Business Comment 30

Digital Edinburgh - Inspiring Our Aspirations

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014

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Inspiring Digital Brings People, Businesses and Opportunities Together in the Capital

Contents 28

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Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce has recently established a new ‘Inspiring Digital’ membership group with the aim of bringing together businesses representing connectivity, data, people and devices.

The Digital revolution is impacting every area of our lives.

The opportunities for business are far-reaching and offer all of us an exciting future. How we cope with the continuous flow of innovation, manage increasingly demanding consumers and evolving business models provides exciting possibilities for both new business start-ups and more mature businesses.

03 Introduction / contents

34 Ask the expert

04 Desk Union signs contract with RBS

35 Partners in enterprise

36 Learning & Development feature

07 Capital View

46 Bored of the same old meeting room?

08 It pays to Advertise

48 Get with IT/ Be the best

In this issue of our magazine, we look at how Edinburgh is faring in an increasingly digital age – and while there is no room for complacency, Scotland’s Capital is doing well and has ambitions to do even better. In this issue you can read about our new policy group, learn of the innovative uses some organisations make of digital technology, and also about the plans our city council has to ensure businesses are in a position to continue to be innovative.

49 In the spotlight

51 60 seconds

55 Getting started

55 New members

As ever, we also look more generally at what our members are doing, at the training, development and networking opportunities your Chamber offers as well as some examples of the very real benefits membership brings.

Enjoy the magazine!

David Birrell

chief executive

david.birrell@edinburghchamber.co.uk

05 Hudson appoints new management team in Scotland

12 BIG Partnership again named UK’s top PR agency outside London

16 Mercat’s Commitment to People Recognised– SME of the Year

17 Edinburgh College Development Trust to

link students and industry

56 Inspiring connections

28|31 Special Report

57 Events and training courses

32|33 Inspiring City

58 Movers & shakers

Join Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Our membership base is truly multi-sector, multi-scale and multi- national. As we develop our geographic reach, we continue to welcome new members who can enjoy exclusive benefits of being part of Scotland’s capital city Chamber of Commerce. We would be delighted to share with you the benefits of joining.

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

June/July 2014

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Chambernews Desk Union signs contract with RBS Victoria Arnold, CEO, Desk Union, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have the backing of Royal Bank of Scotland and are so excited to start taking on members, allowing them to build communities and collaborate through the use of this unique space in such a prime location.

(L-R) Victoria Arnold (CEO, Desk Union) & Chris Wilson (Managing Director of branch and private banking, RBS)

“The way we work is changing. We are no longer restricted to set hours or based in office cubicles. Businesses crave ‘touchdown’ workspace, where workers can meet, connect and collaborate with like minded coworkers.

In recognising this growing trend for shared space, flexible working, Royal Bank of Scotland will be supporting growth businesses across Scotland that are looking for workspace in the city’s capital.”

Desk Union has signed a contract with the Royal Bank of Scotland to launch a community workspace on the first floor of the bank’s lagship branch, 36 St Andrew Square, in the heart of Edinburgh.

The space, branded Desk Union at The Square will consist of 24 workspaces alongside a large meeting room, available for hire by the hour.

Businesses will be able to use the space from August and it is hoped the pioneering concept will help young businesses and entrepreneurs flourish and thrive.

Chris Wilson, Managing Director of branch and private banking, Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “I am delighted to be able to support Desk Union. Royal Bank of Scotland is playing the leading role in Scotland in supporting entrepreneurs and this is yet another example of RBS’s commitment to getting the economy moving. The money made from this project will be reinvested back in to creating similar work-spaces around the country so that other entrepreneurs and businesses can benefit.”

To book a tour of this new space, or to discuss membership pricing and availability please contact hello@deskunion.co.uk, or call 0800 1588558.

Make every business travel mile count with Qbiz Qatar Airways’ corporate rewards programme.

Edinburgh and Scottish businesses are being urged to take advantage of a scheme designed to save business flyers money.

Designed for small and medium-sized businesses, Qbiz makes it easier to maximise savings.When business people travel with Qatar Airways, the

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company earns Qmiles that can be used to redeem flights and upgrades. Meanwhile, the travellers will continue to earn Qmiles for their personal Privilege Club accounts.

Find out more about Qbiz, register your company and dedicated travel administrator at: http://www.qatarairways.com/uk/en/ business-solutions/qbiz.page or contact Fiona Henderson (Corporate Account Manager) at fhenderson@uk.qatarairways.com

Hudson appoints new management team in Scotland Talent solutions company Hudson has strengthened its management team in Scotland with the creation of three new roles.

(L-R) Hudson’s new management team in Scotland – Lesley Cameron, Brian Cameron and Kate McClorey

Brian Cameron, Lesley Cameron and Kate McClorey have all been promoted to Regional Director, a role that will see them lead the development of Hudson in Scotland.

Brian Cameron joined Hudson in 2004 and has extensive experience in working with clients operating in a variety of sectors including financial services, industry and professional services.Working across all three of Hudson’s offices in Scotland, his role as Regional Director will see him lead the Finance and Accounting business, as well as oil and gas, supply chain and procurement and sales, marketing and communications.

Also appointed to Regional Director is Lesley Cameron, who will focus upon HR, office support, contact centre and project solutions, as well as construction, property, engineering and manufacturing. Lesley joined Hudson in 2004 and works with leading organisations of all sizes on their recruitment strategies.

The IT and legal sector teams will be led

by Kate McClorey. Having joined Hudson in 2008 as Director of IT for the Scottish business, her wealth of experience within the recruitment sector has seen her provide innovative and creative solutions for a diverse range of clients.

Managing Director of Hudson UK and Ireland, Peter Istead said: “Hudson is a market leader in Scotland.The new management team in the region will be focused on consolidating and building upon that position and growing the

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ADVERTORIAL

Capitalview Shaping the Digital Future

Colin Loveday, Managing Director of 4G Scotland, outlines how business will be done in the future and how Edinburgh Chamber is ensuring its members’ needs and views are heard and understood.

Remember dial-up? Remember how our initial wonder over the internet turned to frustration as web pages slowly appeared on screen?

For many of us, it really isn’t so very long ago that the internet was very new and often very slow. Since then, the pace of change has been rapid with easier, speedier access from a whole range of devices.

A generation is growing up in a digital dominated world, where social media as a business driving force is the norm.We are all touched by a digital strategy of some kind.

It’s been fast and furious – but as the saying goes, you ain’t seen nothing yet! That is why Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce has established an Inspiring Digital policy group, which I chair.

We need to make sure that we – businesses – make sure our voice is heard by policymakers when it comes to ensuring we have all the access we need to remain competitive in the digital future.

Without pre-empting any outcomes, I would like to share some thoughts on four universal digital market drivers that have an increasing impact on business People, Connectivity, Data, and Materials.

Regarding People, Generation Y are a cadre of tech-savvy individuals who have grown up with ever-increasing ways to communicate using technology.This is important as the older part of this group will soon be in boardrooms, which will have a profound effect on the way businesses communicate.

Data is now a firm fixture in the cloud.

Accessing it anytime, anyplace and without restriction is the de facto requirement.There are a number of internets being created that are vital to our future growth, not least the “internet of things”, or machine to machine communications.

No longer will a basic phone and laptop be the tools that get business done, with social media rationed in the work place. Increasingly it is the work place.

Materials help shape the devices through which we access our information and we are going to see extraordinary developments. For example, Graphene, a material discovered in 2010, one molecule thick, immensely strong, flexible and that carries an electrical charge, will shape new devices.

Digital Natives are people who know nothing other than the connected “it just works” digital world. As they move through education there will be a greater understanding on how the nuts and bolts of digital work. Coding needs to be considered as a vital skill for the future in the same vein as the three Rs. Connectivity speeds and availability have increased beyond all recognition.There are still major challenges to be overcome but 4G mobile networks now allow out of home or office connectivity at speeds equal to, and often much faster, than broadband.This provides the final piece of the connectivity mosaic along with fibre and fixed line broadband that will enable creativity and content to bloom.

Digital is democratising the way we do things and is constantly disrupting existing industries and practices. Digital technology is inspiring new ways of looking at our world.The future is very exciting.

Colin Loveday, Managing Director of 4G Scotland

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Memberbenefits

It pays to Advertise It pays to advertise, but members are eligible for some hefty discounts with The Scotsman and Edinburgh Evening News.

As one of the many available discounts to members, Edinburgh’s top two newspapers can help put your business out there in front of a combined potential 2.2 million people.

The Chamber has negotiated special rates for its members with savings of up to 53% on advertising packages which will give your business daily presence in the important classified section of either The Scotsman or Edinburgh Evening News (or both!). If you don’t have any artwork ready, don’t worry, as the expert team at the end of the telephone will help design and create full colour, eyecatching adverts for you.

To help boost your “findability” there are two digital options too! Through scotsman.com, Scotland’s biggest media web site, we have

a month’s digital advertising on a revolving carousel, providing click through capabilities, for only £30.00 plus v.a.t.

For our small to medium size businesses, there is an option to take out an online Premium Business Listing through the Scoot Network.

This lasts for a full year and provides a perfect, affordable and effective way to get your business on the internet, backed by 6 of the nation’s largest search engines.You can upload photos, testimonials or offers when you want as you have control of your site.Your listing will not only be on Scoot but also posted on scotsman.com, The Sun, The Independent, The Mirror and Touch Local. With over 80% of UK adults using the internet* and 67% of them using searches online for information

on goods and services**, there’s never been a better time to get online. With figures like 7 million searches on Scoot per month and 4 million unique users (3 million plus coming through Google!) this is a huge marketplace to promote your business and all at a fantastic price of £199 plus v.a.t. for the FULL YEAR. Don’t delay, call 0131 620 8866 (option 3, option 2) and quote Edinburgh Chamber Of Commerce or e-mail services@scotsman.com.

Full details of prices are in your membership pack and we’re delighted to confirm that prices have been held for a second year running!

Source:World Bank May 2013 **Source: Office for National Statistics, Statistical Bulletin Feb 2013

*

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Top accolade for Edinburgh College inspection Edinburgh College has achieved the highest rating possible in its Education Scotland inspection report.

Education Scotland’s overarching judgement is that “Edinburgh College – a Partner in Enterprise for the Chamber - has in place effective arrangements to maintain and enhance the quality of its provision and outcomes for students and other stakeholders.”This is the highest rating a college can achieve in the review process.

Principal Mandy Exley welcomed the report, “I am delighted that we achieved the top rating in our recent inspection. I know we have all worked extremely hard since merger to create a college that meets the needs of students and industry. This has been demonstrated by our students’ excellence and success, but it is also important to receive such a strong inspection report, highlighting success and innovation across the organisation.

“We will continue to work with our industry partners and our students’ association to build on this success and to deliver even more opportunities that are relevant to the economic needs of Edinburgh and Scotland.”

As part of the report, the inspectors also highlight initiatives which are sector leading.They have singled out the college’s effective partnership working in setting up the South East Scotland Academies Partnership in conjunction with Queen Margaret University, employers and schools, a programme which benefits both students and employers.

Links with industry are also key to another highlighted sector leading initiative, the college’s innovative and imaginative industry mentoring programme for HND Visual Communication Graphic Design students.

The design industry links integral to this programme have resulted in students winning prestigious national awards and high numbers going on to further study or directly to successful careers in the industry.

Appointment turns spotlight on growth FarrPoint, Edinburgh’s fastest-growing technology consultancy, have appointed Neil Anderson as Security Director.

E f f i c i E n t. . . fA s t. . . r E l i A b l E . . . s A f E

Neil has been working with the FarrPoint team on a consultancy basis for a number of months but has recently been officially appointed to head up Security.

As part of his role, Neil will be developing FarrPoint’s capabilities in security strategy and architecture, data centre design, cloud security and next generation security platforms.

Neil will also be the lead for FarrPoint on a new Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Edinburgh Napier University, which will see them explore new ways of identifying cyber security threats.

Neil graduated from The University of Glasgow with an Honours degree in Computer Science and has worked as Security Architect for Royal Bank of Scotland, Technical Architect for Logica, Principal Consultant for SecureWorks and Network Consultant for Carillion IT Services.

He said: “FarrPoint is well established as a voice of authority on matters of network security and I’m pleased to be developing this area of expertise even further.”

Andrew Muir, CEO of FarrPoint, said: “We are delighted Neil is joining us as a fully-fledged member of the FarrPoint team during a period of exciting growth for the company. Neil will provide valuable direction on our security projects for a number of clients across a variety of sectors and brings with him a huge amount of knowledge and expertise.”

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ADVERTORIAL

The big questions? Who are you going to turn to for help?

