8 . Glasgow Business April 2015
CHAMBER CHAT
With Brian Fulton, Operations and Finance Director for Holdfast Entertainment and Director, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce
BUSINESS Describe your role/job? I am the Operations and Finance Director for Holdfast Entertainment. We run nightclubs in Glasgow and Aberdeen. My role goes from ensuring that all our
customers are having fun in a safe environment, to ensuring that we are supporting and developing our staff in a well-run, profitable business. What skills do you bring to the table/are required in your role? I am a chartered accountant running a nightclub business. Each night of the week is a different product, and these products have a shelf life. My role involves creating an environment where ideas flourish and are taken from concept to reality. What has been your career high point? Steering the group through the economic downturn and the change in relationships with the banks.
What’s the best thing about Glasgow Chamber of Commerce? The people. There are so many things, such as the support, business contacts, lobbying and events, but it all comes back to the people, from the staff within the Chamber to the Council Directors and the Management Board, which I have been fortunate enough to be involved in. What one thing would you wish for Glasgow in the future? It is happening already! If it had not been for the Chamber, the Sauchiehall Street BID project would not have happened. With this in place, supported by the local businesses, we have been chosen by the Council as the first district in the city to benefit from the regeneration programme.
PERSONAL What do you do to relax at the weekend? DIY. We are in the process of converting a house, so most weekends are spent doing that. I have to say it has the opposite effect on my family.
What is your favourite city outside the UK? Maseru, Lesotho. I worked a construction job there after university and it opened my eyes to how lucky we are in the UK. That said, the people were the happiest I have ever come across. Name your favourite book, film and album? Driving over lemons – Chris Stuart Raising Arizona – Coen Brothers Buena Vista Social Club – Ry Cooder. What is your most embarrassing or humbling experience? I can do humbling and embarrassing. I fell (stepped) off a moving bus in London two weeks before my wedding. I was very lucky to survive. Although we had to cancel the honeymoon, the wedding went ahead and the advertising agency I worked for sent me a crash helmet signed by everyone. If you could host a dinner party with four guests (two living, two dead), who would you choose? It would have to be my two sons and my two grans – that never happened. I think it would be fun to just sit back and listen.
Tell us your stories of trading abroad... Benefit of Belonging
Chamber Business Resources
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Business @ The Mitchell to offer its members business research support using a range of resources which would be the envy of most multinational companies. It’s your direct line to an incomparable
Has your business had experience of growing its international business? We would like to hear about it. Glasgow Chamber of
Commerce is seeking examples of members’ real experiences in growing their exports of goods and services. What tips do you have from
your experience in the dos and don’ts of increasing your trade with overseas partners and customers? Can you share your
experience to inform, inspire and perhaps even warn fellow Chamber members of the path you took in expanding international trade? What
worked and what didn’t? Please tell us your stories
and we will look at featuring them in future issues of Glasgow Business. Let us know by email to our
Head of Communications, Anne Marie Hughes, at annemarie. hughes@glasgowchamber
ofcommerce.com
list of industry standard online resources, with information professionals on hand to help you transform knowledge into success. Most of the services are FREE or discounted where charges apply. For further information, visit Glasgow
Chamber’s website (
www.glasgow
chamberofcommerce.com/ membership/ chamber-business-resources). For more information on all Chamber Benefits of Belonging, please contact Susan McKay on 0141 204 8347 or email:
susan.mckay@
glasgowchamberofcommerce.com
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