14.12.2022 Views

IOD SCOTLAND WINTER 2022

Institute of Directors, Scotland, business advice and information, directorial professional development

Institute of Directors, Scotland, business advice and information, directorial professional development

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

The official membership<br />

magazine for the Institute<br />

of Directors in Scotland<br />

iod.com/scotland<br />

Direction<br />

<strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />

The tools we need to see<br />

us through 2023<br />

Scotland is on the right<br />

path to a digital future<br />

We’re in the heart<br />

of the action<br />

Nations Director Catherine McWilliam<br />

outlines the future role of the IoD at a<br />

time of intense challenges for business


Innovation, agility and collaboration<br />

will see us through 2023<br />

Lay out a clear and confident<br />

path for your organisation and<br />

you’ll get through the tsunami<br />

of challeges we face, says<br />

Aidan O’Carroll, IoD Scotland Chair<br />

I don’t need to tell you that we are<br />

living in very challenging times.<br />

The cost of living continues to<br />

affect every household in Scotland<br />

and beyond, and is also a real cause<br />

for concern for business leaders.<br />

They are facing the combination of<br />

downturns in demand, increase in<br />

costs, anxiety across the workforce<br />

and uncertainty in their markets. The<br />

political landscape both here and<br />

abroad simply adds to that uncertainty.<br />

Many of these challenges are not<br />

new, perhaps the tsunami that has<br />

taken many by surprise is the unique<br />

combination of so many challenges<br />

hitting us simultaneously. We can<br />

already see some business leaders<br />

really taking this time to address<br />

long-standing issues, reforming their<br />

business models, refreshing their<br />

strategies for success, and being<br />

more realistic on what can be<br />

achieved in the short-term to ensure<br />

longer term sustainability.<br />

Innovation and agility are key, and<br />

collaboration will also be a defining<br />

factor in accelerating organisations<br />

through this tumultuous period.<br />

To be successful in this climate, we<br />

need to ensure full engagement<br />

across the organisation, a clear and<br />

confident path laid out for all to<br />

focus on, and a determination and<br />

resilience to address the ongoing<br />

and future challenges.<br />

At the IoD we help leaders ensure<br />

they have the tools they need for the<br />

journey. We have a first-class<br />

network of like-minded business<br />

leaders who can share their own<br />

experiences in different fora that we<br />

facilitate. We have a series of<br />

meetings going on regularly across<br />

Scotland where both members and<br />

“At IoD we help leaders<br />

ensure they have the tools<br />

to help them on this<br />

journey. We have a<br />

first-class network of<br />

like-minded business<br />

leaders who can share<br />

their own experiences...”<br />

non-members can get together<br />

virtually and physically to discuss<br />

the key issues that are affecting<br />

organisations.<br />

We continue to engage closely<br />

with governments so our members’<br />

voices are heard when it comes to<br />

formulating policies that will affect<br />

us. And we have leading courses in<br />

both short and longer term that give<br />

directors and leaders insights and<br />

solutions to building better<br />

businesses and organisations.<br />

It has never been more important<br />

to engage, recognise and learn in<br />

this environment. IoD stands ready<br />

to play its full part in ensuring a<br />

stronger and better-informed<br />

community of leaders to help drive<br />

us forward with confidence.<br />

Finally, as we look forward to<br />

2023, the IoD is soon to be opening<br />

nominations for our Director of the<br />

Year awards. We’d love to hear<br />

about the leaders who have shown<br />

exceptional skill and been an<br />

inspiration to you during the last 12<br />

months. See pg 14 for more on this.<br />

IoD Scotland<br />

12 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 1JE<br />

T: 0131 557 5488<br />

E: iod.scotland@iod.com<br />

W: www.iod.com<br />

Nations Director - Scotland:<br />

Catherine McWilliam<br />

Catherine.McWilliam@iod.com<br />

Branch Manager:<br />

Patricia Huth<br />

T: 0131 557 5488<br />

Patricia.Huth@iod.com<br />

Commercial Manager, PD:<br />

Natasha Ure<br />

E: natasha.ure@iod.com<br />

T: 0131 460 7681<br />

<strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />

Direction<br />

Direction is the official membership magazine of IoD Scotland and is published by:<br />

Chamber Media Services, 4 Hilton Road, Bramhall, Stockport, Cheshire SK7 3AG<br />

Advertising sales: Colin Regan<br />

T: 07871 444922 / 01942 537959 E: colinregan001@yahoo.co.uk<br />

Production: Rob Beswick<br />

T: 0161 426 7957 / 07964 375216 E: rob@chambermediaservices.co.uk<br />

Editorial: Lisa Donnelly<br />

Please send press releases or editorial for consideration for future issues of Direction<br />

to Lisa at E: lisa@clarkcommunications.co.uk<br />

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of material contained within this magazine,<br />

neither IoD Scotland, Chamber Media Services nor Clark can accept any responsibility for<br />

omissions or inaccuracies in its editorial or advertising content. The views expressed in this<br />

publication are not necessarily those of the IoD. The carriage of advertisements or editorials in this<br />

publication does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services advertised.<br />

