A look back at the couple of weeks before Easter, when it felt like everyone else was getting ready for annual leave!
So I'm cheating a bit as this first entry is a while back, but I just wanted to give a shout out to the amazing group of people who got together to work with my good friend Jackie Campbell, who fundraises tirelessly for Roxburghe House and Rachel House. Lots of gorgeous women turned up to grab a bargain, and I'm delighted to say that we helped raise £4K in sales on the day with a further £1k plus in ticket residue to add. A feel good Sunday indeed!
Well this week was chock-a-block with meetings, starting with a full day of team annual reviews, a new menu open evening at Italian Grill and a catch up on the Employability, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Action Group at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design.
A meeting regarding office space for the Chamber, an update with Callum Falconer on Dundeecom and the decommissioning agenda, followed by a Trustees Meeting for the Chamber's charity, The George R Donald Fund.
In amongst all of that we celebrated Tartan Day at the City Chambers, where we heard from Susan Wilson, who is the Principal Officer for the U.S. Consulate General in Edinburgh, and Dundee's Lord Provost Bob Duncan. We have much in common with our transatlantic cousins, from our own versions of Dennis the Menace to identical Rabbie Burns statues and much inbetween. We enjoyed a tasting from Arbikie Distillery and created international connections. Thanks to Cllr John Alexander for making things happen!
Thursday started with a Directors' Operational Group at our offices at City Quay - a chance to catch up on any decisions we need to take, prepare for the upcoming Board meeting and discuss operational issues.
At lunchtime we thoroughly enjoyed the new menu at the Apex Hotel, where Brett, the GM, and his not-so-new Head Chef have been working hard to create a menu full of local produce and an atmosphere in the Brasserie where you can go and have a business lunch and be sure that you and your guests will have a great experience. The highlight from the starters was the White onion soup with St Andrews cheddar, and the venison pie pictured was perfect for main (Apex's version of the Dundee Peh!).
Then it was back to the office to Chair the Dundee Employer Engagement Group, which will help agencies be more coordinated when it comes to approaching employers, be reactive to employer needs by signposting to others in the group and help connect employers to the support that is in the city when it comes to finding the right people, the right training solution or the right support for managers. A good first meeting!
So this week we hit holiday season as most of the team take some time off to enjoy the school holidays and dismantle a kitchen - wonder who will come back feeling most rested ;)
I blocked my diary off as a 'stay in the office' week then proceeded to do exactly the opposite - sorry Dan!
I've enjoyed a great meeting with Professor Derek Stewart at JHI hearing about their projects and city deal proposals, a personal development session which has made me think about organisational and personal values, and a good catch up with Angela Vettraino, the Developing Young Workforce team manager on what's been happening with her. Then a great close to the week with a really positive meeting with a member...hopefully tell you more about that soon!
I fully intended my week to be focussed on at my desk work, but what transpired was engaging, informative and lots to follow-up on, so holding the fort while others take their holidays has lots of benefits - and wins you brownie points too!
The Insights image is one from their social media last week which really resonated with me - if you don't follow them already - you definitely should do!
Together with Scottish Chambers of Commerce, DACC and Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce have planned a business mission to China later this month. Tuesday saw us get together at Malmaison to prepare and plan further with those travelling.
DACC's aim is to make connections, establish relationships and fact-find to develop business opportunities for local businesses, as part of this national programme which will see Business to Business connections made, delivering revenue for Scottish businesses, opening of new markets for exporters and attract inward investment. At the forefront of my mind is ensuring our Dundee and Angus businesses can benefit - if you are interested in trading with China, promoting your products or services, or are looking for investment, please drop me an email and let me know - either in advance of the visit, so that I can keep that in mind as I am there, or afterwards as we look to make the most of the connections we'll be making.
Scottish and UK trade is very important to our business community, but looking outward and connecting with contacts and customers globally is becoming increasingly important and we're proud to be able to play a part in this on your behalf.
So, now that my son is 18 I no longer get to enjoy a picnic in the park for rolling of eggs - in fact its a miracle of its own if he gets up while it's still light at the weekends!
So we swapped rolling eggs for the (very fast) rolling of tyres as he got to finally enjoy part of his birthday - a driving experience in supercars!
He carried off his most 'laid back excited' facial expression for over four hours on Saturday as he drove a Porsche Boxter, a Lamborghini Huracan and a Nissan GTR! He also enjoyed hot laps with a driver in the Lotus - why oh why did I not treat myself when I bought this experience for him?
Anyway, maybe we'll bring some of that fun and excitement to the Chamber - if not, it won't be for the want of trying. Making sure our region has got lots for people to see, do and experience will bring visitors flocking and keep them here for longer too.
Next on the wish list is a trip on the Tay with one of our new members, Pirate Boats - watch this space for your next adrenaline rush!
A modern university with a long history and a clear sense of our distinctive mission, highly regarded for our academic performance in areas with genuine relevance and impact on society and the economy, and with a community of talented students and academics who make us the success we are.
