Business Comment 36 by Distinctive Media Group Ltd

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015

Inspiring Talent

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A Frank Guarantee For Edinburgh’s Success

Edinburgh Napier University - working with business to inspire talent

Edinburgh College in Business of Inspiring Talent

Inspiring Talent Welcome to the latest issue of Business Comment magazine. In this issue we look at the critical issue of talent identification, retention development and celebrate the breadth and scale of talent that is available and being utilised to drive forward business in Edinburgh. In the Capital, we are fortunate that the city is well served by successful and engaged Universities and, of course, Edinburgh College – organisations steeped in the creation of innovation, enterprise, ambition and expertise. Edinburgh has almost half of its workforce educated to degree level – a figure few cities anywhere can match. Inspiring Talent is something our educators take deeply seriously – it is their business after all – and that is something we share here at Edinburgh Chamber, where our Inspiring Talent Group leads on our priorities and aims. At Edinburgh Napier University, for example, Bright Red Triangle provides a consultancy service for businesses which harnesses student enterprise, innovation and skills.

a number of organisations are doing, and in particular we here positive words from the new Principal of Edinburgh College, Annette Bruton, and Councillor Frank Ross lays out for us the progress made by The Edinburgh Guarantee in gaining positive destinations for our school leavers, and the work still needing to be done. We also hear from one of our Partners, Business Stream, about independent research commissioned by them which shows that boldness in business is about being clear, well defined and ambitious; taking calculated risks and stepping outside of the comfort zone; and being brave and standing firm once decisions have been made. However, the survey shows it is not just the preserve of bigger brands who can afford to take such an approach, it is equally as relevant to small companies as it is to the world’s corporate giants. The magazine has the usual informative and interesting news and features. I hope it is an enjoyable read.

In the magazine we gain an insight into what

David Birrell

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

Introduction / Contents 03 Edinburgh Napier University 04 Getting the best deal for jobseekers 07 Talent Management 08 Householders are encouraged to switch 09 Inspirational filmmaking 12 How to recruit and retain your staff 13 Feature: Recruitment 14|15 Feature: Digital Focus 16|21 Edinburgh Bus Tours 22 Success for school leavers 23 60 Seconds 25 Guarantee For Edinburgh’s Success 26|27 Edinburgh College In Business of Inspiring Talent 28|29 What is Movement to Work? 30 The Challenges of Recruiting 31 Partners in Enterprise 35 Feature: Learning & Development 36|41 Ask the Expert 43 Getting Started/New Members 44 Be The Best/Get with IT 46 Europe Direct 47 Chamber Training 48 In the Spotlight 49 Feature: Property 50|51 Inspiring Connections 52|53 Movers & Shakers 54

Join Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Our membership base is truly multisector, multi-scale and multinational. 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 leads@edinburghchamber.co.uk www.edinburghchamber.co.uk

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August/September 2015

CHAMBER NEWS

Edinburgh Napier University – working with business to inspire talent

Bright Red Triangle (BRT): a one stop shop for student enterprise and innovation. Our dedicated support team helps students secure part time, flexible consultancy work or to set up a business. We recognise that traditional career paths are not the only option, with many of our graduates going on to set up their own businesses or rise to Director level from within their organisations. Lately numerous articles in the press have pointed to a talent gap in graduate skills with calls on educators to work more closely with industry to ensure that the next generation are prepared with not only the educational qualifications needed but soft skills such as communication, ability to show initiative, commercial awareness and problem solving which are all the practical, practice based applications of subjects learned at university. At BRT we recognise that action-learning and industry collaboration are key to achieving our aim which is to encourage an enterprising mind set in all of our students and graduates so that whether they go on to set up a business or work for an SME or a large organisation they are equipped with the skills needed to succeed while meeting the needs

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of the wider community. We give students the opportunity to apply their learned academic skills to real life situations involving decision making and thinking autonomously, working with businesses at a local and national level – just one reason why over 95% of Edinburgh Napier graduates are in work or further study within six months of graduating. To find out more or to work with us please contact Samantha McFarlane, Business Engagement Manager, s.mcfarlane@napier.ac.uk or 0131 455 4423.

Mentoring and internships - everybody gains when business and universities work closer together

in the Employer Mentoring Programme each year since, including the end of year celebration event. I help other Sopra Steria Mentors with an individual CV critique session for their Mentees – which has been very successful. I have often been a ‘Business Partner’ at the Networking Event at the ‘Get That Job!’ two day training event for students and have recorded half a dozen ‘Talking Heads’ employability advice videos for the Edinburgh Napier YouTube channel. It’s all about preparing students for the world of work and giving them the tools to access it. Less altruistically, as a Resourcing Manager, I want better candidates who have presentable CV’s and can conduct themselves appropriately at Assessment Days and during interviews and become successful employees.”

John French, Operations Resource Controller, Sopra Steria “About five years ago a colleague asked if I would be prepared to organise, conduct and feedback on a mock interview for an Edinburgh Napier mentee. We both enjoyed the experience so much that we arranged to meet the University’s Employer Mentoring team. The rest is history. I have been involved

CHAMBER NEWS and laboratory skills into SMEs in the life sciences sector; helping the UK construction industry develop the skills to modernise production methods; and supporting a ‘big four’ consulting firm to develop a team of specialised HR consultants who will put our thought leadership into their consulting practice.

Building Leadership in Tourism The highly dynamic nature of the tourism industry, increasing global competition amongst destinations, and increasing sophistication amongst consumers and visitors means that destinations have to work very hard to create a visitor experience that stands out and helps deliver value that enables enhanced yield from visitor spend. The Destination Leaders Programme (DLP) has been designed specifically to develop enhanced leadership capabilities at a destination level in order to realise real growth in the visitor economy. Scottish Enterprise chose to partner Edinburgh Napier University because of our reputation for tourism and events research and courses. DLP gives recognition towards our tourism masters programmes.

Jemma Caldwell, owner of Tanami “Having taken on a graduate through the Santander Internship Scheme, Tanami has been working in partnership with Edinburgh Napier University since March 2015. As an ambitious SME, this support has been invaluable to Tanami in terms of growth and development of our brand. It allowed us to take on recent graduate, Judith Bellemare, through the part-funded internship scheme. A 2013 Communication, Advertising and PR graduate, Judith was looking for agency experience to develop her writing and project management skills. The internship allowed us to take on more clients as well as larger, more demanding ones. Since Judith started we have begun working with City & Guilds, Chevrolet and Girlguiding Scotland. We could not have fully delivered for these clients had we not utilised this support from Edinburgh Napier University. The University has supported Tanami throughout Judith’s internship, from helping us develop an appropriate job description to pairing us with Judith. She was a good internship match for the business and we have thoroughly appreciated her eagerness to learn along with such a positive, confident attitude.”

To find out more please contact Edinburgh Napier’s Employer Relations Team EmployerRelations@napier.ac.uk or call 0131 455 2903

Developing the talent you already have A university’s role in developing talent for your organisation isn’t just to make sure you have the best young recruits. Edinburgh Napier delivers high impact and quality assured learning and development to thousands of people, and can help ensure your organisation keeps developing the skills to meet future opportunities and challenges. We develop and deliver customised training tailored to particular business requirements, and provide opportunities for professional development which recognise and reward learning at work through work-based Masters programmes. Our leading expertise covers a huge range of industries and skills. Recent projects have included enabling Police Scotland to train the next generation of digital investigators; supporting local banks to develop specialist technical and security teams; delivering clinical

“The programme is a European first, created to address strategic leadership challenges faced by tourism professionals working collaboratively to improve and grow their destinations. It responds to a fundamental barrier to growth identified in Tourism Scotland 2020, the industry strategy. The programme includes destination development principles; policy and sustainability; product innovation and marketing, all in the context of developing leadership skills within businesses and crucially, at a destination level. Participants are expected to take significant industry leadership roles on graduation, leading to long term economic sustainability and growth of tourism in Scotland.” Aileen Lamb, Tourism Manager, Scottish Enterprise. Development of the DLP has been funded by Scottish Enterprise, and the programme is now recruiting for 2015-16. Interested companies can contact aileen.lamb@scotent. co.uk. To find out more about how Edinburgh Napier can tailor programmes for your needs contact ei@napier.ac.uk or phone us on 0131 455 4723.

August/September 2015

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BUSINESS NEWS

Getting the best deal for jobseekers and for business in Edinburgh

Edinburgh has an effective and successful Jobs Strategy Group which works to make sure that the job opportunities available within our strengthening economy can be used, with life changing effects, to benefit some of the most disadvantaged of our adult citizens and young people. We are looking for a new chairperson with an interest in skills and labour market issues whose private sector experience and understanding can complement our own public sector programmes and policies to make sure we get the products and the approach right for all of our clients. Edinburgh has weathered the worst of the recession and is coming out the other side with a strengthening labour market and clear signs of growth and development across the board. A slack labour market left jobseekers with few opportunities and presented major problems for our young people in particular trying to make the transition from education to working life. For the many public agencies involved it was all hands to the pump to avoid leaving

large numbers of our adults and youngsters permanently outside of the labour market. With the upturn it’s back to core business for the Jobs Strategy partners as we look to find ways to help those furthest from the market develop the habits and skills which will allow them to take advantage of the opportunities now being created by businesses across the city. In the private sector there are large and small businesses whose daily bread is earned by matching candidates to the right vacancies and opportunities. In the public sector, where the focus is on those needing support to get that first (or next) job there are a wide range of organisations of all types involved in the process of getting our people into work. We have the UK funded Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) with their Jobcentre teams and large scale contracted provision (Work Programme and Work Choice). At Scotland level we have Skills Development Scotland whose staff teams and national training contracts (The Employability Fund) are active in the city and who deliver the national Apprenticeships Programme. The City Council itself funds a wide range of specialist providers (most of them voluntary organisations) to help particular groups and areas make the journey to work. On top of this we have Edinburgh College’s vocational courses, European funded programmes, charities and Lottery Funded programmes

and others all of which, between them, offer a sometimes bewildering array of potentially overlapping services. There needs to be a place where these services are co-ordinated to avoid the inefficiencies and duplications that would otherwise inevitably result in such a crowded market place. In Edinburgh the Jobs Strategy Group has been that place for the last 12 years. With all of these organisations and others (including the Edinburgh Chamber) directly involved, it plans and co-ordinates all of the publicly funded service offers to make sure the right service gets to the right client every time. As, essentially, a public sector grouping operating in, essentially, a private sector led market we need to develop and maintain keep a close understanding of business needs and thinking to help us get it right. For the last 8 years that has come in the shape of an independent chair –David Metcalfe (Head of Delivery – North) for Lloyds Banking Group – sadly, changes in his own work programme and responsibilities mean that David is leaving us and we are very much in the market for a new chair with an interest in this area of work who can help us develop our future programmes. If that sounds a bit like you then we’d be delighted to hear from you. This is an important but not an onerous task and one which provides its own rewards. If this is of interest please call Jim Rafferty at Capital City Partnership on 07971826787.

August/September 2015

CORPORATE VIEW

Talent Management & Encouraging Employee Involvement in Data Sharing Brian Kennie, IBM

Talent management is increasingly supported by more structured technology based talent management systems such as Kenexa, methodologies and fact based workforce analytics. These systems provide real evidence for workforce decisions to ensure the decisions attract, motivate and retain talent and fully align with business growth priorities. After all the best predictor of future capability is often based on an analysis of past behaviour. The question is how can we encourage employees to share relevant data that will not only help grow the business but lead employees towards a more rewarding role which is more aligned to their future personal needs and capabilities. Workforce analytics is a very significant development in human resources. It promises the potential for deeper understanding of the ways workers contribute to organizational performance. However, workforce analytics is not just about analysing data to reveal exciting insights; it also requires the active involvement of employees sharing data if the potential of analytics is to be fully realised. Without active participation, workforce analytics efforts face at best, restricted data sources and data sets that are incomplete and at worst, the risk of damaging employee relations and, ultimately, productivity. Accessing this kind of nonroutine data may not always be easy, at least not without the kind of approach that a new framework (FORT) from IBM advocates.

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The FORT framework

Reciprocal

The FORT framework is designed to encourage employee data sharing, it has four key components:

Data exchange should be reciprocal. This means when organizations want to collect employee data that may be out of the ordinary (e.g. social employee data, employee polls, etc.), there should be a benefit to the employee (e.g. they receive a copy of the final report).

Feedback Business leaders and those leading analytics efforts need to provide employees with updates on progress towards the goals and objectives of analytics projects. They also need to listen to feedback from employees about those goals and objectives. This kind of approach is likely to encourage participation from the workforce.

Opt-in The basis for selecting data to analyse, particularly non-routine HR data not used as part of routine HR administration functions, should be opt-in rather than â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;forcedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; participation. Even where company policies may legally entitle firms to analyse data as they wish, legal and geographic variations may exist and positive, proactive participation will ensure a more open environment.

Transparent Making the objectives of analytics programmes transparent could help to ensure the goals of those programmes are achieved more rapidly. In addition, it is well established that transparency promotes trust, which in turn is related to a host of positive organizational outcomes For more on the FORT approach, including the scientific foundations of the framework download the full IBM Smarter Workforce Institute white paper: Active employee participation: A critical ingredient for workforce analytics success from https:// ibm.biz/employee-analytics. This article is based on the white paper by Dr. Nigel Guenole and Jonathan Ferrar, from IBM.