03


News<br />

Edinburgh & Lothians<br />

Behind the scenes visit lifts lid on<br />

caring and innovative pet charity<br />

Edinburgh and Lothians<br />

events round-up<br />

The IoD Edinburgh & Lothians<br />

branch has organised and attended<br />

a number of member events in<br />

recent months.<br />

This included a fantastic behind<br />

the scenes visit to the Edinburgh<br />

Dog & Cat Home in November,<br />

which saw members meet the team<br />

and leadership of this highly<br />

innovative charity and hear about<br />

their critical work.<br />

Members heard about the impact<br />

of the cost-of-living crisis on family<br />

pets, as people struggle to afford to<br />

keep them at home, and the<br />

innovative work the home is doing<br />

to keep pets with their families<br />

through pet food banks.<br />

IoD Scotland HQ is now hosting a<br />

pet food donation post within<br />

Queen Street, for any members<br />

interested in donating.<br />

A sustainability event was also<br />

hosted in line with COP27 and a<br />

Christmas social was held at the new<br />

IoD Scotland<br />

HQ is now<br />

also hosting a<br />

pet food<br />

donation post<br />

within Queen<br />

Street, for any<br />

members<br />

interested in<br />

donating.<br />

Virgin Hotel in Edinburgh (see page<br />

13 for more on this new hotel).<br />

The committee is currently<br />

working on 2023 event plans and<br />

will be launching a number of events<br />

soon.<br />

Edinburgh chair interview by<br />

leading ED&I podcast<br />

Julie Ashworth, the Edinburgh and<br />

Lothian’s branch Chair, was featured<br />

on the Shinkwin Commission<br />

podcast alongside Dr Roger Barker,<br />

Director of Policy and Governance at<br />

the IoD in October.<br />

The podcast is part of a series<br />

about ‘The future of inclusive<br />

business: harnessing diverse talent<br />

for success’. Lord Shinkwin is leading<br />

a programme to examine the key<br />

barriers to the recruitment, retention<br />

and progression of individuals from<br />

under-represented groups, with<br />

specific reference to disability,<br />

ethnicity, gender, and sexual<br />

orientation.<br />

In the podcast, Julie and Roger<br />

discuss equality (or equity), diversity<br />

and inclusion on boards, and the<br />

correlation between ED&I and<br />

innovation, profit and productivity.<br />

Julie shared top principles that<br />

can apply to all businesses, from<br />

listed companies to start-ups,<br />

putting purpose and leadership as a<br />

north star, with diversity playing a<br />

huge role in this.<br />

If you missed the podcast, you can<br />

find it in your usual podcast app, by<br />

searching for ‘Shinkwin Commission:<br />

The role of boards in ED&I’.<br />

It’s well worth a listen.<br />

“We need to examine the key barriers to the recruitment,<br />

retention and progression of individuals from<br />

under-represented groups, with specific reference to<br />

disability, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation.”<br />

04 <strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong>


Highlands & Islands<br />

‘Take time out to enjoy the view’<br />

John Murray,<br />

Managing Director<br />

of the Highland Food &<br />

Drink Club, learnt some<br />

key business and life<br />

lessons while on a trip of<br />

a lifetime to Nepal<br />

Time is a commodity we often<br />

overlook as being one of the most<br />

precious in existence.<br />

No more of it is being made, we<br />

cannot buy or sell it, therefore it is<br />

vital we spend it wisely.<br />

I recently went to Everest Base<br />

Camp – something I have wanted to<br />

do for a while now. Taking this time<br />

out to go and tick one of my life<br />

boxes has been one of the best<br />

experiences of my life to date.<br />

We had a small group of six of us<br />

from Scotland to join 10 others from<br />

around the world to take on this<br />

challenge together.<br />

The trip was 17 days in total<br />

including travel – the trek itself was<br />

13 days. Eight days to get to Everest<br />

Base Camp and five days to get<br />

back to Lukla Airport.<br />

To ensure I had a fully immersive<br />

experience to enjoy the<br />

views the people and<br />

culture, I chose not to<br />

touch my social media,<br />

not to Google anything<br />

and not look at my<br />

emails for the entire trip.<br />

I found this totally<br />

liberating. In fact, since our<br />

return I spend much less time on<br />

them and have an ability to ignore<br />

stuff I previously would get uptight<br />

about.<br />

Arriving in Kathmandu was an<br />

experience in itself: with all the wild<br />

moped riders and crazy ways<br />

of crossing the road, it<br />

was like playing a<br />

game of chicken.<br />

The people were very friendly and<br />

there was no begging in sight<br />

– something we cannot say about<br />

many of our city centres.<br />

Flying to Lukla was a fantastic<br />

experience, too. Apparently it is one<br />

of the most dangerous airports in<br />

the world, yet we survived, and had<br />

the experience of a lifetime.<br />

I encourage you to take some time<br />

out to pursue whatever it is that<br />

helps you clear your head. You will<br />

be refreshed, revived and have a<br />

new perspective on life – and that is<br />

always money/time well spent.<br />

High praise for chartered director course as<br />

David’s patient approach pays off<br />

David Thomson, Chief<br />

Executive at Shetland<br />

Aerogenerators, has<br />

recently completed his<br />

IoD Charted Director<br />

qualification following<br />

several years of<br />

committed development.<br />

The Highland and Islands<br />

Branch member says having<br />

achieved the professional<br />

development status, he thoroughly<br />

enjoyed the experience, especially as<br />

“each stage was different, and I met<br />

lots of interesting people with very<br />

different backgrounds to my own”.<br />

“It was helpful for me that I<br />

could stagger the progressive<br />

stages and I preferred that<br />

there was no pressure to jump<br />

straight from one step to the<br />

next.<br />

“Due to my work and personal<br />

circumstances I needed to take time<br />

between stages, and it took me a<br />

few years from starting the<br />

certificate to gaining chartered<br />

status,” he added.<br />

Speaking of the course tutors and<br />

the content, David says: “There are<br />

too many tutors and teachers to list<br />

but I’m grateful to the likes of<br />

Janhavi, Deborah and others for<br />

making the courses engaging.<br />

“The content has remained useful,<br />

and I still occasionally refer to my<br />

notes from my certificate stage.”<br />

In relation to the impact on his<br />

senior role and leadership abilities<br />

following the chartered director<br />

status, David says, “I don’t require<br />

the qualification for my role but I feel<br />

I’ve improved having been through<br />

the structured process to reinforce<br />

my professional experience.”<br />

<strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />

05


News<br />

Aberdeen and Grampian<br />

Driving forward the<br />

ESG agenda – taking the<br />

‘E’ to the boardroom<br />

ESG – short for Environmental,<br />

Social and Governance – is a set of<br />

standards measuring a business’s<br />

impact on society, the environment,<br />

and how transparent and<br />

accountable it is.<br />

It’s a vast subject matter for<br />

directors to fully understand and<br />

successfully integrate within their<br />

business, but one which will<br />

become ever more important for<br />

organisations of all sizes to<br />

embrace. Climate change is an<br />

existential problem and not being<br />

part of the solution is not an option.<br />

At a recent IoD event in<br />

Aberdeen, kindly sponsored by<br />

Persefoni, a leading software<br />

company that enables organisations<br />

to create regulatory-grade carbon<br />

footprint inventories and climate<br />

disclosures, we took the ‘E’ to the<br />

Boardroom and through a working<br />

session explored how directors can<br />

drive forward the environmental<br />

agenda in their respective<br />

organisations.<br />

Over 40 directors heard from<br />

CEO David Clark from Vysus Group<br />

who shared his own insight and<br />

perspective on adopting ESG,<br />

before a number of group<br />

discussions ensued to consider<br />

practical and actionable<br />

approaches in our roles as directors<br />

and how we can successfully drive<br />

forward the ESG agenda in our<br />

organisations.<br />

Simon Minton, UK country<br />

manager and co-founder, Persefoni<br />

commented: “It was energising to<br />

speak with such an informed and<br />

highly engaged audience, and we’re<br />

really looking forward to returning<br />

to Aberdeen to dive deeper into<br />

some of the topics that we touched<br />

on during this impactful event.”<br />

Persefoni’s software-as-a-service<br />

solutions enable enterprises and<br />

financial institutions to meet<br />

stakeholder and regulatory climate<br />

disclosure requirements with the<br />

highest degrees of trust,<br />

transparency and ease. As the ERP<br />

of carbon, the Persefoni platform<br />

provides users a single source of<br />

carbon truth across their<br />

organisation, enabling them to<br />

manage their carbon transactions<br />

and inventory with the same rigor<br />

and confidence as their financial<br />

transactions.<br />

Persefoni will be returning to<br />

Aberdeen in 2023 to delve into<br />

further discussions on the<br />

challenges and opportunities of<br />

climate change … we’re sure the<br />

team will be looking forward to<br />

enjoying a fresh supply of Scottish<br />

culinary delights – namely clootie<br />

dumplings and Tunnock’s tea cakes<br />

– on their return!<br />

06 <strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong>


IoD Professional Development courses<br />

– coming to Aberdeen in 2023!<br />

For the first time, the IoD will be<br />

delivering the four modules which<br />

make up the Certificate in Company<br />

Direction in-person in Aberdeen<br />

throughout 2023.<br />

Sarah Downs, Chair IoD Aberdeen<br />

and Grampian branch shared: “This is<br />

a fantastic opportunity for directors<br />

in the north and north-east of<br />

Scotland to benefit from the local<br />

delivery of this globally-recognised,<br />

degree-level qualification from the<br />

IoD.<br />

“The modules are designed by<br />

directors for directors and encourage<br />

peer learning to help you build<br />

connections and benefit from real-life<br />

experiences. We’ve been keen to<br />

bring IoD professional development<br />

courses to Aberdeen for some time<br />

and there’s been a lot of hard work<br />

and commitment from the team<br />

across Scotland to make this happen.<br />

Covering governance, finance,<br />

strategy and leadership the following<br />

courses will be delivered:<br />

• Role of the Director and the Board:<br />

3rd – 4th April 2023<br />

• Finance for Non-Finance Directors:<br />

12th – 14th June 2023<br />

• Strategy for Directors:<br />

25th – 27th Sept 2023<br />

• Leadership for Directors:<br />

27th – 28th Nov 2023<br />

All courses will be delivered at the<br />

neospace offices, Riverside Drive,<br />

Aberdeen AB11 7LH<br />

Anyone interested in exploring<br />

the certificate in more detail or<br />

to book can contact<br />

Sarah Downs at<br />

chair.aberdeen@iod.net or<br />

Natasha Ure at<br />

natasha.ure@iod.com<br />

“This is a fantastic opportunity for<br />

directors in the north and north-east<br />

of Scotland to benefit from the local<br />

delivery of this globally-recognised,<br />

degree-level qualification from the<br />

IoD – Sarah Downs, Chair IoD<br />

Aberdeen and Grampian branch<br />

Aberdeen South<br />

Harbour expansion<br />

nears operational<br />

The £400 million Port of Aberdeen<br />

South Harbour expansion project is<br />

nearing completion with over 60%<br />

now operational.<br />

The South Harbour has been<br />

taking vessels onto Dunnotar Quay<br />

since July <strong>2022</strong>, and with the<br />

handover of Castlegate (East) now<br />

complete, it marks a very significant<br />

milestone in the project.<br />

The Port of Aberdeen welcomed<br />

Subsea 7’s Seven Atlantic as the first<br />

commercial vessel into South<br />

Harbour back in June <strong>2022</strong>. Since<br />

then, over 25 vessels have called at<br />

the South Harbour.<br />

The South Harbour expansion is<br />

the largest marine infrastructure<br />

project underway in the UK and is an<br />

asset of national significance,<br />

included in the Scottish and UK<br />

Government’s NPF3 and NPF4<br />

planning frameworks.<br />

South Harbour is at the heart of<br />

the development and expansion of<br />

high potential sectors, including<br />

offshore wind, green hydrogen<br />

and oilfield decommissioning,<br />

and is set to play a key role in<br />

unlocking growth within the<br />

maritime sector for the local and<br />

national economy.<br />

<strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />

07


News<br />

South of Scotland<br />

New Chair to share passion for<br />

governance and development<br />

Chris Emmerson has been appointed<br />

as the new chair of our South of<br />

Scotland branch.<br />

Chris is head of Customer Delivery<br />

at British Gas – where he has been<br />

part of the business for 17 years –<br />

and brings a wealth of management<br />

experience to the role. He has<br />

experience in the Southern region,<br />

where he has been a manager for<br />

around a decade.<br />

He began his term as chair on 1<br />

December.<br />

At British Gas, Mr Emmerson’s<br />

career has been driven by continued<br />

personal growth and professional<br />

development, so inspired by his own<br />

journey he wants to use his new role<br />

to support even more business<br />

leaders to nurture their own talent.<br />

Rising through the ranks including<br />

service manager and district<br />

manager, then to his current<br />

leadership role, he has<br />

continued to develop his<br />

leadership skills, and<br />

credits good<br />

governance and<br />

supportive employers<br />

for his journey.<br />

Speaking about his<br />

appointment, Chris<br />

Emmerson said: “My own<br />

career has been driven by<br />

an employer and business<br />

which recognised its own talent, and<br />

provided opportunities, training and<br />

support for its team members to<br />

develop.<br />

“Stepping into the role of branch<br />

chair will provide an opportunity for<br />

me to share my passion for great<br />

governance and professional<br />

development.<br />

“South of Scotland has a diverse<br />

business landscape, and the branch<br />

hub will provide a space for<br />

discussion and<br />

collaboration, with a<br />

focus on building even<br />

better directors and<br />

businesses in the<br />

region.”<br />

Catherine McWilliam,<br />

Nations Director of IoD<br />

Scotland said: “Chris will<br />

be an excellent addition to<br />

the IoD team, and will thrive as<br />

our new Chair of the South of<br />

Scotland branch.<br />

“His commitment and first-hand<br />

experience of the benefits good<br />

governance and the opportunity to<br />

develop leadership skills can have<br />

on a career trajectory make him the<br />

ideal candidate for the role.<br />

“Those considering joining in the<br />

region will gain access to a wealth of<br />