Who do you ask when you need answers to the big questions?

It may be that your organisation needs advice on shaping a campaign document to send to Ministers or rebut proposal with which you disagree.

The advice on policies that will guide your company’s next phase of development, how to have your voice heard on the political issues that concern your organisation or help with the legislative changes that are giving you sleepless nights?

Keith can help because he has ten years of experience of running public affairs campaigns, organising lobbies of the Scottish Parliament, giving evidence to parliamentary committees and developing professional relationships with politicians both in the Scottish Parliament and Westminster.

The answer is someone hugely experienced in public affairs and that means the Edinburghbased Keith Robson Consultancy.

Having worked in the education, health and housing sectors in Scotland as well as serving on the former Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, Keith brings substantial experience to bear on his public affairs work for clients.

His speciality is using that experience to take challenges that seem daunting and help provide clients with a way forward.

Keith is also particularly skilled at helping organisations to work in partnership with others, involving them in the key decisions being taken that involve their organisation.

Keith, a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and the Public Relations Consultants Association, also runs a media monitoring service which allows him to properly brief his clients.

You can contact Keith on 07809 740 470 and Keith@KeithRobsonConsultancy.co.uk or visit www.keithrobsonconsultancy.co.uk for further details

Whether you are a business, a charity or a not-for-profit body, Keith can help on a range of public affair services from everything from consultation responses, issue related campaigns and supporting the development of policy positions.

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He attended Napier University, where he pursued a research project with the outcome of the European Union to 2010. This had the moral support of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, who shared the material obtained from other European institutions.

Seeing all of the results from these plans coming true, he has projected further forward to 2020. Prior to this research, he made a point of going to study business development in America. He embraced this study three times, once in 1990, and then for an additional two years in London and the South East of England. Here he became involved with change, creativity, marketing new opportunity, and politics.

The experience and skill that he developed over these years of study and research led him to the establishment of this business. He decided to devote his knowledge and present experience of the bookbinding industry to establish longterm strategies for small and medium businesses that will help get them on the map. He looks forward to helping you research your business goals. Call us now.

Call Colin Linton Management Consultant of Dalkeith, Midlothian, for accredited management consultancy and business advice that will help get your business to where it deserves to be.

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Businessnews BIG Partnership again named UK’s top PR agency outside London PR and digital marketing agency The BIG Partnership has maintained its position as the UK’s largest agency outside of London in the industry’s most authoritative annual survey.

Wood Report: Time To Deliver The final report of the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce, chaired by Sir Ian Wood, has laid down challenges, according to Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce.

She said: “This report from Sir Ian Wood’s commission is a landmark moment for the way in which Scottish business, the Scottish education system and the Scottish Government engage in terms of our young people and the end result has the potential to be transformational in terms of placing careers outcomes and business need at the very heart of the learning experience.

“For too long there has been a lack of recognition and support at a school level of those young people who wish to pursue vocational training and education.

“Whether by accident or design, a narrow focus on academic attainment within schools has emerged and it is time to complement this with the skills and knowledge that will allow young people to better access valuable and profitable opportunities on the vocational side.

“Scotland’s education system, at school, college and university, must change in order to allow for formal, structured careers guidance, delivered in conjunction with real

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local businesses to provide our young people with all the information they need to make the right choices for their future careers.

“That means that businesses must step up to the plate and that the public sector must embrace true partnership working that delivers directly both for young people and for the future needs of business and our economy. Things must change fundamentally – more of the same is simply not an option.

BIG also moved up the PR Week annual top 150 agencies survey to become the 33rd largest consultancy in the UK. http://www.prweek.com/uk BIG has now been the top agency outside London for the last six years.

During 2013, BIG saw its fee income grow by nine per cent to just over £7m from £6.4m.

Founding Director Alex Barr said:“We are seeing major growth in digital communications, where our team is now 25 strong and our total headcount numbers more than 100 people.We’re also encouraged that 2014 is shaping up to be an even better year than last.”

BIG employs 107 people across its five offices in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Fife and Liverpool.

“Sir Ian Wood and his team’s recommendations have the full support of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce network.

The report, and last September’s interim report, highlight the sterling work that is being done by the Chamber of Commerce network to provide effective partnerships between businesses and education providers across Scotland and these examples of best and effective practice now require to be mainstreamed on a national basis.

“We now have an excellent report, the themes of which have been welcomed by all interested parties. It is imperative that we all work together to take this opportunity to deliver real and lasting change to improve the careers outcomes for Scotland’s young people and to ensure that businesses have access to a workforce equipped with the skills that our economy needs to succeed in an ever more competitive global economy.”

Good News for Scottish Business Scottish Chambers of Commerce welcomed the release of official data which shows that Scotland’s GDP grew by 1.0% in the first quarter of 2014, therefore exceeding UK GDP growth of 0.8%.

The figures indicate an annual growth in Scottish GDP of 2.6%, when comparing the first quarter in 2014 to the same quarter in 2013.

Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: “News of continued growth in the Scottish economy is welcome. The largest growth was experienced in the total output in the Production sector which grew by 2.1%, driven by growth in manufacturing of 3.4%.

Particular attention should be paid to monitoring the skills shortage in some sectors to maintain the path of growth.”

“Various sectors are experiencing an increase in economic activity and future investment will be essential to continue this journey.

Colpittsappoint Mayhewto targetLondon travelmarket International corporate travel firm Colpitts World Travel has appointed business development consultant Henry Mayhew to further grow its business in London and the south of England.

Mayhew is an experienced operator who has worked with a range of blue chip clients including National Express, NetJets and BDO. His remit is to help Colpitts grow existing business relationships and open new doors for the firm in the London area.

The company’s current European operations are based in Scotland and Germany, with its headquarters in Edinburgh and a thriving Aberdeen office which targets the international energy sector.

Carr Gomm selected in the Google Impact Challenge!

Carr Gomm’s Click Go project has been selected as one of the 10 finalists in the Google Impact Challenge.The social care firm are the only Scottish finalists!.

The 10 finalists were announced in July at Google HQ in London by Dragon’s Den star Peter Jones.

The company’s aim is to transform Click Go into a website and app that is available to everyone who accesses social care support in the UK and beyond, and to help to make choice and control a reality for thousands more individuals!

Ian Scholes, Director of European Operations, Colpitts World Travel, said: “Henry has a proven track record in helping clients maximise their business relationships. We look forward to working with him to leverage from our existing client base and grow the business in the London area.

Henry Mayhew said: “Colpitts is a strong brand in the corporate travel sector which in a relatively short space of time has established itself across the UK and Europe.

My role is to help them take the business to the next level, focusing on the London and south of England market.”

Final judging was taking place as the magazine was going to print.

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ADVERTORIAL Emily McKerchar, Business Manager, Central Belt at Hunter Adams

Not all Businesses are Created Equal Good HR presents a wealth of opportunity for any business. It has the potential to engage your staff and boost not only their morale but the company’s competitive advantage.

HR and the bigger picture Every good business manager keeps an eye on the bottom line. Part of their role is to assess and analyse the return on investment of all aspects of their organisation. This activity is continuous but becomes increasingly important at times of tight budgets and in challenging economic environments.

Even in buoyant markets companies have to reduce costs.

Contrary to popular opinion the best approach is not always about reducing headcount but involves a more sophisticated application of HR.

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It is about ensuring staff are engaged. In fact, research by US business consultancy Gallup has revealed that companies with engaged employees outperform those without by up to 202 per cent.

Pulse check There are various aspects of any business that can be reviewed to boost employee engagement, company efficiency and profits.

The biggest challenge is identifying them.

Many business leaders don’t realise they have issues to address within their organisation and are content with their operations. They are unaware they could be getting a better return on their investment from their staff.

There are also managers unhappy with the company’s finances, productivity and/or staff turnover but are at a loss to pinpoint where the problem lies.

As one of Scotland’s leading business consultancies we know how to resolve this.

Hunter Adams have supported companies across a range of sectors from SMEs to FTSE 100 multinationals to help them reach their business goals. We helped one company reduce its staff turnover from 60 per cent to next to nothing in a matter of months.

Engaging with staff In order to successfully deliver on your business plan you need your staff to be

interested in it otherwise you might as well rip it up.

and talent than they are currently being asked to demonstrate.

We find that employers with a clear vision of what they want their organisation to accomplish are more likely to achieve their goals. Even then this only works if they communicate this and staff feel motivated to help the business succeed.

The same study revealed companies with high employee engagement scores record better performance in a number of areas in comparison to those at the other end of the scale. For example they have twice the annual net profit, revenue growth is 2.5 times greater, productivity is 18 per cent higher and employee turnover is 40 per cent lower.

A study by Dale Carnegie Training in the US has shown that having belief in management is an integral part of engagement. Researchers found that 70 per cent of employees who lack confidence in the abilities of senior leadership are not fully engaged.

In our experience it is common for managers to know what they want to achieve but be uncertain about how to generate similar enthusiasm amongst employees. Without their commitment and drive a business will perform below its potential.

The bottom line The key to employee engagement is creating an environment where staff are valued, have a positive experience and as a result act as ambassadors for the business. This can attract both new clients and talented staff.

A group of leading CEOs believe UK GDP could potentially increase by £26 billion if employee engagement was improved. All too often the direct connection between employee engagement and the bottom line is not acknowledged.

Research from Engage for Success shows that just a third of UK employees say they are actively engaged at work, yet a startling 64 per cent of people have said they have more skills

It’s not all about money. Employees may be motivated by non-material aspects not just a bigger wage. For example according to Dale Carnegie Training 54 per cent of employees who are proud of their company’s contributions to society are engaged.

Avoiding potential loss Retaining employees helps maintain momentum for a company in building relationships therefore increasing performance across the business.

But at a more basic level, unhappy staff will look for alternative employment. If they leave, this can have a negative financial impact. An investment of time is needed to find and train a suitable replacement before building productivity levels back up while the new employee settles in.

How many CEO’s truly manage the real cost of staff turnover on their profit and loss statement?

If staff are disengaged, your business is more likely to be at risk of losing them and the associated benefits they could potentially bring to your company.

Monitoring engagement is a constant process and not something that can be switched off.

It is particularly important to maintain strong relationships with employees as their needs and those of the business develop.

Employers should ensure that their longest serving staff remain engaged and are not taken for granted otherwise the organisation risks losing their most experienced employees.

The solution The secret to achieving success for all businesses is essentially straightforward.

Although company cultures vary the causes of disengaged employees are the same. One of the main ways to avoid this is to create good channels of communication throughout the organisation to ensure the leadership team is visible and integrated with all departments.

At Hunter Adams, we know how to spot disengagement and we know how to inspire employee engagement for any business. Our services are appropriate for all sectors and are currently used by organisations working in finance, private equity, technology, renewables and the voluntary sector.

We have worked with numerous clients to support and develop their businesses. By using the best HR strategy for them, from cultivating a creative environment where table tennis inspires good ideas to an office where compliance, rules and regulations dictate the culture.

All businesses deserve great HR, whatever their size, sector or ambition and with our proven track record we can help you succeed.

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Businessnews bto moves up bto has moved to new larger Edinburgh office premises at One Edinburgh Quay, which will allow the firm to continue to grow.

(L-R): Jane Wood, Shirley Suliman & Kat Brogan

Mercat’s Commitment to People Recognised– SME of the Year Edinburgh-based family business, Mercat Tours, has been awarded SME of the Year by Scottish Business in the Community at its annual awards, a sparkling afternoon tea, held in Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Gardens.

Recognising Mercat’s commitment to people, not profit, the awards celebrate the achievements of SBC member businesses who strive to make Scotland a better place in which to live and work – those who do better business for a better Scotland. Speaking of the walking tour company, Jane Wood, SBC CEO: “Clearly the concept of responsible, accountable and sustainable working practice is embedded in the DNA of Mercat Tours.

This small, second generation family business is a worthy winner of our SME of the Year award.”

The SBC award is the latest, valued award for Mercat following a successful year in 2013

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which saw the company’s dedication to staff development acknowledged with a National Scottish Thistle Award and GTBS GOLD reawarded for sustainable practise.

“We are absolutely delighted to receive this award, particularly from an organisation that we respect, believe in and support as much as SBC. It means a great deal to have the hard work of our staff and our business ethos recognised and rewarded. We will continue to support SBC and look forward to collaborating further for the benefit of our own staff and greater community.” Kat Brogan, Head of Development.

Chairman Alan Borthwick, said: “bto opened its first office in Edinburgh in Great Stuart Street in 1995 – it was a very small office in the New Town, staffed initially by one lawyer and a secretary.

