Interview: Gail Macgregor, chair of Business Gateway, on helping foster female entrepreneurship

Business Gateway has also just revealed survey findings showing sentiment among women business-leaders.

Gail Macgregor is the chair of Business Gateway, Scotland’s free national business advisory service delivered by local authorities, as well as the Cosla spokesperson for environment and economy, and has served as a councillor for the Annandale North Ward in Dumfries and Galloway since 2007.

Business Gateway has also, to coincide with International Women’s Day (IWD) today, released survey findings showing that about six in ten female entrepreneurs are confident over their firm’s outlook for the next three years – but 35 per cent cited a lack of funding as their biggest challenge when starting out. Macgregor said: “We want to champion the inspiring women driving forward the small business community in Scotland, recognising the impact they have on the country’s economy.”

Could you give a summary of your career, and how this helped you develop skills useful to you as chair of Business Gateway?

Macgregor says she has met people from all walks of life, 'many of whom are business-owners, which has been vital to understanding what operators are facing'. Picture: contributed.