holds a keen interest in the promotion of Scottish textiles at large and the regeneration of textiles manufacturing. As
ORKNEY BUSINESS FESTIVAL
CIARAN ROGERS
CALVIN COOPER
BILLY ELLIOT
GREGOR HOWITT
2018 Festival speakers GREGOR HOWITT, Director of Gregor Howitt Wealth Management Ltd, Senior Partner Practice of St. James’s Place Wealth Management. I have worked in the Financial Sector since 1992. Being part of St. James’s Place Wealth Management allows me to focus on promoting the development of lifelong relationships with my clients, helping them to secure the financial futures of themselves and their families through the breadth of wealth management and financial planning services that we can offer. Meeting with clients and building a solution for them is the most rewarding part of running my business. I have worked in Orkney since 2010 and opened my own office in Kirkwall in 2015. We are very committed to the area and now have 3 staff working permanently in our office on Albert Street. BILLY ELLIOTT, starting my career in the financial sector in 2005 in my home country of Australia. I previously worked as an IFA before taking up the invitation to join Gregor Howitt Wealth Management Ltd in 2015. I specialise in holistic wealth management; helping clients to build and preserve capital, manage cash and borrowings, and also protect against risk. I am committed to building long term relationships with both private individuals and business owners. CALVIN COOPER left school with the idea of getting a job which ‘gives me experience in business’. Now, over 10 years later, with wide ranging experience of businesses and some professional qualifications to his name, he’s taken the leap and started his own accountancy and tax consultancy firm. His desire is to use the experience he’s gained throughout his career to enable individuals and small businesses to operate their affairs in a manner which is both time and cost efficient - giving them back their valuable resources to spend on whatever is most important to them! CIARAN ROGERS is an experienced digital strategist with over 19 years’ experience, he has worked for and trained a large number of international brands including FatFace, Liz Earle, Elemis and the UK Sailing Academy, and was a lead lecturer for Middlesex University on their Digital Marketing MA programme. Ciaran is the host of the Digital Marketing Podcast and combines the skills of being an expert practitioner with being an experienced teacher and public speaker. CLAIRE SIM launched The Orkney Employment Consultancy in February 2017, in a bid to help island businesses find - and keep the people they need. Claire has worked directly with local job seekers and employers for over a decade, in her roles as a careers guidance practitioner gaining a thorough understanding of the particular demands facing the Orkney labour market and an in-depth knowledge of candidate behaviour.
NEIL KERMODE
MURRAY MARSHALL
MEGHAN McEWEN
MARK HOGARTH
LORRAINE THOMSON
FIONA SMITH
EWAN RAMSAY
DAVID RICHARDSON
CLAIRE SIM
As such, she is able to offer vital insight to companies looking to attract high quality candidates, helping shape and focus recruitment processes. DAVID RICHARDSON is the FSB’s Highlands & Islands Development Manager, a position that he has held for over six years. Having left university decades ago with a degree in archaeology, the first of his many jobs was as a retail area manager with United Biscuits in Central Scotland. This was followed 30 years ago by a move to Dornoch to run Sutherland Tourist Board, then to The Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board as head of visitor services. Seven years were then spent at The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle, where he was director of membership/club secretary, and this was followed in turn by a spell on Unst, converting RAF Saxa Vord’s domestic site into a tourism destination, and then a spell at Aldourie Castle on Loch Ness, transforming the only habitable castle on the loch into a 5* exclusive use venue. David has also worked as a tourism consultant, helped develop the Cottages & Castles self-catering agency website and, immediately before taking on his current role, he was the Scottish Council for Development & Industry’s Highlands & Islands manager. EWAN RAMSAY is a highly experienced and adaptable Managing Director, Project Manager and International Trade consultant with over 18 years’ experience following an earlier career in Banking and private equity investment. His experience covers a range of sectors including Water Resources, Low Carbon, Food and Drink, Technology innovation, Financial Services and the Academic Sector. FIONA SMITH works globally as a Leadership Coach. She spent 15 years in senior Human Resources and Organisational Development roles before starting her own business in 2011. Fiona is passionate about helping people see and realise their full potential. She works with people on a 1:1 basis and in small groups. Her clients include international banks, car manufacturers and national retailers. LORRAINE THOMSON is Interface’s Highlands and Islands Manager, having worked for VisitScotland for 25 