“The Edinburgh team enjoyed steady growth in the intervening years and in summer 2011, we moved to a new office on the first floor at One Edinburgh Quay, one of Edinburgh’s most up-and-coming districts.

“This move afforded us the opportunity to increase bto’s Edinburgh staff capacity to 30 and during our three years there we have significantly expanded several teams, including construction, clinical defence and family law. “bto’s new office on the second floor can accommodate up to 100 people. We are making a substantial investment in our new premises and are confident that it will be the catalyst to enable the growth of our client base and increase the range of client services we offer, all of which will secure our future as a premier independent Scottish law firm.”

The firm currently caters for most of the Scots law needs of commercial and private clients, with access to international legal advice through the Mackrell International network and other contacts.

(L-R): The new trustees celebrate the launch. Jamie Andrew; Janice Simpson; Dr Allan Colquhoun; Ian Young; Janice Cutting; and Colonel Philip Bates in the EH15 training restaurant at Edinburgh College’s Milton Road Campus

Edinburgh College Development Trust to link students and industry Trustees of Edinburgh College’s newly launched Development Trust have demonstrated the practical help the trust can offer students.

The Development Trust aims to enhance the college community and support students and former students through vital industry links.

Edinburgh College is one of the first in the country to set up a Development Trust, providing student scholarships through a trust fund. Students will be invited to apply for financial or in-kind support that will help prepare them for successful futures.

The fund will also be used to help set up innovative research centres and provide vital

equipment, infrastructure and opportunities to benefit the wider college community as well as current and former students.

be chairing the board, which brings together such an excellent and diverse range of expertise and experience.

As well as being encouraged to contribute to the fund, either financially or in kind, business partners will work with the college to identify new ways to provide training and work experience. One of the key aims is to allow students, alumni and businesses to build reciprocal relationships that will benefit each of them in the longer term.

“The college has excellent links with local and national businesses, and the Development Trust will provide new ways for them to back students, as well as creating new opportunities for them to utilise the skills and energy of our students and graduates. It’s a really innovative approach to equipping students and businesses, and ultimately the economy, with everything they need to develop and succeed on their own terms.

The trust is led by a newly formed board of trustees comprised of some major figures in national industry and public life. It is chaired by Dr Allan Colquhoun from Edinburgh-based Selex ES, a world leader in high technology systems and sensors.

Dr Colquhoun said:“The launch of the trust is a major development in the college’s commitment to supporting students to succeed. I’m proud to

“With the Wood Commission’s recent report highlighting the need for a more effective focus on vocational training, this project is an important component of the national education agenda.”

Any businesses who would like to become involved in the trust should contact elizabeth. jeffress@edinburghcollege.ac.uk

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nonstop from Edinburgh to Zurich, .

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Welcome to the Edelweiss nonstop air service from Edinburgh to Zurich. Together with Swiss International Air Lines, Edelweiss offers attractive connecting flights over convenient Zurich Airport all over Europe and beyond. Book now on swiss.com or on flyedelweiss.com.

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Why Edinburgh Airport’s the best choice for the business traveller of the previous area. No.1 Traveller joined in May and opened their new facility which offers a fantastic experience for passengers who wish to relax and unwind before their flight and, most recently, the new Aspire lounge opened to offer passengers even more choice.

It’s no secret that Edinburgh Airport has enjoyed a very busy year in terms of new business with 11 new routes launching at the airport. May was a historic month as we celebrated the start of the highly-anticipated new link to Doha with Qatar Airways as well as two brand new transatlantic routes to Philadelphia and Chicago.

Whether commuting to and from London twice a week or flying abroad for work, Edinburgh Airport has one of the highest proportions of business travellers outside London Heathrow, with the average passenger making six trips per year.

Of course as an international airport with more than 40 airlines serving over 130 worldwide destinations, it’s important to offer all passengers, whether leisure or business, the best service and experience and this is where Edinburgh believes it can set itself aside from the competition.

will house a state-of-the-art security hall, shops and airline offices and will have been completed in less than a year.

With a new bridge, linking the multi-storey car park to the new security hall to offer a dedicated fast track lane, and a premium convenience store stocking every day essentials, the new terminal has been designed with the passenger at its core. It will offer speed, efficiency and choice - three things which we all want from an international airport.

Our city has a fantastic public transport system and the recent addition of the trams gives the business traveller even more choice of how to travel to and from the airport.

Having a tram terminus less than 100 metres from the entrance to the new terminal means passengers can reach the airport from the city centre, or vice versa, quickly and conveniently.

It’s an exciting time for Edinburgh Airport.

Not only has it just broken a Scottish record of 10 million passengers in a year, reaffirming its position as Scotland’s busiest airport, it’s also about to see a huge amount of investment bear fruit.

Some business passengers may feel that the airport is like a second home so it’s important to make sure the departure lounge is as comfortable as possible. This year Edinburgh Airport has opened three brand new passenger lounges, offering travellers the choice of how they want to spend their time before they board their flight.

In October, the airport will open its new terminal extension. The £25m facility

In January, British Airways opened a £1.5 million lounge which is almost twice the size

Just a few of weeks ago, Etihad Airways announced it would commence operations between Edinburgh and Abu Dhabi in June 2015. To have two Middle Eastern airlines join Edinburgh Airport in a year is a phenomenal achievement and one which is incredibly exciting for the city.

Domestically the future is also looking bright with Flybe introducing four new daily flights to London City from October – increasing the number of daily flights between the two cities to 10. Edinburgh Airport offers passengers an unrivalled choice of domestic services with around 40 flights to London per day, something which will no doubt continue to benefit the local and national economy and reinforce Edinburgh Airport’s commitment to providing excellent service, a seamless journey and choice.

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PETER VARDY CORPORATE

YOUR LOCAL BMW AND MINI DEALER IN EDINBURGH

Above: Peter Vardy’s state-of-the-art BMW dealership in Edinburgh. Below right: Peter Vardy at the Jaguar F-TYPE launch. Below left: a classic BMW 2002ti at the dealership.

2014 has been an exciting time for BMW and MINI with the introduction of new models as well as numerous awards.

Peter Peter Vardy Vardy Corporate Peter Vardy Centre Corporate Centre

One entirely new product range has been launched with the BMW 2 Series and we have also seen the recent launch the new model X4 and brand new MINI Hatch. Similarly the last few months have seen a number of awards for the BMW and MINI range. Fleet News and Business Car have named BMW ‘Manufacturer of the Year’.

Fleet News named the BMW 3 Series the ‘New Company Car of the Year’, while Fleet World Honours awarded it the title ‘Best Compact Executive Car’. In addition, the BMW 3 Series received the ‘FN50 Reliability Survey Award’ in a review operated by the country’s top 50 leasing companies. Already recognised as a trusty business choice, the BMW 5 Series collected the ‘Best Executive Car’ for the fourth 2012 was an exceptionally consecutive year. strong yearan forexceptionally our corporate 2012 was

Corporate Centre Your local BMW & MINI dealer in Edinburgh.

Your local BMW & MINI dealer in Edinburgh.

you are getting Did youvalue for money and UK wide delivery on all vehicles.

Did you know at know at Peter Vardy Peter Vardy we George P Brewster, FRICS, Senior Partner, J & E Shepherd you. Thegive full range of BMW and MINI models are available to we give we give George P Brewster, FRICS, Senior Partner, J & E Shepherd order, offering compelling contract hire rates and comprehensive 10% of our10% ourpackages. The Business Partnership the skill and expertise to find the right solution for you. We have over service and of maintenance of our profits 25 years combined BMW and corporate experience, and we will to 10% programme also provides a Local Business Manager to help you profits to make every effort to help you work to your budget and maximise through all aspects of fleet management including; latest legislation, charity. profits to return on your investment. Combine this expertise with BMW driver benefits and choosing the vehicles that make sense for your charity.

EfficientDynamics and your organisation will benefit from fantastic business and your budget. What’s more, you’ll be the first to know charity. value for money from start to finish. about new model launches and receive exclusive Corporate Sales

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team looks 2013 strongand yearit for ourlike corporate is going even stronger 2012 was anlike exceptionally andto itbe looks 2013 has seen its fair share of awards. The bar team was as strongearly year for our corporate with ourset recent expansion in is going to be even stronger team and it looks like 2013 Aberdeen with Jaguar andin with ourthe recent expansion Hatch was awarded ‘Supermini of the Year’ at Business is going to be even stronger Land Rover .our recent with expansion Aberdeen with Jaguar and in

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your needs small Whether your needs are are small and FleetWhether Managers alike. large – whether you’re or large –or whether you’re Whether your needs areorsmall looking for one car, 100 – The growing range of BMW Group models offer even wider for one choice car, or 100 – we havelooking skill and expertise toyou’re find the right orthelarge – whether solution for you. We have over 25the years combined we have the skill and expertise to find right looking for one or 100 – for fleets. Designed with the needs of the corporate driver in car, mind, BMW and corporate experience, and we will make solution We have over 25 find years combined we have for theyou. skill and expertise the right and every effort to help youto work to your budget BMW and MINI Business Models combine a you. higher standard BMW and experience, and wecombined will make maximise returnover on your Combine solution forcorporate We have 25investment. years this expertise with BMW EfficientDynamics and every effort to help you work to your budget BMW and corporateAdditionally experience, and we willand make specification with optimum fuel and tax efficiency. the your organisation will benefit from fantastic value maximise return onyou yourwork investment.

Combine every effort to for help your budget and money from startto to finish. brand new MINI Hatch vastly improvesmaximise the outgoing modelCombine withand thison expertise with EfficientDynamics return onBMW your investment. organisation benefit from fantastic value great emphasis on technology, designyour and performance. this expertise withwill BMW EfficientDynamics and “Itmoney was afrom pleasure to speak to someone for start finish. your organisation willtobenefit from fantastic value

that knew their job. From start to finish the for money from start to finish.

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The Business Partnership programme also We offer a whole range of services to all our The Business Partnership programme also We offer a whole range of services to allprovides our a Local Business Manager to help corporate customers like a dedicated business provides Local Business programme Manager to help corporate dedicated business you fleetamanagement; manager who will be there forlike you or night. to all The ofBusiness Partnership also We offer acustomers whole range ofaday services ourthrough all aspects including up the options and choosing of fleet management; A full financial review and fleet consultation through all aspects manager who will be there for you day or night.weighingyou provides a you Local Manager to help corporate customers like value a dedicated the vehicles that make sense for and Business your service to ensure you are getting for money business including options and choosing A full review and fleet consultation you’ll beweighing theall first to up the and UKfinancial widewho delivery onbe all vehicles.

We you can also you through aspects of fleet management; manager will there for day orbusiness. night. What’s more, know of new model launches and receive help you with commercial vehicles, maintenance the vehicles that make sense for you and your service to ensure you are getting value for money including weighing up the options and choosing A full financial review and fleet consultation exclusive Corporate Sales eventWhat’s invitationsmore, at contracts staffdelivery programs.on As youvehicles. would business. you’ll for be you the first and UK and wide Wefor can also the vehicles that make sense and to your service ensure youcome areall getting value yourmoney local dealership. expect, allto of these services as standard at The Peter Vardy Foundation was know of new model launches andthe receive help youwide with commercial PeterUK Vardy Edinburgh. business.

What’s more, you’ll launched be first to and delivery on allvehicles, vehicles.maintenance We can also in September 2009 with an MEET THE TEAM exclusive Corporate Sales event at contracts and commercial staff programs.

As you would initial £100K investment as a means of know of new model launches andinvitations receive help you with vehicles, MINI Business Partnership has been designed maintenance Corporate Sales Manager your local dealership. expect, all of these services come as standard at distributing 10 specifically for you.

The full range of BMW The Peter Vardy Foundation was Corporate Sales event invitationsper atcent of our annual contracts and staff programs. As you would Robert Simpson:exclusive 0791 289 5777 profits to worthwhile causes in the and MINI vehicles is available to order, offering robert.simpson@petervardy.com Peter Vardy Edinburgh. launched September 2009was with an your local dealership. expect, all of these services come as standard at The Peterin Vardy Foundation compelling contract hire rates as well as communities where we operate across Local Business Development Manager MEET THE TEAM Peter Vardy Edinburgh. complimentary specification upgrades on most initial £100K investment2009 as a means Scotland.

When we opened for business Craig MacQueen: 07841 878 873 launched in September with anof MINI Business Partnership has been designed Corporate Manager models. craig.macqueen@petervardy.com MEET THESales TEAM in Scotland three years ago, we were distributing per cent of annualof specifically for you.

