IoD Scotland Summer 2024

The official membership 

magazine for the Institute 

of Directors in Scotland 

iod.com/scotland 

Direction 

SUMMER 2024 

Covid-19 Inquiry 

wants your views on 

Scotland’s response 

to the pandemic 

New IoD Mentor 

service launched 

The wellbeing issue 

Helping young 

people bloom 

is a winning 

strategy for all

www.iod.com/scotland 

IoD NEWS | DIRECTION 

You’re never too young 

to be a director 

When we think of the term ‘Director’ 

many will be forgiven for automatically 

picturing the stereotype – a welldressed, 

powerful and ‘distinguished’ 

(older) looking individual. 

For some reason, we will seldom 

picture a young person in this guise, 

yet we are surrounded by examples 

of dynamic, ambitious and brilliant 

young leaders. 

Take for example the IoD Scotland 

2023 Young Director of the Year, 

Neale Bisset. Neale is the co-owner 

and chairman of Aberdeen-based 

PMC Property Management & 

Lettings and also has multiple 

non-exec director roles. 

He is a prime example of a driven 

leader, striving to deliver for his own 

business and staff team, his personal 

development, the local community, 

the property sector and the Scottish 

economy as a whole. 

Or perhaps we can look towards 

our elected representatives. IoD 

Glasgow ambassador Fiona McKee’s 

29-year-old son Gordon has recently 

been elected as the MP for Glasgow 

South. He has been actively 

engaged in politics for a decade. 

No matter how experienced you are, you 

should never stop learning, which is why 

a new IoD mentoring service is welcome, 

says IoD Scotland Chair Julie Ashworth 

Looking towards the Scottish 

Parliament, we have Ross Greer who 

was the youngest MSP ever back in 

2016, and more recently Emma 

Roddick, who at 25 has been a 

serving MSP since 2021 and prior to 

that, a councillor in Inverness. 

As chair of Aberdeen University, I 

see young leadership first hand with 

elected student union officers who 

effectively contribute across 

multiple boards. 

I could go on. 

What makes these young leaders 

even more impressive to my mind, is 

that (as a slightly longer in the tooth 

leader), I’m all too aware of just how 

lonely a place leadership can be at 

times. As the decision maker, you 

are often expected to know the 

answers to all of the questions. More 

often than not, you don’t. It’s a 

balancing act between risk, gut and 

caution and that’s based on having 

life and industry or sector specific 

expertise, combined with a lifetime 

of developing the critical meta or 

‘soft’ skills that are necessary in 

every role. 

We have just as much to learn 

from young directors and leaders as 

we do from training courses. 

At the IoD, we champion lifelong 

learning and development through 

our professional development 

offering. We have courses available 

for leaders at all junctures on their 

journey, and one of the continued 

pieces of positive feedback that we 

received from course delegates, is 

how valuable the cross-sector, 

cross-industry group-based 

approach is to learning. Leadership 

can be lonely, and we cannot 

underestimate the power of feeling 

like you are not alone. 

IoD Mentor Connect 

At the IoD we have launched an 

exciting new member benefit, IoD 

Mentor Connect. It is designed to be 

another source of support and 

community for our leaders, a safe 

space in which directors can explore 

personal and professional 

development, discuss issues and 

fears and most importantly, to link in 

with a like-minded community. 

I welcome this new member 

benefit with open arms as our 

community has so much to give by 

way of expertise, insight and lived 

experience – and that’s across the 

network, regardless of age or stage. 

Find out more 

For more on IoD Mentor Connect, see 

iod.com/mentor-connect-platform 

IoD Scotland 

12 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 1JE 

T: 0131 557 5488 

E: iod.scotland@iod.com 

W: www.iod.com 

Nations Director - Scotland: 

Catherine McWilliam 

Catherine.McWilliam@iod.com 

Relationship Manager - Scotland: 

Patricia Huth 

T: 0131 557 5488 

Patricia.Huth@iod.com 

Commercial Manager, PD: 

Natasha Ure 

E: natasha.ure@iod.com 

T: 0131 460 7681 

Direction 

Direction is the official membership magazine of IoD Scotland and is published by: 

Chamber Media Services, 4 Hilton Road, Bramhall, Stockport, Cheshire SK7 3AG 

Advertising sales: Colin Regan 

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

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Editorial: Heather Schreuder 

Please send press releases or editorial for consideration for future issues of 

Direction to Heather at E: HeatherS@clarkcommunications.co.uk 

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

neither IoD Scotland, Chamber Media Services nor Clark can accept any responsibility for 

omissions or inaccuracies in its editorial or advertising content. The views expressed in this 

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

publication does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services advertised. 

SUMMER 2024 03

DIRECTION | WELCOME 


The business voice needs to be 

heard at the start of all discussions 

Growing awareness of the importance of 

personal wellbeing makes it a number one 

priority for business leaders, says Catherine 

McWilliam, Nations Director IoD Scotland 

Welcome to the Summer issue of 

Direction Magazine, where we are 

looking at wellbeing, and how 

during significant times of change, 

this can take a toll on businesses 

and employees. 

We are seeing increasing concern 

from members about employees 

being off work due to stress, burn 

out or simply being unable to cope. 

Whether it’s the cost-of-living 

crisis, childcare over the summer 

holidays, or caring responsibilities, 

staff have a lot of challenges to 

navigate in their personal lives. 

In addition, we have been facing 

an incredible level of uncertainty 

over the last few months with new 

leaders emerging, including the 

introduction of a new Labour 

government. 

It continues to be a particularly 

turbulent time for businesses and 

this shift requires government to 

show compassion and 

understanding to help build 

confidence. 

To truly understand the current 

challenges facing leaders, it’s not 

enough to promise ideas will be 

brought to the next meeting of 

decision makers; business leaders 

need a seat at the table. Government 

must allow us to be involved in 

policy decision-making from the 

very beginning rather than at 

implementation stage, allowing us 

the opportunity to share our 

concerns and contribute policies 

that result in immediate term action. 

In a promising display of 

government engagement, we were 

invited to attend a roundtable with 

the new Scottish Secretary of State, 

Ian Murray, in July. We looked at 

what action could be taken to help 

businesses in the immediate future, 

and the key takeaway was the need 

for compassion for cross sector 

leaders. If we can ensure our 

businesses feel supported, we can 

redirect our focus towards AI, Net 

Zero, Fair Work, inclusivity and 

diversity that are the keys to 

business growth. 

As we continue to champion our 

members, I have joined the Scottish 

Government’s Mental Health and 

Wellbeing Leadership Board, 

overseeing deliveries of the mental 

health wellbeing strategy. As 

someone who is mindful of 

‘imposter syndrome’ and not only 

my own wellbeing but that of 

members too, I’m looking forward 

to being part of the high-level 

group as we look to implement 

change and support for businesses 

in an empathetic way. 

Importance of inclusion 

It’s important that change is 

made with inclusion in mind. I was 

recently featured on the UK-wide 

list of 35 Women Under 35, which 

recognises successful women in 

leadership positions making 

significant impact across the 

business sector. I was incredibly 

humbled by the outreach and 

support from so many of you and 

hope that in the future we can 

celebrate leadership without the 

need for a female-only award. It’s 

important to celebrate the range of 

diversity within our organisations 

as we work towards improved 

gender balance and equality. 

While being recognised on this 

list is an incredible honour, more 

needs to be done to achieve true 

equity in the workplace. We are 

lacking clear channels of 

communication with Government, a 

key step in creating a solid 

foundation for growing inclusive 

organisations. 

It’s great to see improved 

relationships, but we need ministers 

to collaborate further and provide 

meaningful opportunities to 

engage with leaders. 

A key priority on the path to 

growth, as shown from the results 

of the IoD’s State of the Nation 

survey, is attracting and retaining 

talent. Not only are we seeing 

changes at ministerial level, but we 

know the incoming Gen Z 

workforce are seeking a change in 

workplace culture. 

Young people are less focused on 

salary and more interested in how 

the core values and purpose of the 

business are reflected in the 

offering to new staff members, 

including remote working and 

work/life balance. 

As we reach the halfway point in 

the year, it’s important we keep a 

people-centred approach to 

working and take time to check in 

with not only our employees, but 

ourselves too. If we can foster 

understanding and support within 

our culture and get to know the 

people behind the screen, we can 

increase retention rates, attract 

more talent and make our work 

environments healthier places to be. 

Get in touch 

I hope you all enjoy this issue of 

Direction magazine. 

Our next issue will focus on the 

rural economy, so if you’d like to 

contribute anything to this topic, 

please reach out to me at: 

Catherine.McWilliam@iod.com 

04 SUMMER 2024

DIRECTION | BRANCH NEWS 


EDINBURGH 

Morrison launches Scotland’s first 

business sale readiness consultancy 

A new consultancy which 

helps company owners get 

their businesses ready for 

sale has launched in 

Edinburgh. 

The first of its kind in 

Scotland, Business Sale 

Basecamp is the concept 

of multi award-winning 

business leader Andrew 

Morrison (pictured right), and 

has been inspired by his own 

professional journey. 

Morrison, who lives in North 

Berwick, sold his bidding and tender 

company AM Bid to Leeds-based 

Bidding Limited last summer. 

His successful exit for a significant 

but undisclosed sum, came after 

nine years of consistent growth 

which saw AM Bid’s turnover exceed 

£1 million in becoming Scotland’s 

largest bid and tender specialist. 

The new venture sees the former 

IoD Scotland Director of the Year 

support owners through the 

challenge of getting businesses sale 

ready with an independent external 

perspective and access to his 

20,000-plus business contacts. 

From business sale readiness 

mentoring and auditing to 

document due diligence, Morrison’s 

expertise will optimise the benefits 

of selling a business. 

“I launched AM Bid, scaled it, got 

it ready for sale and had a successful 

exit and I would like to help others 

do similar,” he said. “Without 

advertising the business for 

sale, I had four approaches 

from companies wanting 

to buy the business, and 

three offers. Navigating 

my way through that 

gave me added 

experience that I can 

bring to the table to help 

business owners determine 

the right value of their company. 

Also, my near 20 years of 

procurement and proposal 

management experience covered 

many due diligence processes and 

expertise in presenting a company in 

its best possible light. 

“I have a very clear understanding 

of what is needed to achieve a 

successful business sale along with a 

smooth transition and exit from a 

business.” 

The process can be a very lonely 

place for owners who don’t 

necessarily want to tell their staff, 

their customers or their competition 

that they are thinking of selling. 

Morrison’s new consultancy will 

provide support for owners when 

required. 

He said: “It was during the 

preparation of the sale process that I 

realised a lot of business owners will 

need help with this. Most owners 

think about selling at some point but 

don’t know how to get ready to do 

that, either practically or emotionally. 

“For example, I was asked for 

around 600 documents during the 

due diligence process immediately 

prior to the sale. Many business 

owners will be unprepared for this 

level of scrutiny. 

“Owners contemplating a sale will 

also have many questions and 

concerns, especially if they have 

never sold a business before. They 

will often ask questions such as: 

when is the optimum time to sell, 

how to arrive at a business valuation, 

how to sell without disrupting 

important employee and client 

relationships or alerting competitors 

to the plans, and what are 

prospective buyers looking to see in 

the business? 

“I’ll be helping with all those 

answers and more. There is nothing 

quite like this out there. There are 

firms who will sell a business, or 

advertise one but they won’t 

necessarily help the owner prepare 

for the sale and won’t help them 

cope mentally and emotionally. 

“In terms of somebody who has 

sold their business who’s then gone 

on to prepare a business owner 

practically, mentally and emotionally, 

I’m bringing something new to the 

market.” 

He added: “It is unchartered 

territory for many business owners 

due to not having walked this road 

before. “That’s where the ‘basecamp’ 

concept came from – getting 

assistance to finish the journey from 

someone who has been there before 

and successfully completed it.” 

“Many business owners will be unprepared for the level of 

scrutiny that comes with selling a business. I’ll be helping 

with all those answers and more. It is unchartered territory 

for many business owners due to not having walked this road 

before... that’s where the ‘basecamp’ concept came from...” 



BRANCH NEWS | DIRECTION 

IoD wellness 

session in 

Edinburgh 

Iain Bell, founder of 

Executive Fitness 

Foundation, will run a threehour 

session focussing firstly 

on relaxation and 

mindfulness then leading 

edge nutrition and best 

exercise routines for wellness. 

Participants will practice 

the techniques during the 

session and leave with a 

personalised health and 

wellbeing programme. 

Edinburgh Summer socials 

Date: Wednesday, 9 October 

starting at 10am 

Venue: TBC 

The Edinburgh and Lothians branch 

is hosting two summer socials this 

year at two of Edinburgh’s most 

famous events – Fringe and the 

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. 

On 31 July, we met for drinks and 

went to see BAFTA nominee and 

British Comedy Award winner Nina 

Conti. A wonderful evening. 

Next up is a visit to the Royal 

Edinburgh Military Tattoo in the 

stunning setting of Edinburgh 

Castle’s Esplanade. 

The sold-out event will take place 

on 20 August to see the worldfamous 

spectacle. 

The group will come together for 

an evening meal, dining near the 

Castle, before attending the 

9:30pm show. 

Taking in the best of the British 

Military alongside international 

performances from a global cast, 

enjoying the world class 

performances on offer. 

Look out for this event 

coming soon on the IoD 

website! 

Leadership Masterclasses with Ros Taylor... 

so popular we are running them again in 2025 

We ran a series of four 

masterclasses to provide 

practical learning in the 

behaviours and skills 

needed to be effective as a 

leader. 

The series was delivered in 

partnership with Rathbones 

Investment Management 

International and held in their 

fantastic headquarters in central 

Edinburgh. 

The four masterclasses were: 

n What kind of leader are you? 

n Strategic Leadership 

n The skills to influence others and 

handle difficult people 

n The creative advantage. 

The series was so popular we 

even had a student travel all 

the way over from Belfast 

to attend one of them. 

What the delegates said... 

Here is some of the 

feedback we received for this 

year’s series: 

“Transformational Ros Taylor. Thank 

you” 

Brian Williamson, Director, Equity Gap 

“Tremendous presenter Ros Taylor 

and fabulous host Stephen Hunter 

from Rathbones. Leadership courses 

are always so powerful as they allow 

you to understand yourself better 

and so understand how you should 

communicate and collaborate with 

others when in a leadership 

position.” 

