Scottish Business Briefing – Friday 10 May, 2013
BANKING
Job losses help to steer Clydesdale back to profit
Clydesdale Bank chief executive David Thorburn yesterday said he would not let speculation about the lender’s future distract him from an ongoing restructuring that helped deliver a return to profit for the first half. The shake-up, which will see 1,400 roles axed by September 2015, has been accompanied by more rumours that National Australia Bank was seeking to offload its UK arm, but Thorburn insisted that Clydesdale’s parent company has been “very supportive” (Scotsman).
ECONOMICS
Stop moaning and innovate, says Tom Hunter
Sir Tom Hunter told Scotland’s biggest-ever gathering of start-ups and investors yesterday that collaboration among agencies was working and that they should celebrate the opportunities the country offered. In a keynote speech in Edinburgh, the Scottish tycoon urged them to ignore those who claimed there was too little support or finance for young companies. “I just do not buy it,” he said (Scotsman).
ENERGY & UTILITIES
SSE boss ‘ashamed’ over mis-selling
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Hide AdThe chief executive of SSE energy firm has said he is personally ashamed that the company faced strong criticism for mis-selling. Ian Marchant was speaking after the Perth-based power provider was fined £10.5m for misleading potential customers about rivals’ prices. In an interview about his company and the energy industry, he said senior executive pay was too high (BBC).
BSUK secures deal with Chevron
Oil service firm Bilfinger Salamis UK (BSUK) said yesterday it had won a multimillion-pound North Sea deal with energy giant Chevron. The Aberdeen-based contractor said it would support Chevron’s UK operations under the three-year contract, potentially worth up to £50million (Scotsman.
FOOD, DRINK & AGRICULTURE
Falling salmon prices and disease take toll
FALLING prices due to a global increase in salmon supply hit sales and profits at Marine Harvest’s Scottish operations. The Norwegian-owned company also saw its 2012 figures affected by steps to mitigate the impact of amoebic gill disease (AGD) which has hit salmon farms across Scotland (Scotsman).
SCOTSMAN CONFERENCE
Defence Policy: Protecting Scotland & Preserving Jobs – 14 June, Edinburgh
Join delegates from the defence industry, legal, PR, academia and more at this hugely important conference. Top speakers will tackle the burning issues facing the defence industry, one of Scotland’s most economically significant sectors.
MANAGEMENT
Majority of women want gender-specific business support
AROUND 80% of women think gender-specific support is needed to encourage more females to start up their own businesses in Scotland, a conference has heard. But one-fifth believe there is sufficient backing from existing networks and business groups to help women get new enterprises up and running (Herald).