The full has range of BMW initial £100K10 investment asour a means Robert Simpson: 0791 289 5777 MINI Business Partnership been designed Corporate Administrator Corporate Sales Manager determined that Peter Vardy would be Choosing any model in the BMW Group range as profits to worthwhile causes in the and MINI vehicles isThe available to order, offering robert.simpson@petervardy.com distributing 10 per cent of our annual Pauline Hunt: 0131 669 0900 specifically for you. full range of BMW company that did things differently a Business Partnership customer delivers more; Robert Simpson: 0791 289a 5777 pauline.hunt@petervardy.com compelling contract rates asorder, well as communities where we operate across from complimentary electric folding mirrors, to for the benefit of customers, staff and profits to worthwhile causes in the and MINI vehicles is hire available to offering Local Business Development Manager robert.simpson@petervardy.com integrated Bluetoothspecification telephone preparation with the wider community. The Peter Vardy complimentary upgrades on most Scotland. When we opened for business Craig MacQueen: 07841 878 873 compelling contract hire rates as well as communities where we operate across Local Business Development Manager telematics, and Driver features that make driving Charitable Fund is our mechanism for models. craig.macqueen@petervardy.com complimentary specification upgrades Scotland threewe years ago, for webusiness were your BMW even more of a pleasure – even when on most Scotland.

When opened Craig MacQueen: 07841 878 873 on this commitment. in delivering on business. models.

Corporate Administrator determined that Peter Vardy would be

We offer a whole range of services to all our corporate customers process of buying a car went very smoothly As your local BMW Corporate Team, we understand the needs of and it just to show that there are “It was a pleasure togoes speak to someone like a dedicated business manager who will be there for you day or business users and Fleet Managers alike.

Whether your needs are professionals still out there! We wouldn’t “It was a pleasure to speak to someone knew their job.

From start to finish thein night. A full financial review and fleet consultation service to ensure small or large – whetherthat you’re looking for one car,from or 100 – Vardy we have hesitate buying Peter again

event invitations from your local dealership. There’s no commitment, no fee and no obligation to buy. We simply want to keep you up-todate with our latest products and services so we can help you make the right decisions for your business.

that knew their job.

From start toclass finish the the went future.

First service!” process of buying a car very smoothly process a car went andofitbuying just goes to showvery that smoothly there are Mick Cotton, Cotton Transport and it just goes to show that are Edinburgh professionals stillwith out there!

We there wouldn’t in Scotland three years ago, we were to Choosing any model infor the BMW Group range as craig.macqueen@petervardy.com If you are interested in working Peter Vardy your corporate needs our team would be delighted Hunt: 0131 669 0900 We are proud to support EdinburghaSick company that things differently Businessany Partnership customer more;as Pauline Corporate Administrator determined thatdid Peter Vardy would be professionals still outPeter there!Vardy We wouldn’t model in the BMW delivers Group range hesitate buying from again in aChoosing Kids Foundation, a charity close to the pauline.hunt@petervardy.com Pauline Hunt: 0131 669 0900 from complimentary electric folding mirrors, to for the benefit customers, staff and contact corporatesales@petervardy.com. a company thatofdid things differently a Business Partnership customer delivers more; heart of Edinburgh and its people. Sick hesitate buying from Peter Vardy again in the future. First class service!” integrated pauline.hunt@petervardy.com Bluetooth electric telephone preparation the wider community.

The Peter Kids Friends Foundation provides extra from complimentary folding mirrors, with to for the benefit of customers, staffVardy and and Drivertelephone features that make driving funding in addition to NHS provision in the future. First class service!” telematics, Charitable Fund is ourThe mechanism for integrated Bluetooth preparation with the wider community.

Peter Vardy The BMW 320 ED achieves 68.9 mpg

Corporate Sales Manager

Mick Cotton, Cotton Transport Mick Cotton, Cotton Transport

The BMW 530d SE GT

your BMW even more features of a pleasure – even when telematics, and Driver that make driving on business. your BMW even more of a pleasure – even when on business.

Robert Simpson 07912 895777 robertsimpson@petervardy.com Or you can call our dealership on 0131 669 0900 or visit us at www.petervardybmw.co.uk The BMW 320 ED achieves 68.9 mpg

The BMW 530d SE GT

The BMW 320 ED achieves 68.9 mpg

The BMW 530d SE GT

four main areas which will benefit the delivering on thisiscommitment.

Fund our mechanism for 100,000 children and their families Charitable who go to the hospital every year. This year delivering on this commitment. we had the highest number of Peter We are proud to support Edinburgh Sick Vardy board and colleagues taking part in Kids Foundation, a charity close to the We are proud to support Edinburgh Sick the Bethany Christian Trust’s Big Sleep Out 2013 Event, raising thousands heart of of Edinburgha and its people.

Kids Foundation, charity close toSick the pounds for the homeless.

Kids Foundation heartFriends of Edinburgh and itsprovides people. extra Sick

funding in addition to NHS provision in Kids Friends Foundation provides extra We look forward to continuing our good

receive your enquiry,

A LEAN 68.9 MILES PER GALLON FROM A MEAN £245 PER MONTH.*

The new BMW 5 Series Saloon is tailor-made to meet the highest requirements. Intelligent networking and the latest technologies from BMW ConnectedDrive perceive, understand and instantly respond to your needs. Perfect for any driver who expects more from a saloon than just a stylish appearance: the most advanced 5 Series Saloon ever. You’ll enjoy further savings thanks to fuel consumption of 68.9 miles (combined) and CO2 emissions of 109g/km for BIK of only 20%/40%.

For more information, or to arrange a test drive† visit www.petervardybmw.co.uk/corporate

Peter Vardy Edinburgh

19 Seafield Road East, Edinburgh EH15 1ED 0131 669 0900 www.petervardybmw.co.uk

Official fuel economy figures for the BMW range: Urban 13.8–62.4mpg (20.5–4.4l/100km). Extra Urban 26.2–83.1mpg (10.8–3.4l/100km). Combined 20.3–74.3mpg (13.9–3.8l/100km). CO 2 emissions 325–99g/km..

Figures exclude VAT. Based on a 36 month Contract Hire agreement for a BMW 520d SE Auto including metallic paint with a deposit of *£1473.18 plus VAT, a contract mileage of 8,000 miles per annum and an excess mileage charge of 10.8 pence per mile plus VAT. Vehicle condition charges may apply at the end of your agreement. Subject to status and in the UK only (excl. the Channel Islands). Individuals must be 18 or over. A guarantee may be required. The amount of VAT you can reclaim depends on your business VAT status. Rentals may change if VAT rate changes during agreement. Hire provided by BMW Group Corporate Finance.

BMW Group Corporate Finance is a trading style of Alphabet (GB) Limited, Europa House, Bartley Way, Hook, Hampshire, RG27 9UF. Offer expires 30 September 2014. †Test drive subject to applicant status and available.

the new mini. the new original.

FROM £148 A MONTH.*

The all new MINI hatch builds the success of its heritage with the MINI Cooper D providing class-leading performance and efficiency as well as the lowest CO2 emissions of any equivalent model with more than 110hp, while still delivering MINI’s hallmark go-kart handling standard specification includes DAB digital radio, heated mirrors and washer jets, USB audio interface and keyless go. » 92g/km CO2 » 80.7mpg

To find out more or arrange a test drive visit www.petervardymini.co.uk/corporate

Peter Vardy Edinburgh 19 Seafield Road East, Edinburgh EH15 1ED 0131 468 7373 www.petervardymini.co.uk

Official fuel economy figures for the MINI Range: Urban 26.4-67.3 mpg (10.7-4.2 l/100km). Extra Urban 44.8-80.7 mpg (6.3-3.5 l/100km). Combined 35.8-74.3 mpg (7.9-3.8 l/100km). CO2 emissions 184-99 g/km. *Offer available to business users only. Based on a 36 month, 8,000 mile per annum Contract Hire agreement for a MINI Cooper D Hatch including metallic paint with a deposit of *£891 plus VAT, and an excess mileage charge of 5.0 pence per mile plus VAT. Offer available to business users only Subject to status and in the UK only (excl. the Channel Islands).

Vehicle condition charges may apply at the end of your agreement. Subject to status and in the UK only (excl. the Channel Islands). Individuals must be 18 or over. A guarantee may be required. The amount of VAT you can reclaim depends on your business VAT status. Rentals may change if VAT rate changes during agreement. Hire provided by BMW Group Corporate Finance. BMW Group Corporate Finance is a trading style of Alphabet (GB) Limited, Europa House, Bartley Way, Hook, Hampshire, RG27 9UF. Offer expires 30 September 2014.

THE JOURNEY OF UNIQUE LUXURY STARTS HERE.

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Never A Better Time To Visit London There has never been a better time to travel from Scotland to London with a record number of British Airways flights from Edinburgh and low all inclusive fares.

There will be a total of 27 return flights a day with British Airways between the two capital cities, with 11 of those flying direct to London City Airport, right in the heart of the Docklands and the closest airport to London city centre.

As well as excellent commercial and leisure facilities right on the doorstep, there is also a quick and easy transport infrastructure linking the airport with the city via Docklands Light Railway and London Underground.

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from several piers in East London and transport passengers down the Thames to some of the most popular tourist spots like London Bridge, the London Eye and Chelsea Harbour.

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Two nights at the 4* Aloft, next to Excel, start from £200 per person, including bed and breakfast and return flights from Edinburgh to London City.

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Specialreport and media students, who can help develop an organisation’s digital presence.

Denny Collie, Lecturer in Creative Enterprise at QMU, runs a ‘Working in the Media’ module. He said: “Working in groups, second year students, studying degrees in Film, Media and Communication, undertake a client project to develop a media product to meet agreed client needs.

“Examples include promotional videos, designing web pages, enhancing existing websites and devising social media campaigns.

Clients are made aware that the students are at an early stage in their studies and the project is still a learning experience for them.

“However, the groups do rise to this challenge and over the past few years clients have been very impressed with the results.”

Recent successes have included: a promotional film for Clifton Hall school in Edinburgh, based on Pharrell William’s hit single ‘Happy’, – which has now reached more than 10,000 hits on YouTube and has resulted in an increase in enquiries for places at the school.

Accessing university skills to achieve your digital aspirations SMEs and other organisations are really missing a trick if they haven’t already tapped into the vast amount of expertise that exists within Scotland’s universities, says Lynne Russell, Communications Manager at the city’s Queen Margaret University (QMU).

According to the University, there is a wealth of talented students and academics with specific expertise which can help organisations achieve their digital aspirations.

One recent example of this is the stunning filming work created by Edinburgh’s awardwinning filmmaker Walid Salhab.

A media practice lecturer at QMU, Walid put the capital city on the international map with his breath-taking stop-motion time-lapse films – Kinetic Edinburgh I and II. The Helix project in Falkirk recognised his talent and contracted him to capture the

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construction of The Kelpies, Scotland’s largest arts project. The film was launched in New York, shared on social media all over the world, and is helping confirm Falkirk’s place on the international tourist map.

However, it’s not just media academics who can assist. Lynne said: “QMU has a wide range of business, tourism and event management academics who can contribute to social media strategies and the future direction of growing businesses.

“Our family business and events experts have recently assisted a small tourism business in the Scottish Borders, Borders Journeys, to hone its strategic focus on ancestral tourism. Academics can assist with market research, both global and local. They can also access technical savvy creative talent, in the form of fledgling graduate video production companies, or teams of film

Other projects include an audio visual presentation on clinical trials which will be used in the waiting room of the Edinburgh Cancer Centre; and the development of social media campaigns for Leuchie House in North Berwick and Lamp House Music in Haddington.

Denny said: “The need for social media help is growing. Often small businesses already have a social media presence, but they don’t know how to sustain and develop their activities. Our students often come up with interesting and innovative ideas to help clients make the best use of whatever social media outlets they have in place.”

Fiona Lambert, Director of the East Lothian interior design and upcycling network, REdesign, benefited from the QMU module and now feels more confident about promoting the new business through social media channels.

She said: “The students’ practical guidance and advice is making it much easier for me to manage social media effectively, develop an online presence and get the most out of the digital sites they have created for REdesign.

We have already attracted new members and boosted our social media exposure as a result of the QMU partnership.”

If you are interested to find out more about QMU’s knowledge exchange work please contact Miriam Smith, Development Manager on T: 0131 474 0000, E: msmith3@qmu.ac.uk

Festival innovation breaks new ground If you were asked during your next pub quiz to name the location of the world’s first commercially available mobile phone app what would be your answer?

Seattle, New York, London, Tokyo? Would it surprise you to know that the answer is Edinburgh?

What shouldn’t surprise you is that this innovation took place at the Edinburgh Festivals, in this instance the Festival Fringe in 1999, where their annual operation is always on the lookout for new developments.

