FINANCE DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2012 - WINNERS: The nation's finest FDs named

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Wood Group's Alan Semple took the top title of Finance Director of the Year at the annual awards lunch held in Edinburgh last month Read

Currency questions in urgent need of answers

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Reducing uncertainty is essential if Alex Salmond is to stand any chance of winning his 2014 referendum on Scottish independence. Read

The burning question

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

In Norway 40 per cent of plc board members have to be female - Q should that rule be introduced into UK companies? Read

New bioscience base for Scotland

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

A new dedicated base in central Scotland for growing bioscience, pharmaceutical, medtech and healthcare companies has got o¦ to a ¦ying start. Read

Parliament green target probe

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

IN BRIEF Read

REGIONAL REPORT - FALKIRK AND THE FORTH VALLEY: 'Sleeping giant' looks to bright future

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Falkirk stands at a crossroads. it always has done, its location on the central belt's key north-south east-west routes has guaranteed the town a share of the action for centuries. It played host to the roman army while the Antonine Wall was being built. it was the - reluctant - site of two pivotal battles, then developed Europe's largest cattle market in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Read

NO EASY ANSWERS ON THE ISSUE OF SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Alasdair Northrop's regular view on business Read

Santander Upfront Interest Bond

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

ProduCt of the month Read

MIXED PICTURE FOR SCOTLAND'S HOTELS

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Who? PKF's hotel boffins. Did what? Tracked a significant revenue fall in Scotland's hotels during November, while occupancy remained static. The firm's monthly survey found year-on-year revenue - measured as rooms yield - fell by 7.3 per cent in Scotland, compared with an average drop in UK regions of just 1.9 per cent. Read

MODE Diagnostics

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

This University of Glasgow spin-out secured £600,000 funding last year from IP Group and the Scottish Co-investment Fund to develop its novel diagnostic screening products. Read

Bio-Images Group

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

The group consists of Bio-Images Research and Drug Delivery International and provides integrated solutions for oral, nasal, ophthalmic, topical and parenteral delivery. DDi develops innovative and practical drug delivery solutions and Bio-Images Research is a world leader in scintigraphic imaging. Read

SIRAKOSS

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

A team of biomedical chemists, physicists and materials scientists at the University of Aberdeen, led by Professor Iain Gibson and including Dr Jan Skakle, Jordan Conway, Dr Basil Annaz and Professor Richard Aspden, has developed a unique synthetic bone graft substitute product called MaxSiTM. Read

BryoActives

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

The most recent spin-out from Heriot-Watt University aims to address the US$42bn worldwide antibiotics market and focus on bringing to market gram negative antibiotics with novel mode-of-action to address issues of resistance. Read

ATTRACTIVE BUSINESS OFFERS AND EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

John R. WEIR has a long established partnership with Mercedes-Benz , smart and more recently with Kia, Subaru and Isuzu. As a result their corporate devision has grown over the years and with over 32 years experience within the department, they are all highly experienced with understanding individual business needs and fleet requirements. Read

Is Google getting too nosey for its own good?

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

One of the miracles of modern technology is undoubtedly Google, without which we might never be able to find anything on the internet. Google has become a giant corporation on the back of their ability to index the entire web and so allow anyone to go straight to the most relevant information at the click of a mouse. Read

Count on Caulfield for laughs

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

One Of Britain's most successful comediennes, Jo Caulfield, is guest speaker at this year's Scottish Accountancy Awards Best-known for her one-woman shows, she started her standup career when she drunkenly entered an open mike competition in London. Although she hadn't prepared, she won the competition and was asked back for a 10-minute booking the following week. Read

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF INVESTING IN FORESTRY

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

As Investors trawl the furthest reaches of the investment world looking for undiscovered and unexploited opportunities, one market makes regular forays into the headlines - forestry. Read