knowledge, experience, and support.”<br />

Fife & Tayside<br />

Exciting events diary coming together for 2023<br />

As the winter months speed along<br />

frantically and we look to wrap up<br />

the goals and strategies that we<br />

created for <strong>2022</strong>, IoD Fife and<br />

Tayside is looking forward to putting<br />

on some high-profile events in 2023.<br />

This year has seen a number of<br />

interesting meet-ups with our<br />

committee members, and we are<br />

excited to host a range of events for<br />

our members and aim to attract<br />

many more members during 2023.<br />

Our first event for the year will<br />

kick off on 16 January, 07:30 – 10:00<br />

at CATH (Churches Action for the<br />

Homeless) Community Hub, in<br />

Ladeside, by St Catherine’s Road in<br />

Perth. This is a great opportunity for<br />

members to visit a local business,<br />

invite new and prospective<br />

members to join and build stronger<br />

networks between members.<br />

Our next event is on 22 February<br />

with Louise Kjellerup Roper, CEO of<br />

Volans, on ‘Regenerative Capitalism’,<br />

at 12:30-1:30 pm.<br />

Then on 14 March, we will host an<br />

evening event with a speaker at<br />

Glenturret Distillery in Crieff,<br />

between 18:00 – 20:00.<br />

We look forward to hosting more<br />

of these events for our members.<br />

08 <strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong>


Behind the Desk: Yvette C. Hopkins<br />

Lessons from the<br />

sword makers<br />

Yvette C. Hopkins, CEO at LeadHershipXchange, senior<br />

executive leader, keynote speaker, charitable trust trustee<br />

and Board advisor, chats to Direction about her career<br />

journey and leadership style<br />

The approach to the art of the<br />

finest sword making provides a<br />

strong metaphor for the creation of<br />

leaders.<br />

Even my leadership journey was<br />

forged at a young age through team<br />

sports, tempered for 30 years<br />

through the profession of arms, and<br />

continues to be folded through my<br />

own reflection and in the diverse<br />

leadership environments to which I<br />

belong.<br />

My personal values were ingrained<br />

in me very early and are at the core<br />

of who I am and how I lead. I take<br />

from my mother’s Scottish crofter<br />

roots, the values of community,<br />

collaboration, innovation and<br />

productivity. I take from my father’s<br />

US military roots the values of<br />

service, leadership, and personal<br />

courage. My childhood afforded me<br />

insights into what it means to be<br />

hardworking, charitable, fun, a part<br />

of a cohesive community, and a<br />

leader. I was lucky.<br />

Thus far my leadership<br />

experiences have provided me the<br />

humility to lead on and off the<br />

sports court, on and off the<br />

battlefield, in and out of large<br />

organisations, start-ups, and in<br />

board rooms.<br />

I loved every minute of it. In my<br />

backpack or kitbag, I hold many<br />

leadership lessons which I impart for<br />

others not to make my mistakes.<br />

My three universal leadership<br />

truths:<br />

• Leadership is inclusive and<br />

belongs to everyone.<br />

• Leadership is all about people<br />

and relationships – and it’s hard!<br />

• Leadership is a lifelong journey.<br />

A pursuit of excellence. You are<br />

never finished<br />

Some thoughts on leadership for<br />

directors and senior leaders:<br />

• You are an Accountable Leader:<br />

Create the culture, tone,<br />

environment and the systems you<br />

wish had been there for you<br />

• You are a Responsible Leader:<br />

Personally oversee your leadership<br />

and development programmes.<br />

Empower your leaders. Put young<br />

learning leaders in charge and let<br />

them make mistakes. Ensure you<br />

have their backs and underwrite<br />

their mistakes.<br />

• You are a Collaborative Partner:<br />

Partner with leaders in your industry<br />

or profession to make sector<br />

change; those outside your sector or<br />

profession to create societal change;<br />

those internationally to create global<br />

change; and thought partners with<br />

trusted friends to make changes in<br />

you.<br />

• You are an Innovative Leader:<br />

You know inclusivity and diversity<br />

are the cornerstones to innovation. It<br />

is an operational, moral and<br />

leadership imperative. Bring all<br />

manner of voices into your<br />

conversations, systems and decision<br />

making. Embrace diversity of<br />

thought and your organisation will<br />

become the beacon of innovation.<br />

• You are a role model: You walk<br />

the talk. Every. Single. Day. At work,<br />

home and play.<br />

• You have blind spots: Listen to<br />

your people when they are trying to<br />

“coach up “– squint with your ears<br />

• You Do you: Nothing beats<br />

Authentic Leadership. Your style and<br />

approach may change, but you and<br />

your core values should not<br />

• You Do right: At the centre of<br />

your core values should be integrity,<br />

your word is your bond.<br />

• You Do tell: Share your<br />

leadership lessons learned. Tell your<br />

story. Our younger leaders want to<br />

hear our leadership triumphs and<br />

failures and how we succeed.<br />

• Great leadership has<br />

generational, intersectional, and<br />

multinational impact. We must grow<br />

the future we collectively envision<br />

….and just when you think you<br />

have reached a place of leadership<br />

enlightenment, I promise you, you<br />

have not.<br />

Whether the environment, mission,<br />

organisation, or people around you<br />

change, it will require a new<br />

leadership style, skill or approach. It<br />

will require you to pivot, to learn, to<br />

experiment, and to grow.<br />

And in the spirit of the sword<br />

master, you will continue to hone<br />

your leadership craft in the pursuit<br />

of excellence.<br />

10 <strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong>


Downtime<br />

AA’s The Restaurant Guide 2023<br />

showcases the Highlands<br />

The AA’s The Restaurant Guide 2023,<br />

which names the best eateries in<br />

regions all over Scotland, has<br />

recognised the Highlands as one of<br />

the best areas in the country for<br />

foodies. 27 restaurants in the region<br />

were recommended, coming second<br />

only to Edinburgh, which had 29<br />

venues listed.<br />

Some of the must-visit locations<br />

included were:<br />

Edinbane Lodge, a casual fine<br />

dining restaurant with rooms set<br />

within an historic 16th century<br />

hunting lodge on the Isle of Skye. It<br />

aims to celebrate the food, and warm<br />

and friendly ambience the island has<br />

to offer.<br />

The dining is led by award-winning<br />

chef patron, Calum Montgomery and<br />

his wife Eilidh, who are both from<br />

Skye and benefit from many<br />

connections to local producers on<br />

the island from fishermen to crofters.<br />

https://www.edinbanelodge.com/<br />

restaurant<br />

Kilcamb Lodge Hotel, a small<br />

luxury hide-away, situated on the<br />

breathtakingly peaceful shores of<br />

Loch Sunart in Strontian. The<br />

restaurant’s approach to food and<br />

service offers a special chance for all<br />

diners to enjoy selections of fresh<br />

flowers, crystal glasses and<br />

candlelight which create the ultimate<br />

romantic evening.<br />

Head chef Gary Phillips has driven<br />

the dining experience for over a<br />

decade and continues to remain<br />

inspired by the wild beauty of the<br />

loch. As such, the menu features only<br />

the best, locally sourced produce and<br />

for past 15 years been featured on<br />

the Michelin Guide.<br />

https://www.kilcamblodge.co.uk/<br />

restaurant-scotland<br />

Mingary Castle is a 13th century<br />

castle in Kilchoan offering luxury<br />

rooms and fine dining situated on the<br />

coastal edge of the 12,000-hectare<br />

Surrounded by<br />

three sides by<br />

water, Mingary<br />

Castle is based<br />

on the<br />

Ardnamurchan<br />

Peninsula – the<br />

most westerly<br />

extremity of the<br />

British mainland,<br />

and offers the<br />

best food the<br />

West Coastof<br />

Scotland has to<br />

offer<br />

Ardnamurchan Estate.<br />

Based on the Ardnamurchan<br />

Peninsula – the most westerly<br />

extremity of the British mainland – a<br />

location almost deemed an island; it<br />

offers beautiful sea views and rugged<br />

coast while bounded on three sides<br />

by open water.<br />

The restaurant is overseen by chef<br />

patron Colin Nicholson, who strives<br />

to showcase the best of what the<br />

West Coast of Scotland has to offer,<br />

using sustainable and seasonal<br />

produce sourced locally where<br />

possible, and offers a perfect long<br />

weekend get way.<br />

https://mingarycastle.co.uk/<br />

Soho House to open first Scottish venue in Glasgow<br />

Soho House, the world-famous group of private<br />

members’ clubs with a membership rooted in the<br />

creative industries, media and business, has<br />

announced its plans to open a house in Glasgow – its<br />

first in Scotland.<br />

Launched in London in 1995, Soho House has<br />

spread to over 30 locations worldwide. Following the<br />

announcement by founder Nick Jones last year, the<br />

company has now secured a provisional premises<br />

licence from Glasgow’s Licensing Board, allowing<br />

alcohol to be sold in its bars and restaurant.<br />

The house, spanning four floors and planned to<br />

feature a breakout space and roof terrace, will be<br />

located near the central George Square. Membership<br />

fees for over 27s are expected to be around £1,400<br />

per year.<br />

The move into Glasgow was driven by the city’s growing film industry,<br />

with Soho House looking to tap into the industries of media, film, arts,<br />

fashion and TV.<br />

To find out more information, and to keep posted on membership<br />

applications opening, go to: https://www.sohohouse.com/en-us/houses<br />

The upmarket styling of Soho<br />

House attracts members from<br />

across business, but particularly<br />

the creative industries<br />

12 <strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong>


Dazzling<br />

display lights<br />

up Botanic<br />

Gardens<br />

You’ve still got time to get in to the<br />

festive spirit at The Royal Botanic<br />

Garden Edinburgh, which is hosting<br />

‘Christmas at the Botanics’ again this<br />

year with another awe-inspiring trail<br />

of new installations.<br />

The Garden, full of Christmas<br />

cheer, is inviting people to embrace<br />

the festive season and to support the<br />

trail. A visit to the magical, botanical<br />

illuminated trail is a way of helping to<br />

fund its important plant conservation<br />

work.<br />

This year’s trail is more twinkly<br />

than ever but has been created with<br />

sustainability in mind. The<br />

installations are low in energy usage,<br />

over 90 per cent of the trail is LED,<br />

and are lit by the Garden’s main<br />

power supply to remove the need for<br />

generators. Continuous lighting of<br />

trails and paths has been avoided<br />

and audience area lighting is only<br />

used where it is necessary for public<br />

safety.<br />

Some of the Installations included<br />

in this year’s display are ‘Lilies’, 12<br />

one-metre-high LED illuminated lilies<br />

floating on the Botanics Pond, and<br />

‘Aurora’ which recreates the famed<br />

visual tones of the stunning northern<br />

lights.<br />

Visitors are encouraged to book in<br />

advance to avoid disappointment.<br />

The trail runs until 30 December.<br />

Find out more at: www.rbge.org.<br />

uk/christmas<br />

Edinburgh first as Branson opens hotel<br />

Richard Branson’s first UK hotel has<br />

opened in Edinburgh. The<br />

expensively refurbished 19thcentury<br />

building, just off the Royal<br />

Mile on Victoria Street, hosts 222<br />

bedrooms, multiple restaurants and<br />

bars.<br />

The new venture has taken bold<br />

steps within its design and<br />

decoration to provide an eyecatching,<br />

contemporary design<br />

with its noteworthy art collection<br />

and stylish interiors while providing<br />

a luxury feel.<br />

Virgin Hotels tasked three<br />

Scottish architecture and design<br />

firms to create its aesthetic: ICA<br />

Studio, Four-by-Two and Joelle<br />

Reid Interiors. Their work preserves<br />

the building’s history and original<br />

details but imbues it with a fresh<br />

modern look.<br />

Features in the common spaces<br />

include vaulted ceilings, antiqued<br />

glass, a contemporary showpiece of<br />

a chandelier and wraparound<br />

couches.<br />

Art within the hotel is a true<br />

highlight with the collection<br />

providing a homage to local artists<br />

and Scotland and its people.<br />

Various pieces including fashion<br />

photography, portraits, and<br />

sculpture have also been gathered<br />

from world-leading artists including<br />

French designer Arthur Mamou-<br />

Mani whose Chandelier – a ninefoot-wide<br />

bioplastic 3D printed<br />

sculpture – hangs in the nave of the<br />

now restored former 19th-century<br />

church in the property known as<br />

Greyfriars Hall, a special event<br />

venue and rooftop sanctuary with<br />

Castle views.<br />

More information on booking and<br />

prices at:<br />

https://virginhotels.com/edinburgh/<br />

<strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />

13


News<br />

Our awards are back –<br />

and you’re invited<br />

Director of the Year Awards<br />

June 8 at the<br />

Edinburgh International<br />

Conference Centre<br />

We’re set for a night to remember in<br />

June when we play host to the 2023<br />

IoD Scotland Director of the Year<br />

Awards.<br />

In what will be our first in-person<br />

awards evening since 2019, the IoD<br />

Director of the Year awards are a<br />

chance to shine a deserving spotlight<br />

on those business leaders who have<br />

really inspired others and rose to the<br />

challenges we’ve all faced in <strong>2022</strong>.<br />

Who has turned their business’s<br />

fortunes around? Who has bucked<br />

the trend by ignoring contraction and<br />

going for growth? Who has led their<br />

public sector or third sector<br />

organisation through a maelstrom of<br />

obstacles and still delivered for its<br />

stakeholders and clients?<br />

These are just some of the qualities<br />

our judges will be looking for next<br />

year at the awards.<br />

As usual we’ll be awarding Director<br />

of the Year Awards in a host of<br />

sectors, including Large and Small<br />

Business, Public and Third Sectors,<br />

Young Director and Non Executive<br />

Directors of the Year.<br />

Nominations will be open from<br />

early January so keep an eye on the<br />

IoD Scotland website for more<br />

details. Entry and nomination will be<br />

via a simple form to be accessed<br />

through the website, and must be<br />

completed by March 17 for judging to<br />

start.<br />

The awards evening is on<br />

Thursday, June 8 at the Edinurgh<br />

International Conference Centre.<br />

Tickets will go on sale in early<br />

January too, so book in early and join<br />

us for a night to remember as we<br />

celebrate Scotland’s finest business<br />

leaders.<br />

As IoD Scotland Nations Director<br />

Catherine McWilliam said in her<br />

leadership interview in this issue: “I<br />

can’t wait for our Director of the Year<br />

Awards in June. We’re going to get a<br />

