Scottish Chambers of Commerce hosted a gathering of business leaders at the recent SNP Conference, to talk about and highlight key economic issues directly to Scottish Government Ministers.
Taking place at the newly-opened Event Complex Aberdeen, representatives from the banking, aviation, financial services, engineering, energy, transport and technology sectors met for a full day of face-to-face sessions with the likes of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP and Finance Secretary Derek MacKay MSP.
Chaired by Charandeep Singh, Deputy Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, business attendees had valuable opportunities to discuss a variety of issues over the course of the day.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon opened the business event and took questions directly from the audience on a wide range of topics including the opportunities of climate change, the wellbeing economy, digital skills and the latest political developments. The First Minister reiterated her commitment to working with the Scottish Chambers of Commerce Network as valuable partners and stressed the importance of maintaining an open dialogue with the business community.
Michael Russell, Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations, otherwise known as the Scottish Government’s “Brexit secretary”, gave frank and insightful views on the current state of affairs.
A lively panel session featuring Kate Forbes, Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy; Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills; and Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands followed. They tackled the issues facing Scotland and its transition to becoming a net zero economy.
Ms Forbes highlighted that economic development was often pitted against environmental concerns and said there was a need to recognise there are opportunities in transitioning to net zero. She said there were fewer areas that will benefit more than the digital sector, because it is both an enabler of the transition as well as being a source of growth. Mr Wheelhouse called for an “intelligent debate” on approaches to carbon reduction as well as taking a “whole system view” with regards to the development of future transport.
After lunch, Mr Singh chaired a question and answer session with Derek Mackay, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work. He confirmed that the Scottish Government will focus on interventions to support economic growth as well as responding to the “climate emergency”, which was announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon earlier in the year. He said that plans for decarbonising the railways by 2035 was a “huge opportunity” for Scotland. In summation, Mr. Singh concluded that climate challenge was the issue of our generation and collaboration between public and private sector would be critical to achieving sustainable long-terms solutions.
Mr Singh closed the event thanking business attendees and the Scottish Government Ministers for their participation in an informative day. In his closing remarks, he stated SCC’s leadership role in convening businesspeople with policymakers and Ministers from all political parties to foster a sense of collaboration as we all seek to foster economic growth and create jobs in business communities across Scotland.
