business – Page 19 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Scotland’s economy: glass half full or half empty?

Just how real is the economic recovery? For some, the future’s certainly looking brighter but for many more life continues to be a daily struggle …

The economic recovery in Scotland is now becoming more embedded, Scotland Office Minister David Mundell said yesterday. Commenting on the latest Scottish Chambers of Commerce business survey, Mr Mundell also stressed that there was further work to be done.

Mr Mundell said: “As today’s Scottish Chambers of Commerce survey and other recent business surveys confirm, optimism amongst Scottish businesses continues to grow. Key performance measures have reached levels not seen since 2007 which is leading to more and more Scottish businesses looking to recruit new staff.

“The manufacturing sector continues to show robust growth with investment at its highest level in six years and export orders increasing for five consecutive quarters.

“As part of the UK, Scotland is doing well. Whilst our economic recovery is becoming more embedded there is still much work to be done. The Budget set out the next stage of our long term economic plan, making it easier for Scottish businesses to invest, to take on new staff and excel on a global stage.”

With business confidence rising, The Scottish Chamber of Commerce sees a brighter economic future for Scotland, The business organisation released their Business Survey results for the first quarter of 2014 yesterday.

“The hard work and determination of Scottish businesses is yielding positive outcomes for the growth of Scotland’s economy. All the indicators in this survey point to sustained economic growth as key sectors increase investment to expand activity, boosted by higher levels of business optimism”, said Scottish Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Liz Cameron.

“Investment intentions of Scottish businesses are encouraging with the manufacturing industry showing superb results with higher levels of investment than at any time in the past 6 years and robust growth in export orders shown by a consistent increase over 5 consecutive quarters. Whilst investment levels in the construction sector remain low, for only the second time in 5 years investment has not declined, and over 70% of businesses in the sector have either maintained or increased commercial and domestic orders compared with the last quarter. Promisingly, almost 90% of construction businesses surveyed expect employee numbers to remain the same or increase in the next 3 months and less than 14% reduced employment in the previous quarter.

“Higher levels of business optimism in construction, wholesale, retail and tourism is a positive signal for continued growth, as all sectors reported higher levels of confidence in Q1 2014 compared with the same quarter last year.

“However, despite these positive indicators, challenges still remain. The retail industry is expecting a decrease in profitability in 2014 which may point to stalled consumer confidence and seasonal patterns, but benefit may be drawn from positive growth in the tourism sector as confidence levels among hotels remained high and a rise in the use of conference facilities was also reported.

“The issue of skills shortages is becoming more prominent as businesses look to expand and invest. Businesses in the manufacturing sector are reporting difficulties in recruiting skilled & technical staff and the tourism sector are also reporting difficulties in recruiting managerial staff and chefs. It is vital that the organisations responsible for the development of skills provision, actively work with the business community to ensure employees are provided with the skills required to succeed.

“The buoyancy and optimism of Scottish businesses is to be commended but Governments in Scotland and the UK must facilitate opportunities for businesses to access affordable finance, particularly as cash flow remains a pertinent issue for businesses in construction and manufacturing. Alongside this, efforts to export internationally must be strengthened by policy makers to enable Scottish businesses to take advantage of global trade opportunities.”

However other senior figures believe the latest figures don’t tell the whole story and that much still needs be done – particularly for the lowest paid.

Responding to the latest Labour Market and GDP statistics Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) General Secretary Grahame Smith said: “These figures include some more positive news on the Scottish labour market but confirm that recovery remains very slow. As some focus on the level it is important to stress that the employment rate – a significantly more accurate measure of the health of the labour market – remains fully 3.5% below its pre-recession peak.

“Youth unemployment continues to stagnate at a high level with the unemployment rate for 16-24 year olds falling by only 0.1% in the year to December. We also know that far too many of the jobs that are being created are low paid and insecure whilst the number of those needing more hours at work to make a decent living remains far too high.

“STUC is not unduly concerned by the fact that Scottish GDP growth in the last quarter of 2013 was much lower than for the UK as a whole. We expect growth to catch up in the subsequent quarter. Far more concerning is the overall lack of evidence of economic rebalancing in Scotland and across the whole of the UK.”