big room for members to sit down<br />

and reflect on what they’ve achieved<br />

– despite all the challenges they have<br />

faced. It will be a chance to say,<br />

collectively, ‘we got through this, we<br />

survived the storm.’”<br />

• The following is an indicative list<br />

of the awards categories likely to<br />

feature in the 2023 awards, though it<br />

is not exhaustive.<br />

National<br />

– Agility & Resilience<br />

– Equality, Diversity & Inclusion<br />

– Family Business<br />

– Innovation<br />

– Sustainability<br />

– Large Business<br />

– SME Business<br />

– Non-Executive<br />

– Public Sector<br />

– International<br />

– Young<br />

– Third Sector<br />

Regional<br />

– Aberdeen & Grampian<br />

– Central Scotland<br />

– Edinburgh & Lothians<br />

– Fife & Tayside<br />

– Glasgow & West of Scotland<br />

– Highlands & Islands<br />

– South of Scotland.<br />

For more details on the awards, see<br />

the IoD website at www.iod.com<br />

Click here for details><br />

Our winners from 2019 – the last<br />

time we were able to hold the<br />

awards in person, with the events of<br />

2020 and 2021 held virtually because<br />

of the pandemic<br />

28 <strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong>


Make happiness your goal in 2023<br />

Lynn Erasmus, happiness<br />

facilitator and member of<br />

IoD Scotland, thinks we<br />

all need to work harder<br />

at staying happy<br />

Depression is cited as the leading<br />

cause of disability and disease<br />

worldwide, according to the World<br />

Health Organisation (WHO). So what<br />

can we do?<br />

We need to start by acknowledging<br />

that happiness takes work. Like any<br />

skill we wish to learn, we need to<br />

study and practise it daily for it to<br />

manifest in our thoughts and<br />

behaviours.<br />

Dopamine is released into your<br />

body when you receive a reward,<br />

such as ticking off the last item on<br />

your to-do list. We can create more<br />

dopamine naturally in our body<br />

without taking chemicals. We need<br />

to focus on the three Ps – pleasure,<br />

peace and passion – and learn how to<br />

consistently include them in your<br />

daily life.<br />

I’ve created a six-week Happiness<br />

Programme, launching to Beta<br />

testers in January, to help individuals<br />

struggling to maintain their levels of<br />

happiness.<br />

Through it we’ll learn the science<br />

behind happiness and how our<br />

bodies are designed to create their<br />

own dose of happy chemicals to<br />

achieve our goals towards<br />

sustainable happiness.<br />

• For more information on the<br />

Happiness Programme, contact<br />

Lynn Erasmus at<br />

lynn@pathfinderdevelopment.co.uk,<br />

or visit pathfinderdevelopment.co.uk/<br />

happiness-accelerator/<br />

<strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />

15


In conversation with... Catherine McWilliam<br />

Catherine McWilliam, Nations Director - Scotland at the IoD, talks to<br />

Rob Beswick about the IoD’s strengths and weaknesses, and highlights her<br />

priorities as we look forward to what could be another challenging year<br />

IoD is always in the<br />

heart of the action,<br />

ready to help<br />

Every December the various dictionary<br />

publishers announce their ‘word of<br />

the year’. For those interested, the<br />

Oxford English Dictionary said it was<br />

‘Goblin mode’, though in truth I’ve<br />

never heard anyone say that, nor<br />

had a clue what it meant until it was<br />

explained to me. I was on much<br />

firmer footing with the Collins<br />

English Dictionary: ‘Permacrisis’.<br />

Appropriate for our times, don’t you<br />

think?<br />

However, to Catherine McWilliam,<br />

newly in post as Nations Director at<br />

IoD Scotland, the one she hears<br />

most often is ‘unprecedented’.<br />

“I can’t believe how often I hear<br />

that word, ” she says, “to the point<br />

where the next time I hear it, I think<br />

I’ll scream.”<br />

Apologies for using it here then,<br />

but it has to be said, it does get<br />

used a lot for a reason: the times we<br />

are living are, well, without<br />

precedent… no-one in business<br />

today can remember a time of such<br />

turmoil, confusion and negativity.<br />

From Brexit through to Ukraine via a<br />

global pandemic, in many ways<br />

‘unprecedented’ doesn’t even come<br />

close to summing up the chaotic<br />

landscape that directors have found<br />

themselves operating in since 2016.<br />

As one wise business leader told me<br />

recently, most people will expect to<br />

live through one major crisis, some<br />

unlucky ones two. We’ve had three if<br />

you count Brexit as a crisis, and if<br />

you go back to 2008 and the<br />

banking crash, that’s four in 14 years.<br />

No wonder many business leaders<br />

feel punch-drunk.<br />

But in the middle of that chaos<br />

stands the IoD, and the one thing<br />

that Catherine knows is that during<br />

challenging times, the institute<br />

offers a calming reassurance and<br />

sound expertise.<br />

“I thought, after 2020 and 2021,<br />

the news couldn’t get any crazier<br />

this year but it has, with the war in<br />

Ukraine and its impact on energy<br />

costs and global supply chains,” says<br />

Catherine. “But what IoD members<br />

must always remember is that no<br />

matter how bad things get, among<br />

our members there are people who<br />

have lived through a crisis such as<br />

“Directors have been<br />

walking a tightrope since<br />

2020; they’ve been under<br />

huge pressure, stretched<br />

tight by the challenges.<br />

Who is looking out for<br />

their mental wellbeing?”<br />

this one before, people who they<br />

can turn to for guidance and to help<br />

them plot a course through the<br />

storm.”<br />

She adds: “Money can’t buy the<br />

levels of support you can get from<br />

our branch committees or<br />

ambassadors. If they can’t help you,<br />

they will have someone in their<br />

network who can.”<br />

It’s particularly true that younger<br />

directors are facing the current<br />

times with deep trepidation. “There’s<br />

great experience within the IoD<br />

membership – it’s one of the things<br />

that first struck me when I began<br />

working here. You attend an IoD<br />

event and there is so much<br />

knowledge in the room, it’s crazy. If<br />

you are sat there now wondering<br />

how to get your business through<br />

the current recession, there’s<br />

someone in our membership you<br />

can turn to for advice and guidance.”<br />

Catherine has been with IoD<br />

Scotland since October 2021, initially<br />

as a senior branch manager before<br />

stepping up to the role of Nations<br />

Director Scotland in September to<br />

replace Louise MacDonald. Since<br />

then she’s been the figurehead<br />

during a time of unprecedented – it’s<br />

that word again – political and<br />

economic turmoil. As the first port<br />

of call when members reach out for<br />

advice, she’s very aware of the<br />

problems the current situation is<br />

causing.<br />

“The challenges are so varied and<br />

coming at us thick and fast. We’ve<br />

got members who tell us they’ve<br />

never been busier, that their order<br />

books are full, but they are<br />

concerned they won’t be able to<br />

deliver goods because of the<br />

inflationary pressures they are under.<br />

Prices for energy and raw materials,<br />

plus wages, are soaring, so will they<br />

be able to honour contracts at the<br />

previously agreed price? Everything<br />

is going up; just opening the front<br />

door to customers feels like a risky<br />

decision to some businesses.”<br />

She’s concerned that business<br />

confidence has been shattered by<br />

the past three years. “From the<br />

people I speak to, confidence is way<br />

16 <strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong>


down. People are starting to cut<br />

back on their spending and that’s a<br />

worry. Businesses are responding by<br />

tightening their belts and we’re<br />

seeing reductions in R&D and<br />

investment. Ultimately that will harm<br />

any hopes of growth in the future.”<br />

The pressures directors feel at<br />

times like these often go overlooked<br />

in the general media, proving to<br />

Catherine that many still don’t<br />

understand how business in the UK<br />

and Scotland works. “The media<br />

dismisses directors as ‘fat cats’, as if<br />

they are all running plcs. Looking at<br />

IoD membership, that’s miles from<br />

the truth. The average size of an IoD<br />

member’s company is 12 employees<br />

and they are mostly SMEs, often<br />

based in the locality the director<br />

lives in. Our members are part of<br />

their local communities and are<br />

taking decisions that impact on their<br />

neighbours. Can you imagine the<br />

stress they feel when things are<br />

going badly? If they cut back on the<br />

workforce, for instance, they could<br />

be laying off people who live round<br />

the corner from them, whose<br />

children go to the same school as<br />

their own, who they see down the<br />

pub. That’s a huge amount of<br />

pressure to carry round.”<br />

She’s concerned that many<br />

directors “have been walking a<br />

tightrope since 2020; they’ve been<br />

under huge pressure since the start<br />

of Covid. They have been stretched<br />

tight by the challenges the<br />

pandemic created. It’s one of the<br />

reasons the IoD has flagged up<br />

concerns over director wellbeing<br />

and mental health; as a society we<br />

need to have greater focus on this.”<br />

Catherine has certainly arrived at<br />

the IoD at a time of considerable<br />

change, both for the institute in<br />

particular and Scotland in general.<br />

Originally from Stranraer – feel free<br />

to have a chat with her at any time<br />

about the A75 , she loves it – she’s a<br />

country girl at heart who grew up on<br />

her parents’ dairy farm. However,<br />

mucking out the cow sheds never<br />

really grabbed her as a career choice<br />

so she attended Queen Margaret<br />

University in Musselburgh to study,<br />

first, media and marketing before<br />

switching to PR. She looks back<br />

fondly on her time there: “Superb<br />

course, great lecturers, strong links<br />

with industry. We got to work on live<br />

accounts as part of the course, it<br />

was so practical.”<br />

Continued on page 18<br />

“Always remember that no<br />

matter how bad things get,<br />

among our membership<br />

there are people who have<br />

lived through a crisis such as<br />

this one before, people you<br />

can turn to for guidance and<br />

to help plot a course<br />

through the storm.”<br />

<strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong>


In conversation with... Catherine McWilliam<br />

Continued from page 17<br />

Best of all, the course earned her<br />

a year’s placement with the<br />

Scottish Government where a<br />

young Nicola Sturgeon was in<br />

charge of the health department.<br />

“The strangest thing was that<br />

Scotland was in the middle of the<br />

swine flu epidemic at the time, so<br />

there I was, still a student, sitting in<br />

on briefings from Scotland’s chief<br />

scientific adviser about this<br />

mysterious virus. I remember<br />

thinking I should really take this all<br />

in as it was likely I’d never<br />

experience anything like it again… ”<br />

Famous last words.<br />

Her first real job was with Dumfries<br />

Council, helping the community<br />

access local services. “It was very<br />

varied and I loved it: I was helping<br />

the long-term unemployed access<br />

services to help them get back to<br />

work, and finding support for<br />

young mums. It got me out on the<br />

street and close to local community<br />

activists; I got a real kick out of<br />

helping local people help themselves.”<br />

This was followed by a six-month<br />

PR internship in San Francisco at<br />

the time the iPhone 5 was coming<br />

out. “The firm I was with had links<br />

with all the Silicon Valley tech firms.<br />

It was such a brilliant experience to<br />

be at the heart of a game-changing<br />

technological invention. I was<br />

tempted to stay but to be honest, I<br />

missed Scotland too much.”<br />

A lengthy period at Orbit<br />

Communications followed. Her first<br />

job “toughened me up a lot. I was<br />

– literally – knocking on doors,<br />

talking to people about their<br />

thoughts about wind farms being<br />

developed near their communities.<br />

I’ll tell you one thing about wind<br />

farms; no-one’s a ‘don’t know’. At<br />

the time we were working in some<br />

quite deprived areas, former<br />

coalfields with high unemployment,<br />

and the community funding that<br />

followed the wind farms could be<br />

transformational, boosting the local<br />

economy, so a lot of people were<br />

really positive about them.<br />

“But at the same time you had a<br />

lot of people who were dead set<br />

against them, claiming they were<br />

destroying the countryside, hitting<br />

the bird population or they were<br />

just eyesores. I never got a ‘not<br />

sure’… it was either a big yes, or a<br />

really big no!”<br />

It was while at Orbit that she first<br />

came across the Young Scot<br />

organisation and its then chief<br />

executive, Louise Macdonald, her<br />

future predecessor as Nations<br />

Director at the IoD. “Louise is a<br />

really inspirational woman. In truth,<br />

she’s one of the reasons why I<br />

joined the IoD last year.”<br />

Catherine’s next step was to<br />

move to Development Trusts<br />

“We’ve done a lot to<br />

change our demographics<br />

in recent years but we<br />

need to press on. I want to<br />

lead an IoD that reflects<br />

Scotland in every way.”<br />

Association Scotland (DTAS), a<br />

small charity that works with and<br />

supports community-led<br />

enterprises and projects. “There<br />

were distinct echoes of my work at<br />

Dumfries Council, helping charities<br />

access support and empowering<br />

local community projects. I was<br />

helping groups obtain funding and<br />

building projects and their capacity<br />

to manage them to scale. It was<br />

very rewarding work as you could<br />

see results all round you.”<br />

Leaving was a wrench: “I had a<br />

great six-and-a-half years but I<br />

realised I needed to expand my<br />

horizons and broaden my network.<br />

My sector experience was quite<br />

defined.”<br />

She didn’t choose the IoD to join,<br />

however; rather, it chose her. “I got<br />

the job as a senior branch manager<br />

through an agency but they didn’t<br />

tell me who I was applying to join. I<br />

was given an outline of the role, its<br />

aims and goals. I was really excited<br />

about what I learnt.<br />

“The key thing was raising<br />

awareness and building<br />

relationships with members, local<br />

groups and stakeholders. It suited<br />

me down to the ground.”<br />

Whether the IoD would have<br />

attracted her attention in the first<br />

place is a difficult question to<br />

answer. “I’d heard of the IoD but I’ll<br />

be honest – and here is one of my<br />

goals as Nations Director – I<br />

thought of it as an outdated<br />

gentleman’s club. As soon as I sat<br />

down with the IoD team I realised<br />

18 <strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong>


how wrong my perceptions were; its<br />

membership is far more diverse than<br />

