
• The NXDs who try to do the job of the
executive directors
• The boards of financial organisations who
seek to re-build trust with their customers
while paying enormous bonus payments
• The newly appointed director who wonders
what is going on and what is to be done
• The trustees of the charity who have no
succession plan for when the charismatic founder retires
The book contains over 370 pages of practical
hints for the director of the SME, family
company, public body or the trustee of a
charity. It stresses the similarities of directing
across these sectors, with the use of over 26
short case studies with questions and issues for
discussion.
Contributions come from a host of respected
directors, entrepreneurs, policy makers,
academics and consultants, including Mervyn
Jones (NXD), Jack Perry (former head of
Scottish Enterprise), Jayne Maclennan, (group
director of property with FirstGroup plc), Peter
Scott (CEO of Enable), Stuart Ogg, (sport
scotland’s director of corporate services) and
Ian Urquhart (chairman, Johnstons of Elgin).
For details on how to order visit
www.theresilientdirector.co.uk, email
[email protected] or call
07776 304997
IoD Scotland calls for Committee members
Can you
represent and
lead the IoD in
n Aberdeen
n Edinburgh
n Fife
n Glasgow &
the West of
Scotland
n Highlands &
Islands
n Tayside
The IoD in Scotland relies on a significant group of volunteer leaders all across
Scotland who provide support to the local membership through the branch
committee network.
We are looking for new Chairs for Aberdeen, Fife, Highlands & Islands and the
West of Scotland as well as new committee members throughout all our branches
(Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Fife, Highlands & Islands, Tayside and West of Scotland) who
look to refresh their members from time to time.
If you are interested in playing an active role in our branch network as a committee
members or taking on the role of Chair, then please contact David Watt. His details
can be found on page 3.
Our strength is our members – and the more active the better.
IoD Scotland Spring 2015 | 05
IoD membership
Get more value from your
membership year on year
A whole variety of leaders, business
owners, directors, non executive
directors and trustees join the IoD for
all sorts of reasons and each engages
with our services and support in
different ways both in Scotland and
the wider UK.
Quite often though, members don’t
realise the full range of opportunities
for personal development or to
support their businesses growth.
Even if you can’t manage to come
along to events or engage with your
local branch, there is plenty online or
at the end of the phone to support
you too. So here’s a refresher:
Business
advice
Have you taken
advantage of your
4 x 30min confidential
business advice
sessions per year from
a specialist in HR,
Marketing, or strategy
on the phone or face
to face at Pall Mall?
Invest in yourself....
director development
Investing in yourself and
continuous learning is at the
core of becoming a better
director and better leader. Make
sure you know what director
development courses are
available to you here in
Scotland and commit yourself
to following the path to
Chartered Director.
Our research team, working for you
Your membership entitles you to 25 complimentary queries for our research team on
topics such as: competitor information, potential suppliers, sample contracts, size-ofmarket reports, salary information and more, all guaranteed in a 24-hour timeframe
For further information please contact Katherine McCudden, Head of Membership Support,
at [email protected] or visit www.iodscotland.com
06 | IoD Scotland Spring 2015
Sign up for three years and save money
Remember, if you sign up for more than one year at renewal
you can ensure that you get the next three years at the
current annual subscription rate, saving you a few pounds
and securing your membership at the same time. PLUS when you renew your membership for three or more years,
we will send you a complimentary gift by way of saying
thank you for your commitment to us. Alternatively, Direct
Debit renewal is now also an option – and as an incentive
you will benefit from an additional month for free – 13
months for the price of 12 months.
Please take
advantage of our
exclusive IoD
Scotland
partnership with
Chase de Vere,
offering 10 per
cent discount on
independent
financial advice.
Tax and
legal
helplines
Don’t forget about
our business tax
and legal
helplines, all
available
at no extra cost.
Free access to
airport lounges
Have you tried using any
of our 16 UK airport
lounges, four of which
are in Scotland?
Propose a friend - and receive
a gift on us
Propose someone to join the IoD – and we’ll
give you a choice of a gift: a Kindle, a half case
of wine (including two bottles of
champagne), a meal for two at the newly
refurbished Pall Mall or a £50 IoD voucher
for you and your nominee.
Lady Judge
takes the
IoD chair
The Institute of Directors has announced
the appointment of Lady Barbara Judge
CBE as its national chair. Lady Judge will
become the first woman to hold the
position when she takes up her role on 1st
May 2015.
A trained commercial lawyer, Lady
Judge brings with her a wealth of
experience from years in senior executive
and non-executive roles in both the private
and public sectors. She has been a member
of the IoD since 1985, and is currently
Chair of the Pension Protection Fund and
the Energy Institute of University College
London, as well as a non-executive director
of Portmeirion Group.
Simon Walker, Director General of the
IoD, said he was “delighted to welcome
Lady Judge as our new Chair. Her
professional achievements speak for
themselves and her experience in
boardrooms across size and sector gives
her an instinctive understanding of the
challenges facing the modern director.”
Lady Judge will replace Ian Dormer,
who steps down as chair of the IoD at the
end of April, and said she was “relishing
the prospect of chairing an organisation
whose contribution to the national debate
is every bit as vital as the practical support
it offers its members.”
Looking to the future, Lady Judge said
she will “cement the IoD’s reputation as the
home of good governance, where directors
and entrepreneurs are trained to the
highest standards and can continue to
learn from other business leaders
throughout their careers.”
The IoD would like to thank Ian Dormer
for his outstanding leadership and support
over the past three years. We look forward
to welcoming Lady Judge to the Institute
and working with her to promote an
innovative and competitive private sector,
led by directors with integrity and
entrepreneurial instinct.
Election briefing
In the run up to the elections in May 2015
please take advantage of our IoD
partnership with Press Data and have an
independent media summary of political
views in Scotland daily by email with a
summary on Fridays all for free.
Just follow the link from our website www.
iodscotland.com
Boardroom diversity
Continuing IoD Scotland’s regular feature on improving diversity in Scotland’s boardrooms,
Caroline Donaldson asks why the businesses have been so slow in adopting women as leaders
by Caroline
Donaldson,
Kynesis Coaching
L
et’s face it, there’s lots of talk about
gender balance on boards but there’s not
a lot of action in the UK. Of the top 100
British companies, only four have female CEOs.
It’s not that much better in mainland Europe
either. The USA seems to have cottoned on to
the facts though, and Fortune 500 companies
are scrambling to get more women on their
boards. So why are they so keen? They know the
facts – the Fortune 500 companies with the
highest representation of women on their boards
have significantly higher financial performance.
Don’t take my word for it: if you want to read
the report, it’s available at http://catalyst.org/
knowledge/bottom-line-corporateperformance-and-womens-representationboards. In the meantime, look at the figures:
Return on Equity: On average, companies
with the highest percentages of women board
directors outperformed those with the least by
53 per cent.
Return on Sales: On average, companies
with the highest percentages of women board
directors outperformed those with the least by
42 per cent.
Return on Invested Capital: On average,
companies with the highest percentages of
women board directors outperformed those
with the least by 66 per cent.
Business needs to
pick up on the benefits
of woman as leaders
This is a very topical subject and a major
priority of the IoD. In fact, the latest Director
magazine brought together a panel of
distinguished female business leaders to discuss
the topic. The general feeling from this is that
women need more positive role models, but that
could become a Catch 22 situation ... maybe it‘s
time to cut to the chase – appoint more women,
offer them support and then the role models
will evolve!
As members of the IoD, we’re probably
business owners or leaders so those statistics
should really sing to us. What are we missing by
not making efforts to ensure we have more
women involved in the management of our
business? We need to encourage the women we
know to step up, perhaps offer them some
training through the IoD and support them to
take on those leadership roles.
What I want to see is an acceptance of
women as women in the business world, and in
fact, a real change in the business paradigm and
the cultural paradigm. Women bringing their
feminine power to bear, and working in a way
that embraces that, rather than having to
become a pale imitation or duplicate of a man.
It’s about working together as men and women
to create a progressive business world, one that
can also make a difference to local communities
and the wider world.
We also need to understand that women have
lots of demands on their time, and these are
different from men. In general there is a lot, as
running the household and organising the kids
does tend to fall on women, sometimes because
we can’t let go and let our partners get on with
things!
In the 21st century we should not still be
having the debate around whether women can
have a career and a family at the same time. It’s
up to both men and women to ensure women
take their place in business so they can provide
their valuable contribution alongside men.
Here’s an A-HA! moment for us all. We hear,
read and even write that “Women and men are
different and look at things from a different
perspective”, and this is definitely the beauty of
having more women on boards and in
leadership positions. It’s not something to be
feared or derided because that diversity of
thought is what leads the spark of innovation
we all need in our businesses.
As the French would say ‘Vive la difference!’
.... and appoint!
‘Queen of
profit’
crowned
innovation
champion
08 | IoD Scotland Spring 2015
n Gloria Murray – ‘Queen
of Profit’ and director of
Murray Associates
Accountants Ltd – was
named Most Innovative
Sole Practitioner in the UK
in the 2020 Innovation
Awards for 2014. Gloria is
dedicated to sharing her
innovative advice, ideas
and expertise with
Scottish business owners.
Her favourite saying is
‘Turnover is Vanity, Profit
is Sanity’. For more details
contact her at gloria@
murrayassoc.co.uk
Gloria receives her award
from former England
football international
Jimmy Greaves OBE
The dawn of uncertainty
Business leaders complained that the run-up to the referendum
made life tough, with all the uncertainty that was flying around. But
as Charlie Jeffrey points out, that could be nothing compared to the
uncertain days ahead as we close in on the UK General Election...
S
cotland’s business community spent a lot
of time last year worrying about the
Scottish referendum. Some of that worry
was about the opposition to independence felt
by individual businesspeople and which was
also widespread in some sectors, notably
finance.