ENTERPRISE AREAS UNVEILED

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Who? The Scottish Government. Did what? Announced the setting up of 14 'enterprise sites' grouped into four 'enterprise areas'. The aim is to focus on "industries with the greatest potential to create new employment opportunities, stimulate private investment and boost economic growth," said finance minister John Swinney. Irvine's GlaxoSmithKline facility will become the hub for the Life Sciences Enterprise Area, which will also include hotspots in Moray, the Highlands, Edinburgh and Midlothian. In low carbon and renewables, the Port of Dundee and the Port of Leith form the Renewable Energy Enterprise East Area, while sites across the Highlands, Western Isles and Orkney form the Renewable Energy Enterprise North Area. The fourth area "will cover other manufacturing and growth sector opportunities", encompassing Creative Clyde and Prestwick International. Why? Rather than follow the patterns of the past, the Scottish Government has opted to focus on industrial sectors where there's scope for growth, rather than apply sticking plasters in areas slipping into decline. What does the market say? When the smorgasbord of enterprise sites was announced one key ingredient was missing - the incentives required to attract new investment. When announced, likely perks will include reduced business rates for companies moving into the specialist areas while many of the earmarked sites also qualify for a Regional Support Grant (RSG). Insider says: It's unlikely many investors or developers will emerge to speculate on the demand for accommodation in the new enterprise areas. However, linking existing initiatives like urban regeneration companies, tax increment finance, the National Renewables Infrastructure Plan, JESSICA funding and so on could help kickstart development. Read

A head start on the world stage

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Being from Scotland gives businesses a 'one step ahead' advantage as they look to gain a foothold in an increasingly competitive global market place, an export event heard. Read

Change of structure and promotions at Head Resourcing

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Award-winning recruitment consultancy Head Resourcing has announced changes to its management structure. The Edinburgh-based company is creating a group structure containing two operating businesses - Head Resourcing and Head Medical - which will share services, governance and corporate strategy. These changes have led to the appointment of Huw Martin as managing director of Head Resourcing and Lee Murray as deputy managing director and commercial director. Callum Lyle continues as finance director. Read

New CFO for burgeoning brewer

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Independent specialty brewer Innis & Gunn has recruited David Cockburn as chief ¦nancial o¦cer. Read

NEW POSTS

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Karin Forseke will succeed Lesley Knox as nonexecutive chairman of Alliance Trust with effect from April 2, 2012. Read

E&Y TOPS LGB EQUALITY LEAGUE

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Stonewall has named Big Four accountant Ernst & Young as the top employer for gay and bisexual staff in its annual Workplace Equality Index. Read

INCREASE IN UNPAID OVERTIME ACROSS THE UK

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

A recent Tuc survey found the total amount of unpaid overtime worked by UK employees last year was 1,968 million hours - worth £29.2bn to the UK economy and equivalent to a million extra full-time jobs. Read

NEST-ing in the spring?

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Amanda Wyper Pensions Law Consultant, Navigator Employment Law Read

Insider editorial synopsis April/May 2012 edition

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Rising Stars Insider's annual listing of the Rising Stars in business is always a must read and this year will be no exception. These are the people who will be shaping the future of business over the next 25 years. Read

Vertebrate Antibodies (VAb)

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Over the last two years, a trio of researchers at the University of Aberdeen - fish immunologist Steve Bird, antibody developer Beatriz Cash and biotech commercialisation expert Ayham Alnabulsi - have honed the technique of antibody production to make it cost effective, less complicated for researchers and applicable to a range of different animals as well as people. Read

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Construction: Industry adapts to the brave new world Read

I'm considering buying an investment property - should I buy the property or the company that owns it?

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Purchasing the company (through a shell company set up specifically for that purpose) could potentially give rise to a substantial tax saving. On a property purchase, the buyer is liable for Stamp Duty Land Tax - up to 4% of the price - whilst a share purchase attracts stamp duty at 0.5% of the price paid for the shares. Read

OVERSUPPLY BOOSTS BUY-TO-LET

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

It Seems when it comes to property prices, we're not all in this together. The gap between London's prime residential market and the rest of the UK widened last year, with values falling in Scotland and in every English region except London, where values continued to rise throughout 2011. Read

business insider

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

scottish business insider One Central Quay Glasgow G3 8DA Switchboard: 07795 364732 Fax: 0141 309 3545 ISSN: 0952-1488 Publisher Denise West Tel: 0141 309 3508 Editorial Editor Alasdair Northrop Tel: 0141 309 3339/07789 397550 E-mail: editor@insider.co.uk Sub editor Tracy Taylor E-mail: ttaylor@insider.co.uk Insider Research Alison Service Tel: 07788 160876 E-mail: research@insider.co.uk Design & Production Ewan Lauder, Yvonne Sondh, Tel: 0141 309 3673 Advertising & Events Head of business & events Michele Aaen Tel: 0141 309 4906 E-mail: maaen@insider.co.uk Group head advertising sales Michelle Farquhar Tel: 07795 364732 E-mail: mfarquhar@insider.co.uk Senior advertising sales executive Eleanor Hunt Tel: 07788 168576 E-mail: ehunt@insider.co.uk Advertising sales executive Gordon McDowall Tel: 0141 309 4996 E-mail: gmcdowall@insider.co.uk Events executive Lisa Lynas Nominations & event organising Tel: 0141 309 3095 E-mail: l.lynas@insider.co.uk Read

