People: The business diary 25/05/15

David Maloney enjoyed the best of cuisine as he toasted growth in Aberdeen

The Granite City outpost is already contributing £10 million to the London-headquartered group’s turnover of more than £200m, with that local figure projected to rise five-fold by 2020. A new corporate coat of arms was also unveiled, though the Latin motto, Serviendo I Actate (pride through service), remains.

Scots-born Maloney was keen to keep his opening remarks to a minimum, before the assembled R&M staffers and assorted hacks tucked into the chef’s seasonal tasting menu at Tom Kitchin’s eponymous Leith eatery.

Perhaps that brevity was wisely judged as the courses just kept on coming, accompanied by a fine selection of wine pairings.

As the clock ticked towards Friday, and Kitchin put in a wee appearance to check on his extremely well-fed and watered patrons, the chairman expressed some relief that his flight back south was not the earliest departure of the day.

A cycle of progress

ANDREW Dobbie, founder and bossman of digital creative agency MadeBrave, had better enjoy wearing lycra.

His firm is sponsoring the Team Challenge element of this year’s Pedal for Scotland event, which takes place on 6 September and sees participants journey from Glasgow to Edinburgh, raising cash for the annual STV Appeal.

Now in its 17th year, it has grown from 400 riders in 1999 into the largest cycling event in Scotland with more than 10,000 pedal-pushers hitting the highway last year, raising a record £110,000. Dobbie says he jumped at the chance to associate his business with the Team Challenge – aimed at “workmates looking for an active team building day in the saddle”.

There is even a choice of routes. The 47-mile Classic Challenge combines country roads and cycle paths with regular refreshment stops and lunch at Linlithgow Palace.

Hard-core bicyclists can opt for the Big Belter – a 110-mile test, pedalling over hills, through glens across the Southern Uplands and taking in seven different local authorities.

Either way, best look out that cream.

Centre on the map

THE Edinburgh International Conference Centre (ECCI) had a successful showing at IMEX Frankfurt – a sort of conference industry’s conference – on the back of a successful start to 2015.

With a new senior team in place, chief executive Marshall Dallas is forecasting the best year yet for the capital venue. Bosses hope to benefit from an improved offering at the EICC along with an additional 2,000 square metres of prime city centre events space.

Dallas tells us: “It was exciting for the EICC team to have the opportunity to showcase our world class facilities to an international audience at IMEX Frankfurt.

“The expansion of the venue builds on other improvements across the city, including infrastructure and the airport development, meaning that the city is now much more accessible to overseas visitors.”