But most businesses shied away from taking
a public position, whether Yes or No. Their
worries were much more about the
uncertainties the independence debate raised:
what currency, what business regulation, what
tax regime, whether or not Scotland would be
in the EU …
So you might think that the final result – in
the end a clear margin of 55-45 per cent –
would have put those uncertainties to bed.
Well, not really. The next UK General Election
on 7 May 2015 promises to be the most
unpredictable in living memory and its
outcome could have all sorts of implications for
the relationships of the UK’s nations to each
other, not to mention the looming question of
whether the UK will remain in the EU. Plenty
of uncertainties remain.
So what’s going on? It’s no exaggeration to
say that what we are in the middle of a crisis of
the UK political system. Although
independence was rejected by a clear majority
in Scotland last year, no-one should misread
that as Scottish approval of the UK system of
government as it stands. Only around a quarter
of Scots support the status quo. A good
two-thirds want either greater powers for the
Scottish Parliament or independence. Most
hold the politics of the UK Parliament in low
regard.
It is some irony then that many now expect
the SNP –currently forecast to win 40 or more
seats in Scotland, much at Labour’s expense –
to hold the balance of power at Westminster
after May 7. And the SNP is positioning itself
for just that, with the aim of trading its support
for a Labour-led government (the
Conservatives remain beyond the pale) to beef
up the powers proposed by the Smith
Commission as well as boosting UK public
spending and getting rid of Trident.
One effect of the SNP’s post-referendum
surge (who would think this is the party which
lost last year?) has been to drag Scottish Labour
onto nationalist turf. So Labour under Jim
Murphy now has the ‘Vow-plus’, heading
beyond Smith, and has sought to place itself as
a resolute defender of Scottish interests, at the
expense of people in England if need be
(remember Murphy’s take on Labour’s
proposed mansion tax, which would hit
property owners in London most: ‘English
taxes to pay for Scottish nurses’).
That reminds us that the debate is not just
about how Scotland should be governed.
People in England have also become
dissatisfied with the political system as it
stands. As in Scotland, only a quarter or so are
happy with the status quo. People in England
think Scotland gets too good a deal at the
moment and would like England to be
recognised in some way in the UK political
system.
They are also much more concerned about
the UK’s membership of the European Union
than Scots are. Opinion polls suggest the
English would vote to leave the EU if given the
chance, but Scots would vote to stay.
This is where UKIP enters the equation.
UKIP – despite the ‘UK’ in its title – is as close
to an English nationalist party as makes no
difference. Compared with supporters of other
parties in England, its supporters are the most
annoyed about Scotland, the most supportive
of English political institutions, and – by a
gaping margin – the most hostile to the EU.
They are also most likely to be ex-supporters of
the Conservatives.
So it’s no surprise that the Conservatives
have offered a referendum on EU membership
should they win the election in May. Their
promise to introduce ‘English Votes for English
Laws’ (now universally known as EVEL), that
is, special procedures for England-only matters
in the Westminster Parliament, to the exclusion
of Scottish MPs, is likewise a mechanism to
shore up the party’s support against the UKIP
challenge.
So, constitutional matters – Scottish
‘devo-max’, EVEL, and the debate on EU
membership – look set to play a major role in
the May election, and the period afterwards is
likely to be one of intensive debate about how
the UK and its component nations govern
themselves.
Don’t rule out radical change with major
implications for business: tax devolution that
goes beyond Smith; a long debate about EU
membership in anticipation of a 2017
referendum; or even a new debate on Scottish
independence, perhaps prompted by the EU
issue.
So, the climate of uncertainty businesses saw
last year may have flipped out of the
referendum frying pan, but it could well be
headed now into a perhaps yet more
complicated constitutional fire.
IoD Scotland Spring 2015 | 09
IoD Scotland Director of the Year Awards
On the hunt for
Scotland’s finest
IoD Scotland Director of the Year Awards,
Thursday, March 26, at the Crowne Plaza Glasgow
S
cotland’s proud tradition of business
excellence continues, if the quality of the
men and women nominated for the
annual IoD Scotland Director of the Year
Awards is anything to go by.
This year’s nominees range from leaders of the
country’s biggest employers down to those running
owner-managed microbusinesses, from directors
of major public organisations to representatives of
lesser-known third sector bodies. All are
contributing to Scotland’s growing economy – and
we’ll be celebrating the finest among them at our
awards gala dinner on Thursday, March 26 at the
Crowne Plaza Glasgow.
There are eight national categories up for grabs,
along with a special Chairman’s Award and one to
recognise the work of the Prince’s Trust Scotland.
As in previous years we are splitting our overall
Director of the Year Award into two, for directors
of companies with a turnover of below £35m, and
above that amount.
In addition, there will be six regional awards,
which will be decided by the IoD regional
branches. This year sees a broadening of these
awards to include a new category, with each region
naming an Emerging Director to celebrate the
achievements of fledgling directors.
IoD executive director David Watt commented:
“As ever, we’ve been delighted with the response
from Scotland’s business community. These awards
continue to go from strength to strength and
attract nominations from some outstanding
directors – as illustrated in our shortlist for this
year.
“The finalists reflect the many superb
achievements of Scotland’s directors and leaders,
with each entry telling a story of growth,
profitability, outstanding business practices and
real leadership.”
n IoD Scotland Director
of the Year (Two awards, for
Business of up to £35m t/o,
and for Business above this)
n Emerging Director
n Female Director
n Non-Executive Director
n Public Sector Director
n Third Sector Director
n Director Award for Family
Friendly and Flexible Working
n Director Award for a Healthy,
Carer Positive Workplace
We reveal the shortlist for the main national
awards on the next few pages.
So why don’t you come and join us on the
night? Tickets for this high-profile event are £120 +
VAT for a single ticket, with tables of 10 available
for £1,150 + VAT. Attendance gives you the chance
to not only congratulate the winners but also to
network with Scotland’s most senior business
figures over a fine three-course meal.
This year we have as our guest of honour Fergus
Ewing MSP, Minister for Business, Energy and
Tourism. Our after-dinner entertainment will be
from the ever-popular musical duo Playing Politics,
whose satirical take on modern political life proved
so popular at the IoD Annual Conference last
autumn that we’ve invited them back for some
more irreverent tunes to prick the pomposity of
our political leaders.
Sponsors and supporters
10 | IoD Scotland Spring 2015
Awards categories
Nominations are also sought
for our Regional Awards:
n Aberdeen & Grampian
n Edinburgh, Lothians & the
Borders
n Fife & Central Scotland
n Glasgow & West of Scotland
n Highlands & Islands
n Tayside
Emerging directors
We received a record number of
nominations in every category
but none more so than for the
Emerging Director. With such
an obvious wealth of young
entrepreneurs coming through,
IoD Scotland has decided to
recognise this talent by
presenting a new award in
addition to the national
Emerging Director award. Each
branch will now select their own
Emerging Director – the ones to
follow in the future.
Award Nominees
Director of the Year - Businesses with Turnover less than £35m
John Henderson, Ocean Kinetics Ltd
Ronnie Wayte, Golden Charter Ltd
John has addressed several company
weaknesses during 2013/14, helping the
company stabilise, develop and grow.
He has reformed management structures,
personnel, recruitment and training and
development, which has aided retention and
overall professionalism. The completion of
quality accreditations has secured preferred
supplier status with global energy brands.
Since his appointment in 2007, Ronnie has transformed
Golden Charter into experts in later-life planning, with
year-on-year record sales. He has refocused strategy and
future planning with an eye to developing new and
attractive products including an innovative legal services
division. Under his leadership the company has become a
multi-award winner and was recognised as one of the
UK’s fastest growing companies in The Sunday Times
Virgin Fast Track 100. Chris van der Kuyl, 4J Studios Limited
Ben Wilson, Inverlussa Marine Services
Chris has been instrumental in setting the
strategic vision for 4J Studios, focusing on
developing profitable computer games while
growing revenue participation. The result is
the phenomenal sales, critical acclaim and
financial success of the company’s most
famous game, the Minecraft series – with over
54 million copies of this addictive game sold
worldwide. Chris has been the driving force
behind setting the vision and leadership to
ensure this best-seller is properly monetarised – an issue many
software developers have struggled with for some time.
Inverlussa’s rapid growth, which has seen the doubling
of turnover in 2013-14, is testimony to the sector
knowledge, drive and entrepreneurial skills of MD Ben
Wilson. A strategy of rising to meet the requirements of
the expanding aquaculture sector has reaped dividends,
with major investments in new boats delivering results
immediately in the shape of new long-term contracts.
Director of the Year - Businesses with Turnover above £35m
Mark Abbey, CHC Helicopter
Mark has provided dynamic leadership
for CHC’s West North Sea division during a
challenging 2014, as its fleet of 53
helicopters carried more than 140,000
people on over 19,000 offshore flights. Mark
gives strong leadership to an experienced
management team which has developed
and delivered plans to invest in the firm’s
people, fleet and facilities in 2014/15. In
addition, Mark oversaw several major wins
and contract retentions.
Peter Bruce, Entiér Limited
Peter’s long career in the catering industry
has allowed him to gain the skills and
knowledge required to continue to grow this
business, which caters for the on and offshore
oil and gas sectors. His role is to ensure his
directors and senior managers have the tools
and clear direction they need to do the job
– Peter is the ‘driver’ of the company bus and
gets everyone in the right seat and playing their
part on the journey. He supports his staff without fear of retribution in a ‘no blame’ culture.
John Clark, John Clark Motor Group
In 2014 John Clark Motor Group is enjoying its fifth year in
succession of record levels of turnover and profitability, with growth in
excess of 20 per cent expected in 2014 and sales volumes rising to
c£600m. At the helm of this motoring success story is John Clark, an
outstanding and well-rounded director as well as being a highly astute
individual. He has a strategic mind-set, is demanding on
the need for good governance and highly supportive of
key stakeholders.
