NEW GENERATION Scottishpower Has Energised the City Centre with Its Imposing, Newly-Opened Corporate Headquarters in St Vincent Street
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INSPIRATIONAL NEWS BREAKFAST BRIEFING AWARDS Honouring the 2017 The very latest from Looking at flexible and Meet the sponsors ICA supporters Glasgow and beyond innovative ways of working of The GBAs 2017 page 13 page 19 page 22 page 24 OCTOBER 2017 THE MAGAZINE OF GLASGOW CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NEW GENERATION ScottishPower has energised the city centre with its imposing, newly-opened corporate headquarters in St Vincent Street FREE TO CHAMBER MEMBERS / £4.99 FOR NON MEMBERS www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com 3 CONTENTS 04 24 We are always focused Meet all the sponsors on our members of The GBAs 2017 07 30 All the latest news Update on the work from the city of our key partners 08 32 Meet Mark Bowen 13 Diligence is key for of ScottishPower company transactions 10 08 36 Fresh hope in Create bespoke rates struggle entertainment 11 39 Glasgow Chamber is Investing in the leading the agenda future generation 19 12 24 44 Bringing Chamber A warm welcome to views to the fore all new members 13 45 The organisations Meet our strategic and supporting the ICAs platinum partners 18 46 Meet the winner of People on the move the survey prize draw Editor: Anne Marie Hughes Production: 18 19 21 22 Roisin McGroarty Design: Ryan Swinney Advertising: Contact Publicity Meet the Leader Shining the spotlight Maximising investment Looking at flexible Chief Writer: Kenny Kemp Influencer Dinners on our members in Glasgow city region ways of working 4 www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com PRESIDENT Inspiring talks articulate our Chamber’s worth Neil Amner, President [email protected] he Chamber’s mission is to support our members see family, were taking time off from their vacations to speak and champion Glasgow. As you will see in this issue, to the senior development programme. the Chamber team has been particularly active in And a fascinating insight it was too. I intended to only doing just that in recent weeks. In my own case, make a welcome introduction and then disappear back to Tthat has included attending the launch of the new Scottish my office client work, but both talks were so powerful that I Maritime Cluster, speaking at the Inspiring City Awards, The stayed the whole two and a half hours. We were all rapt. Glasgow Business Awards and attending member influencer Gordon Boyle, who describes himself as an east end boy, dinners with the First Minister and the Leader of Glasgow City started out in the city’s Sunblest bakery and has risen, excuse Council and separately with the Leader of the Opposition. the pun, to the height of the immediate past president and Our focus at the Chamber is naturally on the economy. CEO of the massive BMMI food and beverage group, based in We want Glasgow to grow, to be the obvious place for Bahrain. He has lived in the Middle East for 22 years and has profitable businesses to develop and to trade all around immense regional knowledge, some of it, which he shared the world and to generate wealth for all of our citizens. A with the group. successful economy, however, is an organic thing. It needs Ken Donnelly, originally from Bellshill and who studied the right conditions to flourish. That is why we focus so much maths and computing at Glasgow University, comes from a on Glasgow as a place that is attractive as a destination for technology background rather than a pure banking one. He leisure and tourism, for education and as somewhere to talked about how we need to think more seriously about how invest personal capital – to put down roots. we engage in the financial world. His insight was electric. One of the great pleasures of being the Chamber’s As a Chamber of Commerce, we often struggle to articulate President therefore is to meet international business people the benefits of joining the Chamber and playing an active who have a place in their hearts for Glasgow and give of their role. I think this session alone, with these two great people time to support us. who were raised in the west of Scotland and therefore In August, I had one such meeting. It was a gathering in understand our city and culture, was worth its weight in gold. the Chamber’s Boardroom when Ken Donnelly, the It was one of these special occasions where both Director of Global Risk for the Bank of America, and speakers were open and free with their advice and Gordon Boyle, the former head of the massive suggestions. Both Ken and Gordon genuinely want BMMI group in the Middle East, spoke to the to help Scotland and Glasgow. They didn’t come Chamber’s Glasgow Flourish Senior Development to Glasgow for the weather but they were warmly Programme. This was put together and organised received by every one of the Glasgow Flourish by Connie Young, who is the co-ordinator programme members. I’d like to publicly thank of the