And earlier this week The Trussell Trust, the UK’s largest foodbank network, reported that over 900,000 adults and children have received three days’ emergency food and support from Trussell Trust foodbanks in the last 12 months, a 163 per cent rise on the previous year’s numbers. The charity says that despite signs of economic recovery, the poorest have seen incomes squeezed even more than last year and more people are being referred to foodbanks than ever before.

The Trussell Trust’s Chairman, Chris Mould, said: ‘That 900,000 people have received three days’ food from a foodbank, close to triple the numbers helped last year, is shocking in 21st century Britain. But perhaps most worrying of all this figure is just the tip of the iceberg of UK food poverty, it doesn’t include those helped by other emergency food providers, those living in towns where there is no foodbank, people who are too ashamed to seek help or the large number of people who are only just coping by eating less and buying cheap food.

“In the last year we have seen things get worse, rather than better, for many people on low-incomes. It’s been extremely tough for a lot of people, with parents not eating properly in order to feed their children and more people than ever experiencing seemingly unfair and harsh benefits sanctions.

“Unless there is determined policy action to ensure that the benefits of national economic recovery reach people on low-incomes we won’t see life get better for the poorest anytime soon.

“A more thoughtful approach to the administration of the benefits regime and sanctions in particular, increasing the minimum wage, introducing the living wage and looking at other measures such as social tariffs for essentials like energy would help to address the problem of UK hunger.”

Pilton gala queen’s now Queen of Hearts!

Local businesswoman Ann Budge hit the headlines this week when it was announced that she would give financial support to Hearts fans in their fight to save the club. It’s not the first time Ann’s come to the aid of a struggling organisation – back in 2010 Ann, who was born and brought up in North Edinburgh, sponsored a NEN initiative called ‘An Inspiring Community’. Here’s the article:

An Inspiring Community?

This month, NEN launches a new feature, and we need your help and ideas. We want to showcase the successes and achievements of people who live or have lived in the North Edinburgh area and who have, in major and minor ways, helped to make North Edinburgh the vibrant community it is. Who inspired them? Have they gone on to inspire others? Have you or do you know someone who has achieved success against all the odds? Do you know someone who has done something really inspirational? We are looking to encourage people to believe in themselves and to show that humble beginnings need not be an insurmountable barrier to success. If you have been inspired by others or if you know someone who is inspirational, we want to hear about them.

In a regular feature over the coming months we will highlight the people who have made a difference, and later this year we plan to hold a gala event to showcase all that’s good about inspirational North Edinburgh.

The feature is kindly being sponsored by IT entrepreneur Ann Budge, who won the accolade of Woman of Outstanding Achievement in 2009 following an outstanding career of over 30 years in the computer industry. When she received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2005, Ann was described by Entrepreneur Exchange President Sir Tom Farmer as ‘a tremendous icon for all businesswomen’.

Ann is very much a local girl made good. One of five children, Ann was born and brought up in Royston, West Pilton and Drylaw. Dad Jimmy was a docker and Esther, her mother, was a cleaner at the Western General. She attended Pennywell School – which later became Inchview – and was West Pilton’s gala queen in 1960. Ann’s schooling continued as a bursary pupil at Trinity Academy, where she passed five Highers.

She then went on to study at Strathclyde University, where she gained an Honours Degree in Psychology. At that stage in her life Ann had no clear idea of what career path she would follow, and got into computing almost by accident. Following a comment from her sister – “Computers are the future; I don’t know what they do, but everyone is talking about them!” – Ann decided to find out more about computers and soon found herself on the first rung of the ladder in a new and developing industry. She was taken on by Scottish & Newcastle Breweries as a graduate trainee and quickly showed her aptitude for systems analysis in the then exciting new world of computers.

Following a series of management promotions over the next 12 years Ann was head-hunted to join her future business partner Alison Newell at F International, a visionary computing company that actively encouraged the wider participation of women professionals in IT – particularly those with dependants.

In 1985 Ann and Alison set up their own IT company Newell and Budge, which proved to be very successful and the partnership lasted until 2001 when Alison Newell decided to retire. Ann bought out her former partner, and the company continued to flourish – the annual turnover was then £38 million – attracting world-wide interest from the business community. In summer 2005 Newell and Budge was sold to French giant SOPRA.