MEMBER BENEFITS

Householders are being encouraged to switch The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has launched a massive advertising campaign aimed at encouraging householders to switch energy suppliers. It is difficult to miss the adverts as they are appearing on TV, online and across the national press. The central claim is that householders can save about ÂŁ200 by shopping around and switching from one supplier to another. Chamber Energy Solutions have switched thousands of businesses Of course switching energy supply is something that we have been making easy for some time and we have already demonstrated the power of switching to many thousands of businesses. Switching has value - it can unlock new deals from suppliers you might not have heard of, for lengths of time that are advantageous for your business. It also allows us to put your energy supply into a more managed state and sorting out problems, putting contracts onto common end dates, and generally making it easier for you to understand what is happening. All our contracts also come with advice to help you reduce your energy consumption. Switching is safe - Chamber Energy Solutions has switched hundreds of businesses. They switch over 80% of all new clients and about 52% of our renewal clients. Switching is easy with Chamber Energy Solutions: one call is all it takes to find out what benefits you can get. A company's energy portfolio can be much more complicated than a households which is why it needs an expert to manage the switch. This also leaves you free to get on making money for the business rather than chasing energy suppliers.

Find out more Want to find out if your business could benefit from switching? Call 0800 923 0210 Alternatively, please e-mail help@chamberenergysolutions.co.uk for more information.

August/September 2015

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“There’s never been a better time to bring your business online” Says Leah Hutcheon, founder of Appointedd, an online booking and business management system that has revolutionised business for Chamber members. “When people see the boost in profits that bringing their business online can bring, they are bowled over. Running small businesses, we all know we have to keep an eye on the bottom line, but we often overlook the money that is wasted when we waste our time. There have been so many leaps and bounds in technology over the last five years and we find that often small businesses are missing out on tools that can really make a massive impact on their productivity and profits. At Appointedd, we have a fun tool that calculates how much extra money you could make if your customers booked with you online and your time wasn’t spent on calls and emails booking in appointments and

meetings. The average amount people can boost profit by is £15,000. That is staggering in a small business. Our online booking tools enable people to take bookings from their own website, their Facebook page or a free online booking microsite - that’s revolutionary for people who take a lot of appointments. And we have some great marketing tools that allow you to send email and SMS confirmations and reminders if you want. This is all tied into a CRM system and we have business reports to help you stay on top of everything.

just using our business management tools to automate some of the tedious admin in their business, we hear some great feedback from our customers. Chamber member, Peaches & Cream Boutique, has found Appointedd’s online booking tools so successful that they are fully booked until the end of August. Not bad to say they only launched earlier this year! If you’d like to see how online bookings can impact your business, check out appointedd.com, or book a call or meeting with me on my booking microsite leah.appointedd.com.”

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August/September 2015

CHAMBER NEWS

Inspirational filmmaking puts businesses and destinations on the global map Queen Margaret University is just bursting with filmmaking talent. Its award winning filmmaker, Walid Salhab, is known globally for his stunning time-lapse footage of the Kelpies in Falkirk and his glorious portrayal of Scotland’s capital in his suite of Kinetic films. He has recently returned from the Cannes Film Festival where he screened his new stop-motion/time-lapse film ‘Avaritia’.

Kinetic film work puts Scotland on the map Walid’s unique style of filmmaking blends stopmotion with time-lapse filming which builds in dynamic movement. Normally, time-lapse filming is rather static with a camera positioned in one place capturing, for example, a building being constructed from the bottom up. However, Walid – the man with the patience of a saint – takes thousands of images. By moving an inch at a time over many hours, he builds in movement, making his film far more dynamic and interesting than a standard time-lapse. Thousands of photos are carefully pieced together to create the illusion of sweeping movement in the final film. His success with this technique has earned him the name ‘Mr Kinetic’, and his masterpieces - Kinetic Edinburgh II and his commercial film of the Kelpies - have received millions of hits on social media. The Helix Project and Falkirk Council rate him as one of the very best time-lapse filmmakers. His talents in creating ‘The Kelpies’ and ‘Kinetic Falkirk’ has put Falkirk on the global tourist map. Visitor numbers to the Falkirk area have surpassed all expectations with Falkirk no longer a half day tourism destination. Importantly, the experience that Walid has gained trialling new techniques and on international film festival circuit, is fed back into teaching practice through QMU’s film and media degree courses.

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Talented graduate film companies are open for business

A bank of stunning film footage for commercial purposes

Having the opportunity to learn from inspirational media lectures has resulted in a pool of talented graduate film companies which are winning commercial contracts and making their mark on the festival circuit. Hungry for work and keen to develop their video production businesses, these young filmmakers are offering high levels of creativity at very reasonable prices – giving some of the larger more established creative agencies a run for their money. Specialising in PR videos for websites, live event coverage and corporate advertising, these young graduates are helping organisations communicate key messages to new audiences. Raw Film Productions and Smart Films are high flyers amongst this group of entrepreneurial filmmakers. In the last two years Raw Films has worked for the likes of the Royal & Ancient, East Lothian Council, and the charity 500 Miles, and has filmed in some interested locations capturing golf courses in Canada and documenting the plight of amputees in Malawi. Smart Films is now specialising in the streaming of live events such as conferences.

Michael Grant, from Raw Film Productions, also supports Walid’s work at Queen Margaret University. The dynamic duo has created a video library of striking aerial film (shot with the use of a drone) and stop-motion/ time-lapse footage of Edinburgh and South East Scotland. Commercial companies and broadcasters can now purchase sections of film footage for a very reasonable price, and slot this into their programmes and promotional campaigns. They can also contract the Kinetic Film Project team to capture bespoke film footage to fit their specific requirements. The University has chosen to support, nurture, value and promote the talents of its filmmakers – whether they are staff, graduates or students – and the output is very impressive. If you think the Kinetic Film Project could help you, contact Michael Grant and Walid Salhab on email kineticscotland@qmu.ac.uk.

They can also contract the Kinetic Film Project team to capture bespoke film footage to fit their specific requirements.

CHAMBER NEWS

Fortune Favours the Bold The relationship between a bold approach and a successful company is explored in a new report commissioned by water utility provider Business Stream. Edinburgh is no stranger to boldness, from the ‘golden age’ of the Scottish Enlightenment in the 18th century, through its emergence as the world’s favourite festival city, to the modern innovations of companies such as Skyscanner and Vegware. More generally, businesses such as Apple, Google, Dyson and Virgin are widely admired for the products and services they have introduced – some of which have changed the way we all live our daily lives. Boldness is important to us too. Given Business Stream’s experience resulting from Scotland’s bold decision to be the first country in the world to let organisations choose their water supplier, we wanted to look at the correlation between taking a bold approach to business and achieving success. The report that we recently published Fortune Favours The Bold - is the result of independent research and analysis with nearly 400 senior business figures.

opportunity in the first place that came top of their list. Other situations such as facing a difficult decision, expanding a business or entering a new geographical territory, also ranked highly. Having identified those situations in which boldness is a precursor to success, our research also set out to describe those characteristics that are synonymous with boldness. Four key behaviours emerged. Bold businesses are more flexible in their attitude to change and consider themselves to be less traditional in their outlook. They also regard themselves to be energetic in their approach, and fast paced when it comes to decision making and implementation. We were further able to identify two key factors that influence the boldness of behaviour: the level of capital and/or resources that an organisation has access to; and the speed with which it feels able to make decisions. From that, we developed a simple model and a quick test on our website that allows companies to assess where they are on the ‘boldness matrix’, supported by a 10-point plan to help them get to where they want to be in future.

It found that boldness in business is about being clear, well defined and ambitious; taking calculated risks and stepping outside of the comfort zone; and being brave and standing firm once decisions have been made.

Mapping out a route for success will lie at the heart of every business plan. By adopting a clear role for boldness within that planning process, I believe that we will see more businesses achieving better results for themselves, their customers and the economy.

However, it is not the preserve of bigger brands who can afford to take such an approach. Our report shows that it is equally as relevant to small companies as it is to the world’s corporate giants.

Jo Dow is our guest speaker at our Breakfast Connections on Tuesday 22nd October at the Royal College of Surgeons. For further information and to book visit www.edinburghchamber.co.uk/events/events

So what are those situations which business leaders believe require a bold approach? Launching a new product or service is one of the main areas, although it was spotting the

Jo Dow, Chief Executive, Business Stream

Howtorecruitand retainyourstaff By Mayan Grace If you run a small to medium sized business then you might need to recruit staff but don’t have the experience or budget. Firstly create a detailed job description of the skills and experience you are look for and the type of person. Looking at tapping into your contacts who may know of suitable candidates. Use your website and Social Media to post your advert as in most cases this is free facility and can gain you a good array of applicants. Setting up a graduate programme / internship where you can offer work placements and experience to those newly in the ‘job market’ is a great way to recruit. Highlight what is special about your company. Look out for government / council projects as many will part fund a graduate/young person employment for a specific time frame. Involve your team and look out for any person that you could promote internally. Make sure that your recruits buy into the values of your business and the part they play in.

Once you have your team in place how do you ensure they stay committed to the role and the company? Be honest and approachable and ensure you reward initiative and hard work. Convey the company ethos and empower your staff to multi task and use their initative. Have regular catch ups and look at options of training your staff. If you are unable to give your team wage increases then look at the other benefits such as team day out/ discount cards/ pension contributions.

August/September 2015

ADVERTORIAL

FOCUS ON: RECRUITMENT

The Digital Recruitment Dynamo Gareth Biggerstaff, the founder and MD of tech and digital recruitment company, Be-IT, has created what looks to be one of the country’s fastest growing businesses. From his launch in 2013 with just two people in his office off St Andrew’s Square, Edinburgh, the company generated turnover of £2.15m in his first year. The second year of trading will see his business grow even faster to a predicted turnover of £7m.

The secret of his success was seeing a gap in the market for a specialist recruitment company which could supply people with tech and digital marketing skills, while capitalising on his vast knowledge of the jobs sector gained over 22 years. He said: “I saw a great TED presentation where the speaker said 82% of start-up success was based on seeing the opportunity and timing. This has proved very true for my story. I saw the economy starting to improve and the massive rise in digitalisation. My experience of recruitment made me think there was going to be a major demand from companies for skilled, digital experts. I knew there was this unmet need for people who occupied the middle-ground of having technical nous and the ability to adapt that skill set to the consumer environment.” Gareth’s in-depth knowledge of this area of recruitment offers some great insights for all businesses.

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What advice would you give a company that has not examined the digital skills it needs yet? I can’t stress enough how important it is for any organisation to look at their digital requirements right now. There is a huge race to engage the on-line consumer and its growing year on year. You only have to look around you in every cafe or restaurant to see people on their mobile phones or tablets. This is the age we live in. Customers want information at their fingertips and companies have to provide the means to communicate with them by this method. It is a challenge, but one we can help with.

How do you begin to take a company on this journey? We start by helping a business understand what they need to be doing in their marketplace to keep up with this pace of change in technology. After that initial consultation we look at sourcing the right staff for them, whether that is a contractor

as a short term solution or a permanent member of their team. We also often bring in other partners to providesupport, these can be independent digital marketing experts for example.

What are the challenges once they know what personnel they need? At present the marketplace is hard for companies as there is a big demand for skilled digital and technical staff. We work with our clients to educate them about a whole range of issues to make sure they can attract the best employee for their needs. One recent project we were supporting was a global financial services business who wanted more customers to come directly to them rather than via financial advisors, to reduce costs. We were able to provide the key staff to enable them to have a direct channel to their clients. As part of our advice we regularly explain to the businesses we work with that the best digital staff are able to demand salaries about

ADVERTORIAL

FOCUS ON: RECRUITMENT

Gareth Biggerstaff

20% higher than a year ago. If they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t offer the right incentives people will not work for them, simple as that. We are also seeing a greater prevalence in candidates looking for a modernised workplace. By that I mean somewhere they can have a good life/work balance. Employees in their 20s and 30s often see flexibility as an important part of their employment package. Companies have to remember they have to be competitive to get the right people for their digital work or risk being left behind in their sector.

Are Edinburgh companies ahead of the game in terms of the digital world? There are some interesting statistics from 2010 - 2013 around this issue from Tech City UK. Here in Edinburgh we have 17k people working in digital and tech industries with a digital start-up growth rate of 33% which compares favourably to Glasgow, where the rates are 19k and start-up growth at 3.3%. However there is a giant wave of demand on the horizon when you compare London

figures with our own. Its employment rate is 251k in this sector and the growth is 92%. This can only have a huge impact on our ability to attract great digital people. We need to be prepared for the demand and position ourselves and our businesses as really attractive whether that is the right salary, overall package or lifestyle, it is vital we get this right for our local economy.

What are your plans for Be-IT with this opportunity for growth as a result of the digital explosion?

Where will these candidates come from if there is a likely shortage of home-grown talent?

Secondly, I aim have a London office in the next 12 months and then branch out into Europe, probably Germany in the first instance, as there is enormous potential for us there.

We are seeing more and more people coming from other parts of Europe. We are getting very interesting candidates from the countries currently in recession such as Greece and Spain. Young people from those parts of Europe are often not finding the right opportunities for their technical and digital skills and are happy to relocate here. We help with the relocation of overseas staff and liaise on their behalf re visas or other paperwork so it is easy for our clients.

First thing is to source a new office in Edinburgh as we are currently out growing our first office.

If anyone wants to know more about our services there are details on our website, be-itresourcing.com, where we also have a blog with regular news and stories on digital technology.