the ‘old guys’ I envisaged, but I know<br />

that perception is still out there.<br />

“One of my goals is to open<br />

people’s eyes as to exactly what the<br />

IoD offers, who joins and why all<br />

business leaders should be a part of<br />

it. In recent years we’ve made great<br />

strides in broadening our demographics:<br />

we’re attracting far more women,<br />

more younger members and more<br />

people from ethnically diverse<br />

communities and from different<br />

socio-economic backgrounds. But<br />

we need to press on with this. I want<br />

to lead an IoD that perfectly reflects<br />

Scotland in every way.”<br />

But what Catherine won’t do is<br />

leave behind its more established<br />

members in a race to change. “My<br />

vision is that we need to drive<br />

change, yes, but remain loyal to<br />

those members whose knowledge<br />

and experience have been so useful<br />

for many years.<br />

“The job is moulding together the<br />

experience of those who have done<br />

it all before with our up-and-coming<br />

directors.<br />

“I want to make the IoD the<br />

<strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />

organisation of choice, not only for<br />

current directors but for business<br />

leaders and future business leaders.”<br />

If broadening that demographic is<br />

one goal, getting the IoD message<br />

out to a wider audience is another.<br />

“We don’t shout about ourselves<br />

enough. The IoD has been<br />

instrumental in key policy initiatives<br />

over the years, whether it’s helping<br />

governments formulate tax policies,<br />

export initiatives or the support for<br />

businesses during Covid. Yet people<br />

still think we’re that old-fashioned<br />

men’s club. That perception needs<br />

to change.”<br />

Catherine is also aware that at<br />

times, IoD policy can be a little<br />

narrow and focused on themes that<br />

aren’t always in keeping with<br />

Scotland’s priorities. “The IoD has<br />

looked at the way it works and<br />

reformed its processes, with a goal<br />

of moving the institute closer to its<br />

members. This has to be true for<br />

policy, too.”<br />

She cites the food sector as an<br />

example: “This is far more important<br />

to Scotland per se than it is to the<br />

UK as a whole, so IoD Scotland’s<br />

policy initiatives should reflect what<br />

this vital sector needs. Policy must<br />

be broader and tackle the issues<br />

that matter to local IoD members.<br />

“I think in the past we’ve been too<br />

focused on big ticket items such as<br />

tax and finance, or what is being<br />

talked about in the corridors of<br />

power.”<br />

Success in her new role would be<br />

driving through these changes. “We<br />

need to make IoD membership<br />

something more than a ‘nice to have’<br />

into a ‘must’, something people will<br />

automatically seek out when they<br />

become a business leader.”<br />

Improving engagement is another<br />

goal. “Like most membership<br />

organisations, we’ve got three kinds<br />

of members. First you’ve got those<br />

who are genuinely involved – on the<br />

committees, contributing to Policy<br />

Voice, attending events, using<br />

services. Second, you’ve got those<br />

who are more passive; they might<br />

attend an event or get involved on a<br />

local level, but that’s it. The third<br />

group is, they’re just members. They<br />

join because they think it’s a nice<br />

thing to do, but don’t get involved. If<br />

you asked them what the benefits of<br />

membership are, they’d be vague<br />

and not use them often. The goal is<br />

to love the 1s, convert ‘2s’ into 1s and<br />

turn the 3s into 2s.”<br />

One of the best ways of creating<br />

converts is by highlighting the<br />

Chartered Director qualification.<br />

Catherine is fully behind this. “Our<br />

Chartered Director programme is<br />

simply one of the best qualifications<br />

out there, of any kind. It delivers<br />

real-life benefits that I know<br />

recipients refer back to again and<br />

again in their business career.<br />

“I was speaking to the team<br />

behind our fast-track course<br />

recently, and was struck by the<br />

global nature of the cohort for the<br />

week; there were people there from<br />

China, USA, Europe, Scotland,<br />

England. It creates a peer group that<br />

you can rely on in the future.<br />

“It’s rare to say this about anything<br />

nowadays but I’ve never heard<br />

“I’m here to help make<br />

those connections<br />

between members that<br />

really make a difference”<br />

anyone who’s taken the course have<br />

a single negative thing to say about<br />

it.”<br />

What else is on Catherine’s ‘to do’<br />

list in 2023. “I’m meeting as many<br />

members as I can, and I’ll be taking<br />

this up a notch next year. I’m here to<br />

help make those connections<br />

between members that matter,<br />

signposting where help is available,<br />

or advice can be obtained. That’s<br />

where the IoD thrives. ”<br />

Catherine cites a recent event as a<br />

classic example. “We held a roundtable<br />

event on Talent and Skills,<br />

bringing in people from different<br />

sectors, from education and the<br />

world of work, to look at the<br />

problems Scotland has on the talent<br />

pipeline – why aren’t we getting the<br />

right kind of students through that<br />

businesses need, where are the<br />

work-ready youngsters? Does our<br />

curriculum reflect modern needs?<br />

“It was a great event and some<br />

brilliant conversations were started.<br />

The education sector and businesses<br />

cannot exist in isolation; their work<br />

has to be interlinked.<br />

“At this event the IoD was the cog<br />

that linked the two sides of the<br />

equation, designing a holistic<br />

approach to what I feel is Scotland’s<br />

biggest challenge in the years to<br />

come.”<br />

Continued on page 20<br />

19


In conversation with... Catherine McWilliam<br />

“We held a round-table<br />

event on Talent and Skills,<br />

bringing in people from<br />

different sectors to look at<br />

the problems Scotland has<br />

on the talent pipeline... it<br />

was a great event and<br />

some brilliant<br />

conversations were<br />

started... the IoD was the<br />

cog that linked the two<br />

sides of the equation”<br />

Continued from page 19<br />

Once the discussions are<br />

completed, “we’ll take our insights<br />

to the Scottish Govermemt as a fully<br />

formed policy.”<br />

Looking forward, what are the big<br />

topics that IoD Scotland faces? Will<br />

it make a decision on where it<br />

stands on the independence<br />

question, for instance? “We won’t<br />

take a position, ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the<br />

question, if it’s asked,” Catherine<br />

says. “What we insist on instead is<br />

that the government makes sure our<br />

members receive all the information<br />

they need – proper information, full<br />

details, costings, pitfalls,<br />

opportunities. Not guess work and<br />

wishful thinking but concrete facts.<br />

That way people can make an<br />

informed choice if the situation<br />

arises.”<br />

Another challenge is going to be<br />

how Scotland deals with what could<br />

be acute labour shortages in the<br />

future. “We know that Scotland has<br />

an ageing population and we’re<br />

already seeing this hit some sectors<br />

as labour shortages become more<br />

apparent. We need a new Visa<br />

scheme that works for Scotland and<br />

allows the agricultural and tourism<br />

sectors, as two examples, to bring in<br />

the people they need.”<br />

But what’s also important is that<br />

Scotland makes better use of the<br />

talent on the ground. “We cannot<br />

waste anyone. We need to find a<br />

role for everyone in our society. Too<br />

many people have not found their<br />

niche in the Scottish workplace and<br />

that’s an issue that we have to solve.<br />

But it will be best solved<br />

collaboratively, with all stakeholders<br />

having an input – and with the IoD at<br />

the heart of the solution.”<br />

This loss of talent is something<br />

that rankles, as does Scotland’s poor<br />

record at scaling up its successful<br />

start-ups. “Scotland is a nation of<br />

entrepreneurs, it always has been,<br />

but why don’t we scale up? Why<br />

haven’t we had more Skyscanners?<br />

Is it lack of finance, is it lack of<br />

confidence or support – or does it<br />

play back to that lack of a talent<br />

pipeline?<br />

“Are big plans being shelved for<br />

fear of not getting the people in you<br />

need to grow?<br />

“Whatever the reason, it’s a<br />

stumbling block we have to get<br />

past.”<br />

Here again, IoD Scotland can help.<br />

“I know from my conversations with<br />

start-ups that often you have this<br />

young, dynamic team, bursting with<br />

ideas and confidence but perhaps<br />

without the experience to make<br />

them work. The IoD membership is<br />

full of experienced people who can<br />

bring real knowledge to a<br />

boardroom in an NXD capacity. If<br />

you have a plan and want to bring in<br />

guidance from outside, the IoD<br />

membership is the place to start<br />

looking.”<br />

She has another word of advice<br />

for start-ups: “Follow your gut. The<br />

best piece of advice I ever received<br />

was ‘don’t ask permission, seek<br />

forgiveness.’ It’s a posh way of<br />

saying ‘follow your gut’; it’ll be right<br />

most of the time.”<br />

It all sounds like 2023 is going to<br />

be a very busy year for Catherine<br />

and the IoD. “That’s just how I like it.<br />

I love being surrounded by engaging<br />

and exciting people, all discussing<br />

“We need a new visa<br />

scheme that works for<br />

Scotland and allows the<br />

agricultural and tourism<br />

sectors, as two examples,<br />

to bring in the people<br />

they need”<br />

new ideas, thinking up ways of doing<br />

things, challenging each other,<br />

helping each other. That’s why I love<br />

IoD events – that’s what you get in<br />

the room.”<br />

One event in particular is ringed<br />

on the calendar. “I can’t wait for our<br />

Director of the Year Awards in June.<br />

We’re going to get a big room for<br />

members to sit down and reflect on<br />

what they’ve achieved – despite the<br />

challenges they faced. It will be a<br />

chance to say, collectively, ‘we got<br />

through this, we survived the storm.’”<br />

See pg 14 for details<br />

20 <strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong>


ScotRail’s on track to play its part<br />

in Scotland’s net zero target<br />

David Lister<br />

Safety, Engineering & Sustainability<br />

Director, ScotRail<br />

As many are aware, Scotland has a<br />

goal for net zero carbon emission by<br />

2045. This will require co-operation<br />

across the whole country, from<br />

individual citizens, to small<br />

businesses and large corporations,<br />

and ScotRail is excited to contribute<br />

to this effort. Through the<br />

decarbonisation of our network,<br />

ScotRail aims to improve our service,<br />

making it greener, cheaper, and<br />

more reliable for all.<br />

Decarbonisation of the railway<br />

overall focuses on two main<br />

components: electrification of large<br />

sections of our track and the<br />

upgrading of our fleet. These needs<br />

naturally go hand in hand and,<br />

though a huge undertaking, are the<br />

cornerstone to delivering a greener,<br />

more efficient service for both<br />

passengers and freight and a<br />

reduced cost for taxpayers.<br />

The decarbonisation of the railway<br />

focuses on large-scale electrification<br />

as it gives the greatest benefit for<br />

the investment. Electrification<br />

involves much more than just<br />

putting up wires and while we still<br />

have significant work to do, the<br />

programme in Scotland is leading<br />

the industry across the UK.<br />

There are incremental benefits to<br />

electrification: it will allow for a more<br />

dynamic and flexible timetable for<br />

both passenger and freight journeys,<br />

route clearance allows for larger<br />

freight trains to operate, and both<br />

benefits go live long before the full<br />

programme is complete.<br />

Alongside electrification, we will<br />

procure new train fleets to replace<br />

current stock with more modern and<br />

sustainable options that will also<br />

deliver a better passenger<br />

experience. A key aim of our<br />

procurement strategy is to reduce<br />

the number of types of train we<br />

operate from 11 down to five. This<br />

will not only make our service more<br />

efficient through streamlining<br />

maintenance and training but also<br />

make it easier to redeploy resources<br />

to different routes and provide<br />

passengers with consistency when<br />

they travel.<br />

Customers will notice the first<br />

major change in 2028 when new<br />

suburban trains start to enter<br />

service. These will progressively<br />

replace four existing train fleets as<br />

their leases expire and it becomes<br />

uneconomical to extend their lives.<br />

This will drive a massive effort<br />

towards the decarbonisation of the<br />

network. More procurement will take<br />

place through 2035, which is our<br />

goal for the replacement of diesel<br />

fleets and other life-expired trains.<br />

Business travel benefit for IoD<br />

Business travel can also play a key<br />

part in our country’s net-zero effort.<br />

Instead of driving to work or for<br />

business meetings across the<br />

country, why not travel by train?<br />

With your IoD membership, you<br />

qualify for a £5 upgrade to first class<br />

on any ScotRail train that offers this<br />

service. Our first-class seating offers<br />

a more comfortable and peaceful<br />

environment for you to conduct all<br />

your business needs or to simply<br />

relax after a long working day.<br />

ScotRail also offers business travel<br />

accounts. The ScotRail Business<br />

Travel tool is designed to help<br />

businesses and organisations save<br />

time and money when booking train<br />

travel. Our account managers know<br />

the pressure businesses are under to<br />

stretch their budget, so they’re<br />

always on hand to ensure you get<br />

the best value for money, with a<br />

huge array of tickets available to fit<br />

every business’s budget.<br />

If you’d like to discuss how we can<br />

work together to save you time and<br />

money, along with reducing your<br />

business’s carbon footprint, email<br />

scotrail.salesteam@scotrail.co.uk.<br />

Alongside this, we offer support<br />

with our online booking tool, and we<br />

will work with you to tailor-make<br />

travel plans and policies that align<br />

with your business strategy.<br />

<strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />

21


Technical briefing: HR<br />

To navigate the Great Resignation,<br />

business leaders must act now<br />

Gaynor Duthie, Managing Partner of Genoa Black,<br />

looks at the post-Covid phenomenon of the exodus<br />

of experienced personnel from the workplace<br />

A record number of employees are<br />

quitting or thinking about doing so.<br />

Businesses that take the time to<br />

learn why — and act considerately<br />

—will have an edge in attracting and<br />

retaining talent.<br />

The ‘Great Resignation’ has seen<br />

millions of workers globally leaving<br />

their jobs since early 2021 at a<br />