Cath Leech, Managing Director, 

Anturas Consulting Ltd 

“Through a combination of shared 

facts, anecdotes and valuable group 

discussion, there were many 

worthwhile takeaways from the 

course. It was certainly well worth 

setting aside the time.” 

Stephen Hunter, Deputy Regional 

Director, Rathbones Investment 

Management International. 

Look out for 2025 sessions on the 

website soon! 




Share your COVID experiences 

with Let’s Be Heard 

The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry is 

inviting businesses to share their 

experiences of the pandemic and 

any lessons they believe should 

be learned so that Scotland is 

better prepared in future. 

Business owners, directors, managers, 

entrepreneurs, the self-employed, 

freelancers, and others in the 

business community are being asked 

to complete a survey to help inform 

the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry’s 

investigations and recommendations. 

The survey is being run by the Inquiry’s 

listening project, Let’s Be Heard. 

Who is the survey for? 

Businesses of all sizes, operating in 

all sectors and locations across 

Scotland, are being invited to take 

part in the survey to help the 

independent Inquiry better 

understand the unequal impacts of 

the pandemic. To that end, the 

Inquiry is also inviting third sector 

organisations such as charities, social 

enterprises and community groups to 

share their views. 

The business survey’s questions 

explore topics such as access to 

financial support; information 

provided to businesses relating to the 

pandemic; and key worker status. 

Let’s Be Heard is also keen to hear 

about changing ways of working; any 

impact on turnover or profitability; 

issues related to staff recruitment, 

retention and training; how business 

owners were personally impacted 

and what, if anything, should have 

been done differently. 

Dr Alexandra Anderson, Head of 

Let’s Be Heard, said: “Everyone in 

Scotland has been affected by the 

pandemic. Thousands of people have 

lost their lives, and many others 

continue to be profoundly affected. 

Lessons people believe should be 

drawn from their experiences, both 

positive and negative, will be at the 

heart of the Inquiry’s investigations. 

“We are incredibly grateful to 

everyone who has contributed their 

experiences of the pandemic to the 

project so far. Our team is continuing 

its public engagement work and 

analysing the experiences shared.” 

How do I complete the survey? 

To take part in the survey, click here 

or scan the QR code on the facing 

page. Find out more about Let’s Be 

Heard via lbh.covid19inquiry.scot/ 

surveyforbusinessowners. 

The survey closes on 30 September 

2024. 

Paper versions of the survey can 

also be requested by phone or email, 

as well as alternative formats or 

languages to meet the needs of 

different businesses and members of 

the business community. 

Experiences can be shared in 

writing in any language, or by 

uploading an audio file or video file 

(of British Sign Language) to the 

Let’s Be Heard website. 

How to share your experiences with Let’s Be Heard 

Let’s Be Heard’s business survey is open until 30 SEPTEMBER 2024. 

To take part, find out more information or contact the team, please 

n VISIT the Let’s Be Heard website at lbh.covid19inquiry.scot 

n EMAIL LetsBeHeard@covid19inquiry.scot 

n WRITE to Freepost SCOTTISH COVID-19 INQUIRY 

n LEAVE a voicemail message at 0808 175 5555. 

Dr Alexandra 

Anderson, Head of 

Let’s Be Heard, and 

Lord Brailsford, Chair 

of the Scottish 

COVID-19 Inquiry 

What is Let’s Be Heard? 

The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry is 

investigating the devolved strategic 

response to the COVID-19 pandemic 

in Scotland between 1 January 2020 

and 31 December 2022. Let’s Be 

Heard is the main way in which 

people can contribute to the Inquiry 

and it aims to give a voice to as many 

people as possible. Experiences 

shared with Let’s Be Heard, including 

through its business survey, are helping 

inform the Inquiry’s investigations, its 

reports and, ultimately, its 

recommendations to Scottish Ministers. 

Let’s Be Heard’s National 

Engagement Period ran from May to 

December 2023 and captured more 

than 5,400 experiences from people 

across Scotland. The project published 

its first report in November 2023, 

which shared its preliminary findings. It 

can be read on the Scottish COVID-19 

Inquiry’s website at covid19inquiry. 

scot/lets-be-heard-first-report. 

Accessible experience sharing 

In addition to the business survey, 

the Let’s Be Heard team has created 

materials in different formats to make 

participation as simple as possible. 

These include Easy Read, large print, 

translations into some of the most 

commonly spoken languages in 

Scotland, a Braille version and a form 

designed specifically for children and 

young people and groups. 

An engagement guide to help 

facilitate group discussions is available 

online, or paper copies can be 

requested by emailing Let’s Be Heard. 

Where possible, the Let’s Be Heard 

team would be keen to attend group 

discussions to listen and take notes. 




ABERDEEN & GRAMPIAN 

Mark Wilson takes the helm as interim 

chair of Aberdeen & Grampian branch 

The Aberdeen & Grampian branch 

had a temporary change in 

leadership on 1 August as Mark 

Wilson, current Vice Chair and HSE 

& Operations Director at OEUK, 

stepped into the role of Interim 

Chair while Sarah Downs takes 

maternity leave. 

“After three rewarding years 

serving as Chair, I’m passing the 

baton to our remarkable Vice Chair, 

Mark Wilson,” said Sarah. 

“Mark is well-equipped to lead the 

branch thanks to his extensive 

experience. I’ve no doubt that 

he will do a great job at 

carrying forward and 

continuing to expand the 

progress we’ve made 

together at branch, 

regional and national level 

over these past years. 

“Our members can rest 

assured that they are in 

capable hands.” 

About her own time as 

chair, Sarah said: “It’s been 

a privilege to work 

alongside our fantastic 

branch committee and 

colleagues across the country and 

I’m grateful for the support and 

wisdom shared by them, and our 

members. 

“As I step away from my role, I’m 

filled with mixed emotions. While I 

look forward to the personal 

journey ahead, I’m also eager 

to witness the continued 

success of our branch 

membership as this 

continues to grow and evolve 

under Mark’s leadership.” 

Mark’s leadership journey 

spans a 25-year tenure in the 

British Army to pivotal roles 

in the energy sector. His 

current position is health, 

safety, environment, and 

operations director at 

Offshore Energies UK and he 

has held the vice chair role at 

the Aberdeen branch for the past 

three years. 

Mark commented: “I’m honoured 

to be able to lead and support the 

IoD Aberdeen and Grampian branch 

in this interim role and look forward 

to continuing the great work by 

Sarah. 

“This is an exciting time for the 

branch and the committee will 

continue to develop further 

opportunities to engage with 

current and new members as well as 

ensure policy support.” 

Branch event puts the focus on wellbeing 

Event name: 

The Importance of Workplace 

Mental Health for Directors 

Date: Wednesday, 28 August 

Time: 11:30am - 2pm 

Venue: Maryculter House, Aberdeen 

Research from Deloitte (2024) has 

revealed the cost to employers of 

poor mental health is £51 billion per 

year, with presenteeism (working 

despite illness) costing around £24 

billion annually. 

The research also found a 51% 

increase in burnout, with 63% of 

respondents exhibiting symptoms. 

IoD Aberdeen and Grampian 

branch is hosting its next event, ‘The 

Importance of Workplace Mental 

Health for Directors’ in collaboration 

with Integrity HSE, global provider 

of effective, innovative, and 

sustainable health, safety and 

environmental solutions. 

Shabnum Hanif, Director of Clinical 

Psychology, will explain very clearly 

the legal responsibilities a UK 

director must follow, as well as the 

ways in which a director can 

optimise the return on investment 

from proactively managing mental 

health. 

Delegates will leave with a far 

better understanding of their legal 

duties, as well as the measures that 

they can put in place to yield up to a 

£4.70 return for every £1 spent on 

addressing mental health. 

The purpose of Integrity HSE is to 

make the working world a safer, 

healthier and more sustainable place 

for all. In terms of mental health, the 

firm helps clients create healthy and 

productive working environments 

through the application of proven 

techniques. 

Depending on the client’s need, 

this can involve bespoke training 

programmes on specific subjects, 

tailored for a company’s workforce. 

The event, which will involve a mix 

of media, presentations and 

workgroups facilitated by Steven 

Harris, Managing Director of 

Integrity HSE, and Shabnum Hanif, 

Integrity HSE’s Director of Clinical 

Psychology, will run from 11:30am 

- 2pm on Wednesday 28 August at 

Maryculter House in Aberdeen. 

It is open to members and nonmembers. 

Please visit the IoD website for 

more information and booking. 

For more information about 

Integrity HSE visit 

www.integrityhse.com 




Ewan’s master of the seas - and 

the IoD director qualification 

IoD Aberdeen and Grampian 

member and high-profile Harbour 

Master & Director of Port Operations 

Ewan Rattray has celebrated his 

successful navigation of the 

Certificate in Company Direction. 

Ewan, who became the de facto 

Captain of Peterhead Port Authority 

in 2023, embarked on his voyage of 

discovery with IoD’s Chartered 

Director Programme around the 

same time. 

The IoD Certificate in 

Company Direction 

comprises four modules 

and is the first step in 

achieving a Chartered 

Director Qualification – 

considered the gold standard in 

professional development training. 

For Ewan it was all-hands-on deck 

as he decided to take on board the 

accelerated version of the course. 

But he flew the red ensign of 

approval over this approach which 

was both flexible and fast. 

He said: “I opted for the accelerated 

course, which condensed the four 

modules into six days. I would 

recommend it if you are time 

crunched and you are going in with 

a reasonable base-knowledge. 

“I decided to spread the exams 

over four months, sitting one 

module exam per month. I found 

this worked well concentrating on 

one subject as there is a lot to 

take in.” 

Just before Ewan dived 

into the deep of IoD 

training, he had been 

presented with a Merchant 

Navy Medal by the Princess 

Royal. This is the highest 

distinction for those working the 

Merchant Navy and was presented 

for his work on improving safety 

standards for maritime pilots. 

He said he found the IoD course 

“incredibly useful” and he plans to 

continue on the path of the gold 

standard for company director 

qualification. He said: “I have already 

implemented my new-found 

knowledge in governance, finance, 

strategy and leadership. 

“For example, we are currently in 

the process of creating a port 

masterplan and the strategy tools 

have been particularly useful. 

“I am looking at booking onto the 

Diploma towards the end of the 

year. It will be great to move onto 

the next level and put the 

underpinning knowledge to the 

test.” 

Sarah Downs, Chair of IoD and 

Grampian Chamber of Commerce 

said: “To Ewan who passed the IoD 

Certificate in Company Direction 

with a Distinction, we salute you. 

“His impressive achievement 

shows what can happen when you 

receive the best in training for UK 

company directors.” 

More on IoD qualifications: see 

page 36 

Innovative neospace offers a true ‘work, 

rest and play’ option for businesses 

Located in the heart of Aberdeen, 

neospace offers a unique blend of 

productivity and wellness, ideal for 

IoD members. Neospace isn’t just a 

workspace; it’s a hub where 

professionals can thrive, embodying 

a “work, rest, play” ethos that 

ensures a balanced lifestyle. 

One of the standout features of 

neospace is the focus on wellness. 

The inclusion of a state-of-the-art 

gym with a sauna and steam suite, 

gym classes, and a Trackman Golf 

Simulator reflects a commitment to 

fostering a healthy work-life 

balance. These facilities provide 

members with convenient access to 

physical activity and relaxation, 

essential for reducing stress and 

boosting productivity. 

IoD members can enjoy two 

complimentary day passes each 

month, granting access to 

neospace’s premium lounge and 

hot desk facilities. These spaces are 

designed for focused work and 

relaxed networking, ensuring 

members can make the most of 

their time. 

Neospace provides all the 

essentials: unlimited tea and coffee, 

free high-speed Wi-Fi, and 

comfortable, modern furnishings 

that foster both concentration and 

creativity. In addition, IoD members 

benefit from a 20% discount on 

meeting room hire, ideal for 

presentations, brainstorming 

sessions, or confidential 

discussions. 

Neospace is a vibrant community 

where wellness and productivity 

flourish. By offering a thoughtful 

blend of work and wellness 

amenities, neospace empowers IoD 

members to achieve their 

professional goals while maintaining 

a balanced, healthy lifestyle. 

For more information, visit 

www.neo-space.com 


DIRECTION | IoD NEWS 


CENTRAL 

IoD Central Scotland branch is delighted to be 

welcoming Andy Higginson as guest speaker. 

We will hear about his journey from ‘Bury to 

board’, after becoming chair of FTSE retailer 

JD Sports and the British Retail Consortium. 

Andy will discuss his journey from high school 

in Bury to becoming a prominent non-exec in 

FMCG and retail, through a career spanning the 

likes of Warburtons, Morrisons Supermarkets, 

Premiership Rugby, and First Group. He’ll also 

talk about his career and path to becoming 

one of the leading non-executives in British 

business. 

This exclusive dinner with Andy will be held 

at Inglewood House & Spa, Alloa, on 

Wednesday 2 October. Numbers are limited, 

so book via the IoD website now for £40 per 

person. 

Andy will also be featuring on the IoD’s 

Leaders in Business Podcast which will be 

available on 6 August. 

From 

Bury to 

a FTSE 

Board 

Brian to chair Dublin 

AI agency 

Brian Williamson, Vice Chair of the 

IoD Central Scotland branch, is the 

new Chair of the Advisory Board at 

Dublin-based Kreoh Limited. 

Kreoh is a trusted AI agency and 

development lab that 

blends new software 

engineering patterns 

with the latest 

Generative AI 

breakthroughs to 

craft bespoke ‘AI 

Engines’ for the financial services 

industry and more. 

Kreoh founder, Garry Tiscovschi 

commented, “We are thrilled to 

welcome Brian to lead our Advisory 

Board. His vast experience in 

entrepreneurship, angel investment 

syndicates and high impact growth 

coupled with his expertise from 

various senior roles, brings a unique 

blend of skills to the company. 

“His appointment brings not only a 

leader with a proven track record in 

scaling businesses, but also a trusted 

figure in a sector comprising 

advisory companies specialising in 

R&D, commercialisation, tax credits, 

grant funding and related services.” 