Gordon Dewar, Edinburgh Airport Ltd
Gordon’s drive, influence and determination has
steered one of Scotland’s most important transport
infrastructures to new heights. His three-year
strategy has rebranded the airport as ‘Where
Scotland meets the world’ and has set a goal of
increasing passenger numbers by 23 per cent by
2017.
This vision has been backed by the Board, which
has authorised a £150million investment over the
next five years to improve infrastructure and
operations.
Ed Monaghan, Mactaggart & Mickel Group
A former apprentice with the company, Ed is now
CEO of this renowned house builder. The last few
years have been tough for many rivals, but Ed has
ensured Mactaggart & Mickel emerged from the
recession a more resilient and profitable company
thanks to his determination and leadership.
Today all six divisions of the group are operating
profitably. Group profits are up 233 per cent on last
year. As part of the Commonwealth Games Athletes
Village the company built 225 of the 700 homes – on
time and on budget.
IoD Scotland Spring 2015 | 11
IoD Scotland Director of the Year Awards
Award Nominees
Emerging Director
Michael Corish, Golden Charter Ltd
Michael has helped Golden Charter to become the UK’s leading
funeral plan provider. He established the Affinities channel to build
partnerships with corporate partners such as building societies,
insurance companies, as well as IFAs and other professional advisors to
offer their clients Golden Charter funeral plans. In addition to
delivering a steady stream of sales from intermediaries and corporate
partners, Michael has led the strategy to grow Golden Charter’s
independent funeral director network, now more than 3,300 UK
businesses. James Gaskell, The Energy Segment, Actuant
James’ appointment as global business development leader of the
Energy Segment is a step towards Actuant making further major
inroads in the oil and gas sectors. In the last 12 months, James oversaw
the $235 million purchase and transition of offshore support specialist
Viking SeaTech as it became one-third of Actuant’s Energy Segment. It
has resulted in an upward step for James, who now builds business
opportunities for all three of Actuant’s sister companies.
Matt Stevenson, CLDB Limited (Carbonlite Design and Build )
In the past 12 months Matt has focused on the accelerated growth of
CLDB, securing a 5,000 m2 manufacturing facility to accommodate
capacity of at least £12million turnover. He has developed a robust
platform for growth by establishing an experienced and dedicated new
senior management team which has been tasked with implementing
design and build efficiencies through major upgrades of key
construction processes.
Ryan Stroulger, The Parkmead Group plc
As chief financial officer, Ryan has worked closely with the company’s
executive chairman to build Parkmead into a plc with an annual
turnover of over $40 million in just three years. His performance has
been continuously excellent, resulting in his appointment as group
finance director and company secretary, at the age of just 26. This year,
in addition to raising US$66 million of equity for the Group, Ryan
optimised The Parkmead Group’s tax and debt structure to enable the
company to make a maiden multi-million pound profit.
Director Award for a Healthy, Carer Positive Workplace
Judy Keir, City of Glasgow College
Against a backdrop of major changes as the college was formed out of
the amalgamation of four existing academic establishments, Judy has
maintained focus on the workforce. Everything she delivers is peoplecentred and this is reflected in very positive 2014 staff survey results,
with 92 per cent of staff agreeing they would be willing to ‘go the extra
mile’ for the College, during times of major change. The creation of a
workplace mediation team has transformed internal relationships.
Cheryl Newman, Ingen Ideas
Cheryl has built a first-class HR business plan that places the health,
safety and well-being of employees at the heart of Ingen Ideas’ overall
strategy. As a result, staff feel valued and the company has a high
retention rate of over 96 per cent. She has spearheaded a flexible
working environment, increased employee engagement levels and has
worked hard to offer long-term career guidance to all employees, but
particularly those at the start of their careers.
Mal Scott BEM, Mohn Aqua (UK) Ltd
Mal took the reins at Mohn Aqua (UK) at a time when the company
was at a low ebb – and he realised the only way forward was to
re-invigorate its workforce and ensure their retention by rewarding
loyalty and commitment. He has implemented a confidential employee
assistance programme that gives 24-hour help on everything from
health matters to relationship and addiction issues. It also includes
face-to-face counselling, medical help, online health assessments, stress
coaching and counselling.
Frank Sweeney, Cunninghame Housing Association
Frank is committed to improving staff ’s health and wellbeing, and his
measures have seen the company receive the Gold Award from Healthy
Working Lives, as well as win the Ayrshire Chambers of Commerce
Health at Work Award in 2013 and 2014. In November 2014, it was
awarded the Investors in People Gold, Good Practice Health &
Wellbeing and Investors in Young People Awards – the first housing
association in the west of Scotland to hold all three at the same time.
Director Award for Family Friendly and Flexible Working Policies
Marion Forbes, Mactaggart & Mickel Homes Ltd
Mactaggart & Mickel Group strives to support family life as a caring
employer in a sector where this is not always easy due to the nature of
the business and its operational requirements. However, Marion has
pioneered initiatives to enable staff to have an adaptable approach to
how they work, including enhanced maternity and a six-month full sick
pay policy, childcare vouchers, flexible working packages and final
salaried pension schemes.
12 | IoD Scotland Spring 2015
Celia Tennant, Inspiring Scotland
Inspiring Scotland’s remit – to help Scotland’s most disadvantaged
people and communities by tackling tough social issues through
partnership and collaboration – means it understands the importance of
championing people over other factors. This philosophy starts at home,
as the organisation has in place flexible working for all staff, and
understands the impact these can have on productivity, motivation and
engagement. It means that all staff with caring responsibilities can
balance these alongside business needs.
Female Director
Jo Macsween, Macsween
Christina Potter, Dundee & Angus College
Jo is the managing director of Macsween, a third-generation family
food manufacturer of specialist haggis. A qualified marketeer, she has
over 20 years’ SME experience, and has transformed a small regional
food producer into a national brand that’s synonymous with quality, a
pioneering spirit and strong ethical values. Underpinning this growth is a
strong management structure, sound governance and a digital media
strategy that builds consumer engagement and loyalty.
What marks Christina out is her tireless search for improvement, her
‘open door’ policy, attention to detail, rapport with staff and honest
approach to negotiation. A successful leader, and a truly outstanding
principal, her ambitious and creative approach has transformed a small
rural college into one with an international reputation.
Her experience and approach to problem-solving is a considerable
asset, recognised by the College Principals group which oversees this
sector.
Emma Marriott, Contract Scotland
Sara Speirs, Spectrum Service Solutions Ltd
A director of this construction sector recruitment specialist since 2007,
Emma has been instrumental in a host of changes in terms of staff
training and expanding international reach, which have delivered growth
both in terms of permanent placements, turnover and profitability.
Her strong knowledge of construction combined with her natural
empathy and strong leadership skills have earmarked her as an
outstanding director – as well as a great role model for other women
looking to excel in this traditional male sector.
Public Sector
Professor Sharon Bolton, University of Stirling Sharon has brought a vision to the University’s Management
School, setting its direction and developing a distinctive
culture. Her experience, commercial awareness and global
outlook have added great value to its growth, which is geared
around a strategic plan with aims for the school to be identified
as a key player on the global stage by 2018.
As part of this vision Sharon has looked for new
international partnerships and diversified income streams,
increased overseas students and created innovative executive
education programmes.
Paul Little, City of Glasgow College
Under Paul’s astute leadership, City of Glasgow College is set
to become one of the largest and most technologically
advanced colleges in Europe, with the creation of the country’s
first ‘super college’ resulting from the merger of four rival city
centre institutions. He has presided over one of Britain’s largest
construction projects as the £228 million super-campus took
shape – a truly nation-sized project and a powerhouse for skills
development in Scotland.
Christina Potter, Dundee & Angus College
An outstanding college leader at local and national level for
over 17 years, Christina is currently Scotland’s longest serving
principal, having led three successful colleges with a
consistently dynamic and visionary approach.
Since her arrival at Dundee in 2007 she has overseen the
£50m redevelopment of the Gardyne Campus and the move
from three out-dated buildings to a new modernised teaching
environment. She quickly established excellent relationships
with local stakeholders, ensuring that the college was
recognised and respected as a key partner in the Dundee
Community Planning Partnership.
Sara has built Spectrum into a top-rated Scottish facilities management
service provider, with a phenomenal record in terms of contract awards. She brings a focused vision and fresh operational approach to
leadership. A three-year strategy to grow and improve performance is in
place based on continuous added value, which utilises innovative ways of
working to deliver excellent service levels from her well-trained,
motivated workforce.
Regional Nominees
Each of the following has been short-listed for the
IoD’s regional branch awards
Aberdeen & Grampian Director of the Year
Peter Bruce, Entiér Limited
John Clark, John Clark Motor Group
Sue Fay, Bread
Edinburgh, Lothians & the Borders
Gordon Dewar, Edinburgh Airport Ltd
Jo Macsween, Macsween
James Stuart, Royal Yachting Association Scotland
Fife & Central Scotland
Prof Sharon Bolton, University of Stirling
Emma Marriott, Contract Scotland
Paul Miller, Eden Mill Distillery & Brewery
Steve McCreadie, Aberlour Child Care Trust
Glasgow & West of Scotland
Jamie Delaney, Dalziel Services
Peter Duthie, Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre
Sara Spiers, Spectrum Service Solutions Ltd
Ronnie Wayte, Golden Charter Ltd
Highlands & Islands Director of the Year
John Henderson, Ocean Kinetics Ltd
Giles Huby, Copernicus Technology Ltd
Matt Stevenson, CLDB Limited
Ben Wilson, Inverlussa Marine Services (Inverlussa
Shellfish Co Ltd)
Tayside Director of the Year
Lynne-Marie Howden, Insights
Christina Potter, Dundee & Angus College
Chris Van der Kuyl, 4J Studios Limited
We will also announce an Emerging Director
from each region, to reflect the growing
talent among younger directors
IoD Scotland Spring 2015 | 13
IoD Scotland Director of the Year Awards
Award Nominees
Third Sector Director
Frank Sweeney, Cunninghame Housing Association
Frank has led the organisation through a period of unprecedented
growth – from just 65 properties in 1990 to 2,300 today – by a
combination of positivity, strong governance and effective leadership on
strategy, performance and risk management.