Ann stayed on as Chief Executive of Sopra Group UK, responsible for over 1000 staff across the UK, Ireland, North America and India. One of the few women Chief Executives in the IT industry, she officially retired last year. An honorary degree from Robert Gordon University summed up her remarkable achievements in a traditionally male dominated industry: ‘Ann is an outstanding role model for women and an inspiration for everyone in computing”.

Ann is remarkably candid about her success, and her inspiration comes from very close to home.

“I laugh when I hear myself described as some sort of visionary entrepreneur – I don’t think I’ve ever had a vision in my life! For me, throughout both my education and working life, it’s always been about hard work and being the best you can be. My parents instilled in us from an early age the values of integrity and being honest. They were very encouraging and supportive, particularly my mother – as children we were all encouraged to do your best, but never pressurised. I was never boastful about being top of the class at school, but I know how proud it made my parents. I know the sacrifices that were made to give me all the support they could and I always had a strong desire not to let them down”.

She went on: “They were my role models and the values they taught us from an early age still hold true today: you get nothing for nothing, if you want to get on you’ve got to work for it, be honest with people and, most important, look after your family. We are still a very close-knit family”.

Despite a punishing work schedule that sometimes meant meetings in Edinburgh, London, Paris and India – all in a week – Ann has indeed always made time for family matters.

Ann’s sister said: “To us, Ann is our sister first and foremost, not only a very successful business woman; she is part of a family circle in which she plays a big part. Ann is supportive and inspirational to us all in many different ways. She spends a lot of time with her daughter, son in-law and granddaughter, she has a wonderful relationship with them, and as anyone who is busy knows this is never an easy balance to get right. Also her nieces and nephews have all benefitted from Ann’s willingness to give time to them and to listen and share ideas with them. She is always enthusiastic and encourages self belief in the younger members of her family. We are all very proud of her and her achievements”.

Ann also named two people from the world of commerce who she believes were influential on her career. “Lesley Wise, who was my boss at Scottish and Newcastle, was an absolute autocrat and a very strong leader. People respected him – maybe even feared him – because of his tough attitude. But in many ways he was a visionary, as he showed by encouraging and promoting woman within an industry which was predominantly a male environment. I enjoyed working with him, he taught me a lot about IT and business management and we worked well together – perhaps he found it harder to be horrible to a woman! Alison Newell had a very different management style – she really was a charismatic leader, the kind of woman you want to follow. They were very different in style and personality, but both were inspirational in different ways and I was fortunate to work with them both. I do believe in strong leadership – since early in my management career I’ve found that, for things to succeed, you’ve got to have strong leadership.”

So there is no magic formula to success, then?

“We came from a relatively poor background, but I was very fortunate because I had the right support at home. I was never an ultra-confident person, but I’ve always believed that it’s perfectly possible to succeed – in life and work – through hard work, self-belief and striving always to do your best”.

Strong leadership, support, hard work and striving to do your best – qualities that will now be tested to the limit as she takes on the toughest challenge she – and the Hearts community – have ever faced.

Blooming good news for Drylaw florist

Drylaw-based Curcuma Flowers has been accepted for the Good Florist Guide (GFG), a web based directory of the finest florists in the UK.

The prestigious accolade is only awarded to florists who really make the grade and allows customers to have an extra level of confidence that they are buying from the best, and local florist Fiona Smit said she was ‘delighted’ to be included in the Good Florist Guide.

Each florist shop or freelance florist invited to be in the guide has to pass a rigorous evaluation process before being approved. This meant Curcuma Flowers had to submit a detailed description of their floristry business, including range available and services offered as well as images of the business premises, their design work, their team and even the delivery vehicle!

But GFG businesses aren’t just some of the best looking, they also offer the very best value when it comes to buying bespoke floristry and flowers because not only are they true craftsmen but have the very best product knowledge to make sure the flowers and plants you buy from them will last for ages.

Commenting on their success Fiona Smit of Curcuma Flowers said; ‘We are delighted to be accepted into the Good Florist Guide. We are passionate about flowers, design, quality and the service we give to each of our customers so it is wonderful to have this recognised.’

Caroline Marshall-Foster, the UK’s leading expert on independent bespoke florists, is responsible for setting up the Good Florist Guide. Editor of Florist magazine, the florist industry’s bible, and owner of Purple Spotted Media, a multi-faceted company providing services to all sectors of the flower industry, the Good Florist Guide is Caroline’s way of sharing the knowledge she has gained through years in the industry.