Brian said: “I am very excited to join 

Kreoh and work with the leadership 

team to grow the company while 

advancing Generative AI technology.” 

Sun shines on charity golf day 

The sun shone bright on the 

morning of Friday 31 May as IoD 

Scotland took over Falkirk Golf Club 

to host their Charity Golf Day 2024. 

The format was a team Texas 

Scramble competition, to raise 

money for our selected charity 

partner, Committed to Ending Abuse 

(CEA), which works to support 

domestic abuse victims in Falkirk. 

Everyone had great fun, and the 

three leading teams were all within a 

shot of each other, with the winning 

trio of Phil Harris, David Balfour and 

Andrew Pollard, narrowly edging the 

others out with an impressive 

18-under-par 52. 

The day was open to members 

and non-members, so people got to 

connect with fellow directors across 

Scotland too. Falkirk Golf Club 

hosted us well, and we were also 

joined by the Chair and CEO of CEA 

(and our very own Nations Director, 

Catherine McWilliam). 

The event was sponsored by local 

consultancy Ahead Business 

Consulting, who picked up all the 

costs so that 100% of the monies 

raised went to CEA. In all we raised 

over £2,500 for their good cause. 

• For any golf fans out there, our 

annual pairs competition is taking 

place on Friday, 6 September. 

Check out the IoD Scotland events 

page for more details, from 40. 




FIFE & TAYSIDE 

Connect and grow: 

Networking Event at Rusacks, St Andrews 

Venue: Rusacks in St Andrews 

Date: 5 September 

Time: 5.30pm-9pm 

Cost: Free of charge 

For over a year, IoD Fife & Tayside 

has hosted quarterly members’ 

meet-ups at Rusacks in St Andrews. 

These well-attended events focus on 

building connections among 

members and welcoming anyone 

looking to network with directors in 

the region. 

We’re thrilled to announce that on 

5 September, we will be hosting this 

event with The Federation of Small 

Businesses (FSB). From 5:30pm to 

9pm, join us for an evening that 

promises a refreshing drink, a 

soothing tea, and an appreciation of 

the vibrant atmosphere. 

We aim to create the perfect 

setting for spontaneous exchanges 

and insightful discussions. 

Conversations about business and 

beyond will flow freely, with 

opportunities to engage in deeper 

discussions in smaller, intimate 

groups. 

FSB offers members vital business 

services, including advice, financial 

expertise, support, and a powerful 

voice in government. Its mission is to 

help smaller businesses achieve their 

ambitions, and networking is 

essential for businesses to share 

ideas and build connections. 

“That’s why FSB is delighted to 

team up with IoD Fife and Tayside to 

bring networking to an even wider 

spectrum of businesses in St 

Andrews. Both of our organisations 

have many members in and around 

the town and our aim is to provide 

them with a relaxed but productive 

environment for them to connect 

and grow,” says Garry Clark, FSB’s 

Development Manager – East of 

Scotland. 

Don’t miss this unique opportunity 

to unwind, engage, and network in 

the heart of St Andrews. Whether 

you seek stimulating dialogues or a 

moment of tranquillity in good 

company, Rusacks promises an 

experience that is both memorable 

and meaningful. 

Monthly award is boost for proud Andrew 

IoD Fife & Tayside member Andrew 

Pollard is the proud winner of the 

Finance Monthly Deal of the Year 

Award 2024. 

The award celebrates accomplished 

individuals who have demonstrated 

unique capabilities in navigating 

complex financial landscapes, 

creating value through strategic 

decision-making, and offering 

exceptional advisory services. 

Andrew specialises in guiding 

organisations to shape, and 

then implement, effective 

strategies. He co-founded 

Ahead Business Consulting 

with the conviction that 

quality strategy, 

transformation, and 

transactional support should be 

accessible to all businesses; and to 

always make a practical difference. 

The award-winning deal was a £30 

million trade sale of a UK SaaS 

business to a billion Euro firm 

operating across the same sector. 

Deals between small and large firms 

are fraught with difficulties. 

For Andrew’s client, the sale was a 

logical growth step but one packed 

with emotion and stress. It was the 

culmination of a year of 

transformative activity which 

had boosted sales, refocused 

the leadership on what really 

matters and created a culture 

that resonated well with 

several potential acquirers. 

Through careful positioning, the 

seller was put in the enviable 

position of having multiple outline 

offers to compare. 

Getting from offer to completion is 

seldom straightforward – most deals 

never complete and smaller 

companies struggle to recover the 

wasted time and money. 

Andrew managed the detail of the 

transaction, allowing the leadership 

team to run the business and input 

only where they made a difference 

to the outcome. 

For more information, contact 

Andrew, via 

Andrew.Pollard@abc.business 

www.abc.business 




GLASGOW 

Strictly joyful! 

‘Taking to the floor is Marianne McJannett 

and her dance partner, Craig Murdoch...’ 

Marianne McJannett 

IoD Scotland Glasgow branch, 

Head of Employment 

at Bellwether Green 

The words above aren’t necessarily 

ones that I thought would spark a 

change in my personal wellbeing 

this year, but they really have... 

In January of this year I started 

training to take part in (A Little 

Less) Strictly Come Dancing 2024, 

to fundraise for the Prince and 

Princess of Wales Hospice in 

Glasgow. 

It was a charity very close to my 

heart with my Granny having been a 

patient of the hospice 15 years ago. 

So when the opportunity arose to 

take part in something so out of my 

comfort zone, to learn a new skill 

and raise money for a great cause, I 

was delighted to get involved. 

Each week, I trained with Craig 

Murdoch, a professional dancer, as 

he taught me a quickstep to Hey 

Pachuco from the movie The Mask. 

At every training session (and 

practices in between), I had to focus 

so much on this new skill that I had 

to switch off from work and home 

life, and really concentrate on 

learning the dance, ready to perform 

in front of over 500 people on the 16 

March, including two Strictly 

professional dancers from off the 

BBC show. 

Learning the dance and taking 

part in the event boosted my 

wellbeing in ways I couldn’t 

describe. It reignited a passion for 

dance that was usually only reserved 

for nights out after one too many 

glasses of fizz. It made me focus on 

me, which is something that isn’t the 

easiest to do with a busy job and 

young family, and lastly it gave me a 

joy and a proper hobby that I hadn’t 

had really in my adult life. 

Wellness can take many shapes for 

different people, but for me dancing 

has truly boosted my physical and 

mental wellbeing. I have kept up the 

routine, and continue to dance each 

Wednesday evening, this time with 

Dance4Passion, learning new dances 

each month, laughing each week, 

and meeting new people. 

If you ever get the chance, I 

encourage you to give it a whirl! 

‘Wellness can take many shapes for different 

people, but for me dancing has truly boosted 

my physical and mental wellbeing...’ 




HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS 

IoD ambassadors host high-impact 

marine science forum 

Maroon Invest Global was delighted 

to organise and sponsor the Oban 

BioTech & Blue Economy Forum 

2024 for the second year at Scottish 

Association for Marine Science and 

the European Marine Science Park 

on 10 June. 

The forum was chaired by Lisa 

Lambie, IoD Climate Ambassador 

and Managing Partner of Maroon 

Invest Global, and featured Wendy 

Rayner, IoD Scotland’s Lead 

Sustainability Ambassador on the 

panel. 

This high-impact forum brought 

together a curated group of more 

than 120 climate investors, 

innovators, scientists, and ecosystem 

builders from across the UK, 

USA and Europe. We looked at ways 

to collaborate and engage in 

dynamic discussions to advance 

tangible venture scaling and 

investment solutions. 

The forum was enjoyed by all who 

attended and succeeded in creating 

a dynamic platform for attendees to 

discuss accelerating innovation and 

catalytic capital to scale 

commercialisation in the Blue 

Economy. Not only that, but we 

were treated to a taste of the best 

Scottish Highland local produce! 

The forum kicked off with an 

in-depth tour of the European 

Marine Science Park including the 

Seaweed Academy, Marine Robotics, 

BioTech Research, Cultures 

Collection, Ocean Explorer Centre & 

Beach Café, and our venue host 

SAMS Venture Labs. 

Attendees learned about ‘making 

waves’ across the ‘Blue Economy’, 

biotech and related built environment 

with presentations and insights into 

the latest in marine biotech 

innovation and investments 

advancing human health and 

addressing eco-system building and 

global scaling. 

We hope our attendees got some 

useful takeaways from the forum 

that they can bring to future 

roundtable sessions and keep in 

mind ways we can all accelerate 

innovation and invest in positive 

environmental and climate impact 

on human health in the Blue 

Economy. 

• Thanks to our venue host 

(SAMS), supporting partners, and all 

contributors including Sirputis, 

Oceanium, Scottish Seaweed 

Industry Association, Industrial 

Biotechnology Innovation Centre, 

SamudraOceans, Simply Blue Group, 

Planetary, Patogen, Rappta 

Therapeutics, Carbon13, Lochaber 

Chamber of Commerce, Highlands 

and Islands Enterprise, Women in 

Scottish Aquaculture, Zero Waste 

Scotland, and many others. 

Tell government what you think. 

Policy Voice is a monthly survey of IoD members who 

share their views on current business issues, providing 

statistical evidence and anecdotal detail on the issues 

that matter to business. Members receive monthly 

invitations to participate in each survey. 

Find out more at 

https://www.iod.com/news/policy-and-governance/policy-voice/ 




Highlands & Islands member spotlight: The Glen Mhor and Uile-Bheist distillery/brewery 

Things are brewing nicely, thanks 

Running the UK’s only hotel 

brewing its own whisky and 

beer on site might sound 

‘monstrously hard’, but things 

are going along nicely, says 

Victoria Erasmus, Sustainability 

Director at The Glen Mhor 

Hotel and Uile-Bheist 

Distillery/Brewery 

The Glen Mhor and Uile-Bheist 

distillery/brewery (pronounced 

Ewl-Uh-Vhest), has always prided 

itself on holding a significant place 

in history. 

Not only do we protect the 

landscape in which Scotland’s 

greatest myth, the Loch Ness 

monster, lives but we continue to 

make history as the only UK hotel 

with both a whisky distillery and 

brewery on site! 

Taken from the meaning of 

Uile-Bheist, which means ‘monster’ 

in Scottish Gaelic, it’s a fitting way to 

describe how monstrous a task 

redefining hospitality through 

culture and sustainability can feel, 

especially as a woman in business. 

However, one year on from joining 

IoD Scotland, and I have never felt 

more supported by the organisation. 

It’s clear the IoD team is committed 

to championing members’ needs. 

They really listen to members and 

continuously takes steps towards 

having an inclusive culture, just like 

we do at The Glen Mhor and Uile- 

Bheist distillery. 

As a four-star family-owned hotel 

with 100 bedrooms and 10 separate 

apartments, we pride ourselves on 

our dedication to redefining 

hospitality through a culture of 

sustainability, encompassing green 

energy innovation, mental health 

and wellbeing, and embracing 

diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). 

In 2022, we opened our pioneering 

River Source Energy Centre – the 

first of its kind in Scotland. An £8 

million investment allowed us to 

eliminate all gas usage on our entire 

site. Using wells and an open loop 

system, it supplies all heating and 

water needs for both the hotel and 

our delicious beer and whisky, 

resulting in an annual reduction of 

over 250 tonnes of carbon 

emissions. 

With solar PV panels installed on 

the roof we have significantly 

decreased our reliance on the 

electrical grid, positioning our hotel 

and beer/whisky production among 

the operations with the lowest 

carbon footprints in the country. 

In fostering a culture of 

sustainability, we prioritise mental 

health and wellbeing, ensuring a 

supportive and inclusive 

environment for both our 

exceptional staff and guests. 

By integrating these core values 

into every aspect of our operations 

and mandatory training, and 

continuously challenging the 

conventional boundaries of what is 

possible in the hospitality industry, 

we are not just setting a standard 

for sustainable hospitality but 

leading by example, proving that 

hospitality and environmental 

responsibility can go hand in hand. 



DOWNTIME | DIRECTION 

Tickle your funny 

bone this Fringe 

The world’s greatest arts and culture 

festival is back on Edinburgh’s 

streets. 

The Fringe brings an explosion of 

laughter, energy and creativity to the 

winding streets of Scotland’s capital 

city, with a host of artists and 

performers ready to welcome 

visitors from across the globe. 

From comedy gigs and exhibitions, 

to live music and cabaret, there’s a 

never-ending hub of activity around 

every corner. Among the thousands 

of performances on offer, top names 

including David O’Doherty, Jason 

Byrne, Nish Kumar, Dara O’Briain and 

Sara Pascoe promise a good laugh. 

Miriam Margolyes will also be 

performing at the Fringe with her 

new show: Margolyes & Dickens: The 

Best Bits, in which she brings to life 

the most iconic characters from 

Charles Dickens’ timeless novels 

alongside a personalised chat show 

about her life. 

For more information, visit: 

https://www.edfringe.com/ 

Photo: © Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society 

Photo: Andy Teebay 

GET INTO A VAN GOGH 

FRAME OF MIND 

Beyond Van Gogh is bringing some 

of the legendary artist’s most 

impressive works to Glasgow this 

August. 

The immersive experience brings 

Van Gogh’s masterpieces to life. 

With both still and moving art 

covering every surface of the SEC 

Centre space, the exhibition makes 

frames a thing of the past. 

Coupled with a tailored 

soundtrack, the gallery showcases 

over 300 pieces of Van Gogh’s 

artwork and gives an in-depth look 

into his psyche through personal 

letters, which can also be viewed 

through the exclusive VR tour: ‘A 

Life in Letters VR Experience’. 

Art-lovers keen to spend an 

evening under a Starry Night sky can 

explore this unforgettable exhibition 

until 26 August. 

To book tickets, visit: 

beyondvangogh.com/city/glasgow-uk/ 

Take a walk down Wigtown way 

Feeling like you need a break from 

reality or a distraction from your 

inbox? Try Wigtown – Scotland’s 

National Book Town – which is 

hosting a literary festival from 27 

September to 6 October. 

The event is celebrating 25 years 

with over 200 events and activities 

including music, theatre, food and 

visual arts. 