This expansion has been backed by diversification into new areas
with the launch of Citrus Energy and Cunninghame Furniture
Recycling Company, which have raised turnover to £11m p/a.
The social enterprise has maintained a strong relationship to its client
base, and it was named UK Landlord of the Year in 2014.
Calum Macaulay, Albyn Housing Society & Albyn Enterprises
In what is a challenging environment for welfare organisations,
Calum has dedicated himself to understanding the wider factors that
impact on Albyn and its tenants. He has focused on creating more
effective partnerships to tackle issues around welfare reform, while
attracting funding for an ambitious capital build programme.
His devotion to improving corporate governance, developing leaner
management structures and enhancing staff development in the past
four years have paved the way for a more efficient, effective organisation
which still puts its clients at the heart of its operations.
Lorna Davidson, New Lanark Trust (NLT)
Lorna has spent 30 years building up the reputation and visitor
experience of the New Lanark Trust World Heritage Site. Her work has
shown her as a highly effective leader and custodian of one of Scotland’s
most important reminders of the industrial revolution.
Key to the site’s success has been the development of a number of
trading subsidiaries, which generate income for the upkeep of the mill
as well as supplying vital training and job opportunities for local people
– a fitting, living tribute to the values of Robert Owen, the site’s
world-famous Victorian owner.
Non-Executive Director
Tanya Castell, Scottish Canals
Ronnie Hanna, Bowleven and AG Barr
Tanya has an incredible mix of skills – constructive, open, honest, she
has great integrity, is thorough and passionate about making a
difference. She is at the vanguard of supporting women into board level
roles and has recently been made CEO of Changing the Chemistry,
which supports diversity of thought in the boardroom, a role that allow
her to focus boards on improving their performance through greater
diversity.
Her role with Scottish Canals has seen it through a period of great
organisational change, and as chair of the audit and risk committee she
has supported the organisation in developing a new risk management
framework appropriate for its future.
Ronnie is very experienced in leading management teams through
major change programmes, including operating in emerging markets
and successfully negotiating the challenges that brings.
He has been a non-executive director of AG Barr plc for over 11
years, the last six as chairman. During that time he has helped move the
business from being family owned and managed to become a fully
compliant FTSE 250 company with full corporate governance.
Ronnie has also held the chair of Bowleven plc for several years along
with a number of other non-executive roles.
He is a great business networker and is able to use these contacts to
help grow the companies he works with.
Mike Dale, The Insights Group
Magnus Swanson, Golden Charter Ltd
The growth of Insights into a global player with greater increased
revenues has been closely controlled by Mike, a diligent and
professional non-executive chairman who has ensured that the
organisation has remained well-governed - financially, operationally
and commercially.
That is a significant undertaking in all businesses, but in a familyowned business with global aspirations it can be very complex. Mike
brings experience and elegant simplicity to the role as a result of his
commitment, broad experience and sharp intelligence. Mike always
seeks to find new and better ways, with clarity of thought that is
insightful, disarming and powerful.
Magnus joined Golden Charter as chairman in 2012, fulfilling a role
that is ensuring the continuing success of the company and creating
sustainable and increased value for shareholders. His vast experience has helped grow confidence among shareholding
funeral directors (over 600) while focusing the board on the key issues
and delivering clear strategies which the owners can both understand
and support. His successful contribution is based around the interplay between
governance and commerciality in board operations, including
combining previously separate companies into one organisation and
introducing best practice for board balance and rotation.
Prince’s Trust Scotland Director Award
As in previous years, IoD Scotland is delighted to link up
with the Prince’s Trust Scotland to present a special
Director Award. All nominees have received help from
the Trust in establishing their business.We are delighted
to put these fledgling directors in the spotlight
14 | IoD Scotland Spring 2015
Robin Knox, Intelligent Point of Sale Ltd
Mhairi Macleod, Lux Illuminating Brands Ltd
Alan MacGregor, Silver Birch Interiors Ltd
IoD Scotland Events - book online at www.iodscotland.com
Generation W: Celebrating women in business
Date: Tuesday, March 10
Time: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Venue: University of Stirling,
Cottrell Building, Stirling, FK9 4LA
Cost: Free event
Join the University of Stirling Management
School in their support of International
Women’s Day, where four successful business
women will share their experiences and the
challenges they face in business today.
This event is a collaboration between the
University, IoD Scotland, Sporting Chance
Initiative and One Stirling as part of the many
activities happening during the University of
Stirling’s International Women’s Month.
Our panel includes:
Carol Smillie, television presenter and
business woman is managing director of
Diarydoll. Carol founded Diarydoll in 2012
with former tennis star Annabel Croft. It
produces leak-proof underwear suitable for
periods, pelvic floor and post-maternity.
Ann-Maree Morrison is the managing
director and founder of a multi-award winning
family business, Labels4kids. Ann-Maree
Leading lights:
Carol Smillie and
Ann-Maree
Morrison
moved from her home in Australia to London
where she worked for Grant Thornton, Disney
Stores, Kodak and Coopers and Lybrand.
In 2004 she founded Labels4Kids, which
provides personalised name labels online,
helping solve the lost property dilemma for
parents worldwide.
Hinda Miller has enjoyed a long career as
an entrepreneur, elected state official, corporate
executive, board member, certified coach,
educator and business consultant specialising
in entrepreneurship and advancement of
women.
Rachel Gunn founded the Butterscotch
Bakery early in 2014. After working for three
years as an assistant manager for a high-profile
London bakery, Rachel was keen to return to
Scotland to pursue her dream of opening her
own business.
For more information and to reserve a
place, visit www.stir.ac.uk/events/
or contact the IoD at
www.iodscotland.com
Doing more with less:
Innovation, management trends and future
employment in a world of seven billion
Date: Tuesday, March 17
Time: 5.15pm – 6.30pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre B3, Cottrell
Building, University of Stirling
Management School
Cost: Free
The University of Stirling Management
School and the IoD invite you to hear Dr
Bruce Piasecki outline why it is important for
businesses to: “…become more like Benjamin
Franklin: frugal in our competitiveness,
innovative in our use of teams and diplomatic
in how we discover and use social value.”
Dr Piasecki is a leading corporate strategist
and governance advisor focusing on energy,
environmental strategy, product innovation
and sustainability issues. As president and
founder of the AHC Group, Dr Piasecki has
over 30 years’ experience of working with a
Dr Bruce
Piasecki
range of Fortune 500 Corporations,
including the Warren Buffet company, Shaw
Industries and Toyota to help develop
sustainable business growth plans.
To book on this event and for more
information, see www.stir.ac.uk/events/
For more information and to reserve a place, visit www.stir.ac.uk/events/
or contact the IoD at www.iodscotland.com
Get control of your life back - by working smarter
Working Smart, with Gilly MacMorran,
Priority Management
Location: MacRoberts LLP Capella,
60 York Street, Glasgow G2 8JX
Date: Wednesday, 18 March
Time: 8am -10am
Cost: Members, £25 + VAT
Non-members £35 + VAT
The Institute of Directors invites you to
a breakfast seminar on Working Smart, with
Gilly MacMorran in an event sponsored by
MacRoberts LLP.
If you feel there’s not enough time in the
day, your inbox is out of control or your
mobile is ruling your life – and let’s face it,
what business person doesn’t? – then this
seminar is just for you, designed to transform
your organisational and planning skills, and
behaviour. Priority Management has spent 30
years researching best practices in the
workplace and trained two million people in
the past 15 years. The workshop will provide
practical tips and techniques to help make
working life easier.
This morning event includes a light
breakfast.
Note that there is street car parking
available at Semple Street Car Park opposite
Capella.
IoD Scotland Spring 2015 | 15
IoD Scotland Events - book online at www.iodscotland.com
Wake up to Westminster:
IoD holds election hustings
Election hustings
Date: March 20
Time: 7:45 am - 9:45 am
Venue: Aker Solutions, Craigievar Building,
Howe Moss Ave, Kirkhill Industrial Estate,
Dyce, Aberdeen AB21 OGP
Cost: Members, £10 + VAT;
Non Members, £15 + VAT
In fewer than two months the UK goes to the polls to
determine our next government. Who will have the best
policies to take Scotland and the UK forward?
This is your chance to hear and question first-hand
candidates from the four main parties standing.
The forthcoming UK General Election campaign
promises to be fascinating. What will be our future in
Europe? What will be the impact of last year’s
referendum campaign? How will Milliband, Cameron
and Clegg fare? How will the SNP play its cards if, as is
likely, we see a hung Parliament requiring another
Coalition Government?
This event, held jointly with ACCA Scotland and
kindly hosted by Aker Solutions, will provide some of
the answers to these questions and many more.
Our confirmed event speakers at the time of writing
are:
• Colin Clark, Conservative candidate for Gordon
• Richard Baker MSP, Labour, North East Scotland
• Christine Jardine, Liberal Democrat Candidate,
Gordon We will be joined by an SNP representative.