Book review

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Title: The Official History of North Sea Oil and Gas: Volume 1: The Growing Dominance of the State Writer: Alex Kemp Publisher: Routledge Price: £95.00 Aberdeen University professor Alex Kemp's long awaited work is a detailed account of what happened behind the scenes at UK Government level as it dealt with the implications of the massive finds of oil and gas in the North Sea. Read

Ohmedics

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Ohmedics' main product is WoundSense, a single-use, sterile, disposable, moisture sensor changed at every dressing change. Because the dressing is not disturbed the clinician, having read the moisture level, can take decisions as to when to change the dressing, decide on a change of dressing type or decide the wound requires extra moisture if necessary. Read

Adrok

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Adrok's Atomic Dielectric Resonance (ADR) technology provides data on, and the locations of, subsurface hydrocarbons and minerals prior to costly drilling programmes. Read

CONSTRUCTION REPORT: Construction firms get creative and competitive

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Times are tough for the construction sector - but opportunities for growth remain. With public spending cuts and lack of finance fuelling fierce competition, innovation, increased effciency and diversification are helping some of Scotland's biggest players stay ahead Read

Q4 DEALS ROUND-UP: High drama in the desert

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Any deal valued in the billions is bound to have some drama attached to it and Cairn Energy's monster £2.7bn sale of a controlling stake of its Indian assets to mining giant Vedanta Resources certainly lived up to its billing Read

THE IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS HISTORY: Valuable lessons of the past

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

The history of business in Scotland is an extraordinary one. Once dubbed the workshop of the world, Scotland built hundreds of ships and railway locomotives as well as being a major player in the textiles industry. It led the way in financial services with Bank of Scotland being founded in 1695 to support businesses and has been a pioneer of fund management Read

COMMENT REPORT: SCIENCE

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Julie Curran Deal Origination, Scottish Equity Partners T: 0141 273 4023 E: Julie.curran@sep.co.uk AT a time when the economy has much to gain from supporting entrepreneurial technology companies, the headlines on lending continue to make grim reading. UK bank funding for businesses is expected to drop in 2012 for the first time since 2009, suggesting that this will be another very difficult year for small and medium sized companies. Read

NGenTec

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

This spin-out from Edinburgh University's Institute for Energy Systems, which has developed a lightweight generator technology for the offshore wind sector, has recruited a blue chip management team including chief executive officer Dr Makhlouf Benatmane to take it to the next stage. Read

Ecometrica

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Edinburgh-based Ecometrica, which was founded in 2008, specialises in carbon accounting systems. Just 12 months after launching its flagship EmissionsFactors.com product, it has secured a user base of more than 200 and counts BP, Royal Sun Alliance and Royal Mail as clients. Read

Broadcaster Robert Peston to address plc awards

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Award-winning business journalist Robert Peston is guest speaker at this year's Scotland plc Awards. Read

'Slog' pays off for super-SMEs

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Building a business has to be about your passion not just your pension, one of the UK's most inspirational entrepreneurs told an audience of Scottish SMEs. Jo Fairley, who cofounded chocolate company Green and Blacks from a bedroom 20 years ago, provided the recipe for her own success as guest speaker at the Insider and Bank of Scotland SME300 Awards. Read

COMMENT

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Colin Woodward Managing Director, Contracts Scotland Ltd Email: colin.woodward@contractscotland.co.uk Tel: 01786 446651 Confidence building in the construction sector THE SCOTTISH Construction industry has been badly affected by the economic downturn. Around 30000 people have lost their jobs in the sector with thousands more unable to find their first job in the industry they have been trained to work in. Read

Oil and gas activity sees Scotland Plc stand strong

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Alasdair Northrop's regular digest of Scottish stock performance Read

INSIDER INTERNATIONAL - DEFENCE AND AEROSPACE: Scots firms can carve out a niche at the cutting edge

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

When former Royal Navy officer Samrat Sarkar launched his body armour business five years ago, securing contracts from the world's largest army seemed a distant dream. While Sarkar admits it has been a very steep learning curve, the Glasgow-based business has managed to establish a global reputation for its products in a relatively short period of time Read

SCOTTISH RESTAURANT AWARDS 2012 - WINNERS: Success at the double for capital's classy Castle Terrace

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

A year after being named the country's top newcomer, classy Edinburgh establishment Castle Terrace has gone one step further by being crowned Scottish Restaurant of the Year Read

