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showcase event, The Glasgow Business Awards in 2017 and 2018, while Jim McIntyre, its Regional Director, is Chair of the Chamber’s new Business and Innovation Policy Forum.


Stuart Yuill, who has been a Chamber Council Director for ten years, first became involved with the Chamber over 20 years ago as Bank of Scotland’s Area Director and then through the bank’s sponsorship of The Glasgow Business Awards for a number of years. “We sponsored The Glasgow Business Awards and did


so for a long time. In this role, I was a judge of a number of categories. This was very interesting and I got to know about both the Chamber’s work and the businesses that were making their mark in the city and beyond.”


So how would he view the value of being a member? “There are a number of reasons for businesses to become involved. It is like anything else in life, you get out what you put in. You can’t just sit back and expect things to come to you. You have to get engaged with the debate and the opportunities. By doing so, and it might not be apparent immediately, being engaged will bring opportunity.’’ Stuart Yuill understands it can be a lonely place running a business, and at the Chamber there are like-minded people who can share some of the burden of leadership.


members had to be in professional firms to be Chamber members, that has been swept away. Today’s member can range from a small tech start-up to a major whisky manufacturer. “In my view, the Chamber has been pretty successful in engaging the new kinds of business that are now making Glasgow tick.” This included the not-for-profit sector and the charities who have all become an integral part of the Chamber family. Stuart Yuill moved on from the bank and works with DSL Business Finance, a not-for-profit organisation, based in Govan, which provides loans to small and medium sized business. He had been a panel member of DSL on their credit committee and, when he left the bank, it was a natural step to join the board.


It is like anything else in


life, you get out what you put in”


How has the perception of the Chamber changed over this time? “To be fair to the Chamber, it might have had an external image of being a bit stuffy, but it has never been stuffy in the board room. And the events I’ve attended have all been exceptionally well-run, fun and informative.” He agrees the Chamber has made a big effort over the last ten years to make itself more relaxed and more engaged with a wider business community across a range of sectors. Twenty years ago, there was a perception that


“I get what it stands for. I like what it does and it serves a segment of the market that is often under- resourced and served. Its values make sense to me,” he said. Stuart also provides updates to the Chamber’s Policy Forum on employment and skills which is about developing the young workforce. He is clear that the Chamber’s involvement in explaining the changing world of work to educators and to pupils is an important task for the Chamber.


“We need to help develop Glasgow’s emerging work


force, so they have the right set of skills for life and for work in business. There are no longer jobs for life, so we need to teach adaptability and resilience. It is also about making it OK not to go to university, despite the huge focus on sending over 50% of our youngsters to university. It is not necessary and it’s not apt for the workforce of the future. We need to be helping with modern apprenticeship schemes and the like,” he said. The Chamber runs over 100 events a year, giving


access to a number of different styles of information and inspiration.


“It’s a pick and mix. You pick what you want to go to and what’s relevant for your business.”


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