Richard
Baker
Christine
Jardine
The science and opportunities
of carbon capture
Event briefing on carbon capture
and storage project
Date: 24 March, 2015
Time: 12:15 - 14:00
Venue: Hilton Treetops Hotel,
Springfield Road, Aberdeen AB15 7AQ
Cost: Members, £25 + VAT
Non-member’s £35 + VAT
Shell UK Ltd, with strategic support from SSE,
is proposing to develop the world’s first carbon
capture and storage (CCS) project on gas at the
Peterhead Power Station in Aberdeenshire.
The project aims to capture ten million
tonnes of CO2 from the power station, which
would otherwise be emitted to the atmosphere,
over an anticipated ten-year period. The CO2
will then be transported by pipeline and safely
stored in the depleted Goldeneye gas reservoir,
some 100 km offshore and 2.5 km beneath the
North Sea.
The project is one of two preferred bidders in
the UK Government’s CCS Commercialisation
16 | IoD Scotland Spring 2015
Competition, which is providing funding of
£1bn to stimulate the development of a CCS
industry in the UK.
Global energy demand is predicted to double
between now and 2050 and ambitious emission
reduction targets must be met while meeting
the world’s growing energy needs.
Carbon capture advances the cause of
sustainable development with a particular focus
on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to ease
global warming.
Our speaker is Bill Spence, the business
opportunity manager for the Peterhead Carbon
Capture & Storage Project in Scotland. Prior to
taking on this role he was vice president of
strategic issues for Shell’s Projects &
Technologies Business and the vice president,
CO2 , in Shell’s corporate head office.
Bill graduated from Queen’s University
(Canada) in 1984 with an engineering physics
degree.
He subsequently joined Shell Canada as a
petroleum engineer. In 1989 he joined Shell
International, and since then he has held
numerous roles, in both technical and
commercial roles in the upstream, gas and
power and renewables sectors, around the
globe.
IoD Scotland Events - book online at www.iodscotland.com
Facility showcases how Scotland
rules the waves
Members’ visit to FloWave Ocean
Energy Research Facility
Date: April 16
Time: 6pm - 8pm
Venue: FloWave TT, University of
Edinburgh, Building 29,
The Kings Buildings Edinburgh EH9 3JF
Cost: Members: £20 inc VAT;
Non Members: £25 inc VAT
Scotland leads the way in renewable energy –
and this event will show you one of the reasons
why when we enjoy rare access to University of
Edinburgh’s cutting-edge wave and tidal test
facility at King’s Buildings. Watch the tank in
action, including ‘the impossible wave’.
Conceived for cutting-edge academic
research into wave and tidal current
interactions, the FloWave Ocean Energy
Research Facility is also an amazing tool for
commercial developers to ensure their
technologies and projects perform ‘right first
time’ and are de-risked as much as practical
before cutting steel or going offshore.
Developed in response to the renewable
energy sector’s need for testing facilities for
marine energy devices and arrays, the dedicated
new build is the culmination of over 40 years’
of the university’s involvement with marine
energy. FloWave has unique capabilities. This event will open at 6pm with a welcome
speech with tea/coffee/ wine and networking
with IoD members and the ThriveForBusiness
Energy Group. At 6.30pm Stuart Brown, CEO
of FloWaveTT, will explain the background,
design and intended purpose of the facility.
Then the team will run through a
demonstration of some of the tank’s more
interesting capabilities.
Drinks and sandwiches will
be provided. The FloWave building is
situated in Building 29 on the
campus maps). There is limited
parking within the grounds of
the building, and more in a general car park
just before it.
This event is equal to 1hr 30mins CPD hours.
Building the skills for a successful workplace
Venue: Glasgow Hilton, 1 William Street,
Glasgow G3 8HT
Date: 11 March 2015
Time: 17:30 - 20:00
Cost: Member price £10 + VAT
Non-member price £15 + VAT
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework,
Skills Development Scotland, Scottish
Qualifications Authority, and the College
Development Network, in partnership with
IoD Scotland, want to challenge employers to a
workforce skills debate
This is your chance to have a conversation
with the chief executives of Scotland’s
education and skills organisations to shape our
workforce for the future.
This event is targeted at all employers,
operations directors, HR directors and any
organisation leaders who may be facing
particularly challenging times in recruiting the
right skills for 2015 and beyond.
The Panel with include
Aileen Ponton, Chief Executive, CEO, SCQF
Partnership
Dr Janet Brown Chief Executive SQA
Marion Beattie, Head of Employer Services,
SDS
Joe Wilson CEO, CDN
Alan Sherry, Principal, Glasgow Kelvin
College
Stephen Park Brown, MD, NVT Group
Jane Richardson, Director, Oracle Academy
EMEA, Oracle Corporation
The event will be chaired by Alan
Thornburrow, Chairman, IoD Edinburgh and
Lothians, who is Chief executive, Scottish
Investment Operations Ltd.
The panel will guide the event through a
number of aims, including:
• To provide clarity to business around the
meaning of current qualifications
• To provide clarity to business about what
SDS can do to develop and support the training
of your workforce
• To allow business to challenge the
education providers with specific skills targets
for the future.
IoD Scotland Spring 2015 | 17
IoD Events reports
IoD’s Leadership
Masterclass proves
inspirational event
Ken McEwen
IoD Aberdeen
and Grampian
Perhaps because of its remoteness from the
main markets, businesses in the Aberdeen area
have always had a very outward-looking focus.
Even before Aberdeen became established as a
global centre for oil and gas technology,
exporting was a way of life for many local
companies.
Possibly it is this culture of seeking out and
developing new markets that has made the
region so entrepreneurial.
It was to nurture the next generation of
business leaders that IoD Aberdeen and
Grampian set up the Sharing the Secrets of
Success Leadership Masterclass series, with
well-known and established business leaders
invited to pass on their knowledge in a series
of workshop sessions.
At the 2014 masterclass last autumn, Susan
Deacon, as keynote speaker, set the tone for
the day with her theme Beyond Silos, Sectors
and Specialisation. Having spent much of her
life working where different roles and sectors
meet, Professor Deacon argued that working
collaboratively and across boundaries is an
Right, Edel Harris, CEO of
Cornerstone, looked at The
Importance of Vision and Values
Below, networking time
18 | IoD Scotland Spring 2015
essential element of effective business
leadership.
The delegates then split up to take part in
two workshops with the five business leaders:
• Peter Bruce, CEO of Entiér examined the
theme Succeeding through people
• Edel Harris, CEO of Cornerstone, looked
at The Importance of Vision and Values
• Michael Urquhart, managing director of
Gordon and MacPhail offered the whisky
industry’ perspective on Taking a long-term
view
• Robin Watson, CEO of Wood Group PSN,
presented his view from the oil and gas
perspective Sustaining growth in a turbulent
business environment
• Michael Willis, IoD, focused on the
requirements in the boardroom, with a
presentation on Are you sure you want to be a
director?
Sponsored by Johnston
Carmichael, the Robert Gordon
University, Santander and
Stronachs, the Sharing the Secrets
of Success Masterclass received
very positive feedback from the
delegates.
So much so that planning is
underway for a similar event to
be held on September 17. Mark
that date in your diary.
Above, Susan Deacon addresses the event
on Beyond Silos, Sectors and
Specialisation
Below, delegates take time to network
IoD Events reports
An ‘awesome’ look at a stunning project
by Stephen
Westwood
Chair, IoD Fife
IoD Scotland members paid a visit to the Forth
Replacement Crossing (FRC)’s Contact and
Education Centre on December 10 at the
invitation of David Climie, the project director.
It was a fascinating occasion that gave us a
truly wonderful perspective of this awesome
project. The Centre is located at the south side
of the present road bridge, and affords a
spectacular view east and west and an
appreciation of the scale of all three bridges. We
were all impressed by the height of the towers
and the cranes positioned at the top. Operating
the cranes at that height is not a job for the
faint-hearted and there were no volunteers
among us on the day to see how it is done!
What also shone through was David`s
passion for the project and the pride in what
has been achieved to date. Progress has gone
well and many of the significant development
An artist’s impression of the stunning
Forth Replacement Crossing - a project
that is well underway, with some
significant milestones passed
milestones have been achieved. We listened
intently for 90 minutes as David took us
through the key developments and future plans,
a presentation that gave us a fascinating
appreciation of the breadth of the project.
If you are in any way interested, I would urge
you to keep up to date by visiting the Crossing
web site for the latest progress. Following this
link, www.forthreplacementcrossing.info will
take you to the Transport Scotland website.
More than that, why not pay your own visit.
The centre is open to visitors every Saturday
from March to October between 10am and
4.00pm. It has an exhibition of the bridge and
infrastructure layout, and most of all, offers that
fantastic view.