She said: “You can buy flowers virtually anywhere these days. But nothing really beats the experience of receiving fabulous flowers from a truly bespoke florist and without it costing an arm or a leg. The Good Florist Guide is my way of sharing all that is good about floristry. It allows consumers to know that the florist they use is able and willing to go the extra mile and make all their purchases, big or small, truly special.”

New business workspace facility opens in Leith tonight

New workspaces for creative businesses opens formally in Leith tonight

Creative Exchange Leith provides 80 workspaces for individuals, groups or businesses, and aims to create a new hub for creative talent in the city.

Based in the former Corn Exchange building, a local landmark located close to some of Edinburgh’s leading creative agencies, the hub has been renovated to Grade A standard with an award-winning design.

All members can access a wide range of facilities and support including super-fast broadband, space for meetings, networking and exhibitions. Plus there are business support services ranging from start-up advice through to mentoring and help securing investment.

Councillor Frank Ross, Economy Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “What Creative Exchange offers is flexible and affordable workspace combined with the support that both new starts and existing businesses need. This is another major milestone in our strategy for jobs and I’m delighted that the Council has been able to work with others to make this happen – not just those who have funded it directly but many other private and public organisations that have given their very welcome backing.”

Iain Munro, Director of Creative Development at Creative Scotland, said: “Edinburgh needs affordable flexible creative spaces, with super-fast broadband, to support emerging and established creative entrepreneurs. This development is a welcome new opportunity to create a vibrant hub for networking, collaboration and showcasing of the Creative Industries in the capital city.”

Mandy Exley, Principal of Edinburgh College, said: “Edinburgh College is committed to excellence and innovation and the Creative Exchange provides an exciting opportunity for new and emerging talent to develop their businesses in a supported environment. We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with the City of Edinburgh and partners to support new business start-ups which contribute to the economic development of the region.”

Francois Roshdy, user experience Director, Border Crossing Media, said: “Facilities like this are absolutely vital to start ups and small businesses, allowing us to concentrate on developing new services and products without the worry or hassle of trying to find somewhere affordable to work. It’s also an ideal set-up for collaboration, and that’s so important to what we do.”

Costs range from just £80 a month for a weekend member, through to £320 a month for a ‘super member’ with full access. Users can also opt for a day rate. Rent, rates, heating and lighting are all included.

Funding for the project has come from the City of Edinburgh Council, Creative Scotland and Edinburgh College.

Edinburgh College has also agreed to fund around six students every year to take entrepreneurial residency at Creative Exchange Leith, receiving guidance and mentoring to start a new business.

The Creative Exchange’s first tenants moved in on 10 June 2013 and five businesses are now operating from there including Iglu Studio, Border Crossing Media, Voluntary Arts Scotland, SME Professional and Designers on the Run.

Potential tenants and others interested in Creative Exchange Leith can get more information and follow its progress via:

· Website http://www.creativeexchangeleith.com/

· Twitter @CExchange

· Facebook Creative Exchange Leith

· Google+

· Linked In

Three cheers as local companies win Queen’s Award for Enterprise

Three cheers as local companies win Queen’s Award for Enterprise

Mark Lazarowicz, MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, has written to congratulate three businesses based in the constituency who have just won the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise. The companies are:

· HotDocs a document automation software company

· Petroleum Experts Ltd which develops petroleum-engineering software programs used to model and manage oil and gas fields, and

· The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company Ltd which produces speciality beers extremely popular in Canada, Sweden and the USA (as well as course in the UK!)

Mark (pictured below) said: “Three of the 13 Scottish winners of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise are based in Edinburgh North and Leith which is a success that we can be very proud of. All three – HotDocs, Innis & Gunn and Petroleum Experts – have managed to achieve major export growth at a time when the UK, like other countries, is keen to rebalance its economy and increase export sales.

“The Awards also highlighted their investment in product development as a major factor in that success which is why it is so important to ensure that SMEs can get the funding they need. It’s good to see that we have three local companies which appear to be so forward-looking and successful in developing products that the rest of the world wants to buy.”

This year there are 152 winners of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, 13 of which are based in Scotland.