For decades the Edinburgh Festivals have been a vital environment for generations of creative practitioners and companies from across the world to show their work, develop their talent and inspire audiences and fellow creatives.

The Festivals are now enabling activities in domains such as marketing and innovation, which use the collaborative structures among the twelve festivals to trial approaches through their festivalslab, which benefit themselves and the wider culture & tourism sectors.

And it’s here that all digital developments have to be considered.The Festivals need to ensure that they are taking account of the changing ways in which audiences are using technology to discover and engage with programmes – and to determine how they place themselves within the digital world without diluting or diminishing the value of the live event experience which is their core appeal.

The Festivals entrepreneurism lends itself to innovative thinking in this digital arena and they are proud in being at the vanguard of new developments which in recent years has seen: n the creation of the award-winning social media phenomenon that is Blogmanay at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay

n the exploration of Facebook ticketing through Suggest My Fest at the Edinburgh International Festival n the hosting of Scotland’s first Culture Hack Day, a digital development programme for arts and culture that enables the creation of innovative digital prototypes n the Festivals Geek-in-Residence project which was the starting point for Creative Scotland’s current national geek-in-residence programme n the development of the Festivals Listings API [Application Programming Interface], the largest of its kind in the world, and recognised as an exemplar of the value of open data in the cultural sector n the inspiration for the national SMART Tourism programme which brings together informatics and computing science research from six Scottish universities to address some of the key challenges in the tourism sector This work reaffirms Edinburgh’s position as the world’s leading festival city and has created an innovative collaborative model which has not only allowed the Festivals to thrive but also provided inspiration for cities and regions around the world. However it is not in the nature of the Edinburgh Festivals to sit on their laurels.

The new digital landscape allows creative exchanges and collaborations to take place across time and space in ways unimaginable to our predecessors. A digital playground has been created but one where the toys are still being developed – indeed, a playground where noone yet knows the limits of the game. For the Festivals this is a world with great potential and one in which, as with their annual programmes, they aim to inspire and lead.

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inspiringdigital Cloud Computing: Inspiring Success In A Digital World With the cloud, you don’t have to worry about the threat of lost business due to downtime, implementing upgrades, or maintaining servers.

Employees simply login and start using it from whichever device they have access to, whether it’s a PC, Laptop,Tablet or Smartphone; all they need is an internet connection.The cloud model also makes it easier to manage user numbers and roles without having to rely on an internal IT department.

Security and Backup

Since its birth in 1989, the internet has revolutionised the way we do business.With reports suggesting that 23% of all UK business activity will take place online by 2016, the need to keep your IT systems secure and constantly available is more important than ever before.

Relying on 3rd party IT support to come in and save the day when your in-house systems go down, could mean that the business loses key operations for a time and that any repairs/ replacements needed will be costly.

To help adapt to an ever-changing business world, many companies throughout the UK have started the switch to cloud based IT solutions.‘Cloud’ basically means using the internet to access programmes and applications, for example, if you login to your business accounting or CRM systems online, then you are accessing them through the cloud.

Without the cloud, you are also responsible for the security and backup of your business’ data.

With cloud hosting and cloud backup services you can get access to an end to end solution which can take care of everything from server maintenance to data backup and security.

This all looks and sounds easy on the surface, and it is, because that’s the way the cloud has been designed. However, behind the cloud is a collection of data centres, hardware, software and IT professionals ensuring that the programme or data you’re accessing is running smoothly and allowing you to enjoy the benefits.

For many businesses the requirement and budget for in-house servers and the IT staff needed to support and maintain them just isn’t there, making cloud access and data storage a much more suitable option.

Here, Neil Stephenson, CEO at Onyx Group discusses some of the feature that have led to the clouds popularity.

Ease Of Access The cloud has made it easy to access a wide range of software applications via the internet.

This is perfect for the growing number of businesses operating with flexible workforces and employees on the move.

In an ever-increasing digital world, staff need access to files, documents and email from various locations, the cloud provides a fast and secure way for them to access your data.

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One of the biggest headaches for businesses is software or hardware failure, especially if there are no IT experts in-house to get things up and running again.

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Shaping Digital Scotland It’s hard to imagine a world without the internet, so integral has it become to our daily lives.

It drives industries, shapes technological and scientific innovation, keeps us informed and entertained.

It’s a critical tool for companies of all sizes, for buying, selling, marketing themselves, collaborating with peers and reaching new markets.

Latest research from BT Business and British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), therefore, comes as no surprise. It highlights that two thirds of businesses believe their companies could not survive more than a day or two without an internet connection.

Sixty per cent of those surveyed are using cloud-based applications and almost half have staff working away from the office at least once a week.

Brendan Dick, Director of BT Scotland, says an infrastructure that offers speed and flexibility is vital for Scotland’s prosperity.

He said:“Communication is critical for our future.

If you look at key industries, many are entirely dependent on technology for using and moving data. Having access to big data and information is also critical to the further development of sectors such as oil and gas.

“A solid infrastructure makes distance less of an issue and puts Scottish businesses on a level playing field with the competition.

Many cloud hosting providers offer a number of flexible options when it comes to data storage and access.There’s bound to be a model that suits your business’ requirements.

About Onyx Group Onyx is one of the UK’s leading providers of IT infrastructure and support services.They provide cloud services to businesses of all sizes, across a number of industries.Their many clients have benefited from accessing key applications and storing their data in one of Onyx’s five UK data centres. Onyx offer cloud hosting, cloud backup, and colocation services, as well as IT support, network security, and managed hosting services.

“BT has been investing a lot of money in our digital capabilities as a nation. More than 1.2 million Scottish premises now have access to our fibre network, but we’re also delivering fast, business class services over Ethernet in many parts of the country.

“Ethernet based services offer high speed and service guarantees to bandwidth-hungry businesses that can’t afford to be off-line, at a fraction of the cost of similar services previously offered over private circuits.”

But he is also keen to point out that digital innovation is not just about business. All organisations can benefit.

In a Glasgow housing block, for example, 138 homes have been able to connect to high speed digital wi-fi thanks to a ground-breaking collaboration between BT, Glasgow Housing Association and the Scottish Government.

As part of the trial, wi-fi points were installed throughout the building, linked back into the main BT network via a single fibre cable.

Tenants can draw on the internet services that most people take for granted – online shopping, discounts, jobs, training, social networking and entertainment.

The system developed by BT in Glasgow is simple, scalable and cost effective.

Brendan said:“As well as providing potentially life-changing facilities for tenants, housing associations offering digital connectivity can bring about improved efficiencies.Tenants and housing officers can link to internal systems to report and manage faults, pay and process bills, download information and so on…

“Furthermore, once the technology is in place, the system can be used to access external services which meet social, educational and welfare needs.”

Elsewhere in Scotland, there is a growing focus on exploiting high-speed internet technologies for services such as telecare and tele-health.

Brendan says that the evidence is clear that connectivity is central to local economic development, so driving demand for digital services is essential.

He said:“Scotland’s vision is not just about delivering world class infrastructure; it is also about ensuring that people have the confidence and skills to get online and reap the benefits of the digital age.

“You can have the best infrastructure in the world, but people must learn to make it work in the best way for them.”

Analogue law in a digital world “Laws designed more than three centuries ago with the express purpose of creating economic incentives for innovation by protecting creators’ rights are today obstructing innovation and economic growth”, concluded the Hargreaves Review in 2011.

The law is evolving, but it will always be playing catch up with technology.This creates a challenging legal framework for digital businesses. Digital business can be relatively quick and easy to set up, but there are some key legal issues that should not be overlooked.

Your Brand The internet allows any size of business to promote their brand on a worldwide scale with relative ease and so your brand can become very valuable asset. It is therefore important to adopt a brand protection strategy early on. Ideally your strategy should start when you are considering what brand or brands to use. It is advisable to carry out basic online searches to check that your brand is not already being used by a third party. In addition, you can carry out trade mark searches on the UK Intellectual Property Office Website to ascertain if any third parties have a registered right to use your proposed brand.

Domain name registrations and registering a company at Companies House can assist in protecting your brand, however, the best form of protection is trade mark registration. It is not essential to register a trade mark, however, trade mark registration makes it much easier to take legal action against anyone who uses your mark without your permission.

E- commerce Selling goods and services online is heavily regulated, especially if you are selling to individuals rather than businesses. On 13 June 2014, the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 came into force, aimed at providing further protection to consumers.

Changes introduced by the Regulations include an extension of the consumer’s cooling-off period from 7 to 14 days, which allows a consumer to cancel a contract concluded online during that time. For further information on the changes and how they might affect you see the guidance produced by the Department for Business Innovation & Skills https://www.gov.uk/government/ uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/ file/310044/bis-13-1368-consumer-contractsinformation-cancellation-and-additionalpayments-regulations-guidance.pdf.

Data Protection If your business processes (this includes sorting and storing) any personal data you must comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 and register with the UK Information Commissioner (ICO).You must also make sure you have the necessary Privacy and Cookies policies in place. Guidance on compliance can be found on the Information Commissioner’s Website http://ico.org.uk/ for_organisations/data_protection.

For more information, please contact Shona Tennant on 0131 270 7812 or email shona.tennant@andersonstrathern.co.uk

Websites and Software If you are engaging a web developer or software developer to create your website of any software for you, it is very important to have a contract in place. A common assumption is that you own what you pay for, but unfortunately it is not always so simple when it comes to intellectual property.

Ownership of intellectual property rights in the coding and/or content created by the developer will continue to be owned by the developer unless you have a signed contract in place which states the contrary.

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InspiringCity Empowering Edinburgh in the Digital Age

By Councillor Frank Ross,

Digital Economy Champion for the City of Edinburgh Council and Convener of the Economy Committee

Creating an Empowered Edinburgh in the digital era is a major focus for City of Edinburgh Council as we seek to ensure our citizens, businesses, and visitors can maximise the city’s potential through the use of information and communications technology.

The digital economy and digital connectivity is a key part to achieving current and future goals.

Our strategy was developed through wideranging consultation and engagement, and has been developed to align with the wider strategies and aspirations of the Council, and also to be aligned with the Scottish Government’s Digital Future Strategy, and their four themes – connectivity, digital economy, digital public services and digital participation.

What does that mean in practice? Well, for example our Connected Capital programme supports digital inclusion with cheaper connectivity across the city and our business voucher scheme helps businesses have faster broadband; meanwhile our relaunched responsive website and transactions programme will improve access to our services and our Get Online programme aims to help citizens who need support with the web.

Since our strategy was agreed and launched at the end of last year, much work has taken place and we have no intention of allowing that fast pace to slacken.

Our new website is much more responsive, and allows our customers – the people of Edinburgh – to access many more services online and to complete their business quickly and easily, whether it is requesting a recycling bin or complaining about a damaged pavement.

The Council open data strategy was agreed in June 2014 with the year one roadmap including identifying a solution for hosting data the Council will share and putting in place appropriate standards and quality assurance to support this.This is designed to increase accountability efficiency, responsibility and encourage economic growth.

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We are not resting on our laurels.We continue to plan for the future, looking at how technology will develop and how we can make the most of these developments.We are forging productive partnerships, such as with Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce.

The Connected Capital programme and Connection Voucher Scheme forms part of Edinburgh’s bid as part of the UK government’s £150million Super-Connected Cities Programme running to March 2015.

This programme will ensure Edinburgh stays at the leading edge of digital connectivity and will provide great opportunities to deliver new and enhanced visitor experiences.

The first Connected Capital project is a voucher scheme for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) to upgrade internet connection speeds.The SME Voucher scheme can enable thousands of SMEs in Edinburgh to benefit from a connection to superfast broadband via a voucher scheme which can cover the installation costs of connecting to superfast services up to the value of £3,000 until the end of March next year. Edinburgh has been named as one of UK’s leading “creative hotspots”. Edinburgh is a start-up location/tech hub highlighted by Tech Britain as the UK’s third largest. Responding to a request for more flexible workspace, we have opened and supported new business incubators in the city – including the Entrepreneurial Spark hatchery in Edinburgh Park, and the Creative Exchange hub in Leith.

The Creative Exchange hub acts as a platform to showcase the city’s creative products, services and talent with the potential of ultra-fast broadband and digital technology.Taking this concept further, the Council is now supporting the Interspace programme, which links incubators together.

In terms of our public transport, installation of wireless connectivity on the trams and Lothian Buses is underway, and we expect trams and buses to be completed by the end of October.

A fund for installation of public wifi hot spots has now been approved by BDUK with consultation responses received from a number of public buildings in the city including National Museum, National Galleries,The Botanic Gardens,The Castle, the Fringe, Edinburgh Leisure and a number of the Council’s Museums and Galleries.We are now working with interested parties to take forward their applications.