August/September 2015

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FEATURE: DIGITAL FOCUS

Embracing technology will maximise efficiency in the workplace These days, businesses are more reliant than ever before on technology to help improve communications and to maximise efficiency in the workplace. The increased use of the internet, email and mobile technology has revolutionised the way companies operate and made IT a crucial factor in building and maintaining a successful company. Yet still, even today, too many companies think of technology as a necessary evil rather than truly embracing all the opportunities it can create to make organisations more resourceful and productive than they have ever been before. In the past, companies may have been able to get away with paying lip service to IT but in the current, fast changing, modern world this will no longer be possible. Now, with the convergence of voice and data and the much greater reliance of mobile communications, it is crucial for all businesses to urgently develop a co-ordinated IT Strategy. Over the last 10 years we have witnessed a remarkable shift in the way that businesses operate, but this change just lays the foundations for the new technology and solutions that will surely emerge over the next decade. At every level, faster and more accessible communication will be key. With globalisation, the increased use of home workers and the more flexible working environment; access to information needs to be seamless and instant.

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Whilst the notion of the “paperless” office may not be an absolute reality in the true sense, the need for systems that can allow staff to access a wide range of documents, wherever they may be in the world, will only increase in the future. In an ever more competitive environment, customers will be drawn to businesses that make communication an effortless and satisfying process. Good technology, used properly, will reflect well on your business and can help motivate your staff by taking some of the drudgery out of their day to day tasks. Increasingly, websites that were previously used merely as a shop window will become more tightly integrated with other back office systems. In the airline industry you don’t just book your flight online but also choose your seat, order your meal, “check in” and get live data from the airports about when your flight is due to land. The mutually dependent relationship of business processes and the internet will continue to become more important as web use increases. Clients will want to have full visibility of every part of their interaction with your company and consequently easy access to information and the sharing of knowledge will be critical. Of course, with the increasing need for compliance legislation and for business continuity planning, technology can also provide a crucial back up in the event of an unforeseen disaster. With the proper storage of electronic data and the re-routing of voice and data over the internet, many companies can in effect be lifted from one location and taken to another with minimal disruption. This is where Cloud Computing comes into

its own, allowing access to information from wherever there is an internet connection. Technology, therefore, must be embraced by all of the decision makers in a company and their views properly coordinated to enjoy all the benefits it can offer. Don’t think of IT simply as a cost but more as a real opportunity to drive change and bring more efficiencies into your business. Currently, many organisations are still too reactive and fail to think strategically enough about how the world is evolving and how their business is evolving with it. As we are now in the 2nd decade of the 21st century, it is certain that the speed of change will only increase and certainly not slow down. Just look at how the use of smartphones has accelerated over the years, look at how social media has grown and is being adopted by businesses, look at the importance of SEO (search engine optimisation) and unfortunately the ever present and greatly increasing threat of IT security. Who would have thought these things would be so important to all businesses even 5 years ago? It makes you wonder - exactly what will we be discussing in 10 years’ time? Maybe now you can see why getting a Strategic IT Road Map for your business is not a “nice to have” but in the modern day and age is simply a necessity. My advice is don’t be afraid of technology though – just welcome it with open arms before your competitors do!

FEATURE: DIGITAL FOCUS

ADVERTORIAL

Chamber Mobile Chamber Mobile by 4G Scotland is dedicated to delivering superfast mobile communications, transparent pricing, unique benefits & first class customer service for business. Chamber Mobile offers a unique member benefit allowing either free or discounted Chamber membership with every new mobile account. Chamber Mobile works in partnership with EE the UK’s biggest, fastest & best mobile network. What will Chamber Mobile do for your business? Chamber Mobile is designed to create a cost neutral and easy path to join the Edinburgh Chamber. Once a member your business will benefit from the wide variety of support and opportunities created by the Chamber for its members. Chamber Mobile not only equips your business with the biggest, fastest & best mobile network, cost saving tariffs and the latest equipment but also pays for your Chamber membership depending upon the number of lines your business needs.

How does it work? Companies that have signed up for Chamber Membership with for example 10 or more connections will receive a refund of their first year’s membership directly into their business

bank account after the Chamber confirms membership is active. The second year’s membership is paid directly to the Chamber by 4G Scotland. The Chamber will then notify the company their membership has been renewed for the 2nd year. All membership payments will be made following confirmation of membership activation by the Edinburgh Chamber.

Will I be paying more for my mobile contract? No, 4G Scotland prices on the EE network will be market competitive and tailored to your specific requirements with a focus on minimising costs and maximise service benefits. Free or subsidised chamber membership is in addition to these great deals.

Offers Typically Include: n The latest hardware to enable mobility at the heart of your companies’ digital strategy, n Lots of superfast 4G double speed data to connect with you data anywhere n Plus Significant Monthly Mobile Bill SavingsAdd free or discounted Chamber of Commerce Membership into the mix and your business will be best placed to make inspiring connections both real and virtual with Chamber Mobile. To take advantage of this exclusive offer email: memberoffer@4gscotland.com or call 07500 900 700

If your customers don’t get a consistent brand experience, your ROI won’t leave base camp. Aim higher and work with the email effectiveness experts.

STEELEDINBURGH.COM RESULTS. CREATED.

August/September 2015

FEATURE: DIGITAL FOCUS

ADVERTORIAL

Broadband Connection Voucher scheme Fed up with a flaky internet connection? Tired of tedious downloads? Better business broadband is cheaper than ever. And now, with the broadband connection voucher scheme it’s easy to get up to speed. Your business could get a grant of up to £3,000 to upgrade to faster, better broadband through the government’s Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme. The scheme provides grants of up to £3,000 to cover the capital and equipment costs of upgrading your broadband connection. You pay the VAT charged and the monthly line rental to your service provider. The monthly costs

vary by provider and package, but a quarter of businesses pay £40 per month or less. The scheme has been launched in 50 cities across the UK and businesses in Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Scottish Borders could be eligible for a voucher if they use one of the hundreds of registered suppliers. Benefits to your business as a result of faster, better broadband include: n Growing and accessing new markets through better communication with customers and suppliers

n Increasing security through fast secure back-up of data n Increasing productivity and improving customer service through faster upload and download speeds n Upgrading your broadband will also help to future-proof your business for the digital challenges of tomorrow Over 700 businesses in the region have already got their voucher. To find out more and apply visit www.connectionvouchers.co.uk.

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GET CONNECTED - Join the Dots

Helping Scottish Businesses Access 1GB Broadband Services As one of Edinburgh Council’s Top Registered Suppliers for the UK Government’s Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme, we have experienced a 500% increase in demand for high-end connectivity in the last six months helping businesses access some of the fastest broadband speeds on the planet.Better connectivity can bring significant business benefits, from improving employee productivity to being more competitive in both local and international markets. The scheme enables businesses to apply for grants of up to £3,000 to upgrade to Superfast Internet connections. One of our clients who has already benefitted from the voucher said: ‘With our new high-speed connection we can now make the move to secure storage online. Additionally staff will be able to access their work from home, which is particularly helpful as our office is in such a remote location. The productivity of staff will go through the roof with our new Internet connection.’ 9dots Consulting provide the full range of converged telecommunication services up to and including 1GB leased lines. Based

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in Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife, we specialise in bespoke solutions for SME to Sub Corporate level businesses across Scotland and the UK. We operate as an outsourced telecoms consultant working in partnership with your existing IT support provider delivering a “best fit” package to accommodate phone, voice and data requirements. We look after over 2,000 businesses from a variety of different sectors.

they are provided on a strictly first come first serve basis there is a high chance the free funding with run out by the end of 2015. Therefore we would encourage businesses to get in touch and take advantage of the free grant as soon as possible. T: 03451 990 990 E: info@9dots.co.uk W: www.9dots.co.uk

The vouchers are available to Small or Medium Enterprises (SMEs with up to 249 staff) across Scotland. The free grants are available until 31st March 2016, however as

ADVERTORIAL

FEATURE: DIGITAL FOCUS

Bringing it all together in a fast-moving world Do you have one company providing your business landline, another looking after your mobile phones and a third running your IT? To improve business efficiency, combined communications are essential. Award winning Connect Telecom provides combined communications through Vodafone’s One Net Business solution to companies across the UK and Ireland. Experts in solution delivery, Connect is a Vodafone Platinum Parter and 2015 One Net Business solution Partner of the Year, awarded from over 450 partners. Connect Telecom was founded in 2007 when the directors identified an opportunity within the telecoms market, based around a personal, face-to-face approach to managing customer accounts. Now delivering total unified communications through Vodafone’s One Net Business solution. Connect was founded by Director Robin Brown after working in banking and telecoms, and Director Matthew Brown joined soon after with experience in banking, telecoms and marketing. The company, with offices in Belshill and East Kilbride, has grown rapidly since 2007 and now operates across Scotland, North England, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Director Matthew Brown said: “We offer a complete range of telecoms solutions across mobiles and landlines as well as tracking and data services. “Connect Telecom is also one of only three Vodafone UK Solutions Pioneers and the thing that appeals to many companies is the way we bring all their communications together. That is proving itself particularly attractive to Scottish companies as we grow across the country, especially after being accredited One Net Business Solutions Partner of the Year. “There are many businesses who have one company providing their landline, another looking after mobile phones and a third running their IT, which is confusing. “That used to be the way it was done but things are changing and it makes more sense to unify everything, which is the field in which we have become leaders. “Communications are such a fast-moving field and companies need to employ businesses like ours who know what they are doing and are experienced in delivery for hundreds of customers. Our team can take away all the worry by unifying their systems for them through Vodafone’s solutions.” Connect’s progression through the Vodafone Partner Channel has been one of the quickest, starting as a Gold Partner in 2012, winning Gold Partner of the Year 2014 and

moving onto the highest partner status of Platinum Partner in 2015. Vodafone UK head of partner services Rob Mukherjee said; “Both we and our partners are focused on supporting UK businesses to make best use of technology; technology which enables UK plc to work more efficiently, deliver great customer service to their own customers and compete in today’s fast-paced market.” Connect Telecom is fully trained to deliver the full portfolio of Vodafone solutions, offering personalised and localised services and support in your area. Our customers rely on our local knowledge and communications expertise to help grow their businesses. Help your business grow by contacting Connect Telecom on 01416 117364 or visit www.connect-tele.co.uk to find out more.

August/September 2015

FEATURE: DIGITAL FOCUS

ADVERTORIAL

Unlocking the possibilities For some time the Connection Voucher scheme has helped Edinburgh businesses access dramatically faster internet connections.

might simply be about using PDF instead of paper, or delivering content digitally. Or your fast connection might enable the use of innovative payment mechanisms, or online trading, or you might develop a completely new digital service for your customers. Ambitious and progressive businesses recognise that fast connections open up a world of possibilities. Escrivo has been involved in developing digital business systems & software using web & mobile technology for nearly 13 years. Digital technology drives what we do, and our vision & commercial understanding ensures we deliver intelligent, business-focused results. Our clients experience high growth, improved profitability, added value, and stay ahead of their competition.

Most recently we’ve seen the announcement of Edinburgh CORE, a city-wide, pure fibre network that has the scope to transform the way Edinburgh does business.

But once you’ve got the fast connection, what do you do with it? Fast connections can be transformational in the way you do business. They make it feasible for businesses to be digital and to trade digitally. By being digital, your business might make use of cloud services for storage, backup or communications, for example. Faster connections make it feasible to use “cloud” services to improve business resilience, or to reduce costs with communications tools like Skype and VOIP. It’s counterintuitive, but you might discover that as your business

becomes more digital, you can switch off some of your in-house servers as you trust more services to specialist third parties.

Faster connectivity is an enabler. If you need help to commercialise your ideas, contact Aileen Boyle, on 0131 225 8199 or email aileen.boyle@escrivo.com.

By trading digitally, your business could deliver more of its core service online. This

ADVERTORIAL

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Whether it’s going the whole hog and taking advantage of our online booking tools, or

Melville Castle

BUSINESS NEWS

Meetings, Conferences, Team Building, Training Days, Incentives

Melville Castle is situated just 20 minutes from Edinburgh Airport and 6 miles from the city centre. The castle has a long standing history, and was designed by the renowned Scottish architect William Playfair in 1791. In recent years Melville Castle has been carefully restored and brought back to life by the Hay family. Melville Castle provides luxurious accommodation within the elegance of an 18th century castle. With thirty two stylish en-suite bedrooms, accommodation ranges from classic double rooms, grand four posters to intriguing gallery rooms. The classically furnished bedrooms are complete with crisp linen sheets, fluffy white towels and enchanting views of the surrounding woodland. The next morning, a wholesome Scottish or Continental breakfast is served to fuel your day. At The Brasserie at Melville Castle you will find seasonal Scottish cuisine with a contemporary twist. Nestled within 50 acres of sprawling woodland only 6 miles from the city centre of Edinburgh you can feel a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Open every day, morning until night for breakfast, mid-morning refreshments, lunch, afternoon tea or À la carte dining. The Brasserie serves seasonal, modern Scottish Cuisine with a strong focus on locally sourced ingredients of the highest quality, which is combined with a carefully thought out wine and local beers list. Whatever the occasion Melville Castle will leave a lasting impression.

