Share

Business Success - The Collaborative Solution

Date: Thursday 25th August 2011

Time: 9.30am - 1.30pm

Venue:Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow

This half day event, chaired by Alf Young, will focus on how collaboration can help maximise business opportunities and provide the solution to some of your business challenges. There are many reasons why your business might choose to work in collaboration with like minded companies. Typically it can open up new market opportunities, perhaps internationally, and can help increase your buying or selling power. By working together to bid jointly for pieces of work you are in a better position to compete for the more lucrative contracts and open your business up to more opportunities which go beyond niche market activity.

Our keynote speaker, Raymond O’Hare, will draw on his considerable experience in guiding and supporting ambitious Scottish businesses to illustrate why businesses are more likely to be successful and attract attention if they collaborate, working together as a consortium. Using his experience and illustrating with examples Raymond will demonstrate why businesses should collaborate, how they should go about it, who they should collaborate with and what businesses can hope to achieve through collaboration. We will be joined by a panel of entrepreneurs who will demonstrate how they gained business success by working with others in their pursuit of innovation, productivity and growth. You will also have an interactive opportunity to seek collaborative solutions to your specific business issues.

Register for this complimentary event at http://bit.ly/jh4qxm

Helpline 0845 607 8787

www.scottish-enterprise.com/events

Business Success The Collaborative Solution

Thursday 25th August 2011

9.30am - 1.30pm

Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow

Programme

9.30am – 10.00am Registration

10.00am – 11.00am Speakers

Opening Remarks

Alf Young

Collaboration as a Driver of Economic Growth

Paul Lewis

Managing Director of Operations, Sectors &

Commercialisation, Scottish Enterprise

Maximising Business Opportunities Through Collaboration

Raymond O’Hare

Chairman, Institute of Directors Scotland

Case Study (1)

Virginia Sumsion, Argyll Food Producers

11.00am – 11.15am Coffee and networking

11.15am – 1.00pm Speakers and Interactive Discussion Groups

Interactive Discussion Groups – Addressing the Business Challenges

Case Study (2)

A newly formed collaboration of technology companies

Q&A

Panel

Collaboration Support

Sarah Deas

Director, Enterprise Projects, Scottish Enterprise

Summary and Close

Alf Young

1.00pm – 1.30pm Lunch and networking

1.30pm The Collaboration Zone

One-to-one sessions with

Co-operative Development Scotland advisers

Speakers and Biographies

Alf Young

Alf Young writes, broadcasts and comments on a range of issues affecting Scotland and the wider world. He retired in 2009 from The Herald, the leading Scottish broadsheet newspaper, where he was responsible for comment and opinion. For 22 years he also wrote his own columns on business, economic and political issues. Born and raised in Greenock, the son of a shipyard craftsman, he holds degrees in natural philosophy and education. He is currently chairman of Riverside Inverclyde, chairman of Social Investment Scotland which provides fi nance for the third sector and is an economic advisor to the Scottish Council Development and Industry. He is a regular speaker and facilitator at conferences and seminars.

Raymond O’Hare

Raymond O’Hare is Chairman of the Institute of Directors in Scotland, the former director of Microsoft in Scotland and is now a business strategist. He draws on his considerable leadership, management and sales experience to guide and support a number of small and medium sized ambitious Scottish businesses. In addition to this he continues to advise on a number of infl uential government and private/public sector groups.  Raymond was director of Microsoft in Scotland for five and a half years until the end of 2009 having spent twelve and a half years working for the Corporation in a variety of UK wide and Scotland focused roles and was responsible for Bill Gates’ only offi cial visit to Scotland in 2007. He holds a number of high profi le positions in Scotland including as a board member of Young Scot and of the Scottish Qualifi cations Authority (SQA). He is a member of the government’s National Economic Forum and Skills Utilisation Leadership Group. He has been a regular contributor to press and media over the last six years, including the national press and BBC Radio and Television. He also speaks regularly at conferences and events on the topics of practical leadership, technology trends and the importance of innovation in business and government.

Virginia Sumsion

Virgina Sumsion is marketing manager at Loch Fyne Oysters and a founding member of Argyll Food Producers a co-operative of seven food producers from across Argyllshire and the Clyde Islands. She is currently acting as Marketing Development Offi cer for the group. The member companies include Bumble, a maker of hand-made puddings; Barbreck Farms, a cattle and sheep farm producing its own beef and lamb products; Winston Churchill Wild Venison, a venison gamekeeper and producer and Loch Fyne Oysters, the seafood business. The co-operative sells its products as ready-to-eat food at events under the Food from Argyll banner. Formed in 2008, it has successfully traded at a range of events, including the Connect Music Festival, T in the Park and and the Rugby7’s Festival at Murrayfi eld. It aims to extend the joint branding to cover retail sales and involve a growing membership of Argyll producers.

Paul Lewis

Paul Lewis is Scottish Enterprise’s Managing Director of Sectors and Commercialisation. Paul is responsible for setting clear measurable policy and priorities for Scottish Enterprise’s operational teams to deliver in response to the Scottish Government’s economic strategy and the demands of priority and growth industries. He has signifi cant experience within Scottish Enterprise having undertaken roles in inward investment, urban regeneration and industries.

Sarah Deas

Sarah is Director of Enterprise Projects, Scottish Enterprise. She also leads Co-operative Development Scotland, a subsidiary of Scottish Enterprise, which has the remit to support the growth of co-operative enterprises throughout Scotland. Sarah’s professional background is in strategy, marketing and business development within international companies. She held senior management and board positions with Rexam plc, LinPac Plastics International, Fort Sterling, RBM Europa and Airport Advertising (Europe).

278 views