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North-east Business Leaders Get Set for ACSEF Summit

Finance Secretary John Swinney Speaks to Delegates

More than 200 business leaders from across the North-east are to gather this week for one of the region's highest profile business events - the third ACSEF (Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future) summit.

ACSEF - the only private public sector partnership of its kind in the UK - will reveal its plans for sustainable growth of the local economy against the backdrop of the current economic climate. The summit, which is to be held on Thursday (June 11) at the AECC, will also examine the need for both businesses and public sector organisations to take calculated risks on key projects to grow the economy.

John Swinney, the secretary for finance and sustainable growth, will feature at the summit by sending a message to the delegates. He has hailed ACSEF as one of Scotland's best examples of private public partnerships which is working together to get things done.

ACSEF chairman Tom Smith will open the summit with a review of what has been achieved in ACSEF's action plan and what is still required to ensure Aberdeen City and Shire continues to position itself as a vibrant and leading region at the forefront of economic development.

Industry leaders will then engage in a vibrant debate about the future of the region's key industry sectors - energy, life sciences, tourism and food and drink - before Sir Ian Wood and Susan Rice, Scottish Director of Lloyds Banking Group, give keynote presentations focusing on the region's position within a global economy.

Sue Bruce and Colin Mackenzie, the respective chief executives of Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council, will then lead a full and frank debate on how the region makes things happen.

Tom Smith said: "ACSEF aims to deliver long-term economic prosperity for the region by bringing together the key players in driving economic growth and the summit is an important medium for facilitating this and keeping businesses informed of developments.

"Since our first summit in 2007, significant progress has been made in that we are delivering what businesses asked for - action - particularly in our priority areas of transport, planning and city centre regeneration, skills development and inward investment.

"A number of initiatives, including deliberately ambitious projects, are steadily moving forward and these are projects which have real potential to position the region as a competitive, resilient and vibrant location. This is particularly positive, especially in light of the current climate, as it demonstrates that we are looking ahead and working to ensure that the region is well-placed to capitalise on the upturn in the economy when it comes and not have future growth constrained."

At last year's summit, ACSEF announced its new private sector led model to drive forward the partnership's substantial progress to date on the economic manifesto and bring about a step-change in the delivery of economic development.

This manifesto or action plan, which pulled together the ambitions of more than 1,200 organisations, aims to grow the economy and enhance the region's quality of life. These over-arching objectives will be achievable if ACSEF delivers against seven strategic priorities centred around transport, skills and recruitment, planning, city centre re-generation, internationalisation of the region's energy base and attraction of corporate headquarters.