IOD SCOTLAND WINTER 2022

how wrong my perceptions were; its
membership is far more diverse than
the ‘old guys’ I envisaged, but I know
that perception is still out there.
“One of my goals is to open
people’s eyes as to exactly what the
IoD offers, who joins and why all
business leaders should be a part of
it. In recent years we’ve made great
strides in broadening our demographics:
we’re attracting far more women,
more younger members and more
people from ethnically diverse
communities and from different
socio-economic backgrounds. But
we need to press on with this. I want
to lead an IoD that perfectly reflects
Scotland in every way.”
But what Catherine won’t do is
leave behind its more established
members in a race to change. “My
vision is that we need to drive
change, yes, but remain loyal to
those members whose knowledge
and experience have been so useful
for many years.
“The job is moulding together the
experience of those who have done
it all before with our up-and-coming
directors.
“I want to make the IoD the
WINTER 2022
organisation of choice, not only for
current directors but for business
leaders and future business leaders.”
If broadening that demographic is
one goal, getting the IoD message
out to a wider audience is another.
“We don’t shout about ourselves
enough. The IoD has been
instrumental in key policy initiatives
over the years, whether it’s helping
governments formulate tax policies,
export initiatives or the support for
businesses during Covid. Yet people
still think we’re that old-fashioned
men’s club. That perception needs
to change.”
Catherine is also aware that at
times, IoD policy can be a little
narrow and focused on themes that
aren’t always in keeping with
Scotland’s priorities. “The IoD has
looked at the way it works and
reformed its processes, with a goal
of moving the institute closer to its
members. This has to be true for
policy, too.”
She cites the food sector as an
example: “This is far more important
to Scotland per se than it is to the
UK as a whole, so IoD Scotland’s
policy initiatives should reflect what
this vital sector needs. Policy must
be broader and tackle the issues
that matter to local IoD members.
“I think in the past we’ve been too
focused on big ticket items such as
tax and finance, or what is being
talked about in the corridors of
power.”
Success in her new role would be
driving through these changes. “We
need to make IoD membership
something more than a ‘nice to have’
into a ‘must’, something people will
automatically seek out when they
become a business leader.”
Improving engagement is another
goal. “Like most membership
organisations, we’ve got three kinds
of members. First you’ve got those
who are genuinely involved – on the
committees, contributing to Policy
Voice, attending events, using
services. Second, you’ve got those
who are more passive; they might
attend an event or get involved on a
local level, but that’s it. The third
group is, they’re just members. They
join because they think it’s a nice
thing to do, but don’t get involved. If
you asked them what the benefits of
membership are, they’d be vague
and not use them often. The goal is
to love the 1s, convert ‘2s’ into 1s and
turn the 3s into 2s.”
One of the best ways of creating
converts is by highlighting the
Chartered Director qualification.
Catherine is fully behind this. “Our
Chartered Director programme is
simply one of the best qualifications
out there, of any kind. It delivers
real-life benefits that I know
recipients refer back to again and
again in their business career.
“I was speaking to the team
behind our fast-track course
recently, and was struck by the
global nature of the cohort for the
week; there were people there from
China, USA, Europe, Scotland,
England. It creates a peer group that
you can rely on in the future.
“It’s rare to say this about anything
nowadays but I’ve never heard
“I’m here to help make
those connections
between members that
really make a difference”
anyone who’s taken the course have
a single negative thing to say about
it.”
What else is on Catherine’s ‘to do’
list in 2023. “I’m meeting as many
members as I can, and I’ll be taking
this up a notch next year. I’m here to
help make those connections
between members that matter,
signposting where help is available,
or advice can be obtained. That’s
where the IoD thrives. ”
Catherine cites a recent event as a
classic example. “We held a roundtable
event on Talent and Skills,
bringing in people from different
sectors, from education and the
world of work, to look at the
problems Scotland has on the talent
pipeline – why aren’t we getting the
right kind of students through that
businesses need, where are the
work-ready youngsters? Does our
curriculum reflect modern needs?
“It was a great event and some
brilliant conversations were started.
The education sector and businesses
cannot exist in isolation; their work
has to be interlinked.
“At this event the IoD was the cog
that linked the two sides of the
equation, designing a holistic
approach to what I feel is Scotland’s
biggest challenge in the years to
come.”
Continued on page 20
19