The Queen’s Award is the UK’s most prestigious award for business enterprise and the winners will be celebrated at events at Buckingham Palace and the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) on 23 July.

Selex chief becomes apprentice for a day

Selex ES Chairman Allan Cook CBE rolled up his sleeves and worked alongside a number of Selex ES apprentices including the company’s current and former apprentices of the year yesterday.

Allan (pictured above) started his career as an apprentice and is a chartered engineer with more than 30 years’ international experience in the automotive, aerospace and defence industries. As Chairman of Semta, the UK’s Sector Skills Council for the advanced manufacturing and engineering sectors, Allan is a passionate advocate of apprenticeships and believes that they add tremendous value to industry. Allan was joined by Alastair Morrison, Senior Vice President Radar and Advanced Targeting, who also returned to the shop floor to experience life as an apprentice first hand.

“It’s always a pleasure to spend time with our apprentices, the dedication and focus they exhibit gives me great confidence in the future of the skilled trades in Scotland and the wider UK”, he said. “As a technology leader, Selex ES benefits strongly from the fresh talent brought into the company by our highly-rated apprenticeship schemes.”

The activity was the culmination of Selex ES’s participation in Scottish Apprenticeship Week, which saw current Selex ES apprentice Callum Anderson send out live tweets from internal and external events associated with the week-long celebration of apprenticeships’ contribution to industry, including a special event at Scottish Parliament.

Morrisons to offer online shopping

Morrisons, the UK’s fourth biggest supermarket chain, is to launch an online grocery service.

Morrisons is currently the only one of the big four – Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s are the others – not to offer an online shopping option to their customers, but a deal with internet grocer Ocado will see it offer the new service by January next year.

Delivery vans will carry the Morrisons brand, with Ocado supplying logistical support from it’s distribution centre in the Midlands.

Morrisons chief executive Dalton Philips told BBC Radio 4: “This is a very good transaction for both parties. We’re going from a standing start to the fast lane in the blink of an eye.”

Business analysts Conlumino predict that the total food and grocery market is forecast to grow 22% from £127bn to £155bn by 2017, with online food sales are expected to grow by nearly 70% over the same period, from £5.9bn to £10bn. Almost 30% of people in the UK now shop online for food and groceries.

Ever tried online grocery shopping? What’s the verdict? Let us know!

Juicy business opportunity for city schools!

Five Edinburgh schools are going head to head tomorrow (Saturday 20 April) in an ‘Apprentice’ style challenge to make and sell their own lemonade and orange juice. The friendly battle, dubbed ‘Citrus Saturday’, will see pupils from Gracemount High School, Leith Academy, Woodlands, Gorgie Mills and Forrester High test their business skills in the citrus sell-off.

They will compete to see which team sells the most homemade drinks at five central locations – the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh Zoo, Edinburgh Castle, Cameron Toll Shopping Centre and the Gyle Shopping Centre.

The event, run by the City of Edinburgh Council, gives pupils a taste of working on a business project and helps develop their budgeting, negotiating, selling and marketing skills. Each team has had volunteer student business mentors from Edinburgh University and The Prince’s Trust to help them with their projects.

The teams will be using over 1,000 lemons, 450 oranges, 32 limes, 56kg of sugar and more than 100 litres of fizzy water to make their thirst-quenching drinks – the majority provided by Sainsbury’s at Cameron Toll.

Councillor Frank Ross, Economy Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Citrus Saturday is a great way for young people to learn about the realities of creating a business in a fun way. They’ll be able to put into practice all the skills they have been developing over the past months with the business students from Edinburgh University. There will be elements of developing a product from scratch, devising the marketing and budgeting and of course the sales pitches on the day itself. I’d like to wish everyone the best of luck and encourage as many people as possible to support them tomorrow.”

Citrus Saturday is part of a European Union funded project through the Interreg IVB programme to promote Open Innovation with business, academia and the wider community.

Promises to be a fun competition, but sadly some schools are sure to be pipped at the post (sorry!)!

Police offer security advice to local businesses

Police in North Edinburgh are offering free crime prevention surveys to businesses in the area.

Officers from the Safer Neighbourhoods Team at Drylaw Police Station will be delivering letters to businesses and offering security surveys to highlight additional measures that can be taken to maximise security, following a spate of night-time break-ins which have occurred since Christmas.