Wigtown Emporium is also worth 

a look, filled to the brim with 

antiques and vintage collections, or 

visit the Cairn Holy Chambered 

Cairns, a prehistoric site built in the 

4th millennium BC. 

Photo: James 

Chapelard 

Just a short drive away is the 

Castle Kennedy Gardens, which are 

home to beautifully sculptured 

landscapes and a charming Tea 

Room with unmatchable views of 

the castle ruins. 

www.wigtownbookfestival.com 

Rebus reboot for stage 

Ian Rankin’s Rebus is taking to the 

stage with a new mystery. 

Rebus: A Game Called Malice 

follows an intimate dinner party at 

an Edinburgh mansion which ends 

in a murder mystery game. 

Gray O’Brien, best known for his 

roles in Coronation Street and 

Casualty, navigates clues, twists, 

and turns lurking around every 

corner in his role as Inspector 

John Rebus. 

Written by Ian Rankin, the show 

is on in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and 

Glasgow in September. 

See ianrankin.net for details. 


DIRECTION | BEHIND THE DESK: ANNA LEACH 


Making space for neurodivergent 

staff adds value to any business 

Name: Anna Leach Position: Chief Economist Company: IoD 

What is your role within the organisation?: I’m responsible for shaping and communicating the IoD’s economic 

policy agenda. In so-doing, I engage regularly with government ministers and officials to advocate IoD positions and 

enhance the influence of the IoD. I also will be engaging regularly with IoD members and other business decisionmakers 

to form IoD positions and share insight on current economic trends. 

Our theme in this issue is wellbeing; 

could you give us an overview on 

the importance of neurodiversity in 

the workplace and the benefit of 

developing better understanding of 

how neurodivergent people work? 

As someone who is neurodivergent 

(I have ADHD), this is an issue close 

to my heart. It wasn’t originally 

believed that women and girls could 

get ADHD, meaning that many are 

only finding out later in life that they 

have the condition. It often presents 

differently in women and girls 

compared to men and boys, with the 

hyperactivity typical of the condition 

tending to arise in the mind rather 

than in the body. 

Neurodivergence is one of the 

many branches of diversity which, if 

nurtured in the right environment, 

can bring out the best in people and 

enable a company to thrive. But as 

well as understanding the different 

ways in which neurodivergence 

presents, it’s important to look at 

the practical actions a workplace 

can take to enable those who are 

neuro-atypical to give their best. 

Some are quite simple: for those 

with ADHD like me, turning on the 

written transcript in a Teams call 

means that if our minds wander 

despite our best efforts, we can 

quickly catch back up with the 

thread of conversation. AI tools can 

help with work management and 

planning, and mental health training 

and support (alongside regularly 

refreshed management training) can 

help with the likes of Rejection 

Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) – a 

heightened sensitivity to criticism. 

Lighting and sound levels, how 

information is presented and 

digested (written or orally), the 

hybrid working balance (where 

relevant) and providing quiet spaces 

are all areas for consideration. 

The good news is there’s plenty of 

guidance out there for companies 

looking to support neurodivergent 

employees and I’d warmly 

encourage you to consider this a 

high-value way of bringing out the 

best in all your colleagues. 

What is the greatest recurring 

challenge you come across in your 

role, and what’s your strategy for 

dealing with it? 

I think that economists can 

sometimes get pigeon-holed as 

obsessed with a particular forecast 

number, fixated with money and not 

broader issues affecting well-being, 

and uninterested in the complex 

factors which drive human 

behaviour. 

My main strategy for dealing 

with those misapprehensions 

is simply to engage in the 

discussion. At its 

simplest, economics is 

the application of 

logical principles to 

everyday decisions 

which shape the 

economy. Its objective 

is not to claim that 

there’s one perfect 

answer, but to give a 

framework for 

approaching 

decisions, enabling a 

clear 

presentation of the benefits and 

trade-offs that derive from the 

incentives that we face and the 

choices that we make. 

The other biggest challenge I face, 

as an economic presenter, is having 

the certainty that the issues I’m 

discussing are what people want to 

hear about. And the main solution to 

that is to encourage questions from 

the audience and comment from 

readers on all the material I produce, 

which I warmly encourage everyone 

to provide! 

Who, or what, drives you or 

inspires you? 

I’m driven by a desire to understand 

and learn. There are so many gaps in 

our understanding of economies, 

and regular shocks to 

economic systems and 

developments in how 

cultures shape 

decision-making 

are perpetually 

fascinating. 

I find the 

behavioural side 

of economics 

particularly 

interesting 

– that facet 

that focuses 

on how we as 

individuals 

respond to 

incentives 

and 



BEHIND THE DESK | DIRECTION 

information. And within that, as I’ve 

developed as a manager and a 

leader, and grown to understand my 

own neurodivergence more clearly, 

I’ve become more interested in how 

different people operate in the 

workplace, what drives them, what 

they find challenging, and how best 

to support them in their careers. 

I’m inspired particularly by 

successful female leaders in the 

economics profession. Women in 

economics face myriad barriers to 

progression, and the proportion of 

girls studying economics is 

declining. Those women – like the 

new Chancellor – who have reached 

the highest levels in their field – can 

provide valuable examples of how to 

navigate challenges successfully, 

adding to our understanding of 

workplace dynamics and supporting 

improvements in outcomes for 

women. 

What keeps you awake at night? 

UK productivity! A bit of a geeky 

answer, but true. Productivity in the 

UK has stagnated since the financial 

crisis and it matters way more than 

GDP growth, which you can achieve 

just by growing your population. 

You should be able to get higher 

productivity through higher levels of 

physical capital, higher levels of 

human capital (ie, skills and/or 

experience) and/or through how 

effectively human and physical 

capital are combined – otherwise 

known somewhat opaquely as total 

factor productivity. 

Economists and policy-makers 

have been studying what’s needed 

to help lift UK productivity for many 

years. 

What makes a good leader great? 

I think a lot of leadership styles 

can work well, but there are some 

particular characteristics that all 

great leaders share. For me, on top 

of the all-important need to have a 

compelling vision to lead and inspire 

others, my top three would be 

accountability, consistency and 

connection. 

A great leader owns the failures 

with the successes, and actively 

learns from them with honesty, 

self-awareness and clarity of 

purpose. They’re not afraid to 

apologise and they actively learn 

from the mistakes of the past with a 

positive, open-minded and 

collaborative approach. 

Consistency is important for those 

delivering the vision. A vision is all 

well and good, but if that vision is 

constantly chopping and changing, 

or an organisation is being distracted 

from delivering that vision by 

competing and conflicting pressures, 

then it becomes just so much hot air. 

The threads knitting a leader’s 

impact together are their connections 

with people: their counterparts, 

stakeholders, organisational leaders 

and broader employees. An ability to 

meaningfully see the world through 

other people’s eyes, to understand 

their world, but then to step out of 

that detail and back into the vision, 

taking only what is important, 

empowers great leaders with 

authenticity. 

Even leaders aren’t the finished 

article. What’s next in your 

leadership development journey? 

I’m keen to undertake the IoD’s 

excellent courses for directors, both 

because outside of the IoD I’m a 

charity trustee and I’d like to increase 

my effectiveness in that role and for 

future roles, but as part of my desire 

to get into the headspace of the 

IoD’s membership. I’ll be leaning into 

my network and growing it further 

so that I can learn from a diverse 

range of others as well. 

From an economic perspective, 

there’s a wealth of evidence on the 

impact that strong management and 

leadership have on the productivity 

of business and I’m keen to be the 

best I can be in that space, both for 

myself, but also as some on-theground 

testing of economic theory. 

What is the ‘next big thing’ that will 

transform your sector? 

I’ll be boring here and say AI which 

is probably what most would say. 

But it has the potential to make a 

significant difference to how 

economic analysis is undertaken and 

then deployed to influence opinion. 

On the analytical front, you can 

already get it to write Python code 

and Excel equations for you, 

enabling you to streamline manual 

analytical tasks and free-up time for 

higher level analysis without having 

to be an expert code-writer. It can 

help spot patterns in data, 

increasing insights and freeing-up 

time to support a greater 

understanding of how economies 

and systems interact. It can then be 

deployed to support the effective 

discussion and presentation of 

analysis, supporting better 

communication and the spread of 

best practice. 

That said, the pace of transformation 

is hard to predict. AI using Large 

Language Models (LLMs) is a new 

and complex tool for businesses to 

integrate into their technology 

platforms and we have a lot to learn 

about how best to lean into the 

opportunity. 

What piece of technology do you 

rely on most? 

My iPhone. For staying connected 

via Teams, picking up emails, calls, 

LinkedIn notifications and 

connection requests, it’s the best 

tool for on-the-go connectivity. 

That said, I probably need to be 

more disciplined at putting it down, 

as it can be a distraction from some 

of the deep-focus analytical work 

which is necessary for spurring and 

delivering on creativity. 

What is your favourite social media 

platform, and what does it bring to 

your business/organisation? 

LinkedIn is my definite favourite. It 

seems to have the right balance of 

more thoughtful business-focused 

posts in a bite-size format. It’s 

tremendously useful for building 

connections, both to support the 

reach of posts and for the more 

general facilitation of joined-up 

working in business. 

What leadership advice would you 

give your younger self? 

Be patient and get advice. When I 

was younger, I definitely placed too 

much weight on how I was 

performing relative to others, in 

terms of the time and effort I was 

putting into understanding my own 

strengths and weaknesses and 

thinking about what I actually 

enjoyed doing. I would have 

benefitted from career advice from 

other experts in the field, and even 

just talking to my peers more. 

Nowadays, for those who don’t 

come into the workplace 

experienced in networking, the 

process of building a network is 

much easier now, with the advent of 

social media alongside support for 

diversity and inclusion, and the 

range of training opportunities. 


It’s everyone’s job to give 

our young people a boost 

Many young people today are facing a crisis in confidence 

– but Zahra Hedges, chief executive of Winning Scotland, 

believes that if everyone in society pulls together, we 

can help them build the lives they want, and deserve. 

Words by Rob Beswick; photos by Robert Perry 



THE LEADERSHIP INTERVIEW | DIRECTION 

“When a flower doesn’t bloom 

you fix the environment in 

which it grows, not the flower...” 

That quote was first popularised by 

Dutch inspirational speaker 

Alexander Den Heijer. Its meaning is 

pretty clear: if things don’t develop 

the way you would have liked, check 

out the surroundings first to see if 

that’s where the problem lies. 

Swap ‘flower’ for ‘young people’, 

and you are starting to tiptoe down 

a path that Winning Scotland is 

creating across the country, as part 

of its mission to improve the life 

chances of our young people. 

The charity was launched in 2006 

by Sir Bill Gammell with the sole 

focus of building confidence and 

resilience in young people. 

Gammell – a former Scotland 

rugby international and successful 

businessman – acknowledged that his 

own success was based on a 

childhood packed full of supportive 

role models – parents, family, and 

from sport. Not every young person 

was as fortunate, and his goal was to 

create a cultural change in Scotland, 

to build young people’s confidence 

no matter what background they 

came from, so that, in his words, “every 

young person walks around with their 

head up, not looking down.” 

But despite its goal of helping 

young people develop with 

confidence, perhaps unusually for 

this sector it doesn’t work with the 

young people themselves; rather, it 

works with the adults who are 

already influences on their lives. 

Winning Scotland’s chief executive 

Zahra Hedges explains the strategy. 

“Young people are in a jigsaw,” she 

says. “They are a piece that sits in 

the middle of the picture, and round 

them are all the other pieces of their 

lives – parents, friends, teachers, 

sports clubs, activities. They already 

have plenty of people working with 

them; rather than Winning Scotland 

becoming another ‘piece’ of their 

jigsaw, our goal is to work with the 

existing pieces to enable them to 

create better environments in which 

young people can flourish and reach 

their full potential.” 

This work can take on a wide 

variety of forms, but essentially all 

are focused on building capacity 

within their community, to better 

support them. “We work with like- 

minded partners to build confidence 

and resilience in young people. We 

engage and empower the individuals 

and groups who have the greatest 

influence on young people, giving 

them the tools and knowledge to 

create sustainable impact.” 

“We do this by building 

partnerships across the sectors – 

public, Third sector and private, in a 

diverse range of programmes. We 

work with adults to improve their 

own wellbeing and resilience, 

improving their mindset, as we know 

that this will help them develop the 

skills they need to help young 

people, and to create positive role 

models for young people to copy. 

“For example, we work with 

schools to create a positive learning 

culture, where mistakes are seen as 

part of the learning journey, and 

effort is valued for its own sakes, 

rather than simply trying to 

memorise stuff for exams, which is 

then forgotten a few weeks later.” 

“We also support social workers 

and employability advisers, who say 

our work is helping re-engage young 

people, particularly those who have 

developed the feeling that they 

‘aren’t clever’ and don’t see the 

point in education.” 

The crisis facing young people – 

and that’s the word Zahra used to 

describe the landscape many of 

them face – demands urgent 

attention. “When we talk to young 

people, their goals are pretty simple: 

they want to succeed, they want a 

job, they want to live a good life. 

They need a space in which they can 

thrive, and opportunities to make the 

most of their potential. They want to 

feel safe, and supported. Tragically, 

for many, none of that happens.” 

That takes us back to the nonblooming 

plant. Let’s check out the 

soil and whether it’s getting the 

right amount of water and light… 

When you look at some of the 

statistics that emerge from 

conversations with young people, you 

can see why Winning Scotland’s 

vision is so badly needed, says Zahra: 

“We asked young people whether 

they felt safe in their community. A 

third said they didn’t. Perhaps 

crucially, they also felt that it wasn’t 

‘their’ community; it was other 

people’s. They didn’t feel that they 

had a stake in their environment. 

“When you know that, you 

understand better why, perhaps, 

some young people behave the way 

they do.” 

The way young people’s brains are 

wired means they are constantly 

looking for ‘highs’. For the lucky few, 

these come from drama, music or on 

the sports field. For the ones with 

limited access to such options, 

however, they can turn to risky 

behaviour, alcohol and drug use. 

“We asked young people whether they felt safe in their 

community. A third said they didn’t. They also felt that it 

wasn’t ‘their’ community; it was other people’s. They 

didn’t feel that they had a stake in their environment...” 

