Chiefs in check

Martin Flanagan’s assertion that “chief creative officer and chief executive are fundamentally different roles that require different skills” (Business, 16 October) gave me a good chuckle.

So, Sir Richard Branson at Virgin and the late Steve Jobs at Apple were unsuccessful in combining wonderful “intuitive and lateral thinking” with running exciting, challenging and ultimately enormous organisations?

Would we rather have chief executives combining the dubious ability to avoid tax, generate massive undeserved bonuses, 
receive pay-offs for failure and succumb to their advisors’ fee-generating exhortations to indulge in misjudged takeovers?

Oh sorry, reading on, Martin’s argument means that those qualifications ensure such chief execs can “rein in the adventurousness of subordinates”.

Phew, that’s a relief. We wouldn’t want Scotland to have any pioneering, inventive, exploring, chief execs who encourage adventurous, intuitive and lateral thinking, now, would we?

Hang on, wasn’t it precisely those qualities that once built this nation on the world stage?

Let’s hope Christopher Bailey at Burberry can continue its international success story and that Angela Ahrendts demonstrates her creative skills in her new role at Apple and both prove me right.

Erick Davidson

Chairman

Tayburn Holdings

Kittle Yards

Edinburgh