Chamber’s President Club and the them both and look forward to welcoming them Managing Director of Inspiring ChangeMakers. again in the future. The President’s Club is an important means What is perhaps most instructive is that Ken of engaging senior and influential and Gordon are just two of the many leaders throughout Glasgow, the international Scots and locally based city region and beyond. senior figures who give of their Hearing first-hand from time to support our members both Ken and Gordon was and our city region. It is that sort a privilege for all of us. It’s a of generosity of spirit and the wonderful example of the sparks it creates that keeps kind of networking and the Chamber alive, relevant introductions that the and useful. I would Chamber undertakes, encourage you to take often without much an active role in the fanfare. Both guests, Chamber, and wish who were returning to to thank those of you the west of Scotland to who already do so. www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com 7 CITY ROUNDUP Stick to what you know Watson gives an elementary lesson on the how to exit business successfully ow to be dominant in a becoming one of the best spirit label was over, particularly as other UK specialist market and remain producers in the world. printing businesses were under the fastidious in delivering first- He will reveal his initial dismay at his cosh. Over the following 18 months, rate quality to customers is business being put under the financial the firm battened down the hatches Hat the heart of John Watson’s business microscope by a global drink customer, to improve its financial position. success story. But the award-winning but also his delight when it was revealed Then, a chance meeting with Nigel Glasgow entrepreneur will also reveal his print business came out on top. Vinecombe, President and CEO of how the magic numbers of EBITDA “We were judged one of the top 10 Multi-Color Corporation (MCC), based in helped to maximise a multi-million label printers in Europe, out of more Cincinnati, at a print industry dinner in pound exit in 2013. than 20,000. That attracted a great Glasgow rekindled a new bid. The deal, Mr Watson OBE speaking at Glasgow deal of attention,” he says. concluded on 1 October 2013, was done Academy in a lecture at the invitation He will speak about why high-quality in two weeks, mainly in the office of of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, will spirit labels for the likes of Chivas Regal Chamber members Wylie & Bisset, and be talking passionately about the family (with up to 10 colours and gold foil was disclosed in MCC’s annual report as business, John Watson & Co, started in embossing), Balvenie and Glenfiddich a $21.6 million consideration. 1824, which he took over as Managing are in the premier league of printing The company has now moved to new Director aged 28. He will reveal how he and why he resisted the option of premises at Clydebank and a condition steered its path to become the leading mass-market volume. He will also reveal of sale was that there would be no glue-applied spirit label producer in the his battle to secure bank funding in compulsory redundancies, with most UK at a time when generalist Scottish Scotland to buy a £2.2 million state- of the 100 staff agreeing to continue print houses went to the wall. of-the-art Gallus printing press from working with MCC. “I loved every minute. It’s the old Switzerland with the facility to print The lecture, supported by Glasgow story, if you love the job you’re in, PSL (pressure sensitive labels) which Chamber of Commerce, entitled ‘Fifty you never work a day in your life,” allowed faster spirit bottling plants to Years at the Coalface … and Exit’ is on he explains. apply labels more rapidly. Thursday 26 October at the Watson Mr Watson OBE will describe how When Mr Watson was first Auditorium, The Glasgow Academy, he began at the family’s Townhead approached to sell his business to Kelvinbridge, at 5.30pm. business by “over-printing” Black & a leading international Canadian For further details, please White whisky labels, and prospered company, he knew little about how contact our Events Department as he super-served his clients, multiples of EBITDA valued his on 0141 204 8319, email marketing@ creating a “commando unit” with a business. When he and his co-directors glasgowchamberofcommerce.com computer graphics firm, JW Graphics, took cold feet and rejected a lucrative or visit the website www.glasgow to stay ahead of the competition, offer, he thought his exit opportunity chamberofcommerce.com 8 www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com INTEL Mark Bowen UK Marketing Director, ScottishPower The essential things that keep daily life on track Mobile phone, travel app, communications technology, business websites – and mum’s sage advice What technology (from gadgets to software, including apps) makes your working life easier? Like most people, my phone is never too far from my side, and I’m very much an iPhone advocate.