“We asked 15-year-olds about their 

lives and the community they live 

in,” said Zahra. “What they would 

like it to look like, and what the 

reality was. It’s pretty heartbreaking. 

There are fewer and fewer 

opportunities available for their 

self-expression, fewer safe spaces 

for them to develop and grow.” 

“Young people, even moreso than 

adults, crave connection and 

belonging. If we don’t provide them 

with safe avenues to find that, they 

will go searching for it in dark corners.” 

There are lots of charities and 

organisations who work with those 

15-year-olds, and who can help them 

if they are struggling now. “Our goal 

is to work ‘upstream’, to change the 

environment for today’s 10-year-olds 

so that by the time they reach 15, 

they are more mentally resilient and 

better prepared to handle challenges 

and able to make better informed 

– and safer - choices with their lives.” 

The good news? We can change 

this picture. Iceland shows us that. 

Continued on page 22 


DIRECTION | THE LEADERSHIP INTERVIEW 


Continued from page 21 

One of Winning Scotland’s biggest 

current programmes is Planet Youth, 

which is inspired by a programme 

launched in Iceland in 1998. Zahra 

takes up the story. 

“When people look at Iceland from 

the outside they see an ordered, 

law-abiding and community-focused 

society, But it wasn’t always like that. 

Iceland’s data on their young people 

in 1998 showed the same high levels 

of alcohol misuse, drug taking and 

anti-social behaviour we have today 

in Scotland.” 

The difference was that the 

country’s leaders embraced the 

challenge of finding out why this 

was the case, and worked to change 

young people’s mindsets and 

provide more support when it was 

needed, so they could make better, 

more informed choices. With the 

whole community focused on 

working with the next generation, 

drink and drug misuse plummeted, 

anti-social behaviour fell in tandem, 

and today, Iceland can proudly boast 

the cleanest-living youths in the 

world. 

“There wasn’t one intervention in 

Iceland that proved crucial; it was 

the combination of changes that 

made the difference,” says Zahra. 

“They simply allowed young people 

to be heard, their frustrations 

understood and opportunities 

created for them. Iceland proved 

that young people will make the 

right choices if you put them in the 

right environment.” 

Winning Scotland is currently 

“There wasn’t one intervention in Iceland that proved 

crucial; the combination of changes made the difference, 

... they simply allowed young people to be heard, their 

frustrations understood and opportunities created.” 

running six pilots of the Planet Youth 

programme, in 24 microsites. Each 

group has drawn together a crosssection 

of concerned agencies from 

education, social services, the NHS 

and community representatives like 

parents, charities and youth work, to 

gather data, look at what the young 

need in their communities, and what 

local capacity there is to help them. 

But who’s missing from that list of 

concerned actors? The private 

sector – and that’s an omission 

Zahra is determined to change. “We 

were in talks with some of the 

leading figures from public health 

and education and the thing we all 

agreed on was broadening the tent, 

to get more input from the private 

sector. I find that when business 

leaders know what societal projects 

are going on in their communities, 

they are keen to get involved, but 

too often programmes like this exist 

in a public sector/third sector 

bubble. Businesses are excluded - 

not deliberately, but because we 

don’t reach out to them. Yet we 

know that directors and business 

leaders have a lot to contribute, and 

they’ve got ‘skin in the game’. After 

all, the young people we’re talking 

about are their children, or their 

future workforce.” 

Zahra would love business leaders 

to contact Winning Scotland to find 

out what’s going on in their area, 

particularly around the Planet Youth 

programme. “Everyone has a role to 

play. I was reading a report by The 

Health Foundation recently, on 

health inequalities in Scotland, and it 

put the issue succinctly: ‘We do not 

need another grand strategy [to fix 



THE LEADERSHIP INTERVIEW | DIRECTION 

our inequality problems]. We need 

practical collaboration, up and 

downstream, to sweat the 

considerable assets we already have 

– public, third and private sectors, all 

collaborating with communities. 

Each of us has our part to play.’ 

“That’s a perfect definition of what 

Winning Scotland’s goals.” 

There are other ways business can 

help these goals. “Think about 

parents’ hours. Do you give them time 

to attend key events in their children’s 

lives – at school, hobbies? Do you 

offer flexible working hours so they 

juggle work and care commitments? 

We often think it’s only parents and 

carers with young children who need 

flexibility, but our data is really clear, 

when teenagers spend time with their 

parents, and those parents set healthy 

boundaries, they make better choices 

around substances and alcohol, and 

we also see positive impacts on mental 

health and pro-social behaviour.” 

Zahra has another request for 

businesses: broaden opportunities: 

“Do you offer work experience to 

young people – and not just to the 

children who come from the ‘right’ 

schools, but from all schools?” 

“Do you get round schools to offer 

careers advice, highlight opportunities, 

give young people a chance to 

dream of their own success?” 

The key is to look at building a 

business in a way that adds value to 

the community in which it sits, not 

just bottom line profit. “I find small 

businesses do this better than larger 

ones. They tend to be more 

grounded in their community and 

have stronger links with it. SMEs 

lead the way on improving societal 

values. Too often when big business 

gets involved in the social value 

movement it is not altruistic but a fig 

leaf for their way of doing business.” 

One of the things employers say is 

that too often they find young 

people “aren’t work ready.” 

“Whose fault is that?” counters 

Zahra. “Who’s helping them become 

‘work ready’? Is it the schools’ jobs? 

Or businesses?” 

“Let’s end the blame game that 

infects this debate. We need to 

bring voices together as we all want 

the same thing: a productive young 

workforce who feel fulfilled in their 

employment, and their lives, and 

who feel part of their community.” 

Your business can add value to 

your community, she adds. “It’s 

“We were in talks with some of the leading figures from 

public health and education... we agreed we needed to 

broaden the tent, to get more input from private sector. 

When business leaders know what societal projects are 

going on, they are keen to get involved, but too often 

programmes exist in a public sector/third sector bubble...” 

everyone’s responsibility to ensure 

young people are happy, healthy 

and safe. Build that type of society, 

and they’ll flourish, and we’ll all 

benefit.” 

If our young people are feeling 

disillusioned, the obvious question 

is, how have we got to this point? 

“Austerity has hammered many 

young people,” says Zahra. “They’ve 

seen their sports clubs close, 

effective programmes like Sure Start 

axed – a huge mistake, in my view 

– and youth work hollowed out. So 

what’s left? 

“Add to that, with modern tech, 

we’re practically experimenting on 

our young people, to see how they’ll 

turn out. They are simultaneously 

more connected and more isolated 

than any of us were in our youth. 

We’ve no real idea how exposure to 

social media at a young age will 

affect them later in life.” 

All-in-all, “we’re heading to crisis 

point - actually, we’re already there. 

Wealth can mitigate the situation for 

some parents, those who can afford 

to invest in their children, for sports 

clubs, support, counselling, but with 

more families struggling just to pay 

the households bills, these things are 

a luxury they can’t afford.” 

“Young people aren’t stupid. They 

can see that the social contract we 

used to have – work hard and you’ll 

have a decent standard of living – 

has been lost. They see their parents 

struggling, foodbank use rising and 

mortgages and rents unaffordable, 

and then ask themselves why they 

should bother with a system which 

doesn’t appear to care for its people.” 

But this situation is reversible, and 

Zahra sees hope in the way Planet 

Youth turned Iceland around. But 

the clock is ticking on transforming 

Scotland in the same way. “We need 

to ask ourselves where we want to 

be in a decade. Do we want to just 

continue with the way things are, or 

step in now and make improvements. 

It’s not inevitable that things will get 

worse, but it is inevitable that things 

won’t improve if we don’t change. 

Young people want to do the right 

thing; do adults want to help them?” 

Zahra is clear about what she 

wants from government: “I would 

like the government – and local 

government and business, in fact – 

to look at every decision through the 

lens of positive prevention, ie, will 

this decision, in the long term, take 

us towards the kind of future we 

want to create for our children, our 

young people, our families and our 

communities – or is it something we 

are going to have to come back and 

fix later?” 

“Let’s change our focus and help 

young people be happy, healthy and 

safe - for the good of all.” 

To get involved with Winning 

Scotland, see winningscotland.org, 

connect with Zahra through 

LinkedIn, or contact her team via 

info@winning scotland.org 

What IoD Scotland’s Nations Director 

Catherine McWilliam says about Winning Scotland: 

It’s a well-known adage that ‘prevention is better than cure’, so why are 

we not taking Winning Scotland’s proactive approach to society? If I had 

£1 for every person I have come across who has a comment on the ‘youth 

of today’ , I could probably look at retirement. 

The issue is not so much about young people being disengaged and 

uninterested, more that the world is changing so quickly that none of us 

can quite keep up. I’m really pleased to be able to be part of the 

conversations that Winning Scotland is having and even more pleased to 

see how IoD members are responding. Young people want prospects and 

a future that they can look forward to – so let’s help them. I’d urge you to 

look up Winning Scotland and get involved with its projects. 


DIRECTION | TECHNICAL BRIEFING 

Scotland’s 2024: 

qualification 

results: Delivering: 

for employers 

Tens of thousands of young people 

across Scotland will be receiving 

the results of their SQA 

qualifications later this month, and 

they should be pleased with all 

their hard work. 

The qualifications that have been 

achieved give learners a wide range 

of skills, knowledge and 

understanding in a wealth of subject 

areas, many of which have given 

them experience of working with a 

local employer. 

While for some learners their 

results enable them to take the next 

step in their education journey, for 

others their results enable them to 

enter the workplace. This might be 

to start a job or take an 

apprenticeship or internship that 

includes a mix of work and learning. 

So, what does this mean for 

Scotland’s employers? Here we 

provide some information about the 

qualifications that you may be 

seeing in job applications and 

examples of the benefits of some of 

these pathways for young people 

and for employers. 

WORK-BASED LEARNING 

Foundation Apprenticeships give 

learners the opportunity to gain 

experience of the workplace and 

achieve a valuable qualification while 

still being at school, with over 80 

SQA centres across Scotland 

approved to offer them. 

Foundation Apprenticeships are a 

work-based learning opportunity for 

secondary school pupils usually 

starting in S5. Young people can 

spend time out of school with a local 

employer and complete the 

Foundation Apprenticeship 

alongside their more traditional 

courses. 

In the 2023-24 session, over 2,000 

entries have been registered with 

SQA for Foundation Apprenticeship 

courses. Some of those entries, are 

young people in S5 and S6 from 

Dumfries, who have been working 

towards Foundation Apprenticeships 

in Creative and Digital Media, 

working with local employers to 

build their skills and experience and 

develop an understanding of the 

demands of the workplace. 

August’s story 

Duncan Curtis, Academy Lead at 

Alive Radio in Dumfries hosted 

student August Wildner as part of 

his Foundation Apprenticeship, 

focusing on audio production. 

Duncan said: “Providing the 

placement for the Foundation 

Apprenticeship has offered a route 

for young people into our industry. It 

gives them the opportunity to gain 

experience of a working radio 

station and develop technical skills. 

They get a real sense of the sort of 

work we do in the studio, and if they 

August Wildner gained 

vital hands-on skills 

working in a local radio 

station’s studio as part 

of his Foundation 

Apprenticeship in 

audio production 

love it, it will give them a real sense 

of direction for where they want to 

go next.” 

August said: “My Foundation 

Apprenticeship was timetabled 

alongside my other subjects, so it 

just became a normal part of my 

school day. The apprenticeship has 

really helped me decide on what it is 

I want to do after school. I’m going 

on to study Sound Engineering at 

university.” 

Valuable work experience 

Sarah McKnight, Principal Teacher 

of Foundation Apprenticeships at 

Dumfries and Galloway Council, 

believes that learners who undertake 

a Foundation Apprenticeship in S5 

or S6 are well prepared for the next 

stage in their learning. 



She explains: “A Foundation 

Apprenticeship allows young people 

to study in class and gain valuable 

work experience at the same time. 

Learners get to take their education 

training out of school and work 

closely with an employer. 

“We’ve found that lots of people on 

the Creative and Digital Media course 

have been given unconditional offers 

from the colleges and universities 

that they have applied to because of 

the practical experiences they have 

developed. It has really helped them 

stand out from other applicants.” 

QUALIFICATIONS FOR EVERYONE 

In addition to National, Higher and 

Advanced Higher courses, SQA 

offers a wide range of qualifications, 

in a variety of different sectors. 

National Certificates (NCs) and 

National Progression Awards (NPAs) 

develop skills much sought after by 

employers, and prepare people for 

employment, career development or 

educational progression. 

NPAs are linked to National 

Occupational Standards and are 

delivered in partnership with schools, 

colleges and employers. There are 

NCs and NPAs in subject areas as 

diverse as Computing Science, 

Employability, Hair and Beauty and 

Sports Education. 

Skills for Work courses focus on 

generic employability skills needed 

for the workplace. The courses place 

emphasis on experiential and 

practical learning, giving young 

people an understanding of the 

workplace and attitudes towards work. 

These courses are available in areas 

including Early Learning and Childcare, 

Hospitality and Travel and Tourism. 

SQA Awards are practice-based 

work qualifications for specific 

sectors, providing skills and 

recognition for a diverse range of 

learners. They’re available in areas 

including British Sign Language, 

Customer Service, Forestry/Timber 

Production and Health and Social 

Care, among many others. 

WANT TO KNOW MORE? 

Find out more about Foundation 

Apprenticeships and SQA 

qualifications at 

www.sqa.org.uk/ 

foundationapprenticeships 

and www.sqa.org.uk/mysector 


DIRECTION | Technical briefing 


Developing a digitised workaday culture must be finely-tuned to ensure a nurturing 

of talent as central to overall health and wellbeing. Not only for individuals, but also 

for the entire organisation coping with a barrage of apparently endless technological 

advances, emphasises industry commentator Bill Magee 

Remember the workforce as you 

embrace the digital revolution 

In this multifaceted high-tech era, 

every working day should provide a 

challenging and hopefully rewarding 

environment. Above all people need 

to feel connected, more than ever 

before. 

That’s the ideal. But peeling away 

the digital layers of highly-disruptive 

technologies is easier said than done. 

The workplace is a dominant part 

of our busy lives, one that’s 

increasingly involving an IT interface 

where the virtual world often has 

very real-life consequences. 