IoD Scotland Spring 2015 | 19
Director Development courses
IoD Scotland Director Development
Director Development with the IoD takes many forms, including committee organised events, IoD Scotland-managed
Director Development courses and London-managed Chartered Director programme courses. For updates to this schedule
and new courses, go to www.iodscotland.com
Business Modelling as Strategy Tool
18/03/15
9-1
The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
Role of the Non-Executive Director
19/03/15
9-5
200 SVS, 200 St Vincent Street, Glasgow
The Role of Directors Beyong the
Organisation II - Deborah Benson
24/03/15
9-1
The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
The Role of the Trustee/
Board Member in the Third Sector 25/03/15 9-5 Forth Valley College - Falkirk
Family Business Governance (GLA)
Mike Willis and Mairi Mickel
26/03/15
9-5
200 SVS, 200 St Vincent Street, Glasgow
Business Modelling Customer Discovery
01/04/15
9-1
The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
Role of the Director and the Board 07-08/04/15 9-5 The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
Securing an NXD Position
in the Public Sector - Karen Carlton
09/04/15 9-5 The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
Business Modelling - Vision,
Context & Innovation
22/04/15
9-1
The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
Role of the Chair (GLA) Mike Willis and Mervyn Jones
23/04/15
9-5
200 SVS, 200 St Vincent Street, Glasgow
Finance for Non-Financial Directors 27-29/04/15 9-5 The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
Winning Board Behaviours (Edin) –
Mike Willis & Mervyn Jones 30/04/15 9-5 The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
Governance Masterclass 07/05/15 9-5 The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
Director’s Role in Strategy and
Marketing 11-13/05/15 9-5 The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
Role of the Non-Executive
Director (EDIN) – Mike Willis 14/05/15 9-5 The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
Role of the Chair (Edin) –
Mike Willis & Mervyn Jones 21/05/15 9-5 The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
Winning Board Behaviours (Gla) –
Mike Willis & Mervyn Jones 28/05/15 9-5
200 SVS, 200 St Vincent Street, Glasgow
Director’s Role in Leading the
Organisation 28-29/05/15 9-5 The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
Role of the Director and
the Board 09-10/09/15
9-5 The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
Women onto Boards: Boardroom
Experience
09/03/15
9-1
Oracle Linlithgow
Finance for Non-Financial Directors 15-17/09/14 9-5 The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
Director’s Role in Strategy and
Marketing 29-01/10/15 9-5 The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
Director’s Role in Leading the
Organisation 06-07/10/15 9-5 The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
Want to know more?
For details on all the above courses, including guidance on who should attend and course requirements,
see http://iodscotland.com/director-and-board-development
20 | IoD Scotland Spring 2015
PR and Marketing
Cherish your identity – why ditching
the brand can be a costly mistake
Ken McEwen
PR & Marketing
Y
our business identity is the fundamental
element in your corporate communications
strategy. The business name and the visual
identity are the face of your business and
express your identity and personality to internal and
external audiences.
But that certainly doesn’t mean you should be
changing the name and your corporate style as often as
you change your corporate plans. History is littered with
examples of ill-advised identity changes.
Your business will (or certainly should) have invested
heavily over the years in projecting its values in
conjunction with its name and identity. Unless there has
been some catastrophic reason for wanting to leave the
past behind you, you don’t throw that away without
some very careful planning and research.
One classic example of the folly of changing identity
was Ever Ready, or the British Ever Ready Electrical
Company, to give it its full name.
When I was a lad, batteries were usually blue and had
the familiar Ever Ready logo on them. Then somewhere
around the 1980s, someone in the company decided it
was time to change. British Ever Ready Electrical
Company became Berec, the familiar blue batteries were
changed to white and brown, and the unknown Berec
replaced the time-honoured Ever Ready logo.
The consumer was, not surprisingly, confused. Ever
Ready had disappeared and, if the company did try to
carry brand loyalty to the new name and look, I must
have missed it. Ever Ready’s apparent disappearance
opened the door to companies such as Duracell and
Energizer, who happily cornered the market.
One of the highest-profile renaming fiascos recently
was the Post Office. In a rush of blood to someone’s
head, it renamed itself Consignia and hurriedly changed
back just a year later.
Not all name changes are a corporate communications
nightmare. Google is so well known around the world
that its name has become a commonly used verb – ‘to
google’. Whether it would have got to that status with its
original 1996 name – ‘BackRub’ – is very doubtful.
On a number of occasions clients have protested that
they want to change their name to reflect how their
offering has evolved. I have always urged caution.
Established names can still preside over a changed
product or service offering.
For the past 50 years or so, the Radio Times has been
more about TV than radio. American Express no longer
handles express deliveries. General Electric has
diversified well beyond things electrical. And 3M has
22 | IoD Scotland Spring 2015
outgrown its original persona as the Minnesota Mining
and Manufacturing Company. These, and many more
examples, show that a company or brand name can
outlive its relevance to current products and services.
Another associated trend I have urged clients to resist
is the move to use initials. It may be good for shorthand
reference to the business internally, but in external
communication initials are usually too anonymous.
Unless you have a marketing budget the size of KFC, you
are better sticking with your equivalent of Kentucky
Fried Chicken.
But it is not just changes to the name itself that can
throw customers. A change of the corporate identity
design can cause confusion and simultaneously strain
the bank balance.
If you have deep pockets to supply the cash needed
establishing a new look that expresses your company’s
personality better, then a new look can, of course, be
very refreshing. And it needn’t cost the $1 million that
Pepsi reportedly spent on a revision of its identity.
But a good corporate identity is something
recognisable instantly, even if you are not looking
directly at it. That came to mind vividly when driving
through a small town in rural Texas, of all places.
Literally out of the corner of my eye, I recognised the
well-known logo of Aberdeen’s Wood Group.
Many of us will have seen and marvelled how the
name on well-known corporate identities can be
changed, but remain immediately recognisable. That sort
of recognition is not something you want to lose.
In a busy world where we are bombarded with
marketing messages on all sides a good, established,
recognised corporate identity is worth its weight in gold.
• Ken McEwen,
the past
chairman of IoD
Aberdeen, is the
managing
partner of Ken
McEwen Public
Relations.
See www.
kenmcewen.com
for details
“When I was a lad, batteries were blue and had the familiar
Ever Ready logo on them.... then someone decided it was time to
change, and they became Berec, and were white and brown. The
consumer was confused - Ever Ready had disappeared, opening the
door to companies like Duracell and Energizer”
Business property
Make sure your property
is a real business asset
Commercial property is often a forgotten
asset to a business, but is never far from
the radar when it is a business liability!
Having spent 30 years advising
companies on the their property assets
and on development/planning
opportunities, as well as being a nonexecutive director of a number of
organisations, Hugh Rutherford, a partner
at Montagu Evans LLP, is well-placed to
highlight some of the pitfalls, issues and
opportunities open to businesses.
I
am continually surprised how often even
well-run companies and businesses do not
have a proper handle on their property costs
and liabilities, and the underlying value/
potential of their property assets.
Often information is incomplete, or
inaccurate, and there is a lack of focus on a
property strategy for the business as a whole. At
all times property should be regarded as part of
the business and any decisions on property are
foremost a business rather than property
decision.
SMEs in particular are often so focused on
business issues that they forget or omit to drill
down into the detail in order to evaluate
opportunities to either make money or save
money for the business, and critically missed
dates or surrounding opportunities can cost a
business dearly.
To put this in a practical context:
n Missed lease break options can tie business
into unnecessary expense or prevent an ability to
negotiate other proactive lease terms more
suited to the needs of the business going
forward.
n Lack of knowledge or evidence for a
proactive stance at rent review can be costly.
Even if the rent goes up, there is sometimes the
opportunity to renegotiate other terms of the
lease to make them more practical from a
business standpoint.
n A lack of consideration of total
occupational costs, as opposed to simply a rental
rate per sq.ft or the size of an incentive package.
Remember, when total occupational costs are
taken into account, a more expensive building
on a rental square footage basis may actually be
cheaper in terms of overall costs, as the building
is newer, has a lower service charge, lower
repairs and maintenance, and more efficient
floorplates allowing less space to be taken,
resulting in a lower local authority rates and
service charge.
n Not carrying out a building survey on
acquisition of a lease on full repairing and
5 Lochside View, Edinburgh Park
insuring terms, can result in an onerous liability
to reinstate and re-build.
A survey may identify items of disrepair
which would be put right at the landlord’s
expense at commencement of the lease, or
alternatively a Schedule of Condition would be
annexed to the lease, restricting liability and
considerable capital outlay to the tenant.
n Lack of planned maintenance can result in
larger, more expensive costs for greater damage
to the fabric of the building if not dealt with at
an early stage.
n While sustainability and energy efficiency
are becoming increasingly important,
commercial occupiers and owners of buildings
are not paying sufficient credence to the EPC
Energy Efficiency Rating or the BREEAM
sustainability factor, which can lead in the
longer term to a building which is more costly to
run and operate, and a more difficult disposal.
n The ability through market knowledge of
the availability of potential availability of
surrounding sites/buildings to create a more
efficient property function for the business are
often missed. A proactive strategy for property
linked to the overall business plan can inform
and direct and helps advisors to focus on what is
important to that business when opportunities
emerge.
n Family-run businesses, in particular, often
neglect developing a proactive property strategy.
For example, they may often neglect to make
representation to the local authority at
development plan review, enabling their site –
for example, industrial – to be zoned for
potential alternative higher value uses, such as
residential, retail parks, business parks, etc.
which could enhance the overall value to the
business, even if it continues in the short to
medium-term operating as an existing function.
n The opportunity to undertake a sale and
leaseback to raise cash from property assets is
often overlooked, despite the fact that it can be
used more productively to grow the business. I
would stress that sale and leasebacks should not
be entered into lightly, and there are pros and
cons, but it is another way to raise money as
long as the business is prepared to put up with
the discipline of a quarterly rental bill. Sale and
leasebacks allow a degree of flexibility as to the
lease terms and the amount of rent payable, but
ultimately, this impacts on the overall end value
obtained for the asset.
n Owner-occupier businesses should also be
charging themselves a notional occupational
cost, to actually reflect true profitability and the
opportunity cost of having money tied up in the
property. We often find that companies,
particularly growing companies, realise that they
can make better use of cash tied up in property
ownership to develop and grow the business.
n There are opportunities for business to
utilise pension provisions and tax efficiency
measures to assist with pension planning for the
business and the owners of the business. This
can be very tax efficient, while at the same time
working towards retiral needs.
The key message from all this is that property
correctly and proactively managed can be an
asset to a business, but a lack of focus on this can
result in commercial property being a liability.
Many companies are now appreciating the
benefits of a proactive property strategy aligned
with the business and its operational needs. It
can help drive the business forward and increase
efficiency, while at the same time building
further asset value going forward.