Innovation is key to maximising the potential of digital technology and the Council is committed to encouraging IT innovation both within the Council and the wider city.

The winners of the first EdinburghApps civic challenge event last year have now all received business and marketing mentoring sessions with business leaders. (http://edinburghapps. net/) Further development is underway with several of the winning products: n Trashman, (an app that incentivises users for recycling) is in development with Waste Services and will be rolled out in September 2014 n Health and Social Care (H&SC) are delivering a product with a local company on reducing time delay on equipment store deliveries.The new routing product uses an innovative approach makes delivery times up to 5 times faster. n NeateBox (a pedestrian crossing app for people with disabilities) is receiving business plan support and pilots are underway with Transport.

In addition, a number of ideas are being developed with partners to produce innovative solutions for our services, following the EdinburghApps model.

As the City’s Digital Economy Champion, I am passionate about harnessing the economic benefits of better connectivity, namely attracting investment and enabling sustainable economic growth.

Frank Ross

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Asktheexpert Video Conferencing Managed Services

By Marc Treadwell Heath, Managing Director, d3av Audio Visual Technologies

Marc Treadwel

Every video capable device requires a way to be able to talk to other devices.Video conferencing managed services are the enabler that allows your device to connect to other devices.

Why video conferencing?

Video conferencing allows you to communicate face to face, securely, in high definition, wherever you are, making your company agile, mobile, collaborative and productive.

In view of recent legislation with regard to the right for an employee to ask for flexible working hours, it makes sense for some to be able to communicate in such a way, saving time and money without losing productivity.

Build closer relationships More face to face contact is a means of building closer business and consumer relationships.

Using video is the best approach to improve communications both inside and outside your organisation.

Boost profitability & teamwork With collaborative video communications, things happen faster, reducing time to market and maximising every meeting.

The internal benefits of video conferencing enhance performance and competitiveness and allow companies to adapt quickly to change.

Improve that work / life balance The flexibility to work from home, remotely, or on the move means greater wellbeing and a happier, more productive workforce, improving your ability to retain and attract new generations of workers who are used to collaborative technologies.

Drive business growth Using video minimises the need for local and international travel, saving both time and money, reducing your carbon footprint.

What you get Whether you need to attend a monthly meeting, or want an impromptu discussion

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Interoperability

video calls through our network in real-time, helping you get the most from your video investments and helping us ensure you enjoy constant high definition video quality.

With our video conferencing managed services we can connect you to anyone, inside or outside of your business, as long as they are using a standards based video device (that’s almost all of them).

If there are any unexpected call quality problems, we’ll know straight away, and we’ll work with you to resolve any issues, delivering the highest standard of customer support possible.

On Demand

Document Sharing, HD Quality – 24-7, 365 days a year

with a client – virtual meeting rooms are there at the click of a button.

One of the most important aspects of communicating is the spontaneous nature of it. That’s why we don’t require you to book you calls – just click and go.

Real-time Activity Reporting We monitor the quality and quantity of

The ability to share documents on screen is a must-have for effective collaboration.Your business might have the highest quality video equipment, but without the proper means to connect your device, you will be stuck with a less than perfect solution.

PartnersinEnterprise ‘Major milestone’ hit as Edinburgh Airport breaks the 10 million passenger barrier Edinburgh Airport is the first Scottish airport to handle over 10 million passengers in a year. Passenger figures for June 2014, the airport’s busiest June on record, show that its moving annual total broke the 10 million mark with 10,032,288 passengers using Edinburgh in the year June 2013 to 2014.

It is seen as a major milestone in the airport’s move towards securing 10 million passengers in a calendar year, a target that it expects to hit in 2015.

Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport, said: “Hitting 10 million passengers in our moving annual total is fantastic news. It’s a real milestone which shows that our strategy of giving our passengers choice and great service is working.

“We’re now focussed on targeting 10 million passengers in a calendar year. Our forecasts suggest it’ll be close this year but more realistically 2015. We’ll be working very hard to achieve that target.

“It’s been a real team effort and we are extremely lucky to have the backing of a range of private and public partners across Edinburgh and Scotland. We could not have achieved this result without them.

“Any growth in this climate is difficult but it is even more special given the backdrop of the highest aviation taxes in Europe.”

Edinburgh Airport has seen a raft of new route launches in 2014 including new flights

to Chicago, Doha and Philadelphia which continue to drive passenger growth.

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The Alexander Graham Bell Centre @Moray College UHI

‘SCALE UP, SCALE OUT, SCALE IN’ The Alexander Graham Bell Centre located in the heart of Elgin just 2 minutes walk from Elgin Train station brings to the heart of Moray a principal research, education and continuing professional development (CPD) facility for the Life Sciences Sector in the North East Of Scotland. The centre, a shared facility with Moray College UHI and NHS Grampian also provides the opportunity to bring together, research and development, academia and industry under one roof.

There are many facilities on offer within the Alexander Graham Bell Centre including: • Competitively priced research and commercialisation rooms aimed at companies working in the field of life sciences perfect for companies of growth or start ups.

• State of the Art conference facilities able to accommodate up to 200 delegates with special bespoke catering packages available on request.

• Smaller breakout rooms , lecture theatre and video conferencing facilities.

For enquiries and more information about this fantastic facility please contact: Hilda Puskas, Moray College UHI on (01343) 576475 or accommodation.moray@uhi.ac.uk www.moray.uhi.ac.uk/business-and-community/the-alexander-graham-bell-centre-moray-life-science-centre

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT FEATURE

Learning revolution offers businesses a glimpse of an exciting future There’s a revolution taking place in the way that we prepare our young people for the world of work.

Never before have so many organisations been so heavily involved in ensuring that the young people who emerge from schools, colleges and universities possess the knowledge and the skills required by businesses.

Increasingly, educational establishments are working with public sector organisations and businesses to give young people valuable insights into the world of work long before they secure jobs, through everything from school pupils on work experience to graduates spending time on placements.

Spending time in the workplace is seen as vital to prepare our young people for

jobs, emphasising the point that academic achievement remains important but is not the be-all-and-end-all, that qualities like attitude and commitment are important to employers as well.

Increasing numbers of people are being given opportunities through the Apprenticeships programme, which offers those taking part both experience of working and the chance to learn new skills.

Thousands of businesses around the UK, not just big corporate concerns but many smaller companies as well, are supporting the initiative. Indeed; 47% of the UK employers currently creating Apprenticeships are small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

As a result, Apprenticeships are increasing at a record rate and many of the employers that take them on report benefits ranging from the ability to grow and develop their own talents

to the capacity to foster loyalty among staff.

It’s not just young people starting out on the career ladder that are finding new opportunities opening up for them.

Never has the need for continuing education been more apparent for business. With the economy having undergone such dramatic changes in recent years, the necessity to train staff in order to help make them better employees is seen as absolutely crucial.

Through the likes of colleges, business schools, universities and online learning providers, companies are finding that well-trained staff are not only able to better support their employers but, in many cases, identify new commercial opportunities and develop the kind of leadership skills required to take businesses into the future.

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Vocational Awards – building strength for Scotland’s future

SQA is Scotland’s internationally recognised accreditation and awarding body, trusted to design, develop, quality-assure and manage our national qualifications system.

SQA works in partnership with businesses of all sizes to develop robust and relevant qualifications covering dozens of sectors and industries. Our qualifications offer something for everyone, from recognising the achievements of new-starts right through to the professional development of senior management.

Developing workplace skills

Good for employers, good for individuals

SQA is ambitious for Scotland — a well-trained and qualified workforce is essential for a successful economy.

Alasdair MacRae, Head of Business Development at the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), explains:

We offer a range of expert services dedicated to delivering business benefits and measurable achievement. Our qualifications are designed to give you a competitive advantage by enhancing your workforce, no matter the size of your organisation or the nature of your business.

“Any business is only as good as it’s people. If staff are trained and qualified then they tend to be motivated and more productive. Many employers notice benefits, including improved bottom-line performance almost as soon as their people start working towards a qualification.”

Recognising Scotland’s Skills The global skills challenge is an increasingly important issue for all nations, but Scotland has recognised that success is not simply about developing a highly educated workforce.

Designed for success

Sustainable growth needs individuals to keep learning throughout their lives. SQA qualifications validate learning and help employers recognise standards of achievement, but they also help develop important skills for learning, life and work.

1. SVQ level 2 is an occupational qualification that forms the core of every Modern Apprenticeship — it can be tailored to individual or industry requirements

Learners can improve their literacy, numeracy, employability, entrepreneurship and critical thinking skills at every level of achievement. They develop the confidence to adapt successfully to change throughout their career.

Modern Apprenticeships Modern Apprenticeships offer anyone over the the age of 16 the chance to train for a job while being paid, without having to enter full-time education.

All Modern Apprenticeships are developed with the industries they are relevant to. The range stretches across key industries including Business and Administration, Energy, Marine, Retail, Hospitality and Healthcare.

Although each Modern Apprenticeship is specific to a particular industry or sector, they all comprise of three elements:

2. Core Skills including Communication, Working With Others, Numeracy, Information Technology, Problem Solving 3. Additional components that are sector specific may be required — including SVQs or Higher National Certificates and Diplomas.

Modern Apprentices are employed from the beginning of their training, developing expertise and knowledge through on-the-job assessment, as well as building vital skills such as teamwork and problem solving. Many Modern Apprentices also attend college or training courses for additional study.

For more information visit www.sqa.org.uk/modernapprenticeships

The programme is supported by the Scottish Government, Skills Development Scotland, CBI Scotland, the STUC, the Scottish Training Federation and a wide range of employers.

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

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT FEATURE

Celebrating 10 years of utility apprenticeships Industry leaders set sights on building sustainable, multi-skilled workforce Linlithgow based Develop Training Ltd is celebrating 10 years of delivering its successful Gas Networks Apprenticeship Programme in 2014. By helping to create a sustainable multi-skilled workforce of the future, the programme has trained over 2000 gas network trainees to date from across the UK, for leading companies including National Grid.

The utilities industry is set to recruit over 200,000 utility staff to replace a workforce that will retire by 2023*.The Employer Ownership of Skills (EOS) pilot scheme which was officially launched on 9th June 2014, has received Government investment of £33million to create 70,000* learning opportunities; to help secure the future workforce for the UK’s energy and utilities industry.

Develop Training, www.developtraining. co.uk the UK’s leading independent technical training provider, based on Mill Road, work with a number of utilities companies such as Scotia Gas Networks, Northern Gas Networks, Balfour Beatty and National Grid, to attract people towards a career in utility engineering.

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John Kerr, Business Director, Utilities Division at Develop Training said:“We are delighted to celebrate our 10th year of providing utility apprenticeships and we are proud of our record of achieving 95% retention and achievement rates for our delegates.

Develop Training has provided utility apprenticeships for 10 years working with a range of national clients, having trained both gas and water engineers who have attended over 140,000 training days nationwide since 2004.

“The Employer Ownership of Skills scheme is a great opportunity for employers to plan and implement bespoke training programmes for both apprentices and other staff.This will give the utilities sector renewed optimism and a much need boost to secure the future of the utilities workforce.”

Top Utility Apprenticeship Facts:

Glynn Barber,Technical Academy Manager at National Grid said:“Apprenticeships are a key means of delivering a skilled, dynamic workforce and giving young people futures and careers they can be proud of. More than this however, apprenticeships help us develop the skills needed to operate our vital national assets to the highest standards. Develop Training has been a key partner in helping us develop and deliver our incredibly successful training and apprenticeship programmes.”

John Kerr at Develop Training concluded:“Our sights at Develop Training are firmly set on the next decade helping the utility industry to plug the projected 50%* gap in head count and create a sustainable, multi-skilled workforce of the future.”

n 10 years of high achieving utility apprenticeships ran by Develop Training Ltd n 2000 utility apprenticeships ran by Develop Training Ltd since 2004, attending: n 150,000 training days across the UK n 95% retention and 95% achievement rates are delivered by Develop Training Ltd n 200,000* replacement utility workforce required by 2023, this means: n 50%* of the current utility workforce will need to be replaced n £33million* Government investment in EOS pilot scheme n 70,000* learning opportunities are expected to be delivered by the EOS pilot scheme

LOOKING FOR STAFF? Barnardo’s Works is an employability programme from Barnardo’s Scotland that supports unemployed young people aged 16 – 24 year old into sustainable employment. We offer an unpaid placement period before the young person moves into employment. We are currently looking for organisations who have entry level positions and would like to work with us.

How does a placement work?

