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Scottish Enterprise

Positions & Achievements

Head of Company Development (1990-1993)

Headhunted by Scottish Enterprise to work with Growing Companies. Developed the team and created a group of 30 ex-senior industrialists who worked with new and growing companies to help them identify and deal with issues of growth. It worked with a range of companies to help them define where they were going and some have gone on to become large international plc's who are market leaders in their sector. The organisation became so successful that it ‘spun out’ to become a successful private company.

Director of Business Development (1993-1996)

As part of the Senior Management Team of Scottish Enterprise I was responsible for developing and leading the Business Birth-Rate campaign which has increased Scotland's rate of business creation, leading to a permanent change in the cultural view in Scotland towards entrepreneurship. This was achieved by a focused program of public and press activity. I also created new experiential education programmes in schools and universities in partnership with the private sector, as well as being the initial funder and one of the founder members of the Entrepreneurial Exchange in Scotland which has gone on to become one of the most influential bodies of its type. (http://www.entrepreneurial-exchange.co.uk/)

As part of this total role was in charge of Scottish Development Finance the commercial equity arm of Scottish Enterprise which acted like a venture capital company in the way it operated. As well as investing about £4 million per annum in equity in companies (which levered in another £40 million from the private sector) we produced innovative financial initiatives and mechanisms to improve the capital competitiveness of new and existing companies. The latter included the creation of the Scottish Equity Partnership in which I successfully created a unique at the time new vehicle to raise £25 million in the first public/private venture capital fund. This included a creative way of using EIF funds to underwrite private sector investment. That fund was so successful that it invested and returned profits to its investors within 5 years. The success of this fund led to the spinning out of the investment arm of Scottish Enterprise after I had left the organisation and it has since raised 3 other funds privately the last being in the range of 3120 million and Scottish Equity Partners has grown to be the leading private sector equity investor in Scotland. (http://www.sepl.co.uk/)

Director, Overseas Business Development (1996-1998)

I was based in Boston Massachusetts with a remit for the whole of North America. I created and established a network with strong links to North American financial institutions, Scottish ex-patriot communities, and US Federal and State agencies to allow Scottish companies and organisations wishing to establish themselves physically in North America to do so more easily. Also raised Scotland's profile in those constiuencies which has helped to develop different and more lasting links since then both by business but importantly by the devolved Scottish Governement.

Acting Director – Scottish Science Trust (June 1998-July 1999)

On return from the US I worked with the incoming Chair, Sir John Shaw, of this independent body to refocus, reformulate and reorganise it so that it could deliver its mission of co-ordinating the work of the Science Centres in Scotland with the objective of increasing the public understanding of Science. Up until that time each of the Science Centres had been going their own way even though part of the funding was tied to them co-operating and working together so as not to duplicate what was on offer to the public. This was achieved and involved recruiting a new Director.

Executive Director – Scotland the Brand (1999-2000)

Was appointed to review, reorganise and lead this business so that it could develop and grow strategically and operationally by creating customer value and revenue to secure its financial future, as well as form a wider view of 'Scotland's Identity' outside of the international trade sector. This involved bringing together customers and stakeholders as well as reformulating the structure of the organisation. The proposition that I produced for Scotland was widely accepted internationally and I made many presentations in the UK and North America on the subject to a wide variety of audiences. Many of its parts and values have since been used by many bodies incuding the SNP as part of their aims for Scotland both at home and abroad. Unfortunately in 2000 the direction of the organisation did not fit with the then Governement's view of where Scotland was to go so it went back to being a trade only focused organisation and was closed down in 2003.

Project Director – Millennium Epcot Project(1999)

While at Scotland the Brand I led a team which designed, developed and implemented a Scottish Pavilion at the Epcot Centre in Florida for their Millenium Celebrations. The project was delivered on schedule, under budget and generated positive outcomes for both Scotland as a whole as well as individual companies. Part of the real joy of the project was recruiting and working with a group of young Scottish graduates who worked on the exhibit in Florida for the year it was open, and who in many differing ways enjoyed and benefitted from their stay.

I decided after 10 years at Scottish Enterprise to return to the private sector so took early retirment from the organisation in 2001.