I spend my time developing property
strategies and advising businesses, and
invariably the comment comes back that they
didn’t realise the real benefit that property
provided to their business, and the importance
of needing to align their business and property
needs both now and into the future.
I am happy to sit down with companies to
work with them to define how their property
strategy can be aligned with their business plans
and needs going forward, and creating a strategy
to assist this, with an audit of their property
holdings and their situation and identifying
short, medium and longer-term property needs
and goals.
Want to know more?
Hugh Rutherford can be contacted
at Montagu Evans LLP by
telephone on 0131 229 3800 or
07826947230, or by email at hugh.
[email protected].
IoD Scotland Spring 2015 | 23
Techs and Balances
Cortex shows Scotland’s tech potential
by Bill Magee
Tech Writer
E
xception’s Scott McGlinchey won’t mind
being called a technology veteran, with
over 25 years’ experience in senior
executive roles and a member of Scotland’s
Digital Task Force.
For some time the IT consultancy and service
company’s chief ops officer Scott has called for a
more joined-up high-tech approach towards
making ‘Corporate Scotland’ more forwardlooking to potential investors and commercial
concerns. Central to this must be a display of
the highest standards of tech skillsets available
to support companies’ growth and innovation.
It now looks like his prayers are being answered,
as a new generation of bright young high-tech
stars bring with them a boost to Scotland’s
digital infrastructure – and on a global scale.
I’ve come across Cortex, a new tech outfit,
that from its Edinburgh base is displaying Scots’
technological expertise, helping global
multinationals radically increase the efficiency
of creating and hosting their international
websites. Cortex already has a 40-strong
developer-team located in the capital, and based
on its early success that number is expected to
rise to around 100 by the end of the year. Its
first product is the Integrated Agile Marketing
(I/AM) platform, which fills an important gap
in the market.
Dyson is one of the first clients to take
advantage of the new platform: well-known for
its inventive, engineering-led products, the
company needed a platform on which to show
the advanced technology within the Dyson 360
Eye robot vacuum cleaner.
I/AM was specifically chosen because it
enabled Dyson to meet aggressive deadlines
together with the scale to meet unexpected
demand, and make updates quickly and easily.
Based on previous product launches Dyson had
originally estimated that the site would have
about 150,000 users in the first 24 hours.
However, the robot launch attracted global
attention resulting in a surge of 1.5 million
users on the first day. But due to the way I/AM
works, there were NO site outages. Developed
as a result of a strategic partnership with
Microsoft, I/AM has been developed in
Scotland to deliver a world-class Cloud-based
marketing solution.
Cortex is nestled alongside Microsoft,
Amazon and Creative Scotland at Waverley
Gate and anticipates signing up a range of blue
chip clients in the coming weeks and months. It
works closely with Hogarth Worldwide, which
helps companies produce, translate and deliver
their marketing campaigns around the world.
Further development of its digital capabilities is
a key part of its growth strategy.
Both Cortex and Hogarth are agencies of the
holding company WPP, the UK-based world
leader in advertising and marketing services.
Cortex’s founder and managing director, Peter
Proud, says potential I/AM clients all have one
thing in common: a global brand seeking
competitive advantage.
“From day one – by using Microsoft’s Azure
and thanks to its elastic nature in the Cloud –
sites hosted by I/AM are able to handle very
high levels of traffic from around the world,
from wherever and whenever this traffic arrives.”
Proud explains that another key attraction of
I/AM is that it enables customers to run as
many websites as they desire, but centrally
control every one of them from a single point.
“Potential clients I have spoken to are usually
trying to manage a very large number of
individual websites built across multiple
technologies.
“The key concern is often simply not being
able to get a clear overview of all the sites that
are live. Obviously, this can lead to problems if
something goes wrong with a website that is not
easy to control.”
Production of a large-scale marketing website
using traditional methods can take up to 12
weeks to complete. Compare this with I/AM,
where the process can be completed in five
weeks. Websites delivered in this timeframe via
I/AM can be feature-rich, responsive and in
multiple languages, too.
“As a result the new technologies embedded
within our product... can meet accelerated
timelines with consumate ease, but with built-in
scalability to meet unexpected demand and
simplicity to make further updates quick and
easy,” adds Proud, who is also managing
director of I/AM for Hogarth Worldwide.
Clients only pay for the resources they
consume as they take advantage of a truly global
digital experience that includes streamlined
development, near-instant localisation, and the
ability to reach customers more quickly than
ever. “In short, we deliver simplicity, efficiency
and scalability.”
Cortex believes that from its Edinburgh
home its team can deliver everything that a
global brand requires to negotiate what has
become an increasingly complex digital world.
Sounds like the basis for a hi-tech blueprint
for Corporate Scotland..
n Catch my Daily TechPost (most days!) on
Twitter #billamagee and regular tech
microblog at www.Kiltr.com/
Scotland’s tech future looks in safe hands
‘Digital Natives,’ as they’ve become known,
performed an ‘Hour of Code’ at Microsoft’s
Waverley Gate. Scotland plc is depending
upon these youngsters, aged 8-10, as the
next fully tech-savvy generation equipped to
take the country to new global heights.
Collectively displaying an early and highly
impressive IT expertise, they were guided
through their paces by the folks from the
software giant’s Cloud Champion IA Cubed
plus Peter Ferry, Microsoft’s executive in
charge strategic partners Scotland, North
East England (UK Retail & Manufacturing).
End result? Over to Belmont House pupils.
Ahmad Naeem (10): “It was a great
experience and we’ve learned a lot. We were
24 | IoD Scotland Spring 2015
even asked to come up with
business ideas,” and Ben
Alexander Shenken (9) said: “On
the coding parts when it gets hard
you really have to think. I loved
when we got to trying our own
business. It was really fun.”
Kelvinside Academy’s Libby McKee
(8): “I just really love to work on
technology.” Belmont’s Kashan
Malik (9): “It was a really good
opportunity to find out all about
the materials used by Microsoft in
the cloud,” and Rannoch Muir (9):
“Learning all about the cloud and
coding will prove so important to our schoolwork.”
IoD Scotland Spring 2015 | 25
Working Families policies
Keep it flexible - and give
yourself a cutting edge
by Sarah Jackson OBE,
CEO, Working Families
T
hese are challenging times for employers
and employees. However, difficult times
call for bold thinking and I don’t think
there has ever been a better time for
organisations to embrace flexible working and
agility to help ensure not just survival, but
long-term success.
The business case is that flexible working
reduces absenteeism, improves staff retention,
reduces recruitment costs, enhances staff
engagement and aids higher performance.
If you are looking to control costs and
enhance performance, flexible working is an
essential weapon in your arsenal.
How can you set about building a convincing
case for boards and line managers alike?
First, I would say look at basic metrics of
absenteeism, recruitment and retention. What
do these cost you each year? Unplanned
absence – perhaps when a child is sick and the
parent feels they have to call in sick themselves
– is a dead cost to your business. An open,
flexible culture enables your staff to be honest
about what’s going on at home and honest
about what is possible at work. Where flexibility
is embedded, unplanned absence levels fall.
Flexibility also aids retention. Employers invest
a significant amount in training and
development, therefore, there is real value in
retaining people with skills, expertise and a
proven track record alongside institutional
memory, knowledge, networks and contacts.
Letting someone leave who you’d rather keep,
because your culture doesn’t make space for
their family life, is investment thrown away.
Flexibility is a key recruitment tool that has
the potential to be transformational, especially
for those organisations experiencing skills
shortages. This isn’t just about women. Men are
now as likely as women to look for flexibility in
their work life. Research consistently shows
work-life balance and flexibility is of great
importance to young people entering the job
market. There is a talent pool that judges the
attractiveness of a potential employer on
flexibility and working culture. Modern, flexible
ways of working can help position an
organisation as an employer of choice, giving
them the edge over competitors.
It is important to cast the recruitment net as
wide as possible to attract the highest calibre of
applicants. Many highly skilled jobseekers also
have care responsibilities and so will not apply
for any job advertised full time, Monday to
Friday. That’s why I urge you to use the new
‘Happy to Talk Flexible Working’ strapline in
your recruitment advertising. Let potential
candidates know from the outset you will
consider a role on a flexible basis. Don’t let the
advert be the barrier which puts off the best
candidate.
And finally, flexible working improves
organisational performance. Engaged
employees deliver 43 per cent more than those
merely ‘present’. For flexibility to work well,
employees need to feel trusted and in control.
Employees who feel in control of work and
home life tend to be far more productive than
those experiencing tension balancing work and
home responsibilities.
We need a cultural shift, a move away from
measuring the hours that people work and
being visible to their line manager, to
measuring results and deliverables – putting
employees in control of how best to deliver
outcomes.
However, there are businesses of all sizes who
will say they cannot sustain flexibility as clients
will not wear it. On the contrary increased staff
retention and the commitment that flows from
flexible working contributes in a positive way to
the longevity and sustainability of client
relationships.
Recently, I heard a partner from a law firm
speak proudly of how she has not lost a single
member of her flexible working team in 15
years. And, as her team has sustained, so have
their relationships with clients. Her team
consistently shows greater profitability than
colleagues who work conventionally.
In 2014 I helped establish the Family Friendly
Working Scotland programme in partnership
with the Scottish Government, Parenting
Across Scotland and Fathers Network Scotland.
The programme aims to strategically and
practically support the development of
family-friendly workplaces across Scotland.
Our ambition is to make Scotland the European
beacon of excellence in family-friendly working
practices, which we know bring huge benefits to
both employers and employees. We are calling
for employers across Scotland to get involved –
if nothing more than to talk to us - no matter
where you are on your journey.
So in difficult economic times, be bold and
embrace a modern agile way of working. Work
life and family life are too often in conflict. The
challenge is to create a Scotland where each
supports, strengthens and enhances the other.
