Scotland's Economy

  • Scottish Development International Annual Results

    30th May 2012 by

    Getting companies to invest in their growth is vital if we are to get Scotland’s economy moving again. That’s why I was delighted to announce SDI’s annual results this month, which show how we’ve been supporting Scottish companies to take advantage of new international trade opportunities.

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  • Scotland showcases offshore expertise

    1st May 2012 by

    Attended by 70,000 delegates and 2000 exhibiting companies from over 110 countries, OTC represents a huge opportunity for Scottish businesses to develop new global trading opportunities.

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  • Say ‘yes’ to leadership for growth

    26th April 2012 by

    This morning I spoke to around a hundred Scottish companies on the topic of leadership for growth at the B2B Scotland 2012 event. I try to highlight this topic as often as possible as I firmly believe that leadership has not received the prominence it should have.

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  • Showcasing Scotland in Korea

    20th April 2012 by

    The final day of my trip to Korea begins with a media conference to explain the purpose of the trip – to pursue Korean investment and to promote Scottish business interests. I am accompanied by Frank Boyland and Howard Jang (both of SDI in Asia), Adrian Gillespie (Energy Director of Scottish Enterprise) and Ewen Cameron (SDI Head of Food, Drink and Textiles).

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  • Exploring new opportunities in Osaka

    18th April 2012 by

    The third and final day of the Japan leg of my trip started with a call to Rolto, an existing investor in Scotland who own Mentholatum in East Kilbride. We talked over the expansion of the company’s product range and will work with them to try to make the most of this opportunity in Scotland.

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  • Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service Conference

    29th March 2012 by

    In Scotland, manufacturing has moved successfully over the past few decades from low value to high value niche markets and although the overall numbers employed have fallen, Scotland is still home to more than 8000 manufacturing companies – 93% of which are Scottish owned.

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  • Edinburgh secures Green Investment Bank

    8th March 2012 by

    I’m delighted Edinburgh has been chosen to host the headquarters of the Green Investment Bank. This is the right decision, recognising Scotland’s position at the vanguard of the renewables revolution and follows an excellent and professional bid campaign.

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