On every level, the College is a place where potential and ability is valued over background or ethnicity. It is an establishment where further and higher education is available and welcome to all.
Baker Hughes, a GE company (NYSE:BHGE) is the world’s first and only fullstream provider of integrated oilfield products, services and digital solutions. Drawing on a storied heritage of invention, BHGE harnesses the passion and experience of its people to enhance productivity across the oil and gas value chain. BHGE helps its customers acquire, transport and refine hydrocarbons more efficiently, productively and safely, with a smaller environmental footprint and at lower cost per barrel. Backed by the digital industrial strength of GE, the company deploys minds, machines and the cloud to break down silos and reduce waste and risk, applying breakthroughs from other industries to advance its own.
Balhousie Care homes provide residents with a happy, friendly, safe and caring environment coupled with an exceedingly high level of accommodation.
DC Thomson & Co Ltd is a private company and is one of the leading media organisations in the United Kingdom. The company publishes newspapers, magazines, comics and books. More recently, DC Thomson has expanded into the internet and digital developments including a major focus on genealogy.
Fuel dispenser manufacturer, exporting to most EU countries. Manufactured 70k plus dispensers of varying specification across Europe.
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
Dundee and Angus College is moving away from traditional thinking and focussing much more on careers not courses. It wants the people of the Dundee and Angus region to be better informed and prepared for the career options available to them, no matter what stage they are at.
Formed in 1999, mtc offers a complete rounded web development service. They provide the expertise and know-how to deliver web solutions to clients across a wide range of sectors. From branding, website development, eCommerce, content management systems and intranets, to search engine optimisation and email marketing.
Nobel Prize winning poet and honorary graduate Seamus Heaney has described the University of Dundee as ‘having its head in the clouds and its feet firmly on the ground.’ The ability to be both aspirational and down-to earth and to blend ground-breaking intellectual achievement with practical applications, has given the University its distinctive character.
Hillcrest Housing Association was established in 1967 and is one of Scotland’s largest Housing Associations. They provide housing and support in Dundee, Edinburgh, Angus, Perthshire and Fife, with over 5500 good quality, well maintained homes at affordable rents. In each area of operation there are local offices with housing advice teams who can provide an immediate response to the customers.
Jack of all trades...Master of them too.
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Castle Water is the leading independent water retailer in the UK. We supply hundreds of thousands of businesses, charities, and public bodies throughout England and Scotland. We provide water retail services to all types and sizes of organisation. We have expertise of working in hard to reach areas, ranging from dispersed rural sites to high density urban environments nationally.
We are SSEN Transmission, the trading name for Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission.
We are responsible for the electricity transmission network in the north of Scotland, maintaining and investing in the high voltage 132kV, 220kV, 275kV and 400kV electricity transmission network.
Our network consists of underground and subsea cables, overhead lines on wooden poles or steel towers, and electricity substations. It extends over a quarter of the UK’s land mass, crossing some of its most challenging terrain.
Our first priority is to provide a safe and reliable supply of electricity to our communities. We do this by taking the electricity from generators and transporting it at high voltages over long distances through our transmission network for onwards distribution to homes and businesses in villages, towns and cities.
Our operating area is home to vast renewable energy resources and this is being harnessed by wind, hydro and marine generation. Working closely with National Grid, the GB transmission System Operator, we also enable these electricity generators to connect to the transmission system by providing their connections and allowing the electricity generated by them to be transported to areas of demand across the country.
Scotland’s transmission network has a strategic role to play in supporting delivery of the UK and Scotland’s Net Zero targets. We’re already a mass exporter of renewable energy, with around two thirds of power generated in our network area exported to demand centres further south. By 2050, the north of Scotland is expected to need 40GW of low carbon energy capacity to support net zero delivery. For context, we currently have over 9GW of renewable generation connected in the north of Scotland.
As a natural monopoly, we are closely regulated by the GB energy regulator, Ofgem, who determines how much revenue we are allowed to earn for constructing, maintaining and renovating our transmission network in the north of Scotland. These costs are shared between all those using the transmission system, including generation developers and electricity consumers.
Following a minority stake sale which completed in November 2022, we are now owned 75% by SSE plc and 25% by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board.
As a stakeholder-led business, SSEN Transmission is committed to inclusive stakeholder engagement, and we conduct this at an ‘Advanced’ level as assessed by AccountAbility, the international consulting and standards firm.
Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc (MSIP) is an ambitious joint venture between Michelin, Dundee City Council, and Scottish Enterprise, created to generate economic growth in Scotland and support a fair and just transition to a net zero economy.
With a 32-hectare site and excellent physical connectivity, we offer dynamic space for all sizes of businesses to locate. As well as large, flexible space, our tenants will have access to an innovation campus, a Skills Academy, business, innovation and skills support, and competitive, green energy delivered from sustainable sources.
We are committed to working in partnership with industry, academia, government and the local community to transform Dundee into a key location for innovation that will progress emerging technology for a greener future.