record pace, disrupting businesses<br />

everywhere. With the trend<br />

continuing throughout <strong>2022</strong>,<br />

companies are currently struggling<br />

to address the problem, and many<br />

will continue to struggle for one<br />

simple reason: they don’t really<br />

understand why their employees are<br />

leaving in the first place.<br />

Rather than taking the time to<br />

understand, business leaders are<br />

quick to offer well-intentioned fixes<br />

that will have little impact. Increased<br />

financial reward, bonuses and offers<br />

of flexible working are, of course,<br />

important, but without making any<br />

effort to improve engagement and<br />

strengthen loyalty, these perks are<br />

time bound and unsustainable as a<br />

long-term strategy.<br />

If the past 18 months have taught<br />

business leaders anything, it’s that<br />

employees crave investment in the<br />

human aspects of work. Employees<br />

are tired and many are burnt-out.<br />

They want a renewed and revived<br />

sense of purpose in their work. They<br />

want social and personal<br />

connections with their colleagues<br />

and managers. They want to feel a<br />

sense of shared identity and feel<br />

truly valued.<br />

By not understanding what<br />

employees are running from, and<br />

what they might gravitate to,<br />

business leaders are putting their<br />

business at risk. So how do we as<br />

leaders move forward?<br />

You can’t fix what you don’t<br />

understand<br />

The first step is to engage and<br />

consult with your employees. Not<br />

just those you think are at risk of<br />

leaving, but your entire workforce.<br />

Whether it be by survey, focus<br />

groups, 1-2-1 consultations or a<br />

combination of all of these, gaining<br />

true insights into the current<br />

mindset of your workforce is key. It<br />

is important to create an<br />

environment where employees feel<br />

safe and able to tell their truth –<br />

consider using independent<br />

consultants for an independent,<br />

expert view.<br />

Use this understanding to<br />

articulate value<br />

Taking and reflecting on all the<br />

insights gained from the<br />

consultation, the next step is to<br />

begin considering your employee<br />

value proposition. For years the<br />

focus has been on the customer<br />

value proposition but now your<br />

employees are just as important, if<br />

not more so. Consider the type of<br />

individuals you want to be working<br />

in your business, what they will be<br />

looking for from you as an employer,<br />

what you can commit to offering<br />

them, and why as an employer you<br />

want to do this.<br />

Deliver value to your employees<br />

authentically<br />

The power of an employee value<br />

proposition lies in its day-to-day<br />

realisation in the working<br />

environment. When we as leaders<br />

do not deliver on our promises to<br />

employees, the impact can be<br />

culturally damaging. However, where<br />

we remain authentic and act with<br />

integrity and honesty, the power of<br />

our employee value proposition can<br />

be evidenced through our ability to<br />

attract new talent, and the retention<br />

and performance of our existing<br />

team.<br />

The Great Resignation is real, it’s<br />

still happening, and it is not going<br />

away.<br />

Yet this also represents a big<br />

opportunity. To realise it, you just<br />

need to change your perspective.<br />

Take a step back, listen, think, and<br />

make the changes employees want.<br />

22 <strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong>


Charity volunteering can deliver so<br />

much more than putting cash in a tin<br />

Caroline McKenna from<br />

Social Good Connect asks<br />

whether it’s time to<br />

change the focus of our<br />

volunteering activities<br />

It’s well-documented that countless<br />

charities in our local communities<br />

folded during the pandemic, with<br />

donations plummeting and<br />

countless fundraising activities<br />

cancelled. Could your business be<br />

doing more to help those still on the<br />

brink?<br />

Maybe your teams already commit<br />

to the odd day-long volunteering<br />

project. Maybe you’ve increased<br />

donations to a couple of choice<br />

charities. But perhaps now, in light<br />

of the non-profits’ struggle to<br />

support people in dire need, it’s time<br />

to consider a more structured<br />

element to community giving.<br />

A growing movement of SMEs are<br />

starting to live and breathe giving<br />

back and get beyond ticking CSR/<br />

ESG boxes.<br />

Our experience since Covid-19 hit<br />

shows that management-backed<br />

employee volunteering is a<br />

productive way to re-boost staff<br />

morale and purpose, bring company<br />

values to life and improve and enrich<br />

under-used employee skills. We’ve<br />

seen it happen in tech firms, law<br />

firms, sports education businesses,<br />

schools, data-crunching firms and<br />

more.<br />

Re-imagining volunteering’s<br />

potential<br />

We know from working with<br />

hundreds of Scottish charities that<br />

micro and one-off skills-based<br />

placements, like a week of social<br />

media support for a charity<br />

campaign or an hour’s help with a<br />

vital funding application, are as<br />

valuable as regular befriending,<br />

mentoring or caring roles.<br />

Helping charities to run their<br />

operations (offering finance, trustee,<br />

marketing or tech support) is an<br />

invaluable way to make a powerful<br />

difference. I’m also often<br />

approached by grass-roots charities<br />

<strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />

and larger, established charities<br />

crying out for board members, PR<br />

advisors, SEO specialists and HR<br />

help.<br />

Are there tangible benefits?<br />

Employees bring back to your<br />

workplace a fresh perspective,<br />

improved, sometimes extended skills<br />

and have accessed a new<br />

opportunity for personal and<br />

professional development.<br />

After a mentoring placement for<br />

an education charity by one of his<br />

senior managers, Kevin Ord, COO at<br />

Broker Insights told me: “What we<br />

take from volunteering is at least as<br />

great as what we put in. Using skills<br />

in a different context or setting<br />

fine-tunes them. Interpersonal skills<br />

are improved, confidence in your<br />

ability is enhanced, and staff come<br />

away with a sense of pride and<br />

general well-being.”<br />

Alistair Booth, CEO of The HR<br />

Booth, told me: “There are so many<br />

benefits, such as increased<br />

employee engagement and loyalty,<br />

and an employer brand that’s<br />

attractive to potential joiners.<br />

Employees want to be part of<br />

something – it’s not just about the<br />

job any more.”<br />

How do you tackle company-wide<br />

roll-out?<br />

Join an organised scheme or<br />

platform and establish a supportive<br />

framework for employees to get<br />

involved on their terms. Or offer a<br />

work-time allowance for<br />

volunteering and write it into<br />

company policy.<br />

How do you encourage ongoing<br />

and wider take-up?<br />

Make it easy to choose a cause<br />

and commitment level, show senior<br />

support, communicate whole-self<br />

benefits and engage your comms<br />

team to share impact from recent<br />

placements if volunteers are willing.<br />

Has your business got time to<br />

invest in employee volunteering? I<br />

say this: imagine the impact of<br />

lending business skills to<br />

understaffed, under-promoted<br />

charity operations and literally<br />

helping them stay afloat. Imagine<br />

the impact on hospitals, care homes,<br />

food banks and children’s services<br />

of hundreds of skilled workers<br />

lending time and expertise. Imagine<br />

the impact on your business and<br />

your values-driven employees of<br />

having played a key part in that…<br />

• Caroline McKenna is<br />

a trustee at the new<br />

cost-of-living<br />

support charity The<br />

Squeeze and founder<br />

of Social Good<br />

Connect, a non-profit<br />

employee volunteering platform.<br />

“What we take from volunteering is at least as great as what<br />

we put in. Using skills in a different context or setting<br />

fine-tunes them. Interpersonal skills are improved, confidence<br />

in your ability is enhanced, and staff come away with a sense<br />

of pride and general well-being.”<br />

23


Membership offers<br />

IoD membership<br />

We’re delighted that you have chosen the IoD to support you in your development as a<br />

director and we hope you get real value from your membership. The IoD Scotland team is<br />

always looking to enhance your membership with exclusive discounts on products and<br />

services, helping make your role that little bit easier, kinder on the budget and – most<br />

importantly – more convenient. We have outlined some of the key benefits here: for a full<br />

summary and discount codes, contact patricia.huth@iod.com<br />

Spotlight on...<br />

Edinburgh<br />

hotel offers for<br />

IoD members<br />

The George<br />

Following a multi-million pound<br />

refurbishment, the architectural detail<br />

of The George, a Grade-II listed hotel,<br />

is complemented by elegant interiors,<br />

from the bedrooms to the grand<br />

King’s Hall.<br />

All with the very best of<br />

Edinburgh’s shopping, restaurants<br />

and nightlife on your doorstep.<br />

To take advantage of IoD<br />

membership special discounts,<br />

present your IoD membership card at<br />

check-in or when seated at one of<br />

the hotel’s food outlets.<br />

Book online at ihg.com or see<br />

www.edinburgh.intercontinental.com<br />

0131 240 7137<br />

EdinburghTheGeorgeReservations<br />

@ihg.com<br />

The George<br />

Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel (above<br />

right): 15% discount on food, drinks<br />

and accommodation<br />

Also new 15% discount on the Gym<br />

& Spa at the Charlotte Square Hotel.<br />

Quote IoD Scotland member when<br />

booking.<br />

Holiday Inn, Edinburgh – 15% off<br />

best available rate. To book call<br />

0131 314 7018 or email<br />

reservations@hi- edinburgh.co.uk,<br />

quoting <strong>IOD</strong> Scotland.<br />

Malmaison Hotels – 20% off<br />

lunches and dinners Edinburgh.<br />

Locke Apartments - 20% discount<br />

Lateral City Apartments - 12%<br />

discount<br />

Fountain Court Premier<br />

Apartments - discounted rates<br />

Mode Aparthotel, Edinburgh<br />

– discounted rates.<br />

Book via 0131 370 8433.<br />

Angels Share Hotel, Edinburgh<br />

– 15% discount. Quote GLC15.<br />

Eden Locke – 20% off designer<br />

apartment. Visit lockeliving.com and<br />

enter code “LOCKEDIN” for 20% off<br />

Best Available Rate. Leisure stays at<br />

weekends 15% off through website -<br />

just enter the code LIVELOCKE.<br />

Yotel, Edinburgh. Quote IoD when<br />

booking online for a preferential rate.<br />

See www.yotel.com/yotel-edinburgh<br />

or call 0131 526 4950<br />

Hawksmoor Edinburgh – a round<br />

of drinks on us when eating. Quote<br />

IoD when booking.<br />

Hotels<br />

The following hotels also have<br />

special rates for IoD members.<br />

Aberdeen – Malmaison<br />

IoD offer: Up to 10% off<br />

accommodation and 20% off<br />

food and beverages.<br />

malmaison.com<br />

01224 507097<br />

Dundee – Malmaison<br />

Take your pick from 91 sumptuous<br />

rooms and suites spanning six<br />

fabulous floors. There’s so much to<br />

see and do in Dundee, and<br />

Malmaison is perfect place to stay in<br />

the City of Discovery.<br />

IoD offer: Up to 10% off<br />

accommodation bookings and<br />

20% off food and beverages.<br />

malmaison.com<br />

01382 339715<br />

Glasgow – Kimpton Blythswood<br />

Square<br />

IoD members receive 15% off best<br />

available bed and breakfast rates.<br />

kimptonblythswoodsquare.com<br />

0141 248 8888<br />

Glasgow – voco Grand Central<br />

Members receive a 15% discount on<br />

the best available rates for food,<br />

beverage and accommodation.<br />

grandcentral.vocohotels.com<br />

0141 221 3388<br />

One Devonshire Gardens<br />

Members receive 10% off best<br />

available rate for accommodation<br />

when booked online.<br />

hotelduvin.com/locations/glasgow<br />

0330 016 0390<br />

Citizen M<br />

Enjoy: Best rates at time of booking<br />

and a welcome drink.<br />

citizenm.com/directors-scotland<br />

0203 519 1111<br />

Malmaison<br />

10% off best available rates<br />

malmaison.com<br />

0141 378 0384<br />

Inverness – Kingsmills Hotel<br />

Fabulous four-star luxury hotel in<br />

Inverness, set in the beautiful<br />

Scottish Highlands. Luxurious rooms,<br />

impeccable dining and good oldfashioned<br />

Scottish hospitality.<br />

24 <strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong>


Better directors build<br />

a better world<br />

We believe that helping directors to improve, encouraging<br />

great governance, while fostering an entrepreneurial climate,<br />

helps generate prosperity in all its forms, making the world a<br />

better place. We strive to remind those with influence of this<br />

belief. Better Directors, Better Businesses, Better Economy.<br />

Browse our Events<br />

Professional<br />

Development<br />

Policy & Governance<br />

Other benefits<br />

Members can access special<br />

discounts on a host of products and<br />

services:<br />

Professional Indemnity Insurance<br />

Office insurance<br />

Data risks insurance<br />

Car and van hire<br />

Personal private health insurance<br />

Home and contents insurance<br />

Private client insurance<br />

About... Directors’ Liability<br />

Insurance<br />

Specialist insurance products at<br />

discounted rates from Hiscox.<br />

Great offers on company directors’<br />

and officers’ insurance, to offset the<br />

personal risks that can come with<br />

holding authority in a firm and<br />

mitigating threats to your personal<br />

finances. CLICK HERE to discover<br />

more about the product and how<br />

the discount works or get a quote.<br />

About... Cyber and Data<br />

Risks Insurance<br />

When it comes to cyber risk,<br />

insurance is more important than<br />

ever, as attacks and security<br />

breaches increasing in frequency<br />

and sophistication. Cyberclear,<br />

Hiscox’s Cyber and Data Risks<br />

Insurance has been ranked the most<br />

comprehensive policy by the<br />

Insurance Times. It is designed to<br />

protect your business if it has a data<br />

breach or is the subject of an attack<br />

by a malicious hacker. Save five per<br />

cent on Hiscox’s standard rates<br />

CLICK HERE to discover more.<br />

voco Grand Central<br />

Business growth advice and support<br />

Where Now Consulting Ltd provides<br />

business advice and support to IoD<br />

members in Scotland.<br />

Where Now Consulting focuses on the<br />

development of business models for<br />

growth and would be delighted to support members in any of the following<br />

categories: Organic growth; In-organic growth; and Success Planning<br />

IoD offer<br />

Book with the hotel’s dedicated<br />

Reservations Team to qualify for the<br />

IoD discount. Rooms £89 including<br />

Scottish breakfast.<br />

IoD Scotland offer<br />

Where Now Consulting Ltd will give members a complimentary one hour<br />

consultancy session to focus and develop key strategies for success with a<br />

further 10% discount on further support from Where Now Consulting, and a £35<br />