Tel: 0131 654 0088

Email: events@melvillecastle.com

www.melvillecastle.com

Melville Castle, Gilmerton Road, Edinburgh, EH18 1AP www.melvillecastle.com August/September 2015

BUSINESS NEWS

Edinburgh Bus Tours Open-top tour buses have been popular in Edinburgh since the 1920s, but Edinburgh Bus Tours’ history began in May 1989 when Guide Friday launched the Edinburgh Tour. It proved an immediate success with 1,000 visitors on day one. In summer 1989 Lothian Region Transport (as Lothian Buses was then known) launched the Edinburgh Classic Tour - a direct competitor to the Edinburgh Tour. Both companies continued to develop their tours, offering new products and taking their bus tours all over the UK. In summer 1998 a third tour operator, MacTours came to Edinburgh. MacTours was consolidated with Lothian Buses in April 2002. City Sightseeing came to Edinburgh in 2000 when Lothian Buses obtained the franchise to operate the branded tour. City Sightseeing

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replaced the Classic Tour. In May 2002, all city tours came into Lothian Buses ownership. Edinburgh Bus Tours as we know it today was born.

the charity Edinburgh World Heritage. We are proud to be Scotland’s third most popular paid for visitor attraction, welcoming over 500,000 visitors on board each year.

Since the merge in 2002, Lothian Buses has been committed to developing Edinburgh Bus Tours’ portfolio. The Majestic Tour was launched in 2004 after a staff competition to name our service linking Royal Yacht Britannia with the city centre, and Forth Bridges Bus & Boat Tour was introduced in 2007. In 2012 the Edinburgh World Heritage Tour was launched to highlight the landmarks in Edinburgh’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. This tour finished in August 2014 due to operational reasons. In 2013 we were pleased to introduce the Grand 48 ticket offering visitors 48 hours unlimited access to all city tours. Edinburgh Bus Tours is committed to developing its tour portfolio.

To mark Edinburgh Bus Tours’ 25th anniversary in 2014 a commemorative tartan was commissioned from kilt makers Kinloch Anderson. The design is based on the City of Edinburgh Tartan to celebrate the tours’ home. The colours were carefully chosen to represent the company’s brand identity, including light blue and orange from the Edinburgh Bus Tours logo. Madder red has been added to acknowledge the parent company, Lothian Buses – part of Transport for Edinburgh, and the silver and black were kept from the City of Edinburgh Tartan. Parallel overchecks represent the tyre tracks of the tour buses and five overcheck formation signifies Edinburgh Bus Tour’s five star status. The tartan is worn as part of the Edinburgh Bus Tours staff uniform and Edinburgh Bus Tours Tartan woolly scarves are available for visitors to purchase.

As part of Lothian Buses we take our environmental responsibilities seriously, and are proud holders of a Gold badge in the Green Tourism Business Scheme. This year we have also been awarded a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence, and a Regional Thistle Award from VisitScotland for our partnership work with

BUSINESS NEWS

Edinburgh Guarantee secures success for school leavers

More school leavers than ever in Edinburgh are moving into work, education, or training, thanks to the strong partnership that has developed between the public and private sectors through the Edinburgh Guarantee. Figures published by the Scottish Government today show that the success rate of school leavers in Edinburgh achieving and sustaining a positive destination are at the highest rate ever. The figure is up 10 per cent since the Edinburgh Guarantee began four years ago and is now at 93.1 per cent. The Capital is now the best performing city in Scotland and is 12th out of all local authority areas, which puts us well above the national average.

Community High school up 13.1 per cent, Currie performed extremely well with their figure now sitting at 97.9 per cent, and Firrhill and Gracemount were up by 6.8 per cent.

The statistics show that more school leavers in Edinburgh are getting into jobs compared to September 2013 with over one in four of school leavers in employment at the snapshot taken in March. Just over 40% are getting into and sustaining places in Higher Education while over a quarter of school leavers opt for Further Education.

Sue Bruce, former Chief Executive, the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Today’s figures will be welcomed across the city by young people, employers in the private, voluntary and public sectors and those working in education. Giving young people the best start they can have in life is a key priority and I am delighted that the Edinburgh Guarantee is playing such an important role in securing the future success of our young people in the city.”

The majority of schools improved their performance since September 2013. The largest increase was at Craigroyston

This success has been underpinned by the active support of the city’s employers in recruiting young people into their businesses, with 350 opportunities offered since April 2015.

Cllr Paul Godzik, Convener of the Education, Children and Families Committee, said:

“Whether it’s employment, apprenticeships or training, young people need to move out of school and into a positive destination quickly. It is really encouraging that there has been such an improvement in the figures this year as moving on to make a new start in life is the boost young people really need to raise their self esteem at this critical point in their lives.” Cllr Frank Ross, Convener of the Economy Committee, said: “Ensuring that Edinburgh’s young people have opportunities is vital for the economic success of our city. These year’s figures demonstrate that initiatives such as the Edinburgh Guarantee are making a real difference to many young lives. I am confident that with sustained investment we’ll continue to drive up this figure and see many more young people taking a positive next step in their lives.” Stephen Ramsay, panel beater modern apprentice at DSL Autos, said: “When I was at Craigroyston High School I was invovled in a Formula 1 project and I really enjoyed it. My career advisor helped me with an interview for Edinburgh College and I am now a modern apprentice doing a four year course in Automotive Paint Refinishing. As soon as I left school I wanted to get involved in this trade and I want to work in this field until I retire.”

August/September 2015

ECC Members Offer:

20% discount on room hire until 31st December 2015.

Please quote code: QMUecc

Conferences & Events at QMU Looking for the perfect venue for your next meeting or event? Look no further than QMU’s meeting and conference facilities. Whether you’re organising a professional conference, seminar or workshop or are holding a social group gathering or a celebratory event, we can offer a comfortable, attractive space with a package to suit your needs.

n in-house technical support; n bespoke catering packages for up to 300 clients; n dedicated events team and n an impressive collection of green credentials and awards.

QMU can offer: n lecture theatres that can accommodate up to 250 people;

To discuss your requirements in full detail or to arrange a site visit, please call 0131 474 0000 and ask for events or email events@qmu.ac.uk

n smaller meeting and event spaces;

Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh EH21 6UU

n high-tech facilities – AV, plasmas screens, interactive smartboards, electronic voting system;

www.qmu.ac.uk

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60 SECONDS

Name: Ruth Alder Company Name: Couthie Website: www.couthie.co.uk Q In five words or less, what do you do? A I am Managing Director of Couthie. Q How long have you been a Chamber member? A Less than a year. Q Why did you join? A Wanted to meet fellow business people, pick brains, get inspired and make contacts. Q What services do you use? A Meet ups and talks, also had some helpful mentoring.

Q What’s the best business/benefit you have won through the Chamber? A Some great advice and pointers for future growth. Q Are there any additional services or information you’d be particularly interested in? A Information overload at the mo, so no at just now! Q If you were telling another business person about the Chamber, what’s the first thing you would say? A Well run and supportive, huge amount of resources to draw on.

Q Where do you read your copy of Business Comment? A That would be telling!

Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers - appointment A partner at law firm Anderson Strathern – one of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce ‘Partners in Enterprise’ - has been elected as Chair of a prestigious UK lawyers organisation. Catriona Watt, partner in Anderson Strathern’s Healthcare and Regulatory Law Team, was elected Chair of the 1,000 strong UK Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers (ARDL) last month. Catriona is the first solicitor and first woman to lead the organisation. Catriona’s professional practice concentrates mainly on professional regulation and she has been a member of ARDL since 2005. She was elected onto the ARDL committee in 2012 and was elected Chair in May 2015 following the AGM following the retirement from the position of Timothy Dutton QC. Her first duty as Chair was to address an audience of around 400 lawyers, regulators, QCs and judges at the organisation’s prestigious annual dinner at the Savoy hotel in London. The ARDL annual dinner at the Savoy is the highlight of the regulatory social calendar with an address from a guest speaker. Previous guest speakers have included the former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer. This year, the speaker was Sir Alan Moses, former Lord Justice Moses who presided over the Soham murder trial. He is now the head of the Independent Press Standards Organisation, IPSO. ARDL is a professional body, established

in 2002 to bring together lawyers from all over the UK working in the then fledgling field of professional regulation. Since then, the number of regulators and the number of complaints about professionals from the public has dramatically increased. Catriona leads the professional regulation group at Anderson Strathern where they act for the General Medical Council, General Dental Council, General Pharmaceutical Council, Architects Registration Board, General Teaching Council for Scotland, the Scottish Social Services Council, the Royal College of Nursing and the Institute of Chartered Accountants for Scotland, among others. Catriona also sits on the Law Society of Scotland’s Appeals and Regulatory Subcommittee. She is the partner at Anderson Strathern with responsibility for marketing and business development. Following her appointment, Catriona said: “It is a genuine honour to have been elected to this position. I aim to serve the membership

of the whole of the UK and to bring the knowledge and expertise which ARDL has to the widest possible audience.”

August/September 2015

INSPIRING TALENT

A Frank Guarantee For Edinburgh’s Success Councillor Frank Ross is a man on a mission. The man who heads efforts to ensure Edinburgh’s economic success story continues to enjoy new chapters is determined the tale is one that should involve everyone in the Capital. In particular, he recognises that every young person has the potential to play a major part in the Capital city – enjoying the fruits a successful city economy brings while at the same time being real contributors to its future. Frank is the Economy Convener at City of Edinburgh Council, and as such is one of the key figures behind The Edinburgh Guarantee, a project which has already delivered real progress when it comes to delivering brighter prospects for the city’s school leavers. Working with the public, private and voluntary sectors, the Edinburgh Guarantee seeks to increase the number of jobs, further education and training opportunities being made available to young people in the city.

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The project was initiated during the economic recession, which had a major impact on young people through reduced opportunities allied to increased competition in the jobs market. Increasing youth unemployment seemed an inevitable consequence. In 2011 over 500 young people, over 17% of the city’s school leavers, were exiting the Edinburgh school system into unemployment, unable to secure work or a place in Further or Higher Education. So the Council established a cross-sectoral Partnership approach to tackling the issue – and The Edinburgh Guarantee was born. Since 2011, the Edinburgh Guarantee partnership approach has had the following impact: n 93% of school leavers entering a positive destination when leaving secondary education - a 10% increase compared to 2011 n 2181 jobs, apprenticeships or training opportunities have been generated n 350 employers have contributed to this success. Councillor Ross said: “The increased number of school leavers now leaving secondary

education for a positive destination is a tremendous achievement and one that deservedly grabs headlines. “But the number I am even more encouraged by is the 350 employers who have signed up to be partners in this project. That is a lot of employers prepared to put real time and effort and commitment into this. Without that level of commitment we would not have achieved what we have – but we want and need even more. “The aim has to be to achieve a figure of 100% of school leavers enjoying a positive destination when they leave secondary education. We should not accept leaving anyone behind. We know that our school population is increasing in Edinburgh, so we know the pressures we will face in the next few years.” Significant work has gone into ensuring that the opportunities created are suitable for the individuals concerned. And that is a policy that Councillor Ross is determined will continue. He added: “There is no point in creating opportunities that are not right for the individuals. We work very hard to making sure we get the right individuals into the right opportunities – it is the only way to make sure that the success of the project is sustainable.”

INSPIRING TALENT

“The aim has to be to achieve a figure of 100% of school leavers enjoying a positive destination when they leave secondary education.” That attention to details means that business who participate also gain real commercial benefits, apart from doing their bit to help the younger generation. Companies taking part in the Guarantee scheme work in partnership with the Council and others in ways that see them revitalise their workforce – with many firms concerned at ageing workforces – at the same time as benefiting from the careful recruitment process which provides a “soft” HR service that is a real benefit to many of the SMEs who participate. Councillor Ross said: “The employers who work with us invariably tell us they see real commercial benefits. Quite apart from the quality of the recruitment process, the businesses gain from engaging with the younger generation and through them gaining a real insight into younger markets and customers, with new ideas and new energy.”

Companies who take part range from the very large to the very small. Councillor Ross added: “Standard Life, for example, have been fantastic supporters of The Edinburgh Guarantee since it started, and take on a significant number of young people every year. They are among the businesses who were concerned about their employee age profile, and they have used the project as one way to help tackle that.

Frank Ross

“But we also work with companies who are very small, perhaps just a few employees in total, and they too can see real benefits to the project. “By any economic measure, Edinburgh is the most successful city in the UK outside London. We want that success to continue, and harnessing the talent and vitality of our young people will be a key factor in achieving that.”

August/September 2015

INSPIRING TALENT

Edinburgh College In Business of Inspiring Talent The new woman at the helm of one of Edinburgh’s biggest talent producers has a message for the city’s business community – the more you get involved, the better she’ll like it. Annette Bruton is the new Principal of Edinburgh College, in post since May of this year, and already she’s been blown away by the quality and quantity of talent she’s seen on display. But she knows that there is always room for

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improvement, and to that end she wants to see business and employers engage even more with the College to ensure it produces the kind of skills and talents that will help young people find rewarding work. Arriving in May has allowed the new Principal to get an exciting glimpse of the talent produced through the myriad courses offered. In the year that has just ended there were more than 26,000 enrolments. The School of Creative Industries was showcasing its talent in May as she arrived, with a festival of events celebrating the work of students from courses as diverse as filmmaking and graphic design, all of it leading edge.