ITPro says this as an irreversible 

automation process where 

organisations have to “continuously 

reinvent” themselves. A constant 

threat is becoming overloaded, 

feeling commercially overwhelmed. 

We’re not talking total reset but 

certainly major rewiring where 

outside expert tech help is more 

than likely required. 

Central to handling such rapid tech 

changes must be all about enriching 

an employee’s digital skills, to enable 

them to make their contribution to 

an ambitious organisation fully 

embracing the digital tech era. 

Knowledge-sharing is high on the 

list in such a working culture along 

with investing in people’s growth 

and development and regular ‘Showand 

Tells’ to discuss new trends. 

On the nurturing talent front it’s 

the wise organisation that invests in 

staff development, aimed at 

enhancing their career in digital 

tech, for the good of the business. 

Furthermore, a close-knit team 

should always be present to lend a 

hand, guide and support each other. 

Even better if working hard but 

having a lot of fun together too! 

(Want some healthy employee tips? 

See https://exceptionuk.com) 

The pace of AI generated tech is 

accelerating. In such a rapidly 

moving work environment we 

should not overlook the business 

owner, MD or CEO. A Forbes C-Suite 

report highlights far too many 

leaders aren’t great at taking time 

off, and are mentally suffering as a 

consequence. 

The survey, of 600 directors, by 

Clarify Capital found one-in-four 

took no time off in the past year. Of 

those who skipped a vacation, threequarters 

cited financial concerns. 

The study also discovered that, 

when times are good and a business 

earns more revenue, over half 

surveyed do not alter their time-off 

behaviour. Of those who did manage 

a holiday, four-fifths admitted to 

checking their emails, just under half 

did business tasks, while just over 

half were unable to enjoy their time 

off due to business concerns. 

The end result? A quarter who 

managed a holiday said they still felt 

burnt out. Business owners who 

skipped time off are 146% more likely 

to have poor mental health. 

It’s clear virtual world demands due 

to genAI represent new commercial 

pressures on an organisation and its 

employees, irrespective of their 

grade. 

AI Journal claims that within five 

years, over four-fifths of 

manufacturers will embrace such 

tech solutions as well as what this 

will mean for product development 

and supply chain demands. 

“Tech incubator 

CodeBase has 

relaunched 

CodeClan digital 

skills academy 

in response to 

high levels of 

industry demand 

for software 

development 

and data science 

expertise...” 

Scotland and tech innovations 

have always gone hand-in-hand 

more often than not with a global 

impact. Just think telephone, 

television, the ATM, marmalade, 

tartan noire (stretching things a wee 

bit with the last one, but I do love 

author William McIIvanney’s writing). 

Now another cluster of bright 

ideas is emerging, this time on the 

digital horizon. As is perhaps to be 

expected, AI dominates the startups 

and spinouts from the country’s 

19 universities. 

Tech incubator CodeBase has 

relaunched CodeClan digital skills 

academy with a trio of Scottish 

colleges along with Silicon Valley 

teaching programme for coding 

Qwasar, in response to high levels of 

demand for software development 

and data science expertise. 

ScotlandIS, custodian of the 

country’s IT sector, stages ScotSoft 

2024 on 26 September. Chief 

executive Karen Meechan reports 

that despite one of the toughest 

economic periods in a generation, 

an overwhelming majority of 

respondents to its annual survey are 

highly positive, moving forwards. 

McKinsey Tech Index says 

automation is the top trend. 

As the high-tech list keeps on 

growing, it’s high time to take digital 

stock. 




AI offers a new challenge to 

employee mental wellbeing 

Support in Mind Scotland describes 

stress in the workplace as a “personal 

thing”. For one person it can 

represent a fascinating challenge 

helping them to crack a key deal. For 

a close colleague it can tip them over 

the edge and trigger distress, 

affecting their mental health. 

Working days lost every year in 

Britain to anxiety, stress and 

depression are between 70-100 

million. Such high levels of forced 

absenteeism are devastating for 

individuals and their families, along 

with the organisation they work for, 

economy and the wider society. 

So, in the entrepreneurial drive for 

success we must remember to 

nurture healthy work relationships 

both within and outwith the business. 

We’re talking an unprecedented era 

of generative artificial intelligence 

(genAI) increasingly impacting on 

daily work practices. 

It is something of a big digital ask. 

In terms of the rapid rate by which 

such technological developments are 

advancing apace, much has been 

written about one key manifestation. 

The internet is awash with AIgenerated 

text and other content 

with organisations encouraged to 

strategically integrate such processes 

into their IT systems. 

The expectation is staff seamlessly 

augment AI into work practices as it 

takes the load of numerous minor 

tasks off their shoulders. A tall order? 

As AI tools increasingly appear to 

speak, create and think like humans, 

a worry is it can lead to employees 

feeling they’re increasingly working 

by autopilot and LESS connected 

than before. 

Commercial anxieties are growing 

over a blurring of what is ‘real’ and all 

this means in terms of dangers of 

disinformation and deepfakes. 

Especially prevalent in the very 

recent UK General Election and its 

Stateside transatlantic cousin over 

the cyber-horizon. 

Sounds like bouts of digital tech 

training, involving outside experts 

working seamlessly with in-house, are 

urgently needed. 

Otherwise before one knows it, 

smart speaker, AI-generated avatar/ 

agent/co-pilot/assistant/android 

humanoid-gynoid anthrobot - call it 

what you will – chairs the C-Suite 

meeting, while the real-life executive 

deals with the tea trolley 

responsibilities. 

As if!? 

Digital readiness is the key 

Pew Research highlights as a ‘new 

normal’ on the tech front a Digital 

Readiness Tool (DRT). 

Based on a trio of measurable 

strengths “skills, trust and usage”, 

eight components are covered: 

technological infrastructure, digital 

skills and literacy, organisational 

culture, leadership and vision, data 

management and analytics, a 

customer-centric approach, defined 

digital goals and objectives, finally 

Warning to financial firms 

evaluation of the infrastructure. 

Scotland’s leading indigenous tech 

company Exception’s Managing 

Director Alasdair Hendry says 

organisations and their employees 

need support to gain valuable 

experience, advice and expert 

delivery throughout their journey. 

The Exception Digital Readiness 

Tool asks the necessary questions to 

help an organisation validate and 

better understand its real state of 

digital readiness. It complements the 

government’s central digital and date 

office (CDDO). 

Self-assessment questions 

immediately provide your readiness 

score, followed up by a 30-minute 

free consultation with a public sector 

principal consultant. Afterwards you 

receive a bespoke report providing 

practical advice to achieve, improve 

and accelerate digital readiness. 

The marketplace to the EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) 

comes into force 17 January 2025. Financial sections organisations need 

to prepare now, as they’re required to comply. The CIO will lead the 

safeguarding of an entire financial ecosystem, by ensuring it is equipped 

with enhanced service resilience and cybersecurity. 

TechMarketView reports that organisations are redirecting their efforts 

to underpin future generative AI programmes. 

In what is being coined the ‘GenAI Dividend’, industry analysts 

estimate this will generate up to £5 billion of new software and IT 

services in net spend between now and 2027. 


DIRECTION | TECHNICAL BRIEFING 


Fazenda offers fun social 

dining with a healthy edge 

“I see social dining 

as underscoring the 

power of food and 

community in 

enhancing 

wellbeing...” 

Tomás Maunier, Managing Director 

and co-founder of South 

American restaurant chain 

Fazenda, grew up in São José dos 

Campos, Brazil, where his passion 

for food and culture was nurtured 

on his family’s farm. 

This early exposure to the joys of 

fresh, diverse ingredients and 

communal meals laid the 

foundation for his appreciation of 

social dining. 

Moving to Argentina enriched his 

understanding as he experienced 

the warmth and connection of 

family gatherings centred 

around food. 

Tomás, originally a 

lawyer turned marketer, 

began his career in 

marketing in the UK in 

2007 and later 

co-founded Fazenda, 

a restaurant that 

celebrates the 

South American 

tradition of social 

dining. 

Fazenda 

started in Leeds 

in 2010, before 

moving into 

Liverpool in 

2013, swiftly 

followed by 

Manchester in 2014. 

Edinburgh opened in 

February 2018 and 

Birmingham in November 

later that year. Their most 

recent venture was 

Bishopsgate, London in 

summer 2023. 

Their Edinburgh 

restaurant, located on 

the prestigious George 

Street, epitomises 

Tomás’s vision. The 

elegant interior fuses 

tradition with modern 

sophistication, resulting in an 

inviting space for creating 

memories. Guests are treated to 

the unique experience of 

passadores carving freshly grilled 

meats tableside and fostering 

connections through shared dining. 

The vibrant Market Table, brimming 

with a variety of fresh, nutritious 

salads and vegetables enhances 

the guest experience, perfectly 

complementing the selection of 

exquisitely grilled meats. 

The essence of Fazenda lies in its 

commitment to social dining, 

which underscores the power of 

food and community in enhancing 

wellbeing. Social dining not only 

provides nourishment but also 

creates a sense of belonging and 

connection among guests. 

This approach is evident in the 

way Fazenda encourages guests to 

share meals, stories and 

experiences, making every visit a 

memorable one. The variety of 

sumptuous meats, cheeses, salads 

and vegetables offered, with its 

emphasis on fresh and diverse 

ingredients, also contributes to 

overall health and well-being, 

aligning with the restaurant’s 

holistic approach to dining. 

Fazenda’s dedication to social 

causes extends beyond their 

restaurants. For over three years, 

Fazenda Edinburgh has proudly 

partnered with Cyrenians, a charity 

dedicated to tackling 

homelessness and supporting 

vulnerable people. 

Together, they have hosted 

strategic lunches and created 

bespoke cocktails, including 

non-alcoholic options, using fresh 

produce from the Cyrenian’s farm. 

Their next event, a non-alcoholic 

masterclass, will also feature 

Cyrenian’s fresh produce, allowing 

guests to create their own non- 

28 

SUMMER 2024


TECHNICAL BRIEFING | DIRECTION 

The elegant 

interior fuses 

tradition with 

modern 

sophistication, 

resulting in an 

inviting space 

for creating 

superb 

occasions and 

memories 

“The Edinburgh restaurant, located on the prestigious 

George Street, epitomises Tomás’s vision. The elegant 

interior fuses tradition with modern sophistication, 

resulting in an inviting space for creating memories.” 

alcoholic cocktails. 

The Fazenda team has also 

volunteered at the farm, reflecting 

their dedication to societal wellbeing 

and support. This partnership 

shows our commitment to making a 

positive impact, aligning with our 

values of culture, community, and 

social responsibility. 

The collaboration with Cyrenians 

highlights Fazenda’s role in the 

broader society, emphasising the 

importance of giving back and 

supporting those in need. 

By hosting events that bring 

people together, Fazenda not only 

raises funds but also fosters a sense 

of unity and purpose among 

participants. 

Tomás Maunier’s journey and 

Fazenda’s outreach initiatives both 

emphasise the significance of food 

as a means of connection and 

support. As Fazenda continues to 

host events and bring people 

together, it remains dedicated to its 

core values of culture, mutual 

support, and well-being, ensuring 

every visit is a celebration. 


DIRECTION | TECHNICAL BRIEFING: OFFICE WELLBEING 


Are you sitting comfortably? 

Then you can be more productive 

Fergus Scott, Business Development 

Manager at Humanscale, answers 

IoD questions about the advantages 

gained from setting up your 

personal workspace correctly 

What are the benefits of having the 

right desk set-up? 

A properly set-up desk reduces 

physical strain, leading to greater 

comfort during long working hours. 

Comfortable and efficient 

workstations enable employees to 

focus better, leading to higher 

productivity. 

There is a health bonus too: proper 

set-ups encourage movement and 

better circulation, contributing to 

overall health. 

What components are involved in 

the ‘right’ desk set-up? 

The first thing to say is that chairs 

must support the individual’s body 

and allow for plenty of height and tilt 

adjustments. 

The chairs need to be allied with 

desks that allow the user to keep 

their elbows at a 90-degree angle 

and their wrists straight while typing. 

It is important to provide support 

for feet if they do not comfortably 

reach the floor. 

Screens should be set at eye level 

to prevent neck strain. 

What is the impact of a healthy and 

ergonomic working environment? 

Efficient and comfortable work 

environments enhance employee 

focus and efficiency. Ergonomic 

set-ups contribute to mental and 

physical health, reducing stress and 

increasing job satisfaction. 

Put simply, reduced physical 

discomfort leads to less distraction 

and higher performance levels. 

Can you give some examples of bad 

ergonomics and ways to avoid them? 

Slouched posture: Can be avoided 

by using chairs with proper lumbar 

support. 

Incorrect monitor height: This can 

be prevented by using adjustable 

monitor stands to keep screens at 

eye level. 

Poor keyboard and mouse position: 

This can be avoided by ensuring they 

are at the same height and within 

easy reach. 

Prolonged sitting: Mitigated by 

using sit-stand desks or taking 

regular breaks to move around. 

What about remote employees? 

How can you help them ensure a 

healthy working environment? 

Employees may not be aware of 

the importance of ergonomics or 

how to implement it effectively. Their 

homes will vary widely, making it 

difficult to standardise ergonomic 

setups. 

The simple truth is many home 

offices are not designed for 

extended work, posing space 

constraints for proper ergonomic 

furniture. 

Providing ergonomic furniture and 

tools for all remote employees can 

be financially challenging for 

employers, but is very important for 

your employees. 

Choosing the right products for 

individual needs 

Look for products that are 

designed to be easy to use, and 

automatically adjust to individuals 

without any required adjustments 

Invest in high-quality, durable 

products to ensure long-term use and 

effectiveness. 

Consider personal health issues or 

ergonomic challenges when 

selecting furniture and accessories. 

Finally, ensure that products fit 

within the available space and 

complement the overall workspace 

set-up. 

Expert advice 

It is a good idea to seek guidance 

from ergonomic specialists, such as 

ErgoIQ https://www.humanscale.com 

to identify the best solutions tailored 

to individual requirements. 



DIRECTION | TECHNICAL BRIEFING: EMPLOYEE WELLBEING 

There’s so much to gain from investing 

in your employees’ wellbeing 

Employee wellbeing is 

far too important to your 

organisation’s success to 

be overlooked, says 

Marianne McJannett 

Employee wellbeing is often 

something that falls down the 

priority list of a business owner and 

employers when considering the 

other important issues that they’re 

having to deal with. 

