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MSPs' economic vision to be tested by top business brains
9 August, 2006
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Do Holyrood politicians have what it takes to convince leading entrepreneurs to invest their millions in Scottish business ventures?
Top business gurus and leading entrepreneurs will grill parliamentarians when they pitch their vision for the Scottish economy during a unique event at the Festival of Politics on Wednesday 23 August.
Rachel Elnaugh, star of the BBC's business talent show Dragon's Den, will be one of a panel of experts casting a steely eye over MSPs' economic and entrepreneurial plans for Scotland.
Scots entrepreneur Chris Gorman OBE, top chef and owner of the award-winning Oloroso restaurant Tony Singh and co-founder of Caledonia Contracts Amanda Boyle make up the panel preparing to be won over by the economic savvy of some of Scotland's leading politicians.
The debate - sponsored by Standard Life and entitled Could you Make a Fortune in Scotland? - will take place on 23 August as part of the Scottish Parliament's four-day Festival of Politics and will be facilitated by BBC economic editor and Dragon's Den presenter, Evan Davis.
Facing the panel will be MSPs Christine May, Murdo Fraser, Jim Mather, Jamie Stone and Mark Ballard. Co-convener of the Parliament's Cross-Party Group on the Scottish Economy, Alex Neil MSP will chair the debate.
Presiding Officer George Reid MSP, said:
"We have invited some of our best known entrepreneurial spirits to Holyrood to take part in what promises to be a lively and enlightening debate.
"It will be interesting to see if our politicians' pitches will manage to convince the hard-headed entrepreneurs to base their next business ventures here."
Commenting on the debate, Rachel Elnaugh said:
"I am delighted to be taking part in the Festival of Politics and relish the opportunity to encourage greater entrepreneurship. Vision, passion and determination are just as necessary in business as they are in politics - so this will be a fascinating debate."
Chris Gorman OBE said:
"The Festival of Politics is a great initiative which I am sure will inspire both entrepreneurs and parliamentarians alike.
"I am delighted to be contributing to the debate and I hope it will produce many positive messages that will permeate the consciousness of budding entrepreneurs throughout Scotland ."
Tony Singh said:
"I think the Festival of Politics is a great way to bring together people from all backgrounds to discuss how best to shape our country.
"It's vital to create a supportive environment to enable more potential entrepreneurs in Scotland to turn their business ideas into profitable, successful companies - and I'm looking forward to hearing how the parliamentarians hope to encourage this."
Business will also be on the festival agenda on 24 August when Frances Cairncross, journalist, broadcaster and Rector of Exeter College, University of Oxford , will review how rapid technological change is affecting society, politics and the economy.
Background
Holyrood's award-winning Festival of Politics offers an extended programme of events to suit all ages and interests. Last year's critically acclaimed inaugural event proved so popular the Festival has been extended from three to four days, has more than twice the number of events and includes the World Press Photo Exhibition - held for the first time in Scotland.
Rachel Elnaugh, star of BBC business show Dragon's Den, founded her first business Red Letter Days in 1989 at the age of 24 and grew it into a market-leading company with an £18million turnover. The company ran into well-publicised difficulties in 2005 and was eventually bought out by fellow 'dragons' Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis. Rachel is now involved in various other business projects due to launch later this year.
Scottish-based entrepreneur Chris Gorman OBE acts as a mentor on Channel 4's Make Me a Million programme and has headed several successful ventures in both retail and technology businesses. His current business interests include Datastore, Quintessentially and purple-lounge.com. He is also Vice Chairman of the Entrepreneurial Exchange and is a Patron of YouthWorks and Governor of the Royal Scottish Academy for Music and Drama. He received an OBE for his services to business in June 2005.
Edinburgh-based Tony Singh is the Head Chef and co-founder of the Oloroso restaurant . He has gained considerable experience working in some of Scotland 's most famous restaurants including The Royal Scotsman train, The Balmoral Hotel, Martins Restaurant and HRH Royal Yacht Britannia. Tony has received a number of awards for his culinary skills and in 2000 he was awarded the prestigious title of ITV Chef of The Year.
Amanda Boyle co-founded Caledonia Contracts Ltd, a Dundee-based contractor specialising in shopfitting and commercial interiors, nine years ago. Her clients include Lakeland , Oddbins, Starbucks, Vision Express and Schuh and the company has a turnover in excess of £4million. She was awarded the first Scotland 's Woman of Achievement 2005 and, in 2006, the Institute of Directors awards for Female Director of the Year and Non-Executive Director of the Year.
Evan Davis is the economics editor of the BBC and presenter of the popular BBC2 business-reality show, Dragon's Den. Before joining the BBC in 1993, he worked as an economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and at the London Business School.
Tickets can be obtained :
- Online from: www.festivalofpolitics.org.uk. Online booking is available 24 hours up to 4pm on the day before the event.
- By telephone: 0131 473 2000 (calls via RNID Typetalk: 018001 0131 473 2000). Fax: 0131 473 2003.
- By post: to the Festival of Politics, Hub Tickets, The Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh, EH1 2NE.
- In person at the Scottish Parliament or at the Hub.
Visitors to the Festival will be able to use the free crèche. The crèche opened in 2004 for members of the public visiting Parliament and provides up to four hours free child care for 0-5 year olds. For information call: 0131 348 6192.
To ensure Festival of Politics events are as accessible as possible, please specify requirements when booking tickets. While British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation is provided automatically at some events, it can be requested for any of the others. Assistance dogs are welcome and all venues are accessible for wheelchair users.
For further information contact: [email protected]
Telephone: 0131 348 6852.
For public information/general enquiries:
Telephone 0131 348 500 or 0845 278 1999 (local call rate)
E-mail: [email protected]
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The Festival of Politics is an initiative of the Scottish Parliament.
The Festival of Politics 2006 Partners are:
Standard Life; BAA Scotland; and ScottishPower.
