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www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com CHIEF EXECUTIVE
City’s aspirations create a quiver of excitement
Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive
chiefexecutive@glasgowchamberofcommerce.com
I
often get a quiver of excitement running down my spine when I witness Glasgow businesses that are doing something genuinely world-class. I had this sensation when I visited Speyside to see the fabulous new distillery
and visitor centre created by Edrington, the Glasgow drinks company who are based a few minutes’ walk from the Chamber offices. You cannot be reminded more vigorously of the quality
of our members than when you witness what Edrington has just done with the launch of its space-age distillery for Macallan at Craigellechie on Speyside. Macallan is the premium brand leader in single malts across the world. It is not just the £140 million investment on a spectacular new place but the muscle thrown behind a global product that is managed, marketed and distributed from Glasgow. It is this kind of vision and ambition that continually rekindles my optimism about the future of Glasgow. The Edrington Group, headquartered in Queen Street, gives a large part of its profits to the Robertson Trust, set up in perpetuity by the Robertson sisters, Elspeth, Agnes and Ethel, whose grandfather William Robertson built his whisky business in Glasgow in the 1850s. Not only do we have a Glasgow company of this stature making something tangible that is distributed and exported all around the world, but the profits also go back into the Scottish community. What a phenomenal thing this is for Glasgow. When I spoke with Ian Curle, Edrington’s Chief Executive, and Crawford Gillies,
the Chairman, I could sense their excitement too. When they developed their thinking for the visitor centre and distillery, they wanted world-class industrial benchmarks, which included the likes of the BMW factory and visitor centre in Bavaria. This kind of world-class ambition must be applauded. Perhaps the narrative of Glasgow has played down the
commercial importance of our Scotch heritage. While we have to acknowledge that some Glaswegians have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, the consumption of premium- brand whisky is something different and part of a massive global industry. So let’s not forget Macallan is an aspirational premium brand. And again, a visit to the new Glasgow Distillery reminded me of the history of the city’s other whisky barons. Founders Liam Hughes, Mike Hayward and Ian McDougall have been working to establish the first new distillery in the city for 100 years. Perhaps we need to see the ‘Spirit of Scotland’ as a truly economic success for the city. One of my other indicators of ambition for the city is to see how many cranes are dotted around the Glasgow skyline. So it is pleasing to see two tower cranes have now been installed by Multiplex, the main contractor on Glasgow University’s Learning and Teaching Hub site. The cranes feature the logo of University of Glasgow, a Chamber Platinum Partner, on one side. Multiplex are building the walls
of the LTH building now that they have finished installing the foundations. Here I have been fortunate
to hear first-hand about the University of Glasgow’s ambitions which will involve many businesses in the city.
There’s an update on the Innovation District elsewhere in this magazine. Ambition for Glasgow is what we crave – and I hope it won’t be long before there are new shivers of excitement to make those hairs stand up on the back of my neck!
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