Annette said: “A week-long festival of events meant that I had something to go to, and often more than one thing, every day. The level of creativity and talent on display has been remarkable, and I have also been really impressed at how business and industry facing the events have been. I have seen students displaying their work literally being offered jobs by businesses.” It has strengthened her view that the College has a critical role to play in ensuring Edinburgh’s talent pool remains deep and rich, and one of the main reasons employers continue to find Scotland’s Capital a positive place to be. She said: “Students and staff here continually

INSPIRING TALENT

Annette Bruton

think about what their career is going to be, what they are learning means for that. For example, I spoke with some of our construction industry students and I was heartened at the number who confirmed to me that as they learn new skills here, and demonstrate them on the job to their employers, they get more interesting and responsible work to do with their employers. In other words, they become more talented and more valuable, and what they learn here is trusted. That is a perfect partnership at work.” Through its range of Higher National Certificate, Higher National Diploma, Modern Apprenticeships and Degree courses the College can offer appropriate levels of course to almost any student. The Principal added: “We already work closely with a whole range of partners, including many businesses and both Edinburgh Napier and Queen Margaret Universities. That engagement is essential to ensuring we continue to offer the best experience that we possibly can to our students, in terms of ensuring that what we do is relevant in helping them find the vocation they want. “But I would say that while some employers are very positively engaged with us, I would

like to see even more invest in the time to engage. And it would be an investment. The rewards come in helping to create a talented and flexible pool of people to employ, with great skills and an ability to learn and adapt. “Employers who take this time can help us right from the start of the process, helping shape and influence what we do in terms of our courses.” The appeal of Edinburgh and of the College is also amply illustrated through its international reach. Around 16% of students are international. At the College’s training restaurant recently an event was held by international students, and this was supported and attended by the Consulates based in the Capital. More and greater engagement with businesses and partners from Edinburgh, Scotland, the UK and overseas is a continued focus for the Principal. She added: “We are a very significant business in our own right, with a budget of around £65 million. That is a good sized business. “We try to run along business lines. We even operate a number of businesses within the college, for example through our hospitality and beauty schools. Everything we do is

geared towards creating adaptable people who can move seamlessly into the world of work, bringing high levels of appropriate skills. “But we also make sure we are innovative. Our staff and students embrace the need to ensure that we constantly strive to do things better and smarter. “I see the College as an enormous bridge between schools, universities and employers. We provide a platform for all kinds of talented people to learn a huge range of skills that enable them to find work, or to go on to University to complete degree courses. It is challenging, but it’s an exciting place to be.”

August/September 2015

BUSINESS NEWS

What is Movement to Work? Britain’s employers are coming together to help young, unemployed people get into jobs. As a group, we don’t think it’s right that one in eight young people are not in employment, education or training. And we are doing something about it. That’s why we are:

The good news is the approach we are taking is already working.

n Offering thousands of structured vocational training and work experience placements for young people;

n We have delivered ~18,000 placements (up to March 2015), with over 17,000 placements already pledged for 2015.

n Linking training placements to jobs or apprenticeships so that at least 50% of participants achieve a positive outcome of moving into paid work or education.

n 68% of young people completing placements have moved into paid employment, apprenticeships or further study.

n Ensuring the quality of the training is high – each placement will last around 4-6 weeks and will include employability skills and support from a buddy.

Around 200 employers have already joined Movement to Work, including many of Britain’s biggest businesses and organisations. Members include: Accenture, BAE Systems, Barclays, BT, Centrica, Civil Service, Diageo, GSK, HSBC, M&S, National Grid, Tesco, Unilever, and WPP. We are also supported and endorsed by the Government, The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) and the TUC. Our delivery partners include Jobcentre Plus and The Prince’s Trust, alongside other youth employment specialists.

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n Implementing Movement to Work in M&S has saved 6% in costs for our customer assistant recruitment and 24% in development costs for a customer assistant to move into a coach role.

It is also improving lives. “Movement to Work has changed my life,” explains one of the young people on the M&S Movement to Work programme . “I thought I’d never get a job, that no one would employ me. It’s turned my life around.” “We are delighted to be a founding member of Movement to Work,” adds Olly Benzecry, Chairman and MD, Accenture UK and Ireland. “Our particular focus has been on digital and technology skills. It really works for the young people who have been involved. It really works for our business and we have found a new source of motivated talent. Working with employers across sectors, including Government and youth charities, has created a model that really works. I would absolute encourage other employers to join and reap the benefits.” With youth unemployment expected to cost the UK an estimated £28 billion over the next decade – and with thousands of young people still trapped in the ‘no experience, no job; no job, no experience’ cycle – we are calling on more of Britain’s employers to join us. http://www.movementtowork.com/

BUSINESS NEWS

The Challenges and Opportunities of Recruiting and Retaining Talent through Change John Toal, Sales & Marketing Manager, Onyx Group

Let’s start with “what is talent”? We all instinctively know that when we are working with a great team of people success seems to come easily, but how often do we take a step back and ask ourselves what makes these people talented? Do they all have the greatest education, with multiple qualifications, work 16 hours days and could design a viable rocket or is it something else? I believe that there are four characteristics: They are energetic, but don’t just work long hours, you have animated conversations with them that both of you finish even more enthusiastically than you started, they do make clear and tough decisions but most importantly they get things done and always on time. If these are the characteristics that you

cherish, but how do you attract them to your company and when they are on board how do you keep them being the best, especially during periods of change driven internally or externally? Recruitment has to be the toughest job for any manager. For me it is a two way process. Firstly, I have to get the candidate really wanting to join my company, to get excited about where we are going, that we can deliver the environment for them to be successful, be that resources, training or working for a great manager. The primary reason that people move jobs is that they don’t get on with their manager. Secondly, I interview against my criteria above and then thoroughly understand what they actually have done. Not the bland text book answers that you so often get at interview, but achievements large or small. We started an apprenticeship programme last year and the young lady that energised me the most described the great work that she had done for her local church. I have been through many company integrations both acquiring companies and

being acquired. Some good, other events, less so. During the successful occasions three things stand out as the key factors to retaining the good people: We communicated relentlessly to everyone, those being acquired, the current team, customers, suppliers and the board members. During any change there is a natural tendency for most people to seek security (I suggest you read Maslow if you are interested.) Establishing new organisational structures, reporting lines, ironing out challenges with terms and conditions, all of the hygiene factors have to be done quickly. Any big changes were always effected rapidly; people will speculate and probably be right if something unpleasant is going to happen. Get on with it. And finally, when the initial dust has settled, go back and communicate the vision and values again. Energise the team, they won’t have heard it on day one, when they are secure they are more likely to listen.

August/September 2015

ADVERTORIAL

Inspiring Female Talent: It’s a Leadership Thing “Organisations are shadows of their leaders” Industry is innovating faster than ever to meet the increased demands of clients and customers. Organisations are constantly being challenged to continuously adapt to ensure that they are capable of achieving sustainable business results. Given that female talent is underrepresented in senior positions across many Scottish businesses, there is a significant opportunity for inspired

Vivien Weldon Head of Client Solutions

You can’t look too far these days without coming across something in the news about “Gender Diversity” or “Women in Leadership”. There is pressure in the market, and expectation from the government, that British Business – specifically the FTSE 100 – will lead the way in creating “Balanced Boardrooms” with at least 25% female representation by the end of 2015. Since his initial report “Women on Boards”, published in 2011, Lord Davies has recently reported that the FTSE 100 is making significant progress towards that goal with women now occupying 23.5% of all FTSE 100 board seats. However, he is not resting on his laurels. The pressure is intensifying and he is “naming and shaming” those companies who are failing to make progress, claiming that those companies that “do not get the mood of society on this issue, actually deserve to go out of business.” So, whilst there has been an 11% increase of women occupying FTSE 100 board seats over

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Scottish leaders to unleash the full capability and capacity of their female talent pipeline to optimise collaboration, innovation and productivity. With more and more businesses in Scotland signing up to the Scottish Business Pledge and the Partnership for Change, Scotland’s business leaders have a unique opportunity to make a real step-change in the way in which their organisations, and indeed our country, is known for inspiring female talent.

the last 36 months, what are these statistics not telling us? Of the FTSE 100, there are still 59 companies that have yet to achieve 25% female representation at board level. Of the FTSE 250, there are 23 companies with all male boards. So what is really going on here? What is the root-cause of the Gender Diversity issue and why is it taking some companies such a long time to shift the balance of their workforce? Let’s take a closer look by examining the business case that sits behind Gender Diversity. Diversity and Inclusion is a hot topic in the world of business, particularly Gender Diversity. What is all the fuss about? Why can’t we just get on with running our companies and wait for this whole thing to “run its course?” Newsflash – This “thing” is not going away – it is here for the long run, with targets looming round the corner, you need to be thinking tactically and strategically about it now! First thing is first; let’s get the debate out of the way. Balanced workforces outperform those that are not – yielding a 42% increase in return on sales, a 66% increase in return on invested capital and a 53% increase in return on equity. Gender Diversity is no longer considered an ethical issue; it is a strategic imperative for any company looking to improve performance.

So why are so many (59% of the FTSE 100) organisations struggling to hit the 25% goal? In order to answer that question we need to understand what is happening to the Female Talent Pipeline within many organisations. On average, 60% of graduates in the UK are female and many of the FTSE 100 organisations ensure that at least 50% of their graduate in-take is female. Following a significant investment in Attraction, Recruitment and On-boarding, many of these graduates embark upon a 12-24 month graduate programme which delivers on the “Employer Brand Promise,” laying a foundation for their career path within the organisation. The critical break in the Female Talent Pipeline occurs during the transition from the graduate programme to the start of their “live” career in the workplace. This is where the rubber meets the road and the gap (the Cultural Delta) between the “aspirational culture” and the “actual culture” is experienced. The graduate programme simulates a desired or “aspirational culture,” and to a certain extent, insulates the graduate from the realities of the real or “actual culture.” The moment of truth is when the graduate experiences how far removed the “actual culture” is from the “aspirational culture” by experiencing values and behaviours that are not consistent with the “Employer Brand Promise.” Trust is broken.

ADVERTORIAL The size of the “Cultural Delta” will directly affect the employees’ relationship with the company, their level of engagement, level of performance and ownership of their career development - as well as the likelihood of them staying with the company. In fact, in many of the FTSE100 organisations, the “Cultural Delta” is so significant that rapid disengagement, sub performance and attrition are realised almost immediately following transition into the “live” work environment. Why is this such an important issue for female talent? Because women make the decision to work with companies that espouse similar values and behaviours. When that “emotional contract” is breached, trust is broken and the disengagement begins. Without a clearly articulated vision for the future, one where diversity and inclusion is understood and valued, there is little left to hold their attention and the attrition begins. Without addressing the “Cultural Delta”, this critical link in the Female Talent Pipeline will be permanently broken. With highly valued and invested-in female talent haemorrhaging from the organisation, the organisation continues to plough more money in recruiting more female graduates, to go through more graduate programmes, only to lose them due to the “Cultural Delta.” This “continuous loop” systematically drains time, money and effort from the organisation but more importantly, breaks the career pathway for high performing females who would be considered executive and boardroom pipeline material. Add to that the females, who have “quit but not left”, what you end up with is high attrition of female talent, disengaged existing female talent and lack of female talent to feed the leadership talent pipeline. Is there a shortcut to Gender Diversity? If you mean, is there a shortcut to building a high performing organisation with a diverse and inclusive workforce, the answer is no. Are there investments that can be made

“There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.”

to attract the right female talent, repair the existing Female Talent Pipeline, retain and develop latent female talent, accelerate your fast-track females into the boardroom and ignite a cultural change? The answer is yes. Cultural change takes real leadership: Inspiration, Courage and Commitment - to stay the course. It is not an easy journey, but one that will return financial, cultural and legacy benefits that will create a sustainable trajectory of higher performance to those of your competitors. Don’t just “tick the boxes”, run some initiatives and hope this “thing” goes away. Lead the transformational change that is required to unlock the true performance of your organisation with inspiring, focussed and committed leadership. Make the right investment now to return to your employees, customers, shareholders and society the results that you know are possible with your company. Parity Professionals is the company that can help. We have been working with Public and Private Businesses in Scotland for 30 years. Our team in Edinburgh is passionate about making a real difference to the success of people’s careers and organisations’ sustainable performance. We will leave no stone unturned to source and develop the very best talent to unlock the full potential of your female talent pipeline.

Whether you are looking to support “Gender Diversity Change Programmes” by:

1 Accelerating your top Female Talent into the Boardroom

2 Repairing your Female Talent Pipeline 3 Kick-starting your organisational Gender Diversity Journey

4 Identifying, sourcing and selecting exceptional D&I, OD and HR Professionals

5 Or, communicating the Gender Diversity Business Case to the Leadership Team Call us now to arrange a complimentary Discovery Session – and let’s get the conversation started.

Contact Details t: +44 (0)131 603 6199 e: vivien.weldon@parity.net www.parityprofessionals.co.uk/gds @ParityProf

Niccoló Machiavelli

August/September 2015

Inspiring Female Talent Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Leadership Thing t: +44 (0)131 603 6199

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www.parityprofessionals.co.uk/gds

PARTNERS IN ENTERPRISE

Detox your Business and Change your life Gaynor McIntyre recently joined Condies Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers as their Strategy Consultant. Gaynor has over 20 years of consultancy and business coaching experience. In the first of her series of articles, Gaynor challenged business owners to stop doing the things that don’t matter and do more of the things that do. In this second article she takes this to the next step and demonstrates how to start the change process.

My job never ceases to amaze me. Only this week I walked into a business to be met by a frazzled owner who proceeded to download all his woes and troubles for the next two and a half hours. Afterwards, he certainly felt better for it – the question is, “Does he have the real drive and commitment to do something about it?”

Talking is easy; changing is not. After further discussion I found that one of his team had lost them a substantial sum over the last year. When I asked if they had anything about it, (like squeezing said employee into the nearest canon and pressing the fire button?) – guess the answer?

That’s right – No! I was told “Well, we phone up our HR advice line and they just tell you what you can’t do, not what you can.” So, donning my usual subtle hat, I followed this up with, “So how does it feel seeing clear profit pouring down the drain because you’re too scared to fire your most toxic asset?” Silence followed as I watched his jaw hit the floor. Why on earth do so many wonderful businesses and fantastic business owners put

up with such unbelievable incompetence because they’re too worried about the legal ramifications of emptying someone who is clearly useless?

