Jobs and investment in Scotland and a summit in Edinburgh will be top of the agenda on Thursday during Tartan Week in New York.
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, Lord Mayor of London Alastair King and Scottish Financial Enterprise Chief Executive Sandy Begbie will meet key sectors in a series of meetings later today.
In a co-ordinated effort aimed at boosting growth in Scotland they will invite companies to attend the Scottish Investor Summit – organised by Scottish Financial Enterprise and The City of London Corporation – to be held in Edinburgh in October this year.
The event will be a key way of urging inward investment in Scotland – investment which the government says can boost Scotland’s economy, create well paid jobs and boost living standards, putting more money back in people’s pockets.
The New York meetings will be used to highlight Scotland’s key strengths in financial services, clean energy and life sciences to international investors. The series of meet and greets will take place at the UK Consul General’s residence in New York and at the offices of BlackRock, a global investment management corporation with a significant presence in Scotland.
Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray said: “At a time when we are celebrating Scotland on the international stage, we want to highlight the exceptional investment opportunities in innovative industries. These meetings and roundtables are at the heart of Brand Scotland, selling the nation on the global stage. By strengthening these international partnerships through our Plan for Change, we’re laying the groundwork for the Edinburgh Global Investment Summit.”
Lord Mayor of the City of London and Scottish financial services leader, Alastair King, photographed above, said: “Tartan Week is not just an opportunity to celebrate the strong cultural and economic links between Scotland and the US, it is also a chance to deepen them further especially in financial services. That is why I am in New York speaking to major US businesses and investors and promoting the forthcoming Scottish Investment Summit in Edinburgh in October
“The theme of my mayoralty is ‘growth unleashed’, aiming to reignite the City’s appetite for positive risk and fully leverage the white heat of new technology to fuel economic growth across the United Kingdom. One of the best ways to do that is through greater cooperation with the US in financial services – which is a major part of both the Scottish and wider UK economy.”
Chief Executive of Scottish Financial Enterprise Sandy Begbie, CBE, said: “Tartan Week is an excellent example of the soft power which Scotland commands across the globe, but especially in the US. These roundtables provide just a small taste of the investment opportunity in Scotland.
“The Scottish investment summit later this year will showcase in detail the very best of Scotland’s financial services, renewables and life science to global investors. This coupled with opportunities to engage with government stakeholders and investment prospects highlight the unique opportunity the summit will bring.”
The Scottish investment summit, to be held in Edinburgh in October, was announced at the Scottish Financial Services Awards in Glasgow last autumn and will bring together major global investors, UK industry leaders, higher education institutions, and government representatives. Around 150 senior-level attendees are expected to attend with at least half representing significant global investors.
The summit will showcase the investments that have already been made, as well as the rationale behind why firms made the decision to invest in Scotland, and what have been the returns and benefits to them as a result. It will also provide opportunities for investors to engage with investment prospects that currently exist in the investment pipeline, and government and regulatory stakeholders.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
