IOD SCOTLAND WINTER 2022

In conversation with... Catherine McWilliam
“We held a round-table
event on Talent and Skills,
bringing in people from
different sectors to look at
the problems Scotland has
on the talent pipeline... it
was a great event and
some brilliant
conversations were
started... the IoD was the
cog that linked the two
sides of the equation”
Continued from page 19
Once the discussions are
completed, “we’ll take our insights
to the Scottish Govermemt as a fully
formed policy.”
Looking forward, what are the big
topics that IoD Scotland faces? Will
it make a decision on where it
stands on the independence
question, for instance? “We won’t
take a position, ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the
question, if it’s asked,” Catherine
says. “What we insist on instead is
that the government makes sure our
members receive all the information
they need – proper information, full
details, costings, pitfalls,
opportunities. Not guess work and
wishful thinking but concrete facts.
That way people can make an
informed choice if the situation
arises.”
Another challenge is going to be
how Scotland deals with what could
be acute labour shortages in the
future. “We know that Scotland has
an ageing population and we’re
already seeing this hit some sectors
as labour shortages become more
apparent. We need a new Visa
scheme that works for Scotland and
allows the agricultural and tourism
sectors, as two examples, to bring in
the people they need.”
But what’s also important is that
Scotland makes better use of the
talent on the ground. “We cannot
waste anyone. We need to find a
role for everyone in our society. Too
many people have not found their
niche in the Scottish workplace and
that’s an issue that we have to solve.
But it will be best solved
collaboratively, with all stakeholders
having an input – and with the IoD at
the heart of the solution.”
This loss of talent is something
that rankles, as does Scotland’s poor
record at scaling up its successful
start-ups. “Scotland is a nation of
entrepreneurs, it always has been,
but why don’t we scale up? Why
haven’t we had more Skyscanners?
Is it lack of finance, is it lack of
confidence or support – or does it
play back to that lack of a talent
pipeline?
“Are big plans being shelved for
fear of not getting the people in you
need to grow?
“Whatever the reason, it’s a
stumbling block we have to get
past.”
Here again, IoD Scotland can help.
“I know from my conversations with
start-ups that often you have this
young, dynamic team, bursting with
ideas and confidence but perhaps
without the experience to make
them work. The IoD membership is
full of experienced people who can
bring real knowledge to a
boardroom in an NXD capacity. If
you have a plan and want to bring in
guidance from outside, the IoD
membership is the place to start
looking.”
She has another word of advice
for start-ups: “Follow your gut. The
best piece of advice I ever received
was ‘don’t ask permission, seek
forgiveness.’ It’s a posh way of
saying ‘follow your gut’; it’ll be right
most of the time.”
It all sounds like 2023 is going to
be a very busy year for Catherine
and the IoD. “That’s just how I like it.
I love being surrounded by engaging
and exciting people, all discussing
“We need a new visa
scheme that works for
Scotland and allows the
agricultural and tourism
sectors, as two examples,
to bring in the people
they need”
new ideas, thinking up ways of doing
things, challenging each other,
helping each other. That’s why I love
IoD events – that’s what you get in
the room.”
One event in particular is ringed
on the calendar. “I can’t wait for our
Director of the Year Awards in June.
We’re going to get a big room for
members to sit down and reflect on
what they’ve achieved – despite the
challenges they faced. It will be a
chance to say, collectively, ‘we got
through this, we survived the storm.’”
See pg 14 for details
20 WINTER 2022