Economy dominates debate

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

The euro crisis and the referendum on Scottish independence dominated the discussions at this year's Insider Top500 business breakfast. Read

THE TEN MINUTE INTERVIEW

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Brian Bannatyne joined outsourced contact centre and software solutions provider RESPONSE in 2008 and was appointed managing director in February 2009 having previously been global business leader for the thermal products division of aerospace firm Honeywell and chief financial officer of consumer electronics company Incline Global Technology Services. Read

AvantiCell Science

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Chief executive Dr Jo Oliver says her Ayr-based company saw sales grow by 15 per cent last year but sustained profitability is still a little way off. The company - which provides cell-based analysis and aims to develop alternatives to animal testing in research and drug discovery - employs 15 people and has steadily increased staff numbers over the past 18 months with four new posts created in 2011. It recently secured additional, modest loan financing from the existing investor base. Read

Smarter Grid Solutions

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Smarter Grid Solutions provides smart grid control systems and power systems consultancy to power companies. Its products and services help network operators connect more low carbon technologies to the existing grid. Read

Q&A

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Alasdair Ramsay, head of Drivers Jonas Deloitte in Scotland Read

MARKET COMMENTARY

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Market optimism returns There has been a palpable mood shift in the market since December. The sense of despair that dominated the latter half of last year has, at least for now, given way to sentiment that I would term "pragmatic optimism". Read

contents

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Cover Story 21 Science and technology: How - and where - to find funding at the cutting edge 29 Ones to watch COMMENT 1 Agenda: Alasdair Northrop on the independence questions the business community want answers to 15 Peter Jones on: Scots independence and currency 51 Ian Ritchie on: Google's new privacy policy 92 Wealth management: with Lesley Campbell REPORTS 16 The Big Profile: Frank Blin, PwC 35 Driving growth in the downturn: Is there really a dearth of investment - and, if so, is it curtailing growth? 42 Business travel: We look at what's new in travel, from potential takeovers to new routes and fare types 46 The importance of business history: The value of archives and how business can learn from them 52 Construction: Despite being one of the biggest casualties of the downturn, there is still some good news to be found in the sector 55 Insider's exclusive listing 56 Regional review - Falkirk & Forth Valley: We turn the spotlight on this 'sleeping giant' region at the crossroads of the country 62 Q4 deals round-up: Drama as deals activity goes a little Dallas 67 Analysis 68 Insider's exclusive tables 72 International: The aerospace and defence industries PROPERTY 89 Residential: Buy-to-let bouncing back 91 Hotspots: New enterprise areas unveiled/Mixed bag for Scots hotels Read

BUSINESS TRAVEL: Some issues still up in the air

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

It has been an eventful few months in scotland's business travel world and the drama hasn't finished yet. Among the issues of concern is undoubtedly the proposed takeover of BMI by British Airways owner International Airlines Group with fears the frequency of flights between Scotland and London Heathrow will be reduced Read

TOP PERFORMERS

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

among Scotland's investors/advisors Read

Scottish deals continue despite economic headwinds

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

As We Enter 2012, the UK deal market continues to encounter strong headwinds with economic uncertainty making acquirers more hesitant. While dampening the Scottish deal environment, Scottish M&A continues to battle through and show signs of life. The Eurozone crisis seems to be inching forward, although how this will pan out remains unclear and its implications for liquidity, inflation and currency are key considerations for any business with a large exposure to Europe. Meanwhile, low (if any) UK growth undermines domestic operations. Fortunately for Scotland, global demand for oil continues to support oil prices which have remained relatively strong and continue to support the oil field services M&A activity - an important aspect of the Scottish deal environment. Read

THE BIG PROFILE - FRANK BLIN, PWC: Influential innovator in search of new challenges

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Is an accountant a businessman? If you ask Frank Blin the answer is certainly in the affirmative. "It amuses me that sometimes people say if you come from the professions you aren't a business person," says Blin, who has headed PwC's operations in scotland for the past 17 years as well as playing UK and international roles in the accountancy giant. Read

DRIVING GROWTH IN THE DOWNTURN: New ways to cultivate success

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Grim forecasts for the European economy in the years ahead may mean discussions in many Scottish boardrooms are focused more on how to protect current sales rather than how to look for growth Read

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY REPORT: Innovation and ingenuity

Mar 07 2012 | Latest News

Just over a year ago one of Scotland's most successful businessmen Jim McColl was on a trade mission with Prime Minister David Cameron in China. During that tour he met renowned life sciences investor Gerald Chan and told him there were some great things going on in Scotland. Read