IOD SCOTLAND WINTER 2022

In conversation with... Catherine McWilliam
Catherine McWilliam, Nations Director - Scotland at the IoD, talks to
Rob Beswick about the IoD’s strengths and weaknesses, and highlights her
priorities as we look forward to what could be another challenging year
IoD is always in the
heart of the action,
ready to help
Every December the various dictionary
publishers announce their ‘word of
the year’. For those interested, the
Oxford English Dictionary said it was
‘Goblin mode’, though in truth I’ve
never heard anyone say that, nor
had a clue what it meant until it was
explained to me. I was on much
firmer footing with the Collins
English Dictionary: ‘Permacrisis’.
Appropriate for our times, don’t you
think?
However, to Catherine McWilliam,
newly in post as Nations Director at
IoD Scotland, the one she hears
most often is ‘unprecedented’.
“I can’t believe how often I hear
that word, ” she says, “to the point
where the next time I hear it, I think
I’ll scream.”
Apologies for using it here then,
but it has to be said, it does get
used a lot for a reason: the times we
are living are, well, without
precedent… no-one in business
today can remember a time of such
turmoil, confusion and negativity.
From Brexit through to Ukraine via a
global pandemic, in many ways
‘unprecedented’ doesn’t even come
close to summing up the chaotic
landscape that directors have found
themselves operating in since 2016.
As one wise business leader told me
recently, most people will expect to
live through one major crisis, some
unlucky ones two. We’ve had three if
you count Brexit as a crisis, and if
you go back to 2008 and the
banking crash, that’s four in 14 years.
No wonder many business leaders
feel punch-drunk.
But in the middle of that chaos
stands the IoD, and the one thing
that Catherine knows is that during
challenging times, the institute
offers a calming reassurance and
sound expertise.
“I thought, after 2020 and 2021,
the news couldn’t get any crazier
this year but it has, with the war in
Ukraine and its impact on energy
costs and global supply chains,” says
Catherine. “But what IoD members
must always remember is that no
matter how bad things get, among
our members there are people who
have lived through a crisis such as
“Directors have been
walking a tightrope since
2020; they’ve been under
huge pressure, stretched
tight by the challenges.
Who is looking out for
their mental wellbeing?”
this one before, people who they
can turn to for guidance and to help
them plot a course through the
storm.”
She adds: “Money can’t buy the
levels of support you can get from
our branch committees or
ambassadors. If they can’t help you,
they will have someone in their
network who can.”
It’s particularly true that younger
directors are facing the current
times with deep trepidation. “There’s
great experience within the IoD
membership – it’s one of the things
that first struck me when I began
working here. You attend an IoD
event and there is so much
knowledge in the room, it’s crazy. If
you are sat there now wondering
how to get your business through
the current recession, there’s
someone in our membership you
can turn to for advice and guidance.”
Catherine has been with IoD
Scotland since October 2021, initially
as a senior branch manager before
stepping up to the role of Nations
Director Scotland in September to
replace Louise MacDonald. Since
then she’s been the figurehead
during a time of unprecedented – it’s
that word again – political and
economic turmoil. As the first port
of call when members reach out for
advice, she’s very aware of the
problems the current situation is
causing.
“The challenges are so varied and
coming at us thick and fast. We’ve
got members who tell us they’ve
never been busier, that their order
books are full, but they are
concerned they won’t be able to
deliver goods because of the
inflationary pressures they are under.
Prices for energy and raw materials,
plus wages, are soaring, so will they
be able to honour contracts at the
previously agreed price? Everything
is going up; just opening the front
door to customers feels like a risky
decision to some businesses.”
She’s concerned that business
confidence has been shattered by
the past three years. “From the
people I speak to, confidence is way
16 WINTER 2022