Iod scot spring final

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 iod.scotland@iod.com For email enquiries, iod.scotland@iod.com Web: www.iodscotland.com or www.iod.com/scotland Address: 29 Abercromby Place, Edinburgh EH3 6QE Tel: 0131 557 5488 Email: iod.scotland@iod.com

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: colinregan001@yahoo.co.uk 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

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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 info@theresilientdirector.co.uk 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 Katherine.mccudden@iod.com 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, Gloria Murray asks why the businesses have been so slow in adopting women as leaders

Business needs to pick up on the benefits of woman as leaders

by Gloria Murray, Murray Associates Accountants Ltd

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.

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. rutherford@montagu-evans.co.uk.

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 3 Not graded

Access 3 Not graded

>

2

Access 2 Not graded

> National 2 Not graded

1

Access 1 Not graded

> National 1 Not 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 info@chooselanarkshire.com.

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