years where she was part of the team that ran their Quality Assurance schemes. Originating from Sanday, she is spreading the word during the Orkney Business Festival about how Interface can help businesses and organisations achieve their ambitions no matter their size or scope. Interface can open up a whole new world of possibilities by introducing business owners to resources they never knew were available them and Lorraine’s plan is to help businesses understand that Interface can save them time, money and effort by matching them to the right Scottish academic expertise. MARK HOGARTH has been Creative Director of Harris Tweed Hebrides since 2008 and works as a branding consultant in fashion and textiles, though the vast majority of his work is as part of the multi-award winning Harris Tweed team that have been credited with transforming the unique heritage industry. Mark spent between three to six months a year (2000 - 2008) in Japan giving him an invaluable insight into the fashion industry and an understanding of the Japanese philosophy on style and design that is now so influential in the western world. The attention to provenance and focus on ‘the luxury of artisanship’ were themes he continues to laud as a brand developer. Mark continues at the creative helm of Harris Tweed Hebrides but holds a keen interest in the promotion of Scottish textiles at large and the regeneration of textiles manufacturing. As a qualified journalist he regularly writes for on-line magazines and journals and is a member of the promotional council of The Campaign for Wool. MEGHAN McEWEN has worked at Voluntary Action Orkney for five years, and in that time has supported third sector organisations to raise funds for their projects and services as well as develop sustainable plans for income generation. She has also supported organisations around issues of governance, structure and planning. Meghan has lived in Westray for 14 years, and is a passionate believer in community development. MURRAY MARSHALL was appointed as the region’s Loan Officer for DSL Business Finance in December 2016 and supports the delivery of the Scottish Microfinance Fund across the Highlands & Islands. This fund provides improved access to finance with very competitive terms, offering loans of up to £25k with an interest rate of six per cent and no arrangement or early repayment fees. Murray has a vast experience in Business Finance having previously been employed by the RBS for 32 years. Murray is on hand to ensure businesses receive the best possible support with the application process and business plans, whether this be for start-up or growth NEIL KERMODE has been the Managing Director of EMEC - the world’s leading test facility for wave and tidal energy converters – since 2005, and has overseen the deployment of more marine energy technologies in the seas around Orkney than has been deployed at any other site in the world. Prior to working at EMEC, Neil worked as a project developer of a potential tidal scheme, following six years at the Environment Agency dealing with regulation and development issues. Neil is a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a Chartered Environmentalist. He is passionate advocate for a sustainable energy future, and particularly passionate about Orkney’s role in making that happen.
START POINT MEDIA
RICHARD SHEARER
RENE LOOPER
RENE LOOPER has, for many years, been regarded as the go-to person in the Highlands and Islands for social media consultancy and training. He is an experienced and inspiring speaker, coach, strategist and trainer. Rene was one of the first in Scotland to actively educate businesses on the potential of social media when he founded Tuminds Ltd in 2006. In 2011 he was the industry expert on the Social Buzz Awards judging panel, alongside representatives from Google, Tesco, BBC and Microsoft. Rene is a Hootsuite Ambassador for the UK. Rene’s clients employ him and his team to deliver in-house training, one-to-one coaching, presentations and consultancy services. Working across the UK and Europe, Rene is able to apply his experience to all business sectors, with particular expertise in the areas of tourism, retail, charitable and community organisations. He has worked with a wide range of clients including Johnstons of Elgin, Caledonian Sleeper, Balmoral Castle, Famous Grouse, VisitScotland, Diageo, Cairngorms National Park, Highlands and Island Enterprise and Business Gateway. RICHARD SHEARER: William Shearer in Kirkwall has become somewhat of an institution in Orkney with a reputation for quality, loyalty and good, old-fashioned hard work. Established in 1857, the business celebrated its 160th birthday in 2017, and constantly seems able to evolve and has captured the imagination of shoppers throughout the years. START POINT MEDIA is a digital content creation company launched by Andrew Learmonth and Fionn McArthur in Orkney at the start of 2017. With backgrounds in journalism, press and public relations, video production, photography and digital communications, they have more than twenty-five years of experience working to promote Orkney and helping local companies tell their story.