Here’s my solution: I encourage my clients to stand back, take a good hard look at their business and acknowledge what they have created. I invite them to look at everything they need their business to do: 1) To serve the customer 2) To support the organisation’s infrastructure and talent 3) To plan for growth. In almost all cases, point 3 is an afterthought because the owner is too busy ordering paperclips, dealing with the VAT and generally doing the things they hate. My approach is to work with them to visualise their business on three bits of paper representing each of the 3 areas. Once we have mapped out their full business, I encourage clients to then look into the future. To take a view of where they are and how they need it to look so that they can achieve the outcomes they want, whatever they might be. I then help the client visualise this in the form of a ‘Future Map’ then stand back and take another hard look at the map. From this point we look at the roles, using common sense and knowledge to extract all the natural roles that the business needs

to have in order to support what it wants to do. Critically, what is the skill set the business needs to deliver this desired map? Only then is the owner allowed to mention specific staff. Until now they are banned from discussing individuals to allow us to identify what the business really needs in terms of roles and skills - and if someone needs to go, they go. I worked through this process with a very well-known client in Edinburgh recently; this exercise revealed that more than a third of the client facing tasks had no one responsible for them. Fifteen months later and the client exceeded their budget for the first time, the head of the organisation is back doing exciting stuff and we have the right people sitting in the team doing the right things. The owner is quite simply a new and more confident person, the business has been detoxed of negative attitudes and fear and more importantly, for the staff, it is a calmer, happier and more harmonious place to work. Now, for me, that’s something to get out of bed for. Do you need to detox your business too? In her next article, Gaynor talks about culture and how important it is to manage at and the ‘energy’ of the business…

Gaynor McIntyre

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

August/September 2015

SQA JOURNEYS DeveloPing the Workforce of toMorroW

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Scotland’s young people are our future – they are the workforce of tomorrow. Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) is the Scottish Government’s seven year initiative to improve the options available to young people, reducing youth unemployment by preparing young people for the workplace and giving them the skills that employers are looking for.

Delivering for ScotlanD SQA is a key partner in the initiative. We are uniquely placed to deliver this because we already work closely with training providers, employers and colleges as well as schools. We understand the needs of learners and of employers and how we can help one group to help the other. Our wide range of qualifications is designed in partnership with industry experts to foster the workplace skills and experience needed in the real working world to make businesses more competitive and Scotland’s economy more dynamic.

These qualifications sit at various levels, allowing the learner to progress up the skills ladder from one qualification to the next or to move sideways to a different ladder at an equivalent level. They create a more qualified, more motivated and more productive workforce.

find out where SQa Journeys could take your business.

Working With You Employers can play a major role in helping Scotland’s young people, who in turn can ensure a better future for Scotland’s businesses. Every business working with SQA has a dedicated Manager in their Region – one point of contact who will take the time to get to know you and how you work. An advisor you can trust. They will listen and advise, help identify goals and zero in on how you can achieve the biggest business benefits from helping develop Scotland’s young workforce.

August/September 2015

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

FEATURE: LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

ADVERTORIAL

Skills for success This September, GTG Edinburgh is helping people get the skills they need to progress, for less.

n Dealing with Challenging Customers

Book any five days of training at GTG for just £500+VAT*, just mix and match from the below courses.

n Skills for Admin Assistants

1-day course: n Excel - Introduction n Excel - Managing Data n Building Assertiveness

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n Effective Time Management

2-day course: n ABCs of Supervising Others

n Communication Strategies

*The five days of training must take place between 1st and 30th September 2015. As there is a minimum delegate requirement per course, course may be cancelled if not filled but alternatives will be offered. £500 applies to the courses listed above and you must book five days of training. Five days’ training deal can be redeemed across multiple employees, or one employee completing five days of training themself. Both may be used across a combination of eligible courses. †Price excludes registration fee of £125. Only applicable to GTG Edinburgh. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

n Critical Elements of Customer Service

3-day course: n Managing People Or, take advantage of our half-price offer of ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management (4-day course) for £500+VAT†.

For more information and to book your place contact 0131 261 4541 or visit www.gtg.co.uk

FEATURE: LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

ADVERTORIAL

The RCPE announces a major investment into the refurbishment of their facilities The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) recently announced a major investment into the refurbishment of their Queen Mother Conference Centre, with work due to commence in 2016.

The Conference Centre built in the early 1980’s created a 300 seat raked theatre space behind a Georgian façade. The planned refurbishment will enhance, sustain and adapt the existing lecture theatre and foyer area to create a modern state of the art, 21st century Conference Centre. LDN Architects, who have a reputation for delivering innovative and award winning projects that address contemporary needs whilst protecting much valued heritage, are leading the design team.

The College was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II in 1681 and back then Physicians gathered together in their own homes to discuss the regulation of medical practice and standards. To this day, the RCPE remains committed to delivering excellence in medical education and standards to doctors throughout their careers and this purpose is facilitated within their Conference Centre and meeting rooms at 9-11 Queen Street.

This investment will not only benefit the RCPE’s Fellows and Members, but also their corporate clients providing a building fit for purpose, with improved technology, infrastructure and ease of movement for all no matter what their mobility requirements. A glass atrium will allow light to flood into the foyer creating a light and airy space.

CONFERENCES and MEETINGS at the ROYAL COLLEGE of PHYSICIANS of EDINBURGH

Modern conferencing in a historic setting Our comprehensive facilities at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh range from lecture theatre to meeting rooms, Great Hall and Georgian suite Choice of spaces for conferences, meetings, dinners and receptions for 3–300 and full AV support including video conferencing Stylish central Edinburgh location at 9 Queen Street Member of Unique Venues of Edinburgh

August/September 2015

#10KinTech: QA Apprenticeships commit to get 10,000 young people into Tech

With the tech sector exceeding the UK’s GDP growth by 400%*, the high demand for talent outstrips the supply of tech savvy candidates. QA, one of the UK’s leading apprenticeship providers, plans to tackle the issue head on with their yearlong campaign, 10K in Tech. QA Apprenticeships are at the forefront of those offering alternative career options to Higher Education. Winners of Apprenticeship Programme of the Year three years running, the company already offer the UK’s widest range of IT, tech and digital apprenticeships, with 92% of employers celebrating the value the programmes add to their business. Research has shown that 75% of 16-24 year olds claim they could not live without the internet and that they feel empowered at the level of information it offers them**. Harnessing what is already second nature to the youth population, QA Apprenticeships achieved the feat of securing 5,000 apprentices in the space of five years, but the company plans to reach the milestone of 10,000 in the next year. QA’s 10KinTech campaign complements the government’s new plan to create 3 million apprenticeships by 2020, and industry heavyweights such as Apprenticeships in Scotland, Microsoft, and The University of St Andrews have already made their pledges to the campaign. Shannen Scott, Head of Apprenticeships in Scotland: “We’re supporting QA’s 10K in Tech initiative because it is a great way to address a national skills gap that we’re facing at the moment in the IT industry. Investing in young people is really important for economic growth as

well, so we’re really, really proud to be supporting this.” QA and their partner organisations hope to raise awareness of alternative routes into education and how young people can kick start their careers across the East of Scotland. The organisation hopes to dispel the stereotypes and stigma around apprenticeships, providing credit and recognition to a business sector that is providing vital infrastructure to global commerce. Jonathan Warner, Head of QA Apprenticeships in Scotland “Technology is influencing every aspect of our everyday lives, from apps, to business, music and even fitness. There is a real need for fresh young talent to cope with the demand and evolution the sector is seeing. Our campaign will see the youth engage with a future in technology, and employers embrace apprenticeships as an industry standard for recruitment and skills.” Recently QA, with centres in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen, announced the launch of four unique new technology apprenticeships to boost job prospects for Scotland’s young people; Software & Web Development, Project Management, Cyber Security, and Digital Marketing. Please call Gary Standen on 0131 3385 367 at our Edinburgh office to discuss in more detail or email 10KinTech@qa.com to create new tech, digital and IT apprenticeship vacancies. For more information on how your business can support QA’s 10K in Tech campaign, visit apprenticeships.qa.com/10kintech

* QA Apprenticeships’ research March 2015

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** Youthnet.org, Life Support – Young people’s needs in a Digital Age

ADVERTORIAL

FEATURE: LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

QA Apprenticeship Scotland Scheme set to Hit 1,000 Target For 2015 An award-winning Digital and IT apprenticeship organisation is on track to help provide 1,000 young people across Scotland with the job of their dreams. The Edinburgh team at QA Apprenticeships, have blazed a trail in providing local companies with skilled, enthusiastic young people with ambitions to develop new skills and provide businesses with their knowledge. Gary Standen, Head of QA Apprenticeships in the East of Scotland. He said: “We aim to help talented young people with potential get a foot on the career ladder and get that all-important first opportunity. While for our business clients, we work hard to find the very best young people, who will contribute to their success and provide digital and IT knowledge they might not otherwise have been able to access.” To ensure QA apprentices are the perfect match for companies Gary, and his team of account managers and resourcers, regularly speak at schools, colleges and liaise with organisations such as the Princes Trust, to identify strong candidates. They also have a rigorous five stage recruitment process. The new Edinburgh Team, an expansion from the Glasgow base, also boasts an extensive client list of major blue chip companies as well as SMEs and micro-businesses. Among these are long-standing partners Microsoft, Standard Life and Zonal Data Retail Services, who all take on double-figure apprentices each year. QA’s approach to apprentice qualifications is very different to the more traditional routes, as well as work based learning with assessor visits they also provide technical training at the Edinburgh centre in blocks of up to two weeks at a time. The training also covers industryspecific certificates and as well as SQA diplomas, so apprentices can be awarded Microsoft technical qualifications for example. Gary added: “Digital and IT skills are needed by companies of all sizes across all sectors. They can require everything from advice about cyber security and search engine optimisation to web design and data analytics. Our apprentices are a really cost-effective way for a business to access this knowledge for the price of their salary. All of the training expenses for the most up to date courses in IT skills are covered by us.”

years at the National Learning Awards. It is also a leading apprenticeship partner for Microsoft, Oracle, HP, Cisco and the Association of Project Management. Any company interested in finding out more about IT apprentices can contact Gary Standen on 0131 338 5367 or email gary.standen@qa.com.

The assessors for the QA training courses are also all experienced IT professionals with in-depth industry knowledge. Nationally QA, which was established in 2009, has won numerous awards and plaudits including being the first IT apprenticeship business to be rated Outstanding by Ofsted and winning the Apprenticeship Programme of the Year award for three consecutive

August/September 2015

ADVERTORIAL

Assembly Rooms’ Green Dream Shona Clelland, General Manager of Assembly Rooms Edinburgh, describes the difference ‘going green’ has made to the business. Sustainability is much more than a buzzword and, for many successful companies, it is inherent in their business culture. For Assembly Rooms Edinburgh, the award earlier this year of a Silver grading in the Green Tourism Business Scheme is an important step in underlining our commitment to working sustainably with like-minded organisations. As stewards of a historic building with a long heritage in hosting public and private events, our vision is to ensure the venue stands the test of time for generations to come. Less than two years ago, we embarked on

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a journey to take that stewardship to new heights by putting a distinct and quantifiable focus on sustainability. Today we are reaping the rewards – from cost-savings through efficient use of resources, to a passion that brings all our staff together, and ultimately, to commercial advantage by competing on a level playing field with major venues throughout the UK. We started our journey by working with Resource Efficient Scotland who audited our practices and encouraged and motivated us through staff training. That process led to the creation of a ‘Green Team’ to champion our vision and an ongoing waste management relationship with ChangeWorks which has boosted our recycling and noticeably reduced landfill waste. Through the incorporation of green building initiatives and advanced building management systems to monitor heating and lighting we have successfully decreased energy use, and for other resources we save water through tap sensors and eco flush systems. Small steps lead to big differences and one of our early innovations was the use of Bio-plastics which led us to introduce our own range of fully degradable disposable cups, branded as Assembly Rooms. We have gone on from there to use 100 per cent recyclable cleaning additives for our bar pipes, and changed from detergent and rinse aid solutions in bars and kitchen to an all-in-one product which not only reduces packaging but is also more efficient.

Suppliers are a big part of the picture and we are working with them on reducing or reusing packaging, for example by saving cardboard boxes and returning them with the next delivery, or by washing and returning plastic food containers. Increasingly, a primary requirement for event organisers and meeting buyers is being able to demonstrate sustainability in their buying decisions. Our aim is to meet that need and key to success is innovation and embracing change. Through the introduction of our ‘Green Team’ we have made our ‘Green Dream’ a reality, encouraging our staff, clients and stakeholders to work with us in achieving our goals. Now sustainability permeates every aspect of our business, from operations to communications. But while we are proud of our progress, we are not resting on our laurels. Our ambitions and our targets are high and we will continue to stay ahead of the game by constantly looking for new ways to ensure our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment is as sustainable as we can possibly make it.

Tel: 0131 220 4348 Email: enquiries@ assemblyroomsedinburgh.co.uk www.assemblyroomsedinburgh.co.uk

ASK THE EXPERT

Why bother? It has often been said why bother with training? n Colleagues never do anything differently as a result of a course. n It is a jolly and a good day out the office. n You can’t teach leadership. n People have either got it or not. n People skills either come naturally to you or are a ‘dark art’ and can’t be taught.

leaders through stretching, supporting and developing their people? One thing that makes us uniquely human is our ability to have conscious choice. Between a stimulus being applied and us taking action we have the choice to choose our action, to choose how we want to respond to that stimulus. Depending on the will, skill and focus of the person being given a development opportunity we all have it within us to grab opportunities, grow as a person and be the best we can.