But as we will see here, employee 

wellbeing should be a priority for any 

business owner, and the benefit that 

can be gained from focusing on 

employee wellbeing, and investing in 

it in the long term, can be significant. 

Employee wellbeing explained 

Employee wellbeing refers to the 

state of employees’ mental and 

physical health, and stems from 

things that happen inside, and 

external to, a place of work. 

According to the Health and 

Safety Executive, 38.8 million 

working days are lost due to workrelated 

ill health. Employers have a 

legal duty to ensure a safe working 

environment for their employees, 

which requires them to consider the 

physical and mental wellbeing of 

their employees, and how this can 

best be supported. 

While most employers will think (if 

not automatically, then early on in 

the working relationship) about 

ensuring that the physical working 

environment is in keeping with their 

obligations under the Health and 

Safety at Work Act, they perhaps 

don’t immediately think about what 

needs to be done to support mental 

wellbeing. 

Post-pandemic, a lot of employers 

considered what they might be able 

to offer in terms of health and 

wellbeing solutions, with an increase 

38.8 million... 

that’s the number of 

working days lost due to 

work-related ill health, 

according to the Health 

and Safety Executive... 

“A study by Deloitte found that for every 

£1 invested in employee wellbeing, there 

was a ROI of £5...” 

“Simply providing someone 

with the opportunity to work 

from home, or to work hybridly, 

cannot be the sole solution if 

care is not given to the impact 

working alone or away from 

colleagues can have...” 

in demand for private healthcare 

and other health packages 

considered. However, wellbeing 

cannot just be fixed with these 

solutions, and therefore businesses 

must consider options such as 

flexible working in order to support 

their employees’ wellbeing, as well 

as opportunities to engage with the 

wider workforce to bring them all 

together. 

Simply providing someone with 

the opportunity to work from home, 

or to work hybridly, cannot be the 

sole solution if care is not given to 

the impact working alone or away 

from colleagues can have. Social 

isolation as a result of working at 

home is closely linked to anxiety and 

depression, and employers should 

ensure that they have processes in 

place to support employees who are 

not working in an office 

environment, to prevent the risk of 

isolation and loneliness. 

Employers who seek to support 

their employees’ wellbeing can 

benefit in many ways. Employee 

wellbeing boosts productivity and 

performance, with them being 

better engaged and making better 

decisions. A study by Deloitte found 

that for every £1 invested in 

employee wellbeing, there was a ROI 

of £5. Employees have higher levels 

of morale when they feel that their 

wellbeing is being considered and 

being met at all levels. Studies have 

shown that job adverts referring to 

wellbeing benefits have increased by 

over 300%, showing that jobseekers 

are more likely to value a 

workplace that prioritises this. 

However, simply giving access to 

employees to wellbeing benefits and 

policies is not enough when the 

culture of the organisation doesn’t 

encourage access to such benefits, 

or it is not being mirrored by senior 

figures within the organisation. 

Therefore it is for business owners 

and directors to consider not only 

what they could lose by not 

prioritising their employees’ 

wellbeing, but what they could gain 

in the short and the long-term by 

bringing it higher up the priority list. 

Marianne McJannett, is Head of 

Employment at Bellwether Green 

Limited, and an IoD Scotland 

Committee Member and 

PR Ambassador, Glasgow and 

West of Scotland Branch 




Fast pace of political change won’t 

affect our demand for a voice 

Marc Strathie 

IoD Senior Policy Advisor 

for Devolved Nations 

Thursday 4 July turned out to be a 

historic night in UK politics, and I 

almost forgot that it was four 

months that I had been in post at 

the IoD as Senior Policy Advisor for 

Devolved Nations. 

Notwithstanding the General 

Election, the last few months have 

been incredibly busy for each of 

the respective nations, with new 

leaders emerging, no confidence 

motions being passed and ongoing 

economic uncertainty. Throughout 

this period, we have continually 

advocated for our members and 

ensured that the IoD is a critical 

friend for Governments. 

The results of the General 

Election in Scotland were arguably 

the most significant of the UK 

nations. The once ‘red’ nation had 

turned very much ‘yellow’ 

since 2007, and the 

prospects of a Scottish 

Labour revival in 2019 

looked a distant prospect 

at best. Fast forward to 

2024 and Scottish Labour 

have made a rather 

remarkable recovery to 

become the party with the most 

UK Members of Parliament across 

Scotland with a meteoric rise from 

a mere two MPs to 37. 

Regardless of the colour of 

government, the IoD’s mission in 

Scotland will not change. We are 

unwavering in our commitment to a 

prosperous Scotland for business, 

communities and society as a 

whole. Ahead of the Scottish 

Government’s Programme for 

Government, we have identified a 

number of key areas of policy focus 

for us for the year ahead, including 

the rural economy, skills and Net 

Zero. These areas are taken 

from the annual State of 

the Nation survey 

conducted by IoD 

Scotland. 

Policy is a fast-moving 

beast and therefore it is 

incredibly important to me 

and other policy colleagues 

that we receive intelligence from 

you directly. One of the best ways 

to do this is through our Policy 

Voice survey, which is highly 

respected by officials in 

government and influential in 

decision-making. This month’s 

survey is now live and I look 

forward to seeing the results from 

the Scottish business community. 

Get in touch 

If you would like to discuss our 

policy activity, please get in touch 

via marc.strathie@iod.com 

Experienced executive appointed IoD chair 

The Institute of Directors has 

appointed John Browett as the new 

Chair of its Board after a 

comprehensive search process. 

Mr Browett takes over from 

Patrick Macdonald, whose threeyear 

term as Chair ended after the 

IoD’s AGM on 3 July. 

His appointment comes after a 

robust process overseen by the 

Nomination Committee which 

consists of members of the IoD 

Board and IoD Council. 

Mr Browett, current Chair of 

Octopus Group and fraud 

prevention organisation Cifas, also 

holds a number of other nonexecutive 

positions. During his 

extensive executive career, 

working with both large 

and smaller companies, 

he was Chief Executive 

of Dunelm, Dixons and 

Monsoon Accessorize as 

well as Senior Vice 

President of Retail at 

Apple, and Group Operations 

Development Director at Tesco. 

He joins as the IoD reported its 

strongest ever financial results and 

growth in membership for the first 

time for a number of years. 

David Langworth, Chair of the IoD 

Council and of the Nominations 

Committee said: “I am delighted to 

welcome John to the IoD. He was 

clearly the exceptional candidate 

for the role and brings a wealth of 

business experience that will be 

invaluable as we move forward. 

“He joins at a pivotal and exciting 

time for the Institute as we look to 

build on the growth in membership 

and stronger financial position.” 

Mr Browett said: “I am deeply 

honoured to take over as chair of 

the IoD. 

“The Institute is once again in a 

stronger position after the excellent 

work that has been done over the 

last few years to modernise the 

organisation.” 

He added: “The IoD plays a 

hugely important role for its 

members both in terms of helping 

with professional development and 

as advocates on their behalf. 

“I am excited to be taking over 

from Patrick at this point and look 

forward to helping continue the 

positive progress that has been 

made.” 

“The IoD is once again in a stronger 

position after the excellent work that 

has been done over the last few years 

to modernise the organisation...” 

xx 32 


DIRECTION | MEMBER BENEFITS 


IoD membership and benefits 

We’re delighted that you have chosen the IoD to support 

you in your development as a director, and we hope you 

get real value from your membership. 

The IoD Scotland team is always looking to enhance your 

membership with exclusive discounts on products and 

services, helping make your role that little bit easier, kinder 

on the budget and – most importantly – more convenient. 

We have outlined some of the key benefits here: 

for a full summary and discount codes, 

contact patricia.huth@iod.com 

Introducing.... IoD Mentor Connect 

Introducing a brand new IoD 

member benefit… 

The IoD Mentor Connect platform is 

designed to connect members 

looking for support and guidance on 

their leadership journey with those 

that want to share the benefit of 

their experience. 

Whether you are an aspiring or 

experienced director, or anything in 

between, our platform makes it easy 

to find and build your support 

network, share your experiences and 

learn from others. 

Access to the platform is free to all 

members. 

Find out more by accessing the IoD 

Mentor Connect platform HERE 

Dundee opens doors on latest 

IoD member meeting space 

IoD Scotland is pleased to be 

partnering with DunEden Business 

Centre (formerly Affinity Business 

Centre) in Dundee to introduce an 

exciting new member hub. 

Located just off the A90, DunEden 

Business Centre offers users free 

parking, gym access and tea and 

coffee as well as a variety of hot 

desking and meeting space. 

Full details of the exclusive IoD 

member offer are highlighted below: 

n Free 2 x hot desks in a designated 

hot desk office space 

n Free 2 x hot desking areas in large 

canteen room 

n Free utilities – gas, electricity, wi-fi 

n Free use of gym and showers 

n Free teas and coffees 

n Free car parking 

n EV charge points – charged at 

Dundee City Council rates which 

are less than all the other private 

EV rates at present. (pin provided 

by our receptionist – user would 

probably have to make payment in 

cash or card at end of day) 

n Board room hire £20ph + vat or 

£140 per day + vat (8hr day). 

n Training room hire at special rates. 



MEMBER BENEFITS | DIRECTION 

Hotels, dining and accommodation 

Unique offers and discounts for IoD members 

EDINBURGH 

The George 

The George, a Grade-II listed hotel, 

is complemented by elegant 

interiors, from the bedrooms to the 

grand King’s Hall. 

All with the very best of 

Edinburgh’s shopping, restaurants 

and nightlife on your doorstep. 

To enjoy up to 15% off on rates 

covering free cancellation up to one 

day before your stay, use your IoD 

corporate special rate code when 

booking online. Click here. 

Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel 

Overlooking one of Edinburgh’s 

prettiest private garden squares, this 

hotel consists of seven interconnected 

Georgian townhouses. 

With a magnetic inner courtyard 

and an acclaimed Middle Eastern 

restaurant, it’s no wonder the hotel 

has become a natural meeting point 

and a sociable heart of modern life. 

Enjoy up to 15% off on 

accommodation when booking 

online by using your IoD corporate 

special rate code. Click here. 

Eden Locke 

Eden Locke offers the fusion of the 

privacy and personality of a designer 

apartment with the facilities of a 

boutique hotel. Use your online code 

The George 

to enjoy up to 10% off best available 

rates. Click here. 

Other offers: 

Cheval Collection - 20% discount on 

accomodation rates. 

Angel Share - Get 15% off the base 

room rate. 

Malmaison - Enjoy a 10% discount on 

accomodation and dining at sites in 

Edinburgh and Glasgow. 

GLASGOW 

Native ApartHotel 

Packed with history. Updated with 

style. Minutes from everything. 

Enjoy an opulent, art deco setting 

situated within the heart of Glasgow, 

with a 24-hour reception, two 

on-site restaurants and a range of 

original features kept intact in this 

beautiful Edwardian building. 

Enjoy up to 15% off the best 

Unlock offers 

Interested in accessing these 

discounts, or in finding out about 

them and other venues across 

Scotland where IoD membership 

can unlock benefits? 

Contact iod.scotland@iod.com 

for details 

available rates when using our IoD 

special code online. Click here. 

Citizen M 

Located just around the corner 

from Glasgow Central station, enjoy 

the highlights of the city centre on 

your doorstep. 

This boutique hotel combines cosy 

bedrooms with communal living and 

kitchen areas for a lively feel. 

Book online to enjoy up to 10% off 

the best available rates using our 

code. Click here. 

Apex City of Glasgow Hotel 

Everything from this hotel’s 

modern, eye-catching exterior to its 

tasteful interior is designed for 

comfort and a unique experience. 

Get up to 12% off the best 

available rates when using our 

promo code online. Click here. 

Say hello to YOTEL 

IoD Scotland members are now eligible for the YOTEL 

Work Perk programme. 

This special offer gives you access to a host of great 

benefits, including complimentary breakfast, early 

check-in/late check-out and a 5% discount on the room 

rate. 

To book at a YOTEL, the easiest method is by clicking 

on the below link and entering your dates/hotel of 

choice: 

CLICK HERE 

Or you can enter your corporate ID straight into the 

Corporate/Promo code section of the website, at 

www.yotel.com 

Top, YOTEL Glasgow. 

Inset, VEGA, on the 

top floor of YOTEL 

Glasgow. 


DIRECTION | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 


IoD training offers welcome insights 

into governance and strategy 

When Graham Skinner was 

looking for a way to enhance 

his understanding of key 

elements of his new role, the 

IoD Aspiring Director course 

proved invaluable. Graham 

takes up the story 

I’ve been in my current job role as 

health and safety policy manager for 

Offshore Energies UK for 18 months. 

We are the UK trade association for 

offshore energy. It has been a 

significant change from my previous 

role as a specialist major hazard 

regulator in oil and gas. I have 

moved from a narrow technical role 

to a very broad general role; for 

example, my policy area now covers 

aviation safety, security and 

resilience, aas well as health. 

Offshore Energies UK memberships 

extend beyond oil and gas into 

offshore wind, and the emerging 

technologies of carbon capture and 

storage and hydrogen. In addition, 

all staff have business development 

and member relations responsibilities 

on top of delivering commercial 

technical conferences. 

Understanding the role 

My first six months involved 

establishing the extent of my remit, 

confirming my responsibilities, and 

mapping out the workstreams we 

support industry to deliver. 

During this time my network 

naturally expanded exponentially. I 

invested time in understanding the 

technical aspects of my new remit 

and focused on delivery. I took on an 

excellent health and safety advisor 

to the team and together we 

focused on finding efficient ways of 

managing and delivering all of our 

workstreams. 

As I began to understand the job 

role, and some of the challenges we 

face as a trade association, I began 

to reflect on my own personal 

development, the strengths I was 

bringing to the role and also areas 

for personal growth. 

Meeting the IoD 

My first introduction to the IoD 

was via my line manager and I 

quickly found a supportive group of 

contacts in the local branch. I 

secured an external mentor who 

also suggested I look to the IoD as 

an organisation that I could develop 

myself through. 

