GLASGOW BUSINESS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
CONTENTS/PRESIDENT
Varry McMenemy, President
president@glasgowchamberofcommerce.com
Home and away wins for Glasgow
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In December, we launched the President’s Club, another significant development for Glasgow Chamber of Commerce. It is for those business leaders who make a significant commitment to work with Glasgow Chamber. We are asking them to form the ‘Home Team’, just as we’ve asked those Global Scots elsewhere in the world with a significant commitment to Glasgow to form the ‘Away Team’. We sent invitations out to around 200 business leaders to join the ‘Home Team’ and I am delighted to say that – at the time of going to press – more than 100 had already responded positively and agreed to join. We held a first meeting outlining
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this new approach in December and have been delighted at the positive reaction to the challenge and opportunity to serve Glasgow, its business community and help grow the city’s economy for the benefit of all. We have identified
News
Chamber news Glasgow news Partner news Member news New members
Events Forthcoming training
Past and forthcoming events
Glasgow Talks 6
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Features City economy
Trust
Airport takeover Wellbeing benefits Pensions
GBA winner profile: liGo
Column BIG Talks
Cover image: Claire McCracken, Senior Associate and Jack Gardiner, Partner, Corporate Team, Tods Murray LLP.
around 70 people, courtesy of the Global Scot list from Scottish Enterprise, who we are asking to form the Away Team along with Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde. We are asking the Home Team
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Business Improvement District 39 Fleet finance
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to hear the message the Glasgow Economic Leadership Board and its partners are developing about the city and to work with us to identify and secure business opportunities that will help Glasgow grow. Our invitation to the Away Team
is to visit Glasgow Chamber and tell us your story and how you see business developing. Let us see if we can identify opportunities for Glasgow business together. The development of the
President’s Club and the readiness of so many business leaders to ‘take to the pitch’ to play for Glasgow’s benefit was a fitting end to a year of real
achievement by Glasgow Chamber. Above all, Glasgow Chamber has played its part in doing all it could to improve the prospects and the trading environment for the Glasgow business community. This included our vocal support for a City Deal for Glasgow, a development that could prove an appreciable boost for the city region’s economy. Our Glasgow Talks programme has
again produced notable insights, some of which are drawn together in this issue, in a special feature on a theme vital to all our businesses: Trust. It is good to reflect on the strength
and depth of the city region’s business community as reflected in The Glasgow Business Awards and, in a different way, in our inaugural Inspiring City Awards. There are plans in place to strengthen both of these in 2014. The growth in the number of your Chamber’s Platinum Partners is another positive
we can reflect on. One of Glasgow’s
major strengths is the way that
everyone concerned with the city’s economy works together and we are pleased with the continuing strength of the relationships between Glasgow Chamber, the City Council and the Glasgow City Marketing Bureau. Glasgow Chamber also continues
to play an important role in facilitating the Glasgow Economic Leadership Board, whose work includes efforts to increase investment in the city. Your Chamber has had an
increasing focus over the past year on international trade, with a major day-long event on the theme, plus the trip to Dusseldorf and hosting our first overseas Influencers’ Dinner. As I take my leave of the
President’s role, I do so with personal regret that it is ending, but confident that Glasgow Chamber of Commerce is doing all it can to help our members trade, save, grow and influence.
Glasgow Business . 3
www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com
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