discount on the Where Now Consulting Business Diagnostic Tool.<br />

kingsmillshotel.com<br />

01463 257100<br />

reservations@kingsmillshotel.com<br />

<strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />

25


Technical briefing: IT matters<br />

Estonia, Europe’s digital leader,<br />

says Scotland is on the right<br />

path to a high-tech future<br />

Scotland is on the right global cybertrack to grasp transformative<br />

opportunities that going digital present, Estonian Ambassador to the<br />

UK, Viljar Lubi told IT and digital business commentator Bill Magee<br />

Digital Scotland attracted around<br />

800 delegates to its annual<br />

conference at Edinburgh<br />

International Conference Centre,<br />

where they heard just how<br />

transformative going digital can be<br />

towards creating a fully connected<br />

country fit to make its mark on the<br />

global stage.<br />

FutureScot conference organiser’s<br />

keynote speaker, Estonia’s<br />

Ambassador to the UK Viljar Lubi,<br />

charted the rise of the Baltic nation<br />

from post-Soviet republic to<br />

worldwide tech powerhouse.<br />

Credited with creating multiple<br />

‘Unicorns’ – privately held start-ups<br />

worth at least $1 billion (£897m) –<br />

every Estonian citizen has a digital<br />

ID.<br />

He told delegates working life is<br />

so increasingly digital and therefore<br />

we cannot and should not shy away<br />

from it. Exactly the opposite so that<br />

no one is left behind digitally.<br />

“We should grasp the opportunity<br />

and transform it to the benefit of<br />

everyone. Let’s not talk about<br />

challenges, let’s talk about<br />

opportunities. This is the Estonian<br />

philosophy.”<br />

Scotland is developing stronger<br />

ties with Estonia, one of the world’s<br />

smallest but most advanced digital<br />

economies. Earlier in my Daily<br />

Business Tech Talk column, Mr Lubi<br />

exclusively revealed he is in talks to<br />

strike significant e-partnerships<br />

with the Scottish Government.<br />

This includes a pilot programme<br />

to improve services and crossborder<br />

links between Edinburgh<br />

and Tallin. Estonia has a population<br />

of around 1.2 million and regained<br />

its independence in 1991 after 70<br />

years of Soviet and Nazi<br />

occupation, emerging as one of the<br />

most advanced digital societies in<br />

the world and the ‘champion’ within<br />

Europe when it comes to digital<br />

skills and internet usage by its<br />

companies and citizens.<br />

Mr Lubi, his country’s former<br />

Business Secretary, views the<br />

Scotland/Estonia relationship as a<br />

two-way process: “There is a great<br />

deal more we could learn from<br />

Scotland... and establish closer ties<br />

in business, culture and other areas.<br />

He said he could see nothing but<br />

Estonia’s Ambassador to<br />

the UK, Viljar Lubi<br />

26 <strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong>


GLOBALSCOT POINTS<br />

TO HEALTHTECH<br />

positives coming out of the new<br />

planned digital partnership: “It must<br />

always be all about what are the<br />

e-government digital needs for<br />

people and cross-border trade<br />

opportunities for companies.”<br />

Mr Lubi noted Scotland’s aim is to<br />

become one of the most<br />

sophisticated and comprehensive<br />

state-funded tech ecosystem<br />

environments in Europe for the<br />

creation and growth of start-ups.<br />

Central to this aim is the 38-point<br />

plan to foster digital industry, set out<br />

by one of Scotland’s own Unicorns,<br />

Skyscanner executive Mark Logan,<br />

who has become Scotland’s chief<br />

entrepreneur. Mr Lubi endorsed<br />

Scotland’s digital initiative stating it is<br />

on the right track.<br />

“Being digital is not a luxury, it is a<br />

cost-effective necessity.” A ‘going<br />

digital’ mindset is not a one-off. What<br />

is fine now will be obsolete in six<br />

months time... digital must be subject<br />

to constant improvement, design and<br />

reinvestment,” he concluded.<br />

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon<br />

describes Mark Logan’s appointment<br />

as a “signal of intent” of the kind of<br />

economy requiring to be built.<br />

Speaking at the 10th Women›s<br />

Enterprise Scotland Awards, she<br />

added supporting female<br />

entrepreneurs is essential to the<br />

success of the Scottish economy and<br />

there was a driving need to support<br />

women-led enterprises.<br />

GlobalScot has highlighted<br />

healthcare as a key area of<br />

potential growth as Scotland<br />

seeks to recover from the<br />

Covid-19 pandemic.<br />

There has been a rapid global<br />

growth in investments in the<br />

healthtech industry, to both<br />

expand treatment options and<br />

increase efficiencies.<br />

GlobalData’s ‘Investment<br />

Monitor’ reports that while UK<br />

healthtech investment has<br />

dipped then risen, it has<br />

remained steadier in Scotland<br />

where during <strong>2022</strong> of the top<br />

ten tech start-ups and spinouts,<br />

by value raised eight are<br />

healthech related.<br />

The ten are: Amphista<br />

Thereapeutics (modifications)<br />

$50 million; Resolution<br />

Therapeutics (disease<br />

treatment $44m; Mironid<br />

(medications $21m; Emotech<br />

(robotic technology) $16m;<br />

BetDEX Labs (sports betting<br />

platform) $16m.<br />

Also Caldan Therapeutics<br />

(disease treatment) $10m; Odx<br />

Innovations (antibiotic<br />

resistance) $10m; Invizius<br />

(disease treatment) $9m;<br />

AdoRx Therapeutics<br />

(medications) $8m; and Kynos<br />

Therapeutics (medications) $7m.<br />

Doing the math, as Americans<br />

CONVERGE RISING STARS<br />

would describe it, we’re talking<br />

close to $200 million (£175mn).<br />

It makes impressive reading.<br />

Scotland’s universities as a<br />

driving force of innovation is<br />

evident behind all this activity.<br />

Bringing together academia,<br />

industry and health and care<br />

providers, as equal partners<br />

with the people of Scotland,<br />

has created a health-and<br />

care-ecosystem.<br />

This is increasingly attractive<br />

to global companies wishing to<br />

carry out vital research and<br />

development.<br />

It can be best exploited by<br />

continuing to invest in<br />

Scotland’s underlying and<br />

enabling Information and<br />

communications technologies<br />

(ICT) infrastructure.<br />

This not only serves the<br />

needs in the NHS and social<br />

care. In a fully consent-driven<br />

and governed way, it makes<br />

data available to academics<br />

and industry to design, build<br />

and validate the next<br />

generation of technologies.<br />

All are required to ensure<br />

Scotland develops digitally. and<br />

makes the most of both inward<br />

investment and overseas<br />

commercial opportunities that<br />

will undoubtedly head in its<br />

direction.<br />

Life sciences featured prominently in the Converge Challenge<br />

<strong>2022</strong> Awards. Overall winner Professor Rebecca Goss, who has<br />

a passion for chemistry as founder of X-Genix, a biotech startup<br />

spinning out from University of St Andrews, scooped the top<br />

prize totalling £69,000 in equity-free cash and in-kind business<br />

support.<br />

X-Genis is revolutionising the method by which medicines are<br />

made by transforming the process of halogenation, using sea<br />

salt as a starting material, and fundamental to drug discovery.<br />

Talks are progressing with global pharmaceutical companies<br />

in what is a $250 billion annual market for fast-tracking new<br />

drugs including antibiotics.<br />

Runner-up Professor Emanuele Trucco and veteran CEO David<br />

Bowie of ‘Eye to the Future’, a collaboration between<br />

Universities of Dundee and Edinburgh, enables early detection<br />

of glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy from a simple eye scan.<br />

<strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />

27


Technical briefing: Education<br />

Qualifying Scotland<br />

Qualifications can positively change<br />

lives. They are a crucial part of an<br />

individual’s learning and training<br />

experience and make a valuable<br />

contribution to society. They give us<br />

a goal to work towards, prove to<br />

others what we know, and what we<br />

can do, and open the door to other<br />

education, training and career<br />

opportunities.<br />

SQA has more than 2,000<br />

different types of qualification<br />

available to schools, colleges,<br />

training providers and employers –<br />

from Higher Nationals, National<br />

Qualifications to a wide variety of<br />

vocational and customised<br />

qualifications supporting sectors<br />

such as health and social care,<br />

construction, hospitality, travel and<br />

tourism and leadership and<br />

management. We work with<br />

industry, employers, and skills<br />

specialists to develop qualifications<br />

that support businesses in<br />

continuing to develop their<br />

workforce.<br />

WORKPLACE<br />

QUALIFICATIONS<br />

One of these types of qualification<br />

are Scottish Vocational<br />

Qualifications (SVQs). SVQs are<br />

based on job competence and<br />

recognise the skills and knowledge<br />

people need in employment. With<br />

over 500 SVQs available, they can<br />

be attained in most occupations<br />

and are available for all types and<br />

level of job, from accounting and<br />

construction to forestry and fashion.<br />

They range in level of difficulty from<br />

SCQF level 4 up to SCQF level 11,<br />

allowing for progression in the<br />

workplace.<br />

SVQs do not have formal written<br />

exams, and are instead assessed on<br />

the practical activity undertaken in<br />

the workplace and a portfolio of<br />

evidence that meets occupational<br />

standards. This makes them ideal<br />

for those in full-time employment<br />

wishing to undertake a qualification.<br />

Having an SVQ is not only a<br />

personal achievement; it also shows<br />

employers that you can<br />

competently do your job to the<br />

national standard in your sector<br />

with confidence, and that you are<br />

motivated and committed to your<br />

work.<br />

NEW DEVELOPMENTS<br />

UCAS will soon begin to allocate<br />

tariff points to all SVQs at SCQF<br />

level 6. This has been difficult to do<br />

previously due to the spread and<br />

variety of credit points in optional<br />

units selected by candidates.<br />

However, UCAS and SQA have<br />

been working together to determine<br />

a model which would allow for<br />

UCAS tariff points to be allocated<br />

using SCQF credit points. A new<br />

banding model has recently been<br />

approved, and as of May 2023,<br />

UCAS will begin to add these<br />

credits to their tariff tables.<br />

GAMING QUALIFICATIONS<br />

AT SQA<br />

Another example of how<br />

qualifications support industry is<br />

within the games industry. With<br />

eleven colleges and seven<br />

universities producing graduates<br />

with skills in game design,<br />

development, and production,<br />

Scotland’s capacity to produce<br />

talent for the games industry is<br />

undeniable.<br />

SQA offers a large variety of<br />

computing qualifications, which are<br />

designed and developed with<br />

subject experts and industry to<br />

ensure they meet the skills needs of<br />

the sector. One such qualification is<br />

the National Progression Award<br />

(NPA) in Computer Games<br />

Development, which teaches<br />

candidates how to write, design and<br />

develop computer games.<br />

The qualification is split into three<br />

units: media assets, design, and<br />

development. The media assets part<br />

of the award focuses on finding and<br />

capturing digital media that can be<br />

used within a game, such as sounds,<br />

images and videos, and customising<br />

these assets to fit into a game. The<br />

design side then focuses on<br />

creating a plan for the development<br />

of a computer game. Finally, the<br />

development side of the award<br />

focuses on writing code to produce<br />

the game.<br />

Dr Amanda Ford, who has been<br />

teaching the qualification for nine<br />

years at West College Scotland,<br />

explains, “It’s really good for<br />

schools, as it tends to be used as<br />

the equivalent of a National 5 or<br />

Higher. It allows students to take<br />

the games development route in<br />

their timetable and study something<br />

they’re interested in.<br />

“Moving on from school, students<br />

can go on to study games further at<br />

college or university at a higher<br />

level. For example, a HNC or HND in<br />

Computer Games Development.”<br />

24 28<br />

<strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />

AUTUMN <strong>2022</strong>


Although the primary focus of this<br />

award is progression to further<br />

studies in games development, or a<br />

related field, the knowledge and<br />

skills gained by undertaking this<br />

qualification can lead to eventual<br />

employment in a games or<br />

programming position.<br />

SQA AND THE FUTURE<br />

Every member of the education<br />

and training community has felt the<br />

impact of significant, and ongoing,<br />

global events over recent years, and<br />

changes in learners’ needs over time.<br />

Education and training in Scotland,<br />

as elsewhere in the UK and around<br />

the world, has had to adapt and<br />

innovate in the face of changing<br />

circumstances to deliver for learners.<br />

These circumstances have also led<br />

the Scottish Government to ask what<br />

kind of education system Scotland<br />

wants for the current generation of<br />

learners, and for those in the future.<br />

A wide-ranging programme of<br />

education reform is underway.<br />

The reform programme includes:<br />

the national discussion on the future<br />

vision for education – the first for 20<br />

years; Professor Louise Hayward’s<br />

independent review of the future of<br />

qualifications and assessments; the<br />

creation of three new national<br />

education bodies; and the review of<br />

post-school education, training and<br />

<strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />

AUTUMN <strong>2022</strong><br />

the skills landscape.<br />

We share the ambition to build on<br />

the success of Scottish education<br />

and training, with learners and the<br />

teachers, lecturers and practitioners<br />

who support them at the heart of<br />

future change.<br />

One of the new national education<br />

bodies will be a qualifications body<br />

that will take on SQA’s current<br />

awarding functions, including<br />

responsibility for the design and<br />

delivery of all qualifications, the<br />

running of exams and the awarding<br />

of certificates, SQA’s commercial<br />

activities and international work. The<br />

Scottish Government will confirm<br />

where the current accreditation and<br />

regulation functions will sit.<br />

The work associated with the<br />

creation of the new qualifications<br />

body is being overseen by a Delivery<br />

Board, accountable to the Scottish<br />

Government’s Strategic Programme<br />

Board. The New Qualifications Body<br />

Delivery Board includes a wideranging<br />

external membership,<br />

including from the training, college,<br />

school and local authority sectors in<br />

Scotland as well as from the<br />

education sector in the rest of the<br />

UK.<br />

The Delivery Board will be<br />

undertaking an extensive<br />

programme of engagement with<br />

learners, teachers, lecturers, training<br />

providers plus a wide range of other<br />

stakeholders and users, to ensure<br />

they shape the new qualifications<br />

body.<br />

Until the new body is established,<br />

we will continue to work<br />

productively and collaboratively<br />

with every part of Scotland’s<br />

education and training community,<br />

including the teachers, lecturers and<br />

subject specialists who form such a<br />

vital part of our work.<br />

MORE INFORMATION<br />

If you would like to find out more<br />

about our qualifications and<br />

services, our friendly account<br />

managers and customer service<br />

team will help identify solutions to<br />

achieve your business goals, offering<br />

tailored support and advice each<br />

step of the way.<br />

Visit https://www.sqa.org.uk/<br />

regionalmanagers for details.<br />

To find out more about SQA’s<br />

work in Scotland, see<br />

www.sqa.org.uk<br />

29


Professional Development


IoD Events<br />

The Director’s Update:<br />

Economic intelligence to<br />

help you plan ahead<br />

Date: 17 January 2023<br />

Time: 12pm - 12:45pm<br />

Venue: Online<br />

Cost: Free to members<br />

The Director’s Update examines the<br />

state of the UK economy together<br />

with regulation, legislation and<br />

government policy relevant to<br />

directors. Exclusive to IoD members,<br />

it digests what has happened in the<br />

last three months and gives you<br />

insights into what is anticipated for<br />

the months ahead.<br />

Its contents are invaluable,<br />

particularly when the economic<br />

outlook is so unpredictable.<br />

Following the publication of the<br />

Q3 Directors’ Update, you are invited<br />

to join Dr Roger Barker, IoD Director<br />

of Policy and Corporate Governance,<br />

and Kitty Ussher, IoD Chief<br />

Economist at this members-only<br />

event. Roger and Kitty will<br />

summarise the report’s highlights<br />

and answer your questions. Join us<br />

on 17 January and get the inside<br />

track on the economy.<br />

In addition, on 6 February, there<br />

will be another session, this time<br />

focusing on the Bank of England<br />

MPC report, due out on 2 February.<br />

Members can book on either or<br />

both events.<br />

Organiser: Events team<br />

Contact helena.drake@iod.com<br />

Taking the blues away<br />

Date: 16 January 2023<br />

Time: 12pm — 2pm<br />

Venue: The Merchants’ Hall, 22<br />

Hanover Street, Edinburgh EH2 2EP<br />

Cost: IoD Member Price £12<br />

Non Member Price £25<br />

This Blue Monday, Audrey Mason<br />

from Happies Hour Club will deliver<br />

The Happy Leader workshop.<br />

In this interactive session, we’ll<br />

explore three powerful tools you<br />

can use to beat stress, build happy<br />

teams, and kick off 2023 with a<br />

positive mindset.<br />

The session will start with a<br />

networking lunch, followed by a<br />

brilliant session with Audrey.<br />

We’re delivering this event in<br />

partnership with The Royal<br />

Company of Merchants of The City<br />

of Edinburgh, so this is an excellent<br />

opportunity to network with their<br />

members.<br />

Organiser: Patricia Huth<br />

t: 0131 557 5488<br />

e: Patricia.Huth@iod.com<br />

Questions for the council<br />

Roundtable breakfast with Andrew<br />

Kerr OBE, Chief Executive at The<br />

City of Edinburgh Council<br />

Business engagement.<br />

Date: 21 February 2023<br />

Time: 8:30-10am<br />

Venue: Edinburgh City Chambers,<br />

253 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1YJ<br />

Cost: Members only, £15<br />

Join IoD Scotland’s Edinburgh and<br />

Lothian’s branch as we meet with<br />

City of Edinburgh Council Chief<br />

Executive, Andrew Kerr OBE for a<br />

breakfast roundtable.<br />

Born in Falkirk, Andrew Kerr began<br />

his career with the town’s District<br />

Council. His 35-year public sector<br />

career has since included over three<br />

years at Birmingham City Council,<br />

where he led the national awardwinning<br />

Birmingham BEST<br />

organisational development<br />

programme.<br />

He was appointed Chief Executive<br />

of City of Edinburgh Council in 2015<br />

and has since led the council with a<br />

focus in recent years on resilience<br />

during a challenging period. We’ll<br />

hear from Andrew on his thoughts<br />

on Edinburgh’s business<br />

engagement with a Q&A roundtable<br />

breakfast.<br />

If you’d like to post a question in<br />

advance for Andrew, please email<br />

PR-Comms.Ambassador.Edinburgh@<br />

iod.com<br />

This event is for members only.<br />

Organiser: Patricia Huth<br />

t: 0131 557 5488<br />

e: Patricia.Huth@iod.com<br />

32 <strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong>


Introducing ... the Chartered<br />

Director qualification<br />

Date: 26 January 2023<br />

Time: 12pm — 1:30pm<br />

Bite-sized, informative<br />

session on how to<br />

achieve the final stage of<br />

your professional<br />

development journey<br />

with the IoD.<br />

Committing to achieving<br />

Chartered Director status is a<br />

clear message to your colleagues,<br />

customers and network that you are<br />

serious about your role and the<br />

contributions you make to your<br />

organisation.<br />

This session is for anyone who has<br />

achieved the IoD certificate in<br />

Company Direction and/or the IoD<br />

Diploma in Company Direction. You<br />

will learn more about the final stage<br />

in your professional<br />

development journey<br />

with the IoD, find out<br />

what’s involved, the<br />

costs and FAQs.<br />

There’s a chance to<br />

have a shared<br />

experience from a<br />

CDir assessor and a<br />

Q&A session with recent<br />

Chartered Directors.<br />

If you are interested in starting<br />

your professional development<br />

journey with the IoD, please attend<br />

instead our ‘Introduction to<br />

Certificate in Company Direction’<br />

webinar on 16 March (see below).<br />

Organiser: Events team<br />

Contact helena.drake@iod.com<br />

Introducing ... the IoD’s Certificate in<br />

Company Direction programme<br />

Date: 16 March 2023<br />

Time: 9am — 10:15am<br />

Cost: Free<br />

Have you been considering how you<br />

can enhance your impact and<br />

performance as a director? Do you<br />

want to gain the latest tools and<br />

techniques from expert practitioners<br />

who have a wealth of experience in<br />

boardrooms across the globe? If<br />

you answered “yes” then this may<br />

be the most useful session you take<br />

this year. We warmly invite you to<br />

find out more about our gold<br />

standard Certificate in Company<br />

Direction. In this free information<br />

session you can sample course<br />

content alongside other delegates<br />

and meet the IoD’s course leader.<br />

Whether you’re a newly appointed<br />

director, aspiring to a seat on the<br />

board, or want to improve<br />

performance with fresh insight, the<br />

IoD Certificate in Company<br />

Direction, Bachelors level (SCQF)<br />

qualification will equip you with the<br />

core knowledge and awareness<br />

needed to function effectively as a<br />

director.<br />

The session will be interactive,<br />

featuring a Q&A with the course<br />

leader and Chartered Director and<br />

will also include a teaser activity<br />

from one of the Certificate in<br />

Company Direction modules. You<br />

will discover what it means to be a<br />

Chartered Director, and will have<br />

the opportunity to hear direct<br />

experiences from a member of our<br />

Chartered Director alumni.<br />

The session is led by Sheelagh<br />

Duffield, a corporate governance<br />

specialist advising clients on best<br />

practice governance, and Menai<br />

Owen-Jones, a holder of the<br />

Chartered Director qualification and<br />

an award-winning social sector<br />

Chief Executive and an experienced<br />

Non-Executive Director.<br />

Organiser: Events team<br />

Contact helena.drake@iod.com<br />

Maximise your<br />

membership<br />

Date: 31 January 2023<br />

Time: 12pm — 1pm<br />

Venue: Online<br />

Join us for this virtual lunch time<br />

event as we explore the full range of<br />

benefits that come as part of your<br />

membership<br />

Are you a member who gets the<br />

most out of membership? Are you<br />

keen to learn more about the IoD<br />

and what membership brings?<br />

We want you to get maximum<br />

value from your membership, so<br />

please join us for this virtual lunchtime<br />

event as we explore the full<br />

range of benefits that come as part<br />

of your membership – including<br />

some you might not be aware of!<br />

Hear from our team of experts<br />

including the Director General,<br />

Jonathan Geldart, as we raise<br />

awareness of the IoD, the<br />

membership offering and the<br />

benefits of being part of our many<br />

communities of directors and senior<br />

business leaders across the UK and<br />

beyond. Hear how we support,<br />

represent, and set standards for<br />

business leaders.<br />

The event is also open to nonmembers<br />

interested to understand<br />

how IoD membership might benefit<br />

you.<br />

Organiser: Events team<br />

Contact helena.drake@iod.com<br />

<strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />

33

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!