• You let us know what type of person you are looking for and for what job • The Barnardo’s Works team will match your requirements to current participants • We will set up an introductory meeting with you and the young person • You sign a placement agreement and we take care of the other paperwork • We’ll keep in contact throughout the placement to make sure everything is going well and offer support if required.

Benefits for your company: • Access to a previously untapped resource of young people • An opportunity to assess a potential employee over several weeks • Excellent publicity opportunities for your company • Opportunity to develop the mentoring skills of your own staff • An ideal way to demonstrate your organisation’s commitment to the community and corporate social responsibility • Employment recruitment incentives up to £3,200

Help a Young Person into work – your work!

If you have a placement or employment opportunity please call Asima Hussain or Sandra Darling on 0131 556 4583 or email asima.hussain@barnardos.org.uk or sandra.darling@barnardos.org.uk

Follow us on Twitter @BarnardosWorksE

Want practical advice for your business?

Business Gateway know how valuable the right advice can be to the success of a business.

Call 0131 529 6644 to book your free appointment and get advice on: • Sales • Marketing • Sources of finance • HR issues

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Business planning Cash flows Exporting E-commerce

Find out how else we can help your business at www.bgateway.com/edinburgh 0131 529 6644 bglothian@bgateway.com www.bgateway.com/edinburgh

Business Gateway services are delivered by Local Authorities, Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Government with the support of associated partner organisations. Maximum call charge from BT landline is 3p a minute.

PART TIME TRAINING

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Personal Licence Holder REFRESHER Course N£O8VA5T

• Half day course • Dates throughout the year (including July & August)

Other courses available:

Food Hygiene (all levels), Health & Safety (IOSH/ REHIS/NEBOSH), Licensing, Security/Door Supervision.

For more information go to www.cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk/licensing

PART TIME COURSES COMMENCING AUTUMN 2014 CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT • CIOB Chartered Membership Programme FIRST AID • Emergency First Aid at Work • First Aid at Work FOOD SAFETY • REHIS Diploma in Advanced Food Hygiene HEALTH & SAFETY • IOSH Managing Safely • NEBOSH National General Certificate • Evening • Twilight • Intensive

SOCIAL CARE • PDA Health & Social Care Supervision • PDA Commissioning, Procurement & Contracting for Care Services LEGAL • PDA Paralegal (Combined) ACCOUNTING • AAT Level 6 and Level 8 Diploma MARKETING - NEW FOR 2014 • CIM Certificate in Professional Marketing • CIM Diploma in Professional Marketing • CIM Professional Post Grad.

Diploma in Marketing

PERSONNEL AND DEVELOPMENT • CIEH Level 3 Award in Training Skills and Practice • CIPD Certificate in Learning and Development Practice • CIPD Foundation Level Certificate in HR Practice • CMI Level 3 Management Qualifications • CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Qualifications PROCUREMENT • CIPS Level 4 Foundation Diploma • CIPS Level 5 Advanced Diploma • CIPS Level 6 Graduate Diploma • SVQ Level 3 Supply Chain Management • SVQ Level 4 Supply Chain Management*

For more information and to book online go to www.cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk/mycpd or contact commercial@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk tel: 0141 566 6220 * As of April 30th 2014, completion of SVQ4 no longer leads to registration for MCIPS

Scottish Charity No SC036198

ADVERTORIAL

The personal licence timebomb This is a critical time for the hospitality and licensed trades in Scotland. The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, which regulates licensing and licensed premises across the country, requires anyone who holds a personal licence to undergo a refresher training course within five years of the grant of their licence.

These laws came into force in 2009, which means a large number of people now facing this deadline.

The difficulty is that the special training course was only designed and signed off by the Scottish Government last summer. Many personal licence holders simply do not know that they will lose their licence if they do not sit and pass this training course.

If you hold a licence issued on or before 1 September 2009, then you must pass the refresher course no later than 31 August 2014.

You must then produce the updated training certificate to the licensing board that issued your licence by no later than 30 November 2014. If you fail to pass the course by 31 August, your licence is revoked. If you fail to get the certificate to the licensing board by 30 November, your licence is revoked. There is no appeal, no give or take, and no exemptions or extenuating circumstances.

It is estimated that up to 40,000 people need to adhere to these requirements. But, uptake is extremely low, with some areas reporting that 80% of people have still to provide the updated certificate. This is a ticking timebomb.

Courses have been available through providers, such as BIIAB, since August 2013.

But space will be pushed as a last minute rush is expected. The message is clear. If you hold a personal licence, take action, or lose your licence.

If you do not comply, your personal licence will be revoked. This means you cannot be a premises manager, cannot train or authorise staff and cannot apply for occasional licence.

If you are a premises manager, your premises would have to stop selling drink until a new manager was named. Worse, the revocation means you cannot re-apply for a new licence for five years. It is expected that Police Scotland are already considering resources to close premises affected by this. If you know anyone who works in the licensed trade tell them to take steps immediately or they risk loosing their licence and their livelihood.

on this area of law. He is the Chairman of BII Scotland and sits on various licensing bodies including the Law Society of Scotland, Institute of Licensing.

For more information please contact Stephen McGowan, on 0141 353 7773 or email stephen.mcgowan@TLTsolicitors.com.

Visit www.TLTsolicitors.com.

Stephen represents operators all over the country and is the author of several books

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Corporate foreign language Inlingua has been offering foreign language courses since 2005 throughout the year for employers and employees who need to improve their language skills in: Arabic, French ,German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish

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“Bored of the same old meeting room? Exciting location needed to reenergise your corporate events? Excellent prices required? Members of Edinburgh Chamber are being urged to check out summer savings at the Fraser Suites.

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For further information about prices, terms and conditions, please contact reception at info@inlingua-edinburgh.co.uk, Tel 0131 220 5119

The course native speakers are qualified and experienced inlingua teachers who offer classes tailored to different needs; whether it is dealing with tradespeople or just wanting to be comfortable in day to day transactions with colleagues and clients from abroad.

Conversational group courses take place once a week at the firm’s premises in the West End and the focus is on speaking. Private or duo lessons are flexible in time and date with option of in-house training.

Local Tour Operator on the Way to Green Glory Denise Strohsahl, owner of marketing consultancy sandstonecastles, is delighted to announce that her client, Edinburgh-based tour operator Wind & Cloud Travel Ltd, has won a Green Apple Environment Award and has been shortlisted for the prestigious Goldstar Award 2014 from the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS).

Commenting on this news Denise said: “Awards are a great way to raise a company’s profile and attract more customers, hence the decision to start an extensive award campaign for the green tour operator. I’m thrilled to see that our efforts resulted in such a great outcome.”

Wind & Cloud Travel offers German speaking visitors to Scotland an alternative to mass market tourism. Their goal is to promote sustainable tourism by keeping the

impact on the environment as low as possible as well as supporting local businesses and communities in the Highlands and Islands.

Both awards focus on rewarding sustainable business practices like theirs: GTBS is the world’s leading sustainable tourism accreditation programme and the Green Apple Awards are one of the major environmental recognition schemes, both in the UK and internationally.

The green tour operator brought Denise on board to help them improve their existing marketing and consult on new ways to grow the business. Managing Director Katja Wündrich comments: “We are still a bit overwhelmed by the response but it is great to receive recognition and acknowledgement for our very own brand of green tourism.”

Training

User Experience Matters in the Age of the Customer User experience encompasses all of the elements and points of interaction that (consciously or unconsciously) influence how a person perceives a company, its services and its products. It includes everything they see, hear and do as well as their emotional reactions.

Facebook’s recent $1 billion acquisition of Instagram is clear evidence that the value of user experience as a corporate asset is no longer in question. After all, Facebook didn’t buy Instagram for its technology. They bought Instagram because it provides the best photosharing experience on the Web. Think about that for a second. A company that’s under 4 years old secured a $1 billion valuation based on the customer experience it provides. So this acquisition was about more than technology.

As Forrester Research recently highlighted, the age of the customer, is a 20 year business cycle in which the most successful companies will reinvent themselves to systematically understand and serve increasingly powerful customers. Google probably understands this more than most.What’s more they have

the insights and resources do this without blinking. But what about the rest of us?

Well what is becoming increasing clear is that the days of the funnel, when companies could lure customers with big promises and push them through a set of steps that would end in a purchase are over. Today’s customers are highly empowered, hyperactive and incredibly distracted by all of the options available to them. What’s more today’s customers, know what good service is and demand it from each interaction they have, irrespective of the channel they’re using.

How to engineer success in the age of the customer?

1. Understand who your customers are what they are trying to do

2. Integrate the channels and ensure you provide a consistent quality if experience across the touch-points you maintain 3. Invest in continuous improvement to keep up with rapid advances in technology and ever-changing consumer behaviour.

François Roshdy is founder & director of Border Crossing Media. They specialize in user experience design and web development, helping companies design digital products and services for people.

For upcoming training courses please see overleaf.

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GetwithIT

By Bill Magee

Scottish Business Technology Writer of the Year

Small to medium-sized businesses are being urged to embrace online opportunities to grab extra vital sales in a postrecessionary but still uncertain marketplace.

Forthcoming training courses at Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, Business Centre, 2nd Floor, 40 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2LE include: Friday 15 August 2014 9.30am-12.30pm How to Create a Social Media Strategy & Content Plan Tuesday 19 August 2014 9.30am-4.30pm Transformational Business Leadership Are you a business with aspirations to achieve accelerated growth and become market leaders?

Due to popular demand and In association with the City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce is delighted to announce, a further ‘Transformational Business Leadership’ programme for 2014 which started in June.

Second workshops are available for booking.

Wednesday 20 August 2014 9.30am-4.30pm Negotiating: How to Negotiate and Achieve the Right Deal for You and Your Customers Thursday 21 August 2014 9.30am-4.30pm Networking: How to Build Great Business Relationships and Enjoy Meeting Strangers Friday 22 August 2014 9.30am-12.30pm Twitter and Blogging for Business Wednesday 27 August 2014 9.30am-4.30pm Sales Skills: How to Enjoy and Get Great Results When Selling Face-to-Face or by Telephone Thursday 28 August 2014 9.30am-4.30pm How to Write Compelling Web Content Friday 29 August 2014 9.30am-12.30pm Google + & Facebook for Business Monday 01 September 2014 9.30am-4.30pm How to Improve your Website & Grow your business through it

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Tuesday 02 September 2014 09.30am-12.30pm Google Analytics Thursday 04 September 2014 09.30am-12.30pm Growing your Business Visibility on Google An Introduction to SEO & Google Adwords Friday 05 September 2014 9.30am-12.30pm LinkedIn for Business Development Wednesday 10 September 2014 9.30am-4.30pm Leadership: How to Lead, Manage and Coach Your People to Success Friday 12 September 2014 9.30am - 12.30pm Planning e-Commerce: Successfully investing in on-line business Wednesday 17 September 2014 9.30am - 4.30pm Smarter Decisions - Better Results - The Art of Critical Decision Making Wednesday 17 September 2014 09.30am-4.30pm Winning Presentations: How to Speak in Public with Power, Passion and Confidence Thursday 18 September 2014 9.30am-4.30pm Time Management: How to Get More Done in Less Time Friday 19 September 2014 09.30am - 12.30pm Building e-Commerce: Developing your on-line shop

A PriceWaterHouseCoopers/JDA survey has pinpointed retail as lacking in an internet presence, but it is equally presciant across all sectors.

Chris Holme, who runs historycompany.co.uk, said:“Traditionally, merchants and traders have concentrated on day-to-day footfall tallies ie how many potential buyers cross over their threshold, to make commercial ends meet.

“This has all changed with the internet where it is absolutely crucial that an ambitious enterprise must create a strong web presence in order to gain extra revenues.”

The survey specifically warns that traditional high street retailers are still failing to recognise the importance of improving their websites and offering better offline shopping.

A mere 1-in-4 retail chiefs believe that moving to a more multi-channel business will improve sales - one where their customers can switch between shopping online and in-store using click-andconnect services and easier home deliveries.

If this wasn’t bad enough, the Scottish Business Resilience Centre reports that almost half of small firms have no formal information security policy.

So even if one attempts to combine its “high street” offering with an internet choice on the sales front: the customer will have little in the way of guarantees that their credit card and other personal details will be safe.

Monday 22 September 2014 9.30am-4.30pm Tendering for Success

It’s clear that companies need to be more business savvy on the sales and security fronts, in what is a rapidly evolving and complex mobile world.

Wednesday 24 September 2014 9.30am-4.30pm Process Mapping: How to Create Process Maps and Improve Your Business Processes

It’s the wise enterprise that recognises: OK, I may not be totally convinced by this online hard sell, but I have noticed my competitors HAVE embraced the internet.

