Highlights from the 2020 Annual Conference
IoD Scotland held its online live Annual Conference on 5 & 6 November 2020, supported by headline sponsor Salesforce. Using new technologies, IoD Scotland’s aim was to deliver a conference that replicated as closely as possible the in-person experience but, being virtual, was accessible to a wider audience.
You can watch recordings of the sessions here:
Thursday Leadership Lecture by Benny Higgins and Keynote from Kate Forbes MSP
Friday Finance & Sports Panel Sessions
Friday Leadership Conversation with Robin Watson CBE, Keynote from Vivek Ganotra & Ignite Sessions from Nicki Sturzaker and Dr Iain MacRitchie
Speakers at Collaborating for Scotland’s Growth focused on the three key areas of building a stronger economy, responding to the pandemic and looking to a greener future:
• Kate Forbes MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance
• Vivek Ganotra, Chief Customer Officer, Salesforce
• Benny Higgins, Chair, Scottish Government Advisory Group on Economic Recovery
• Robin Watson CBE, Chief Executive, Wood Plc
Key takeaways: the need for an education-led recovery; digital re-skilling; resilience, agility & authenticity
Jonathan Geldart, Director General, Institute of Directors, Dr Roger Barker, Director of Policy and Corporate Governance, Institute of Directors and Dr Gillian Murray, Deputy Principal (Enterprise and Business), Heriot-Watt University took part in a finance panel exploring finance, the economy and Scotland’s future.
A lively and stimulating panel of international athletes, comprising Kieron Achara MBE, Olympian and former GB Basketball and Scotland International, Abbi Aitken-Drummond, Scottish International Cricketer and John Barclay, Former Scotland Rugby International, discussed the culture of teamwork and mental resilience.
Conference also heard about the personal business journeys of Nicki Sturzaker, Founder of Drylaw House and Dr Iain MacRitchie, Founder of MCR Pathways.
Delegates could attend a choice of workshops offering bite-size updates: Pike + Bambridge on electric vehicles; Salesforce on Work.com; Scottish Business Resilience Centre on cyber security; and Zero Waste Scotland on net zero. These organisations also featured in the Expo Hall, along with Where Now Consulting and Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University.
You can watch recordings of the workshops below. If you would like a copy of the slides from any of the four workshops, please email conference@firstcityevents.co.uk
Pike + Bambridge Workshop
Salesforce Workshop
Scottish Business Resilience Centre Workshop
Zero Waste Scotland Workshop
Ten percent of delegate fees were donated to IoD Scotland’s Charity of the Year, Epilepsy Scotland.
Recognising that connecting with colleagues is a key part of the conference experience, the Hopin platform offered opportunities to chat, ask questions, comment and even try one-to-one random networking, just like saying hello in the coffee queue. An informal social element was included at the end of Day 1 – a cocktail masterclass run on Zoom by an experienced mixologist. Deliciously relaxing!
Download a pdf of the Conference brochure here
What did our attendees say? Here’s a snapshot: “professionally enlightening” “insightful” “thought-provoking” “worthwhile, enjoyable & engaging”