Offshore Energies UK is an 

incredible organisation to turbo 

charge my career, giving me 

exposure to some exceptional 

people and organisations. They 

provide the opportunity to deliver 

change across a whole industry. I am 

also aware that future success needs 

to be built on effective delivery 

today and consistent outcomes over 

the next few years here, in this role. 

My role is relatively high-profile 

and both success and failure are 

noticed across industry. At times I 

felt I was zooming around the career 

‘Scalextric track’ and needed to be 

cautious, not flying off on a corner. 

The IoD CPD and training I have 

engaged in has enabled me to 

have effective contributions to 

discussions about 

governance, liability, and 

strategy within my current 

role while also keeping an eye on the 

future. It’s helped provide some 

structure and control to my career 

development. 

Taking the course 

To build on those benefits I 

enrolled in the IoD Aspiring Director 

training course. The course covers 

the IoD Director Competency 

Framework and provided practical 

exercises related to the type of 

challenges directors can face. 

The course was really helpful for 

highlighting all the things I don’t yet 

know, and topics to add to my 

development plan, such as learning 

more about financial controls. 

The course tutor, Charles 

Kingsmill, also helped me discover 

areas of strength that helped build 

my confidence. 

Prior to enrolling I was concerned 

that joining this course a few years 

before I hope to become a director 

would be too early. I am pleased 

that I did, and will now have many 

more relevant and specific questions 

to ask of mentors and new areas to 

build up strengths putting me in the 

strongest position possible for 

career growth in the future. 

36 



PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT | DIRECTION 

Professional Development 2024 

Click the logo 

for more details 

Accelerated Certificate in Company Direction 

Accelerated Certificate in Company Direction 

Date: 13- 18 October 2024 

Venue: Norton House Hotel, Edinburgh 

Member Rate £9,955 + Vat 

Non-Member rate £12,995 + Vat 

The IoD’s Accelerated Certificate in Company Direction 

five-day intensive residential course is set at Norton 

House Hotel in Edinburgh. This intensive residential 

course for experienced directors is designed to fit around 

your schedule, enabling you to be more effective in your 

director role in just five-and-a-half days. 

Why attend? 

Achieve the IoD Certificate in Company Direction in a 

flexible way and without taking focus away from your 

professional life. 

Who will benefit? 

Any busy director who simply cannot take too much time 

away from the demands of their business and who is 

looking for a fast -track method of achieving the 

certificate in company direction. 

What’s involved? 

Using a practical approach, each of the four Certificate in 

Company Direction modules will equip you with the 

knowledge and skills needed for effective performance, 

covering the key areas of governance, leadership, finance 

and strategy. You will explore different business aspects 

first-hand by meeting course leaders and delegates from 

a mix of sectors and hear different perspectives, helping 

to broaden your understanding of your role. 

Practical learning enhanced by real-life scenarios and 

peer collaboration will provide you with the essential 

knowledge and skills for immediate application and 

maximum impact. 

This course is condensed into five days, all parts of the 

course are mandatory. 

“My experience of the Accelerated 

Certificate programme was probably 

the best learning week of my career so 

far, so clearly it comes very highly 

recommended.” 

Bernard Grenville-Jones CDir, 

MD, Activate Learning 

SUMMER 2024 

37

DIRECTION | EVENTS 


Events diary 

Ethical standards for directors 

IoD and London Stock Exchange - 

Ethical and behavioural standards 

of directors 

Date: 8 August 

Venue: Online 

Join this online webinar with London 

Stock Exchange we discuss ethical 

and behavioural standards of 

directors. 

Register to hear from the IoD, 

London Stock Exchange and 

Marketplace members Board Owl 

and MUFG Pension & Market 

Services we discuss ethical and 

behavioural standards of directors. 

The panellists will discuss practical 

and non-statutory mechanisms 

Maximise your Membership 


Time: 12pm - 1pm 

Venue: Online 


Join us for this virtual lunch time 

event as we explore the full range of 

benefits that come as part of your 

membership. 

Are you a member who gets the 

most out of membership? Are you 

keen to learn more about the IoD? 

Join us for an engaging lunchtime 

webinar where we’ll explore the full 

range of exclusive membership 

benefits of the Institute of Directors. 

Hear from our team of experts 

across the organisation how we 

support, represent, and set 

through which directors can be held 

accountable to apply high ethical 

and behavioural standards, and 

much more! 

To view all panellists and to book 

please do so through the London 

Stock Exchange (LSE) marketplace 

website HERE. 

Organiser: IoD Marketing Team 

marcomms@iod.com 

standards for business leaders, 

and discover how being a member 

can give you access to crucial 

information to help your business, 

favourable rates on professional 

development, perks and discounts 

with our affinity partners as well as 

put your views in front of 

government. 

We welcome all members and 

non-members to join to learn more 

about IoD membership. 

Organiser: IoD Events team 

t: 0131 557 5488 

e: events@iod.com 

Gleneagles connect and ramble 

Addressing mental 

health in workplace 

Aberdeen & Grampian 

The Importance of Workplace 

Mental Health for Directors 

Addressing mental health 


Time: 11:30am - 2pm 

Venue: Maryculter House, Aberdeen 

Cost: 

Members Free 

Non-members £10 

IoD Aberdeen and Grampian Branch 

is hosting an event on the 

Importance of Workplace Mental 

Health for Directors. 

Research from Deloitte (2024) has 

revealed that the cost to employers 

of poor mental health in the 

workplace is £51bn per year, with 

£24bn of that coming from 

presenteeism. At this event 

Shabnum Hanif, Integrity HSE’s 

Director of Clinical Psychology, will 

offer her insights into that figure and 

then explain the workplace 

measures that will yield up to £4.70 

back for every £1 that your business 

spends on addressing mental health. 

She will be joined by Steven Harris, 

Integrity HSE’s Managing Director. 

The event includes a networking 

lunch. It is open to IoD members, 

and those interested in becoming a 

member. 

Organiser: Patricia Huth 

t: 0131 557 5488 

e: Patricia.Huth@iod.com 

IoD Central Scotland 


Time: 10am - 2pm 

Venue: From Gleneagles Hotel 

Cost: Free 

Let’s take our business conversations 

outdoors! 

Connect with fellow directors as 

you explore the beautiful Perthshire 

countryside, with a brew and a bite 

to finish. 

IoD member Dave Stewart, 

founder and chief executive at The 

Fresh Air Leadership Company, is 

offering a ‘net-walking’ experience 

on Friday, 30 August at Gleneagles, 

Perthshire. There is no charge for 

this event. 

What exactly is a netwalk? Very 

simply it is networking while 

walking! Compared to traditional 

indoor networking it brings a range 

of benefits, not least wellness and 

creative thinking through inspiring 

landscapes. We will gather from 

10am for brews, butties, and indoor 

blether in the Dormy golf club 

restaurant before heading out on a 

very doable, generally flat 7.5 km 

circuit. We will be back by 13:45. 

This is an open event and an 

opportunity to share your 

experience of the benefits of IoD 

membership with other business 

owners! 


t: 0131 557 5488 




EVENTS | DIRECTION 

Roundtable with Anas Sarwar 

Glasgow & West of Scotland 

Roundtable lunch with Anas 

Sarwar MSP Leader, Scottish 

Labour Party 


Time: 10am - 2pm 

Venue: Glaschu, Glasgow 

Cost: Members £35 


IoD Glasgow & West of Scotland 

branch is delighted to invite you to 

this in-person roundtable lunch with 

Anas Sarwar.. 

Join IoD members, and other 

Embrace excellence 

Fife & Tayside branch 

Networking with IoD and FSB 

at Rusacks in St. Andrews 


Time: 5:30pm - 9pm 

Cost: Free 

Join us for the next in the series of 

our informal meet ups for Fife & 

Tayside Members. 

It’s a blend of relaxed networking 

and genuine connections, set 

against the backdrop of a space 

where comfort touches on the 

grand. For this event, we have 

teamed up with FSB Scotland to 

widen our audience and to ensure 

an even richer and productive 

networking environment. 

This gathering is an open invitation 

to both new faces and familiar 

Glasgow business leaders, for 

an exclusive three-course 

lunch at Glasgow’s wonderful 

Glaschu restaurant. This is an 

opportunity to hear from 

Anas and to discuss the issues 

that are impacting our 

businesses and society. 


t: 0131 557 5488 


members of our community, 

welcoming all who are part of the 

business world, regardless of your 

role or the size of your enterprise. 

It’s a chance to step away from the 

formalities, without stepping away 

from significance. 


t: 0131 557 5488 


Disabled talent is waiting for work 

Bridge the talent gap: Health and 

well-being starts with prioritising 


Venue: Online 

Time: 12.30 - 1.30pm 

Organisations are missing out on a 

vast pool of talent, with only 9% of 

the workforce comprising individuals 

with disabilities. 

Creating an inclusive work 

environment isn’t just about fairness; 

it’s about unlocking the full potential 

of your team. 

Leaders and directors play a 

crucial role in fostering inclusion for 

everyone, including those with 

disabilities and neurodiversity. 

Learn practical tips on creating a 

truly inclusive workplace for all. 

Discover how understanding 

neurodiversity can unlock innovation 

and empower your entire team. 

Organiser: Frances Fairclough 

t: 0161 521 9252 

e: Frances.Fairclough@iod.com 

Towards your CPD 

Introduction to IoD’s Certificate in 

Company Direction Programme 


Time: 9am - 10:15am 

Venue: Online 


Sample and experience an element 

of course content alongside other 

delegates and IoD’s course leader. 

Get a feel for how IoD’s director 

training is delivered. 

Have you been considering how 

you can enhance your impact and 

performance as a director? 

Do you want to gain the latest 

tools and techniques from expert 

practitioners who have a wealth of 

experience in board rooms across 

the globe? 

If you answered “yes” then this 

may be the most useful session you 

take this year. 

The session will be interactive 

featuring a Q&A with the course 

leader and Chartered Director and 

will also include a teaser activity 

from one of the Certificate in 

Company Direction modules. 

Our leaders will be Laura Watkins 

CDir, CEO Donaldsons Trust, The 

National Body for Neurodiversity, 

and Damon Clark CDir, IoD Course 

Leader. 


t: 0131 557 5488 


Summer Economic Update 



Venue: Online 

We will discuss the outcomes of the 

latest MPC report released by the 

Bank of England. Keep up to date 

with the trends and analysis by 

listening to IoD’s quarterly economic 

updates with the Bank of England. 

This members-only event will host 

the new IoD Chief Economist, to 

explore the latest UK economic 

outlook and what it means for 

directors and their businesses. They 

will be joined by Rob Elder from the 

Bank of England. 

Note: this event will be run under 

Chatham House Rules. 


t: 0131 557 5488 





IoD Claret Jug up for grabs at Falkirk GC 

Central Scotland branch 

IoD Scotland Golf Competition 

Pairs Competition 


Time: 11.45 start 

Venue: Falkirk Golf Club 

Cost: Members free 


donation to charity 

Sponsored by Ahead Business 

Consulting 

The IoD Scotland Annual Golf 

Competition is back for 2024 – with 

more spaces so more of you can 

compete! 

Do you have what it takes to 

topple our reigning champions Brian 

Williamson & Lawrence Connelly, to 

raise our coveted IoD Claret Jug 

(yes – we have a replica trophy!)? 

It is a Pairs competition (four-ball 

better ball stableford). You can enter 

as a pair, or as an individual and we 

will pair you up. Members are 

welcome to bring a non-member 

playing partner. 

It is free for members – if bringing 

a non-member then there is a £50 

donation to our charity partner, 

Committed to Ending Abuse (CEA). 

We are teeing off from 12.30pm. 

Please arrive from 11.45am for 

breakfast rolls and entry, with hot 

food and drinks on return to the 

clubhouse. 

We have tied this in with our next 

informal members’ drinks too, so 

you should have a crowd of nongolfing 

members to cheer you on up 

the 18th! 

If you don’t have a current 

handicap, we will allocate an 

appropriate one - please email your 

Drinks in the 19th hole 

Central Scotland branch 


Time: from 5.30pm 

We know connecting with your 

fellow directors is important, so 

join us at one of our regular 

informal networking catch ups. 

September’s event has been tied 

with our IoD Annual Golf 

Competition at Falkirk Golf Club 

handicap (or none if you don’t have 

one) to iod.scotland@iod.com. 

The winning pair will receive a 

trophy and bottle of bubbles each 

– but more importantly the right to 

call yourselves the IoD Scotland Golf 

Champions for the next year! 

The event is sponsored by Ahead 

Business Consulting. 100% of 

non-member costs go to charity. 

About Committed to Ending Abuse 

CEA supports adults, children and 

young people in the Falkirk area 

who have been affected by 

domestic abuse and trauma. 


t: 0131 557 5488 

(see above), so you can watch the 

teams play up the 18th, and 

celebrate with the winners. 

There will be hot food from 17.30, 

and the first round (or two) is 

offered by our event sponsor 

Ahead Business Consulting. 

September Drinks – plus special 

spectator viewing of the annual 

IoD Scotland Golf Comp! 

The Director’s Quarterly Update 

Date: 8 October 


Venue: Online 

Cost: Free 

Get valuable insights on the state of 

the UK economy and how it could 

impact your business at the 

Director’s Update virtual event on 8 

October. 

The report examines the state of 

the UK economy together with 

regulation, legislation and 

government policy relevant to 

directors. It is exclusive to IoD 

members. 

The event wil be led by four 

experts in their field: 

Alex Hall-Chen, IoD 

Alex Hall-Chen is a senior policy 

advisor at the IoD. 

Anna Leach, IoD 

Anna is a macroeconomics and 

policy professional, and was most 

recently deputy chief economist at 

the CBI. She brings a wealth of 

experience in macroeconomic and 

business survey analysis. 

Dr Roger Barker, IoD 

Roger has been the IoD’s director 

of policy and corporate governance 

since September 2020. 

He also served as director of 

corporate governance and 

professional standards at the IoD 

from 2008-2016. 

Emma Rowland, IoD 

Emma is a policy advisor at the 

IoD specialising in international 

trade and EU affairs. She also runs 

the IoD’s policy market research 

activities. 


t: 0131 557 5488

IoD Scotland Summer 2024

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