This is not simply about legislation, it is about
business culture. And only businesses can
change their own culture in order to reap the
rewards.
• The Scottish Government supports the
IoD Scotland Director Award for Family
Friendly and Flexible Working Policies
“There is a talent pool that judges the attractiveness of a potential employer
on flexibility and working culture... giving them the edge over competitors...”
26 | IoD Scotland Spring 2015
Education & Training
T
he Scottish Qualifications Authority’s
(SQA) new National Qualifications
will help Scotland’s young people
prepare for the workplace. It is vital that
employers know what the new National
Qualifications are and when they are being
introduced.
For those who are not yet familiar with the
new qualifications, the table below shows
what to look out for on young peoples’
resumés in the future.
How will the new qualifications
prepare young people for the
workplace?
One of the key features of the new
qualifications is skills development. Young
people will develop practical skills such as
data collection, literacy, numeracy and
teamworking; core skills such as
communication, ICT and problem solving;
and Skills for Learning, Life and Work such
as employability, independent thinking, and
enterprise and citizenship.
A fundamental part of this is ensuring that
learners not only develop these skills, but can
transfer them to real-life settings, including
the workplace.
This is encouraged through changes to
learning, teaching and assessment; with more
assessment through things such as practical
activities, performances and research
projects, etc.
This also features at National 4, which
does not include any exams but instead has
an Added Value Unit assessment at the end
of the course, which enables learners to
Scotland’s new national qualifications are
Fit for business
demonstrate the skills and knowledge they
have developed.
of qualifications available from S4 to S6, with
a view to preparing young people for the
workplace.
Over time, employers can expect to see
more young people leaving school with a
broad range of qualifications, including:
SQA’s National Qualifications, Skills for
Work Courses, National Progression Awards
(NPAs) and National Certificates (NCs).
SQA has also developed a number of
wider achievement awards that complement
both new and existing qualifications,
including awards in Personal Development,
Enterprise and Employability and Leadership.
Why are new qualifications needed?
The new qualifications have been
introduced to support Curriculum for
Excellence (CfE), which aims to prepare
young people for life and work in the 21st
century. As more young people leave school
or college in search of employment, it is
becoming increasingly important to ensure
that they are equipped with the skills and
know-how they need to succeed. Schools, in
particular, are starting to broaden the range
SCQF Previous/Existing
Grades
level National Qualifications
New National
Qualifications
Grades
7
Advanced Higher
A to D
>
Advanced Higher
A to D
6
Higher
A to D
>
Higher
A to D
5
Intermediate 2
A to D
>National 5
Standard Grade (Credit level)
1 or 2
>
4
Intermediate 1
A to D
>National 4
Standard Grade (General level)
3 or 4
>
3
Standard Grade (Foundation level) 5 or 6
>National 3Not graded
Access 3Not graded
>
2
Access 2Not graded
>National 2Not graded
1
Access 1Not graded
>National 1Not graded
A to D
Not graded
Want to know
more?
For more information
on the new National
Qualifications, and to
download SQA’s handy
guide for employers,
visit www.sqa.org.uk/
cfeforemployers
To find out more
about SQA awards,
visit www.sqa.org.uk/
awards
Follow SQA (Twitter)
@SQAnews
or search SQAonline
on YouTube
National 1 to Higher are now being delivered; the new Advanced Higher will be available from August 2015
IoD Scotland Spring 2015 | 27
Spotlight on Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire is open
for business
A
new joint inward investment and
business regeneration strategy has
been launched by North and South
Lanarkshire Councils.
The Choose Lanarkshire campaign was
unveiled at the Lanarkshire Business Week
conference, held at Hamilton Townhouse on
February 24.
Speaking at the launch, the Chair of South
Lanarkshire Council’s Enterprise Services
Committee, Councillor Chris Thompson said,
“Our new strategy will focus on encouraging
more companies to set up business in
Lanarkshire.
“We are targeting sectors which are clear
growth hubs as a result of our excellent location,
transport infrastructure and pool of skilled
labour. To assist the strategy, we have developed
a new business website, www.chooselanarkshire.
com
A growing hub for industry
Lanarkshire’s central location has already led
to the region becoming a hub for a wide range
of distinct sectors. Major construction
businesses, including Morgan Sindall and Laing
O’Rourke, have chosen Lanarkshire as their
business hub.
Life science business have also recognised
the unique benefits Lanarkshire can bring to
Councillor Chris Thompson
and Councillor David Fagan
at the launch of
Choose Lanarkshire
at the Lanarkshire
Business
Conference.
their enterprises, from first-class transport links
to high-speed broadband access allowing for
worldwide data exchange.
The area is part of the second largest life
sciences cluster in the UK, boasting bespoke
facilities such as BioCity, with MediCity soon to
come onstream. The area is a focus for the
commercialisation and innovation in healthcare
and wellness in Scotland.
Other sector hubs established in the area
include logistics, energy and food and drink
manufacturing.
Mark Jephcott, PR manager of AG Barr, the
UK’s leading independent manufacturer of
branded soft drinks, including IRN-BRU said,
“One of the reasons we came to Lanarkshire was
the availability of competitively priced plots of
land of a sufficient size for our existing
operations, but with the capacity to
accommodate the new buildings and
infrastructure that we have added over the years
as our business has grown.”
A supportive business
environment
Building on Lanarkshire’s strategic location,
North and South Lanarkshire Councils work
closely with businesses to provide a supportive
environment for growth.
Astrid McKirdy, Financial Controller of
Dalkeith Transport, one of the UK’s leading
providers of palletised freight and based in
Lanarkshire said, “We have a great relationship
with North Lanarkshire Council. They helped
us to find suitable apprentices for our business
expansion”.
Equally enthusiastic of the business support
Lanarkshire: the business view
“We have a great relationship with North Lanarkshire
Council. They helped us to find suitable apprentices for our
business expansion”.
Astrid McKirdy, Dalkeith Transport
(left)
28 | IoD Scotland Spring 2015
Spotlight on Lanarkshire/IoD Director development
IoD Professional Director
Series (PDS) and
Board Development
Your guide to Lanarkshire
North and South Lanarkshire Councils
are proud to have produced the new
edition of the Lanarkshire Business
Guide, which has been sent to IoD
members with this issue of IoD
Scotland. The Guide showcases what
Lanarkshire has to offer businesses as
a place to invest, work and live.
If for any reason your copy is
missing or if you would like additional
copies, please contact us at
[email protected].
received was Scott McInnes, Regional Director of
Intertek, leading provider of technical inspection
services for the global energy market. He said,
“South Lanarkshire Council have continuously
provided us with support over the past eight
years. Their professional guidance and energetic
approach and enthusiasm to assist with our
growth have been excellent.”
Working in partnership
The councils’ enthusiastic approach towards
new inward investment and business
regeneration relies heavily on forging successful
partnerships with both private and public sector
bodies.
Key stakeholders such as Scottish Enterprise,
Job Centre Plus, Skills Development Scotland
along with educational institutions including
New College Lanarkshire are working with the
councils to monitor trends and ensure the area
has the necessary skills to meet changing
industry requirements. North Lanarkshire
Council’s Convenor for Regeneration, Councillor
David Fagan, cited the film studio that had been
set up in Cumbernauld to film the TV series
Outlanders, which has attracted a £20million
investment from Sony. “That’s a huge opportunity
and we would like to encourage them and the
local colleges to work together to develop more
skills around say film production, acting, design
and other similar qualifications”, he said.
Other partnerships being explored include a
working group with the major commercial
property developers in Lanarkshire to explore
how they can market Lanarkshire and maximise
“One word to describe being
located in Lanarkshire?
Perfect.”
Bruce Gunn, Delivered Next Day
Personally CIC (right)
IoD Scotland runs a selection of day
and half-day courses delivered by
directors for directors. A key benefit
of these courses is the opportunity to
meet with directors from other
sectors, to share experiences and to
uncover different approaches to
challenges faced:
occupancy rates.
With so many new and exciting developments
taking place in Lanarkshire, it is hoped
www.chooselanarkshire.com will be the
one-stop-shop to help businesses decide to locate
or expand in Lanarkshire.
Highlights of the website include a monthly
calendar of local business events, business news,
tailored property search advice, key facts about
Lanarkshire and testimonials from successful
companies located here.
Bruce Gunn, Managing Director of courier
company Delivered Next Day Personally CIC, has
the last word on doing business in Lanarkshire,
“One word to describe being located in
Lanarkshire? Perfect.”
Want to know more?
For more information on what
Lanarkshire has to offer, go to
www.chooselanarkshire.com
Role of the Non-Executive
Director
This one-day course identifies the
various roles of the non-executive
director (NXD) in a variety of
corporate settings and explains how
their appointment can help balance a
board and make an effective
contribution. It also examines
methods for their selection and
reviews their motivation, induction
and reward.
Master Classes:
The IoD runs a number of
popular half and full-day sessions
on key topics.
n Securing an NXD position in
the Public Sector
n Governance Masterclass
n Role of the Chair
n How to influence others &
handle challenging people
n What Kind of Leader are You?
n Leading from the Front
n Confident Leadership
About these courses:
Securing an NXD position in the
Public Sector offers practical
guidance on enhancing your
application and interview
performance. The Governance
Masterclass explores the fundamental
issues surrounding governance and
discusses how to apply practical
solutions. The Role of the Chair
explores the pivotal role of the chair
and why it will always be the most
important area within which a board
can improve its effectiveness is how it
is chaired.
The How to influence others &
handle challenging people
Gain the skills to handle even the
most challenging people. Influencing
skills are essential for good leadership
as the job ceases to be about you and
all about those working with you.
Learn about the latest research which
reveals what persuasion techniques
really work.
IoD Scotland Spring 2015 | 29