Friday 26 September 2014 09.30am - 12.30pm Managing e-Commerce: Controlling and growing your on-line business Tuesday 30 September 2014 09.30am - 4.30pm Digital Marketing

And they’re gaining new revenues that should be coming my way!

It’s worth thinking about.. * Catch Bill’s Daily TechPost (most days!) and on Twitter #billamagee

Inthespotlight Company name: Reed and Mackay Who? Graeme Fyvie, Strategic Operations Manager Website: www.reedmac.co.uk

What were you doing between 10 and 12 this morning?

This morning I have completed Reed & Mackay’s Aberdeen Business Plan for the next quarter with particular focus on the training strategy as well as recruiting a new member of staff to join our rapidly growing team.

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

The biggest challenge is finding the correct calibre of staff in order to deliver the high quality service that is synonymous with the Reed & Mackay brand.

What do you consider your biggest business triumph?

My biggest business triumph to date is moving over to Reed & Mackay to head up the start up operation of the Aberdeen office. It’s been a great success; we’ve quadrupled in just 13 months.

Do you have and money-saving business tips?

Plan business travel in advance to allow you to take advantage of the significant saving opportunities available in the market; that and using an experienced travel consultant in order to monopolise creative pricing.

Where do you stand on work/life balance?

I have a very good work life balance as my partner works offshore on rotation, allowing me the ability to plan my work and events during the two weeks away.

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

Take time to listen and learn from people around you.

Who is your hero?

My grandfather

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

Singer

What do you like to do on your spare time?

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

I enjoy spending time with my friends in addition to good food and good wine which go hand in hand. During the early part of the year I decided to train in preparation for my first 10k run which I’m delighted to say I managed to complete in less than one hour.

Andy Hibbert, Tracy Baumfield, Alan Carr, Paul Hollywood, Ellie Goulding.

What qualities do you need to see in your employees?

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

My family

Forward thinking, articulate individuals with good business knowledge combined with life experience and can do attitude.

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

Through success and integrity comes respect.

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60seconds Name: Paul O’Regan Company Name: Word of Mouth Communication Website: www.wordofmouth.co.uk Q In five words or less, what do you do?

A Help businesses communicate (words/ graphics)

Q How long have you been a Chamber member?

A Since 2009.

Q Why did you join?

A For the events – but I soon learned that there’s much more to the Chamber than that.

Q What services do you use?

A Still primarily the events, although we’ve also used members’ contact details to run targeted campaigns.

Q What’s the best business/benefit you have

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

A We’re thinking about using the mentoring service, we keep an eye out for any special offers – particularly from restaurants!

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

A The fee is good value, and the Chamber staff will help you get the most out of your membership.

Q Where do you read your copy of Business Comment?

A In the office on a Friday afternoon (with great interest, as we specialise in magazines ourselves).

won through the Chamber?

A I love learning new things, so I particularly enjoy the events with a factual or educational element (the Budget Breakfasts, for example, or the recent whisky tasting).

EdinburghChambercelebratessuccess!

Edinburgh Chamber’s Steven Murray celebrated an award at a ceremony in Edinburgh.

Steven attended the Graduation Ceremony for Apprentices of Limelight Careers at their premises in Leith.

He achieved his Modern Apprenticeship in Business Administration Level 3 having worked towards it for just over a year.

Steven expressed his gratitude to Limelight Careers for their support and in particular his colleagues in the Membership Team at Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce.

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Design • Branding • Marketing • Web Unit 6b, Floor B, Milburn House, Dean Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1LE Tel: Nick on 0845 8842337 or Iain on 0845 8842334

Gettingstarted Name: Alan Smith Business Name: Action Coach Website: www.actioncoach.com/alansmith Tel: 07972 310 997 Email: alansmith@actioncoach.com Q1: Tell us a bit about your business?

I am a franchise partner and certified Business Coach with Action Coach - the world’s No.1 business coaching firm. I help SME owners transform their business into a “commercial, profitable enterprise…..that works…..without them”.

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

The reason Action Coach business coaching is so successful is that before we start to implement any strategies, we ensure that the business goals are aligned to the owner’s personal goals. And, we don’t just leave owners to implement a solution…..through weekly coaching sessions we ensure that actions get done.

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

I love business and I have huge respect for any business owner who has made the brave decision to do it for themselves. I’m proud

Alan Smith

that I too have had the courage and now I want to create a coaching firm that helps companies in Edinburgh realise their potential.

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

I’ve always said that your mindset is the most important factor in determining your success.

I’m now doing what I love doing and I’m excited by what the future holds.

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

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

After almost 19 years in business I have a 100% staff retention rate.….and that’s not through being soft, it’s because I’ve connected well with the people and helped get the most out of them.

Through working with my clients I want to be able to say that I have helped create hundreds of jobs in the Edinburgh area. How good would that be!!!!

Q6: What has been your lowest moment?

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

I’m generally pretty upbeat but I recognise that when confidence is low, performance suffers. My job for myself, and for my clients, is to ensure confidence remains high!

It comes down to two simple truths: (1) what you sell must help people and (2) play to your strengths.

New members Arcata Limited

Market Prepare

Barbara Lamb

MHScot Consultancy & Training

Basil Paterson

Mulekick Media

Bupa

Nuovi Media LTD

Chase De Vere

Qatar Airways

Crown Estate, The

Revolution Edinburgh

D3 Audio & Visual Technologies

Ryder Cup Europe Official Hospitality 2014 Limited

DLA Piper

Saltire Taverns Ltd (Le Monde)

Eurogate Logistics Ltd

Serve & Volley Ltd

Ian Gibson True Potential

Valentine Smith

Investors In People Scotland

Wesleyan Bank

Lockheed Martin

Yesss Electrical

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Inspiringconnections

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From Dining To Devolution The wide range of Chamber events has been graphically illustrated over a busy summer for the Events Team – ranging from examining the key issues facing Scottish businesses in the Independence Referendum through to a highly sociable Gin Tasting.

In addition, a new member of the team has been recruited in Events and Marketing Executive Genevieve McAreavey.

Even though the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce is neutral in the Referendum debate, we are dedicated to providing our members with business relevant information Fergus Ewing MSP and Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism addressed members at the Balmoral Hotel, discussing what tourism would look like in an independent Scotland.

The following week we headed to the Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa for an evening with The Rt. Hon Alistair Carmichael, Secretary of State, who discussed what post referendum devolution might look like in the event of a “no” vote. Both politicians were pressed by Chamber members during the Q&A sessions, ensuring their concerns were addressed.

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Taking a break from politics, we headed to the Voodoo rooms for an intimate night of Cocktail Making with some of the U.K.’s leading bartenders showing off their skills!

All attendees were given the chance to make their favourite drinks while catching up and making new connections.

In July we also heard from Martyn Gray, CEO of Nairns discussing International Trade. Nairns is a real success story on our doorstep and it was great to hear him discuss so openly, how they overcome difficulties when exporting. He gave wonderful insight for other Chamber members wishing to take their businesses abroad.

Our Gin tasting was a huge success, so thank you to all who attended the sell out event.

Angel’s Share were superb hosts with Chicagoborn mixologist Will Kinzelman stealing the show with his knowledge and talent.

The “60 Really Useful Minutes” series is proving to be a real success story with record numbers in attendance for Video and Social Media. Edinburgh based HeeHaw Digital partnered up with global engagement agency Weber Shandwick for one of the most entertaining and informative sessions we have hosted to date.

Chamber members also enjoyed some fabulous dining opportunities, from dinner at La Garrigue with Jean Michael serving up a splendid menu to enjoying pub lunch at Revolution on Chamber Street.

We also hosted our first ever Pub Quiz at Teviot Row House. With over 130 delegates in attendance, it was one of our biggest events to date and a real testament to our members and how they love to network. Well done to winners Santander!

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Looking forward to August we have our Summer Party at the Royal College of Surgeons on the 14th, which at the time of print is heading for a sell out. We are also hosting a Breakfast Connections at the Scotsman Hotel on September 4th with Kath Mainland CBE, CEO of the Fringe Society.

Breakfast Connections is our most high level breakfast networking event.

A save the date for diaries is also a Premier Series Dinner on October 27th with Lady Susan Rice. This is one of our flagship events and we expect to sell out very quickly. It will be hosted at the Balmoral Hotel.

Also, don’t forget that we host coffee mornings in our office every second Thursday between 8-9am.

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Members exercise brain power for the pub quiz

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Alistair Carmichael puts his case to members

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Fergus Ewing speaks to members at the Balmoral

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Secretary of State Alistair Carmichael is flanked by Chamber President Alex MacLeod and Chief Executive David Birrell

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Winning team Santander with Events Manager Sian Downes

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Fergus Ewing speaks to members at the Balmoral

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Mixologist Will Kinzelman was a big hit at the Angel’s Share gin tasting event

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Moversandshakers Iain makes the move WesleyanBankforges aheadwithScottish Partner Support Doug Reilly has joined Utilitywise, appointment Wesleyan Bank has appointed its first Business Development Manager in Scotland, as it moves to grow its commercial finance service north of the border. David Gibb joins the Bank, bringing with him more than 30 years’ experience in the financial services sector. His role will include building strong relationships with customers, brokers and other affinity groups.

Wesleyan Bank is part of Wesleyan, a mutual providing tailored financial advice and services to doctors, dentists, lawyers and teachers.

Married father-of-three, David is based at Rumbling Bridge in Kinross. He has previously worked at Bank of Scotland, HBOS and Dunfermline Building Society.

Business Comment is an Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce publication.

A L L ED I T O R I A L A N D GE NE R A L EN QU I R I ES : Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Tel: 0131 221 2999 email mayan.grace@ edinburghchamber.co.uk Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, Business Centre, 2nd Floor, 40 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2LE www.edinburghchamber.co.uk President: Alex Mcleod Chief Executive: Dave Birrell

EDI T OR

David Forsyth, Tel: 07887 955778 Email: david@benchmarkpr.co.uk

taking up the role of Partner Channel Business Development Manager.

His focus will be to provide local sales and marketing support as part of the British Chambers Energy Solutions programme, working with each Chamber to assist its members develop their Energy Management Strategy.

Doug’s role will involve working with Chamber members to provide energy solutions that will help them understand and address their impact on the growth of their businesses.

Yashin Sarnaik, Partner Channel Director, said “We are delighted to have an experienced professional join the Partner Channel team to help us acquire, nurture and develop the relationships and revenue streams from existing and prospective partners.

Frank Kelly has joined MuleKick Media as Business Development Manager, where he will focus on helping grow new business.

His duties will be to create and deliver client-specific presentations and workshops for a wide variety of businesses, primarily in Edinburgh and the Lothians but across the UK. Frank will also devise and implement innovative marketing strategies to help build the MuleKick brand, along with leading the Reputation Marketing/Management side of MuleKick.

Robert Kirk, Partner at MuleKick, said: “It’s great to have Frank onboard with his wealth of experience in marketing, especially in the areas of SEO, Reputation and Social Media”.

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

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Iain has moved from NHS Health Scotland, where he work closely together with CompanyNet to create their business improvement programme to modernise and transform business systems and processes.

He has worked in IT in the public sector for 30 years, working with Manpower Services, Scottish Enterprise and, most recently, as Business Improvement Programme Manager at NHS Health Scotland.

Iain is expect to leverage his experience in large organisations to help CompanyNet accelerate its growth and bring particular insights from the Scottish public sector to help shape future consultancy and service offerings.

She has been with the Edinburgh International Festival in other sponsorship roles for 18 months, although has actually worked with Festival colleagues for many years in her previous theatre management roles in venues across Edinburgh.

A D V E RTI SI NG Distinctive Publishing, Unit 6b, Floor B, Milburn House, Dean Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1LE Tel: 0845 884 2343 john.neilson@ distinctivepublishing.co.uk F E A TURE E D I TO RS John Dean & Francis Griss deangriss@btinternet.com

The company has recently been going through a period of growth, doubling its number of staff in two years.

to sell sponsorship packages to the corporate sector.

PR O D UC TI O N & D E SI GN Distinctive Publishing, Unit 6b, Floor B, Milburn House, Dean Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1LE Tel: 0845 884 2385 www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk

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Growth on the agenda for Frank

Iain McIntryre has been appointed Director, Public Sector Engagement for CompanyNet.

Experience the key for Catherine Catherine Jackson is the new Senior Corporate Officer at the Edinburgh International Festival. Her remit is

Niki Furley, EIF’s Head of Sponsorship and Development, said “We’re delighted to have Catherine on board as part of our award-winning sponsorship team.

Catherine is driven, competitive and passionate about the arts. I know she’s hugely excited about this role and the challenges she’ll face and we’re confident that she will exceed expectations.”

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