Bill Clinton speaks in support of Scottish businesses

RETURNING to the city where he met his wife Hillary, former US President Bill Clinton will be the keynote speaker at the prestigious Scottish Business Awards in Edinburgh.

The 66-year old will give a speech, “Embracing Our Common Humanity”, to about 1,400 delegates expected to attend Scotland’s premier cross-industry awards programme.

This is the second year the event has been supported by the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Last year, Sir Bob Geldof gave a memorable address to an audience including some of Scotland’s most high-profile business people, such as Sir Tom Hunter, Sir Tom Farmer, Ann Gloag, Jim McColl and Michelle Mone.

President Clinton, who served eight years in office between 1993 and 2001, is sure to attract an equally prestigious guest list.

The awards are organised by Josh Littlejohn, 26, who says: “I am delighted to have secured President Clinton for the event and would like to thank RBS for its support again this year.”

The judging panel for the awards is headed by Sir Tom Hunter, who will lead the judging of 18 categories, including Green Business of the Year, Growth Strategy of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year.

The awards celebrate excellence in Scottish business and recognise the people and companies that are changing the face of Scotland with the goods, services and innovations that they provide.

Sir Tom says: “These are exceptional awards, run by a young social entrepreneur who is an example to us all. The fact he has former President Clinton speaking at the event tells you all you need to know about the quality of this event and I’d implore the Scottish business community to get behind this fantastic opportunity.”

Ken Barclay, Chair of the Scotland Board at RBS and Head of the Corporate Banking Division in Scotland, says: “More than 100,000 business people bank with RBS in Scotland, so it is a natural fit for us to support such a prestigious event.

“This is the second year we have worked together with the SBA to highlight and reward some of the outstanding success stories of Scottish businesses over the last year.”

The closing date for entries to the awards is Friday, 29 March. The awards take place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on Friday, 21 June. Tables are still available. For more details, see www.scottishbusinessawards.co.uk