If you agree with these statements then it suggests that you believe that people can only use their intuition and life experiences to develop the skills to do a role. To an extent we do all learn from our experiences; in fact we often learn most from our negative experiences, as we tend to reflect more on these than our positive experiences. However, the learning is often very superficial, in that what we learn is not to do that again. What we don’t do is spend enough time reflecting on the experience, exploring what options we could use in the future and committing to doing something different next time.

I have mentored people aged 16 to 65 years, I have lectured to teenage students and presented to CEO’s and I can honestly say that those who wanted to learn something did and the ones that didn’t… didn’t. If you have a closed mind and are not receptive, nothing will go in and nothing will change.

A Company Director once said to me, ‘Leaders are born and not made, you either have it or you don’t’. Now naturally, some people have better leadership and people skills than others; whether that is due to genetics, upbringing or life experiences is a subject on which much has been written and debated. The combination of these factors does appear to give some people a head start when it comes to leadership and people skills. But to say leaders are born and not made, is a view that doesn’t sit well with the idea, that we are all continuously learning and developing. Just for one moment think what you were like in your first role? What mistakes did you make when you became a line manager? Are you not a better leader now than you were 10 years ago? Is it not that one of the key attributes of a great leader that they help create the next generation of

I believe our job, as business owners, leaders and line managers is to provide an environment and develop a culture that encourages our people to have an open mind, to explore the new and test the different. It is vital that we take our mental learning and turn it into practice and to make the best bits a habit. Not all learning is relevant at the time but the best build that toolkit for the future.

We need to remember that learning is a two-stage process. Firstly, there is the mental thought process that this is new, interesting, relevant and/or useful. This is followed by the physical process of putting that mental thought/learning into action, the physical creation or manifestation of the learning.

Mark Douglas

create a safe environment for the physical application of the learning and above all, give your people the same opportunity that you had when someone believed in you and gave you that chance. Remember if you do nothing they could be a groundhog manager till they retire. As Dennis the Menace famously said, ‘The best thing you can do is get good at being you’. Mark Douglas is delivering our “Business Planning & Strategy Development” workshop here on Tuesday 22nd September. To book visit http://www.edinburghchamber.co.uk/ training/courses

So is investing in both you and your peoples’ future a waste of time and resources? It is if the minds are closed and nothing changes as a result. This is what I call groundhog management, where you continue to do what you have always done but expect a different result. But hey you’re a good leader aren’t you? You can surely challenge closed minds, identify development needs and

Finance Director asks the MD: “What happens if we invest in developing our people and then they leave us” MD: “What happens if we don’t and they stay?” August/September 2015

GETTING STARTED

Name: Patricia Watson Business name: Accountants for Business UK LTD Start up date: November 2014 Website: www.accountantsforbusinessuk.com Q1: Tell us a bit about your business? An accountancy and business advisory practice specialising in cloud based account solutions and also outsourcing of the financial control function. Our clients range from start up to £10million turnover.

Q2: What gives your business ‘the x-factor’? Senior level industry experience means that we really understand the pressures and commercial realities faced by companies and can offer support and advice accordingly.

Q3: What motivated you to set up in business for yourself? Seeing a gap in the market for companies requiring some financial control support without the need to recruit plus an interest in developing cloud based solutions.

Q4: What do you like most about working for yourself? The variety of work and meeting a wide range of interesting people.

Q5: What has been your greatest business success to date? Helping an oil related client secure circa £2.5 million in venture capital funding to fund product development growth.

Q6: What has been your lowest moment?

accountants operate. It is an exciting time to be in this profession.

The first week, getting my head round the fact that there was going to be no big, safe salary payment at the end of the month.

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

Be positive in your business planning but Q7: In terms of business achievements, where do you want to understand that it may take longer than you anticipated to achieve your goals and be within the next 5 years? Evolving alongside the technology advances which are changing the way

costs substantially more. Being prepared for that will help when your stamina is tested.

NEW MEMBERS

Alastair Clyde

Forth Blinds

Passion Digital

Alfa Trading & Consultancy

Gallus Events

Peter Vardy BMW Limited

Austin Reed / Viyella / CC

Glencairn Properties

PPE Industrial Supplies Limited

AW2 Consulting

Gleneagles Hotel

AWS Recruitment Ltd

GLM

Business Medical

GVA James Barr

Capita Translation and Interpreting

Healthy Working Lives

Cassandra Struthers - Clarity of Mind

Lindsays

SBP Creative

CityFibre

Omnia Creative

SKB Risk Services LTD

Edinburgh Capitals

Orbit Engagement Ltd

Whole In One Golf

BC August/September 2015

Relationship Counselling Edinburgh Rexcone (Natural Ketosis) Sainsbury’s Bank PLC

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August/September 2015

BE THE BEST

Nightmare boss or dream leader – how do people really rate your management style? As the famous saying goes: you can never please all the people all the time. Although Lincoln made a fair point, that doesn’t mean you should disregard the feelings, views, opinions and welfare of your people.

n Disinterest in staff career progression: Do you challenge your people to be the best they can be?

exceptional course that provides a clear roadmap for implementing change in your business.”

n Inadequate reward & recognition schemes: Do you forget to give your people appropriate recognition for their achievements when it really counts?

Book today at http://www. edinburghchamber.co.uk/training/courses and see positive change.

12% of employees went as far as to state that they couldn’t name one thing they admired about their boss.

The IIP leadership horizon survey 2014 suggests that 43% of those who feel they have a bad working relationship with their boss considered looking for a new job.

But let’s be fair - for every David Brent there’s also an Ernest Shackleton to be found, with the best bosses thought to be approachable, experienced and trusting in their people’s abilities.

It’s never been more important for today’s modern leaders to consider refreshing their management style – a move that could be vital in maintaining decent working relationships whilst keeping engagement high.

This and much more beside is covered in our Management Essentials and Change Management courses run in conjunction with Edinburgh Chamber.

So are you the dreaded nightmare boss? Hands up if you’ve ever been guilty of… n Disorganisation: Always late for meetings? Forgetting important details? n Demotivation: Do you communicate negativity and indifference a little too often?

One way of achieving this is to compile a databank of individuals whose combined expertise can make all the difference towards landing that next big deal, according to Capito, one of the UK’s leading information and communications technologies (ICT) providers. The Livingston-based tech expert employs 50 full-time employees but has the flexibility

BC August/September 2015

Change Management – Monday 26th & Tuesday 27th October 09.30 – 16.30

Michelle Sutton is one of IIP’s Specialists and runs this training. Michelle is an expert in change management, and is currently guiding many Scottish organisations through muddy waters towards bright horizons.

By Michelle Sutton, Investors in People

These courses have proved to be massively popular and have been described as “An

GET WITH IT It’s vital in an economic climate where skills shortages persist that organisations both find and retain top talent.

Management Essentials – Monday 7th September & Monday 5th October 09.30 – 16.30

By Bill Magee Scottish Business Technology Writer of the Year

to scale up its resources as required to deliver large-scale projects. On occasions this has meant trebling its workforce. A growing list of clients include a nineyear partnership with BT Global Services where Capito has played a direct role in transforming City of Edinburgh Council’s enduser computing environment. The latest aspect of this key project involved deploying in excess of 16,000 “user specific” computing devices at a rate of 300 a day from its ISO 27001 accredited facility. Other feathers in Capito’s cap include a services partner contract with US multinational Hewlett-Packard (HP), EMC’s flagship VMware, and CommVault.

Capito’s Managing Director Alan Middleton says: “Our constant skills updating process means that we have some individuals who have been on our ‘books’ for years.” The firm has become involved in the Microsoft UK-wide 2016 apprenticeships programme and also works with West Lothian Council on their work experience and “Steps N2 Work” programme. Capito’s Business Development Director Kevin Wallace sums up that in today’s still uncertain economic times, it’s vital to stay flexible to a customer’s needs plus retain an agility in service delivery. Catch my ‘Bill’s Daily TechPost” via Twitter (most days!) #billamagee

EUROPE DIRECT EDINBURGH

Building Bridges between Work and Education We welcome a new appointment to the Europe Direct Information Centre from May 2015. Sylvia Jenkins, Executive Assistant at Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce will manage the Information Centre, following in the footsteps of Gerardine Renwick who has moved on to set up her own business. Your local Europe Direct Information Centre is located at the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce. Get in touch if you have any questions about Europe and the European Union, whether about travelling, studying or working in the EU or regarding policy and legislation. Email: europedirect@ edinburghchamber.co.uk

Vocational schools and vocational education and training (VET) providers; The European Union’s new Erasmus+ programme runs 2014 – 2020 aiming to boost skills and employability. Building on the work of the previous Erasmus programme and streamlining its administration by bringing together the work of seven previously existing EU programmes in the fields of Education, Training, and Youth; it will for the first time provide support for Sport. As an integrated programme, Erasmus+ offers more opportunities for cooperation across the Education sectors and is easier to access than its predecessors, with simplified funding rules. The seven year programme will have a budget of €14.7 billion; a 40% increase compared to its previous spend levels, reflecting the EU’s commitment to investing in these areas. It is overseen at a European level by the European Commission’s Executive Agency.

Erasmus+ Vocational, Education & Training (VET) – for Adults and Those in Work The UK National Authority which manages the decentralised activities of Erasmus+ is a partnership between the British Council and Ecorys UK. Based in Birmingham, the partnership’s aims is improve the quality of vocational education and training across Europe, providing opportunities for vocational students and staff to undertake traineeships

abroad. It will help vocational education and training institutions to build strategic partnerships with other organisations and businesses to establish close links between education and training and the world of work.

VET Opportunities include: Placements abroad for trainees, students and apprentices within a technical college, a company, public organisation or nongovernmental organisation. Opportunities for staff to undertake European professional development activities including training, job shadowing and teaching assignments. Cooperation between institutions to include exchanging best practice ideas, implement European Credit systems in training (ECVET) and European Quality Assurance (EQAVTET). Cooperation between VETs, training providers and business communities, to share sectoral knowledge; to design and deliver curricula to meet the needs of the labour market; and share results of this cross-sector approach, to policy makers, enterprises and advisors.

Who can take part in Erasmus+ VET ? The following organisations in the UK can take part:

n Enterprises, social partners and other representatives of working life, including chambers of commerce and other trade organisations; n Any organisation active in the field of VET n Those organisations responsible for VET policy making and decision making Erasmus+ enquiries: British Council in partnership with Ecorys UK: Tel: 0044 0845 199 2929 Email: erasmusplus@uk.ecorys.com Further information about Erasmus+: http://ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus

#ErasmusPlus

Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships Cross-sectoral cooperation in the fields of: n Higher Education, VET, School Education, Adult Education and Youth n 25,000 partnerships n 125,000 institutions

August/September 2015

CHAMBER TRAINING

Training Course Calendar August

September

Tuesday 11th August 2015 09.30-16.30 Introduction to Project Management: How to Plan, Manage and Close Successful Projects

Wednesday 2nd September 2015 08.30 – 10.00 Management Essentials Breakfast

Wednesday 12th August 2015 09.30 – 16.30 Winning Presentations: How to Speak in Public with Power, Passion and Confidence Thursday 13th August 2015 09.30 – 16.30 Leadership: How to Lead, Manage and Coach your People to Success Friday 14th August 2015 09.30 – 12.30 Email Marketing for Business Wednesday 19th August 2015 – 09.30 – 16.30 Time Management: How to get More done in Less Time Thursday 20th August 2015 09.30 – 16.30 Finance for Non Finance Managers: How to Understand and Speak with Confidence about Financial Issues in your Business Monday 24th August 2015 09.30 – 16.30 Export Documentation Tuesday 25th August 2015 09.30 – 12.30 An Introduction to Basic Google Analytics Wednesday 26th August 2015 09.30 – 16.30 Process Mapping: How to Create Process Maps and Improve your Business Processes Thursday 27th August 2015 09.30 – 16.30 How to Write Compelling Web Content

Thursday 3rd September 2015 09.30 – 12.30 Essential Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Google AdWords Friday 4th September 2015 09.30 – 12.30 Planning e-Commerce: Successfully Investing in On-line Business Monday 7th September 2015 09.360 – 16.30 Management Essentials Day 1 Tuesday 8th September 2015 09.30 – 16.30 Keep your Customers: How to Understand and Improve Your Customers Experience Thursday 10th September 2015 09.30 – 12.30 Incoterms 2010 Friday 11th September 2015 09.30 – 12.30 Building e-Commerce: Developing your on-line Shop Tuesday 15th September 2015 09.30 – 16.30 Difficult Situations: How to Deal with Difficult Customers and Staff Effectively and Confidently Wednesday 16th September 2015 09.30 – 16.30 Sales Skills: How to Enjoy and Get Great Results when Selling Face to Face or by Telephone Thursday 17th September 2015 09.30 – 12.30 10 Steps to Converting Website Traffic into Sales Friday 18th September 2015 09.30 – 12.30 Managing e-Commerce: Controlling and Growing your Online business Tuesday 22nd September 2015 09.30 – 16.30 Business Planning and Strategy Development Wednesday 23rd September 2015 09.30 – 16.30 Networking: How to Build Great Relationships and Enjoy Meeting Strangers Thursday 24th September 2015 08.30 – 10.00 Management Essentials Breakfast

To book please contact us the training department on 0131 221 2999 option 3 or email: training@edinburghchamber.co.uk

Wednesday 30th September 2015 09.30 -16.30 Negotiating: How to Negotiate and Achieve the Right Deal for you and your Customers

www.edinburghchamber.co.uk/training/courses

BC August/September 2015

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Company name: Capital Document Solutions Who? Mark Harvie, Area Sales Director Website: www.capital-solutions.co.uk What were you doing between 10 and 12 this morning? A presentation to a customer in our McDonald Road showroom.