Five men have been arrested and charged in relation to separate alleged break-ins in the last three weeks and additional police resources have been patrolling the area during the night to check premises. Despite this, thieves have continued to target businesses and on occasions returned to several premises that have broken into previously.

In an effort to raise awareness, the police have also alerted other night-time private security staff and council workers to encourage them to immediately report any suspicious or unusual activity when they are working in the area.

Inspector Mark Rennie of Drylaw Police Station said: “It’s really important that businesses review the robustness of the security measures they have in place and ensure all equipment is working. We hope that by offering free surveys and highlighting appropriate measures to take, businesses will do everything they can to make themselves a hard target.

“We’ve informed a lot of local people of the issue but worryingly we haven’t always had calls from residents when noises have been heard emanating from premises during the night. I’d like to encourage people to phone us immediately so that we get officers there quickly.”

Anyone with any information should contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Celebrating Career Academies success at RHS

Nine Edinburgh schools have been taking part in Career Academies, a UK wide initiative that brings together the world of business and education to deliver an inspirational programme that includes mentoring, ‘guru lectures’ and internships.

The Royal High School in Barnton hosted an event to celebrate local achievements to date and to give all involved an opportunity to come together to share their experiences. Friday’s event brought together 86 S5/6 students involved in Career Academies, together with their 86 Partners in Business (PiBs) and inspirational Scottish mountaineer Jamie Andrew gave the keynote address.

Career Academy students follow a rigorous two-year enrichment programme alongside their school curriculum, which aims to help them progress to higher education or the world of work from a much more informed, inspired and confident base.

The targeted group of students are those that have been identified as having the potential to secure a place in higher education or employment with the support of a business mentor. They begin in 5th year at school, aged 16, studying two to three Highers, and are likely to lack informal networks but have great potential.

Career Academies forms part of the city-wide strategy, the Edinburgh Guarantee, to help pupils move into work or education following secondary school.

Councillor Paul Godzik, Education Convener, said: “Career Academies is already proving to provide an invaluable opportunity to some of our pupils. By giving them the confidence they need to take those first steps in the right direction we are increasing their chances of going on to do something they want once they finish school. I would like to thank all the businesses and mentors for their involvement to date and to encourage other local businesses to get involved.”

Mark McFall, Managing Director of Change Recruitment, said, “Our aim in supporting career Academies UK was to make a difference to young people’s lives and provide them with an insight into the working environment. What we probably didn’t expect was the impact on our business and our own people. The students made a genuine contribution and also brought something different to the working environment that had a profound effect on all of us. We now have so many more people within the business keen to play a part in supporting these terrific young people.”

Josh McLeish, an S6 pupil at Tynecastle High School, said: “I have found the Career Academies UK experience extremely helpful and beneficial over the past year. My internship over the summer was fantastic and has helped me gain valuable experience in the workplace which is normally very difficult to obtain. The people I worked with were brilliant and very helpful. Not only was the internship great but so is having a mentor who helps me out and points me in the right direction.”

Anne Wexelstein, Career Academies UK Manager for Scotland, commented: “In the current economic climate, it’s vital that opportunities like this are on offer to young people to help them make the transition from school into the word of work. The vast majority of us are in greater need of the right pre conditions and introductions with which to find our way to work. We would like to say a big thank you to all the people who are making our partnership with Edinburgh City Council, its schools and the Capital’s employers such a great success. ”

Three of the nine schools involved have completed their first year and six new schools embarked on the scheme in August.

Businesses who have participated in Career Academies to date represented at the Royal High School conference include: AK Stoddart, BNY Mellon, BT, Cairn Energy, Capital Solutions, Citi Bank, Clydesdale Bank, Davidson Chalmers, DHL, Diageo, City of Edinburgh Council, Edutrain, Ernst & Young, Franklin Templeton, Hotel Missoni, JP Morgan, Lloyds Banking Group, Logica, Penna Right Management, Royal Bank of Scotland, RSM Tenon, Santander, Scottish Gas, Scottish Government, Scottish Widows, Sopra Group, The Big Partnership, The Scottish Government, The Witchery, Transport Scotland, Visit Scotland, Yorkshire Bank and Tree of Knowledge.