On the 3rd of October 2003, two Swedes, Anna and Mike drove off the ferry in Newcastle towards Edinburgh, more specifically Leith Links. The place to be… according to our short previous experience of the city. We moved to Leith without the common prejudice about the wonderful home of Trainspotting. What we didn’t know then, […]
Enabling businesses to grow and attract the right talent is essential for the life sciences sector Scotland has always had talented people at the forefront of the life sciences sector making life-changing discoveries for the benefit of mankind. From Alexander Fleming and the discovery of penicillin to John Mallard developer of the MRI body […]
The latest Life Science strategy for Scotland continues the drive to ensure that Scotland is the location of choice for life sciences businesses, researchers, healthcare professionals and investors whilst increasing the sector’s contribution to Scotland’s economic growth. It’s a successful approach. The latest EY attractiveness survey shows Scotland attracted 122 FDI projects in 2016, remaining […]
Scotch Whisky leads the way for Scotland’s food and drink exports around the world. Wherever I have travelled – from the US to the Middle East, from Hong Kong to Brussels – people know about Scotland’s national drink, many have tried it and, of those, I have found a lot of whisky enthusiasts just passionate […]
More than 700 life sciences companies call Scotland home, with the industry employing over 37,000 people and turning over in excess of £4.2 billion per year (a figure which is predicted to rise to £8 billion by 2025). Scotland has been, and continues to be, responsible for some of the greatest innovations in the life […]
You’re ready to accelerate growth and scale your customer base. You want to be proactive but it’s not clear where to start within the boundaries of the resource you have available. Here’s where to start; collect data that reflects the customer’s response to everything you do. It’ll become your own Big Data and will enable […]
As a parent I liked to think I have instilled a sense of healthy eating to my children and I am immensely proud of them both. I recall my son at the age of 6 announced loudly at a friend’s house, I can’t drink this juice… it contains 38% sugar. His sister however counters his […]
It’s not often that HMRC gives you a present. Well, if they do then why not open the box? Since its introduction in 2013 HMRC has been encouraging companies with patented products or exclusive licenses to opt into its latest lucrative tax inventive – Patent Box. The incentive was introduced in order to promote the […]
THE life sciences sector in Scotland employs almost 40,000 people and its 700 businesses turn over £4.3 billion – but its ambitions reach much, much higher. The Life Sciences Strategy for Scotland, published in February, aims to increase the industrial turnover of the sector to a whopping £8bn by 2025. It looks like a stretch […]
“We are moving from a consumer market that is motivated by deference to one of reference.” is the topic of my talk at the up and coming Scotsman conference in November on food and drink. What on earth does that mean? Since the second world war mass produced products were developed into big brands by […]