What do you see as your job’s biggest challenge? Competing against poor competition that put their own interests before that of the clients.

What do you consider your biggest business triumph? A great moment for me is when a large customer ‘blows our trumpet’ to a new client and we conclude quality business and start a new long term working partnership.

Do you have any money-saving business tips? A Managed Print Service with Capital could give you savings of up to 30% on your document production.

What do you believe are the 3 key stages on your career ladder? Joining Capital in 1988 Account Manager to Sales Manager in 2003 Board Director 2014

Where do you stand on work/life balance? I work hard but I play hard too and enjoy spending time with my family.

What do you like to do in your spare time? My 17 year old daughter, Ciara, is a classical soprano and I enjoy watching her bring so much joy and emotion to an audience.

What qualities do you need to see in your employees? People need to be proud of what they do and continuously look to improve their skills.

In business, is it more important to be liked or successful? You can be successful without trampling over others.

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

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

Be very passionate about whatever you do in life.

A television pundit for formula 1 racing.

Who is your hero?

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

Amongst many I have great respect for Sir Alex Ferguson because of the long period he was with ManU - all the highs and lows he took the club through.

Any business (or other) projects you would like to plug? We have been with our telecoms provider Commsworld now for many years and also work closely with Edinburgh Computer Services. They are both innovative and reliable organisations.

Jackie Stewart, Kate Winslet, Bill Clinton, Steve Jobs, Frank Sinatra and David Attenborough.

Outside of business, what is the most important thing in your life? My wife and children as well as my brothers and sister and all of their families.

August/September 2015

FEATURE: PROPERTY

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Offering landlords peace of mind Crombie & Co Property Management are a new letting agency on the block, with a team of residential lettings and property management experts boasting 40 years of experience and dedicated to offering a personal and hassle free service. Based in Edinburgh’s city centre, Crombie & Co has grown from a passion for offering a professional and reliable property management service. Whether you are a tenant, current landlord or investing in a buy-to-let property for the first time, the Crombie & Co team ensures that clients requirements are met and your needs are supported.

The current rental market in Edinburgh is very strong, with rents across the city rising and tenant demand proving high, despite an improved sales market. First time buyers still find it challenging to secure finance to purchase a property and renting is a more viable, flexible and popular option. Crombie & Co’s owner, Harry Crombie says “Edinburgh has seen another year of growth, with average rents for 2 bed increasing at around 9% over the last year and around 25% in the last 5 years, according to Citylets findings. The Edinburgh Lettings market is in a strong place right now and we welcome more P300 landlords to meet the current tenant demand.”

Exclusive to BC readers, Crombie & Co offer the first two months’ free management fee for new landlords

Crombie & Co (subject to T&Cs available on request). already look after a wide range of properties  in and around the city and, whether you have a small or large portfolio of residential property in Edinburgh, we tailor our service to meet your exact, long-term requirements. Contact Harry Crombie on 0131 290 2222 or info@crombieco.co.uk for more information on how Crombie & Co can work for you. P2915

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BC August/September 2015

Property marketing and advertising services via popular property letting portals

Fully vetting tenants, drawing up of tenancy agreements and creating detailed inventories

Deposit management and rent collection

Property maintenance and routine inspections

Advice on property refurbishment projects to maximise investment

15 Comely Bank Road, Edinburgh, EH4 1DS

www.crombieco.co.uk

FEATURE: PROPERTY

ADVERTORIAL

MATCH YOUR COMMERCIAL SPACE TO YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS WORKPLACE CONSULTANCY PROJECT MANAGEMENT ARCHITECTURE SPACE PLANNING INTERIOR DESIGN REFURBISHMENT & FIT-OUT RELOCATION MANAGEMENT FURNITURE, FITTINGS & EQUIPMENT CONSULTANCY RECYCLING SERVICES www.spacesolutions.info info@spacesolutions.info Tel: 0131 221 5210 2 Lochrin Square 96 Fountainbridge Edinburgh EH3 9QA

OUR RESEARCH SHOWS THAT ON AVERAGE WORK DESKS ARE ONLY USED FOR 55% OF THE WORKING DAY1. Creating this insight is part of the process that we undertake at Space Solutions when helping our clients to identify what commercial space they require to suit their business needs. We have many examples of clients whose businesses are experiencing growth and when considering increased staff numbers would have happily have added increased floor space not realising that this can significantly impact in increased occupational costs. A space appraisal presents three elements; • understanding the utilisation rate for desks, meeting rooms and break-out spaces, • examining how the company needs to work and • exploring what possible solutions may exist.

This process leads to understanding where efficiencies may exists, how effective the current office design is in supporting the business needs and how to establish best working practice. Engaging with Space Solutions has been shown to create an average space saving of 28% which can effectively reduce occupational costs by a third. Knowledge gives executive teams power to make informed decisions. Speak to Space Solutions to understand how you might match your commercial space to your business needs. 1 Figure based on the experience of projects undertaken by Space Solutions, June 2015.

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August/September 2015

INSPIRING CONNECTIONS

Even though summer seems to have been called off due to rain, here in the Events Team we are still as bright as ever!

“Rising Stars” headed to Revolution Bar on Chamber Street for a night of networking and cocktail making. If you are under 35 and want to grow your network, why not contact us to find out more about the events we host. Looking to August and September we

are heading to Surgeons Hall for Speed Networking on September 15th. Divino Enoteca will be opening exclusively for Chamber members for our Chamber Dinning Club lunch on August 26th, and of course we have our Annual Summer Party coming up. This year it will take place at Edinburgh Zoo.

The last few months have seen us host some fantastic events including the 2nd Annual Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Pub Quiz, this year kindly and gratefully sponsored by Corporate Moves. Taking place at Teviot Row House, over 15 teams networked on the sun soaked roof terrace before competing against each other for the chance to be crowned the winners. It would be Santander however, the current reigning Champions who retained their title. Thanks to RICKS for providing the top prize and to all other members who donated prizes for our raffle. Over £450 was raised for the Homeless World Cup. Also in June, members headed to a packed out Chamber Dining Club lunch at The Bonham and to the now Annual Gin Tasting at the Devil’s Cut.

BC August/September 2015

INSPIRING CONNECTIONS

At time of print, tickets have already half sold out so be sure to get you and your colleagues places! In the coming months, Annual Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Business Awards sponsorship opportunities will be made public for 2016. To express an interest or for further information please email sian.downes@edinburghchamber.co.uk. Looking forward to seeing you all at events soon!

The Events Team www.edinburghchamber.co.uk/events/events

FORTHCOMING EVENTS August

September

October

Wednesday 5th 60 Really Useful Minutes: Customer Service (10-11am)

Wednesday 2nd 60 Really Useful Minutes: Crisis Recovery with Hamilton and Inches (10-11am)

Wednesday 7th 60 Really Useful Minutes: How Edinburgh Organises Christmas with Underbelly (10-11am)

Thursday 13th Summer Party – Edinburgh Zoo (6:30-9:30pm)

Wednesday 9th Chamber Dining Club Dinner – Crowne Plaza- Royal Terrace (6-8pm)

Tuesday 25th Inspiring Women in Business Workshop - with Leigh Stott, Managing Director at Hunter Adams. Waldorf Astoria (12:302:30pm)

Tuesday 15th Speed Networking - The Royal College of Surgeons (8:30-11:00am)

Wednesday 26th Chamber Dining Club Lunch Divino Enoteca (12:30-2:30pm) Thursday 27th Breakfast Connections with Phil Verster, CEO at Scotrail. (8.30-10am)

Tuesday 22nd Inspiring Women in Business Lunch Lesley Eccles, Executive Vice President Marketing and Co Founder of FanDuel, the global leader in daily fantasy sports - The Waldorf Astoria (12:30-2:30pm)

Wednesday 14th Chamber Dining Club Lunch – DoubleTree by Hilton (12:30-2:30pm) Tuesday 27th Inspiring Women in Business Workshop The Waldorf Astoria (12:30-2:30pm) Thursday 29th Breakfast Connections with Jo Dow, Chief Executive of Business Stream and panel (8.30-10am)

For all event queries please contact the Events Team on 0131 221 2999 option 2, e-mail events@edinburghchamber.co.uk or visit www.edinburghchamber.co.uk/events/events

August/September 2015

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

HR company appoints a new ScotRail appoints new Head of Managing Director Marketing & Sales Leigh Stott has taken over the reins from Nesta Gilliland has more than 20 years’ experience in sales, marketing and commercial roles in companies including WPP, National Australia Group and David Urquhart Travel. Her key focus is the customer, with the ScotRail Alliance determined to transform the railway. For Nesta, that includes Smartcard ticketing, tourism, and Great Scenic Rail Journeys including the new Scottish Borders line which opens in September.  Nesta will develop and implement marketing strategies to grow the contribution of ScotRail to Scotland’s social and economic objectives – and to increase passenger journeys from 91million passengers to 120million in the next 10 years.  The new Alliance is responsible for running more than 2,300 trains per day, managing and maintaining over 350 stations and nearly 3,000 miles of track.

B U SI N ES S CO MMENT IS AN E D I N B URGH CH AMBER OF COMMERCE PUBLICATION.

Dean Hunter, the company’s owner and founder. Miss Stott joined the firm in 2011 from Wood Group PSN, where she was HR manager for international operations. “I’m delighted to have now been appointed Managing Director of Hunter Adams and look forward to building on the company’s success,” she said. As the owner of the business, Mr Hunter will continue to play a key role, focussing on the company’s strategy for UK growth. He said: “I’m thrilled to appoint Leigh as managing director of Hunter Adams. It is a great feeling when your team are ready to take over the reins, and we pride ourselves on having no glass ceilings. “Leigh has built an incredible team and solid relationships with our customers, and together we will take the business to its next stage of development and growth.” Leigh will be our guest speaker at our Women in Business Workshop on 25th of August. For further info visit www.edinburghchamber. co.uk/events/events

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 E D ITO R: Mayan Grace, Tel: 0131 221 2999 Email: mayan.grace@edinburghchamber.co.uk F E ATU RES ED ITO R David Forsyth, Tel: 07887 955778 Email: david@benchmarkpr.co.uk PRO D U CTIO N & D ES IGN Distinctive Publishing, Unit 6b, Floor B, Milburn House, Dean Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1LE Tel: 0845 884 2383 www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk A DV ERTIS ING Distinctive Publishing, Unit 6b, Floor B, Milburn House, Dean Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1LE John Neilson, Tel: 0845 884 2343 john.neilson@distinctivegroup.co.uk

DIS C L A IM E R

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.

BC August/September 2015

UK’s No. 1 Attraction appoints new Head of Visitor & Retail Experience The Royal Yacht Britannia, in Edinburgh, has appointed Elliot Johnston as their first Head of Visitor & Retail Experience.

ExecSpace appoints new Internal Sales Director ExecSpace, the UK’s fastest growing venuefinding and event services company, has appointed Danny Cockton as Internal Sales Director. Danny joins the company from BSI/ Capita Travel and Events, where he was an account manager and managed a number of key accounts as well as a strategic third party contract. Danny is also a founder of The People Awards and says he is looking forward to his new role with ExecSpace. On joining ExecSpace, he said, “This is a really exciting time to join ExecSpace, the whole business is very focused and driven. As a business, we have big ambitions, and I believe with the team and infrastructure we have in place, ExecSpace is going to achieve something really special.” ExecSpace CEO, Emma Little, who founded ExecSpace 7 years ago, comments on the latest appointment to the company. “I am absolutely delighted that Danny has joined us as Internal Sales Director. With big ambitions, it’s crucial that I build an experienced and passionate senior team to help take our business to the next level. I’m sure he’ll be an incredible support and leader of the Account Management team and ensure that the service they deliver continues to be best in the industry. I’m very much looking forward to him being an integral part of continued success and working with him to achieve our expediential growth plans over the next few years”.

Prior to joining Britannia, Elliot was General Manager of Dobbies Garden Centre and Butterfly World at Lasswade, the largest Dobbies in Scotland. Bob Downie, Chief Executive at The Royal Yacht Britannia said: “We are delighted to have recruited someone with Elliot’s outstanding retail and operational experience to further strengthen our Management Team, and help ensure that Britannia remains Scotland’s best visitor attraction for many years to come.”

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THE ART OF PERFORMANCE Fuel consumption in 1/100km (mpg) Urban 24.4-64.2 (11.6-4.4); Extra Urban 46.3-83.1 (6.1-3.4); Combined 34.9-75.0 (8.1-3.8). CO2 Emissions 194-99 g/km. Official EU Test Figures. For comparison purposes only. Real world figures may differ. Model shown is XE S in Italian Racing Red (with optional 20” propeller alloy wheels with space saver wheel, advanced parking assist pack, panoramic sunroof and lighting pack priced at £48,835)

AM AWARDS 2015 AUTOMOTIVE MANAGEMENT AWARDS

: UK RETAILER OF THE YEAR August/September 2015

SQA JOURNEYS FOR SCOTLAND’S FUTURE Scotland’s future is our young people – the workforce of tomorrow. SQA qualifications prepare them for work, and give them the skills employers like you are looking for. Find out where SQA Journeys can take your business.

BC August/September 2015

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