Scottish Financial Enterprise

We hosted a joint roundtable with Scottish Enterprise yesterday on capital investment for productivity growth, bringing together insight from across our sector and academia to identify opportunities to work together to attract further growth investment to the sector in Scotland. By working together we have the opportunity to drive significant productivity improvements, elevate income levels, and enhance living standards across Scotland. Sharon Smith | Sandy Begbie CBE FRSE | John Finch | Elaine Morrison

We were at The Investment Association’s first ever Scottish Investment Conference yesterday with our CEO Sandy Begbie CBE FRSE joining a panel discussion on skills and careers in the asset management sector.   The conference fostered some great discussions around investment both into and out of Scotland, with some fantastic panels tackling issues like infrastructure, net zero, and regulation.   It was also a great opportunity for attendees from across the financial and related professional services industry to network with others and exchange knowledge, insights and best practice with one another.   We were also encouraged to hear both the Scottish and UK governments’ highlight their commitment to the investment management industry.

We’re calling on the Scottish Government to recognise its income tax policy is not working and take action in next week’s budget to address growing divergence between Scotland and the rest of the UK. The call comes after the Institute of Fiscal Studies suggested recent increases in income tax rates by the Scottish Government may have reduced rather than increased the devolved tax take. We have consistently stressed the risk of income tax divergence shrinking the Scottish tax base. It is now time for the Scottish Government to recognise that this policy is not working and take action to begin changing course. Read our full press release here: https://lnkd.in/eeeEFj9q Or read in today's papers, with coverage in: Daily Business: https://lnkd.in/e5FqwWG6   Daily Express: https://lnkd.in/e6dT2zc4 The Herald Scotland: https://lnkd.in/eSjTmepu The Independent: https://lnkd.in/educ2R_v Insider.co.uk: https://lnkd.in/e4s4c9Zv The Scotsman: https://lnkd.in/ePcaXqQe https://lnkd.in/e4jq862G Scottish Financial Review: https://lnkd.in/e7xRcyQ4 STV Group plc: https://lnkd.in/e-jiT6x6 The Times: https://lnkd.in/enctVDyX The Telegraph: https://lnkd.in/ezJpbpxA

Did you know that 78% of people believe they should have started saving for retirement earlier in their career?   The Phoenix Group's latest report uses data to understand how demographic, societal, workplace and economic changes have all contributed to a changing landscape of how we work, save and retire.   It is crucial that we better understand how prepared people are for life after retirement and this report created by the Phoenix Group is a great way to start.   Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/eTcAU35c

We hosted an event this afternoon to provide members of Scottish Financial Enterprise with an inside look into getinto.finance, explaining the purpose of the hub and how we plan on using it to encourage more people to consider a career within financial services. We’d like to say a huge thank you to Amanda Byrne from BNP Paribas for sharing her unique career pathway and the role that Career Ready have played in supporting Amanda throughout her early career. If you weren’t able to attend today’s session and are a member of Scottish Financial Enterprise, you’ll be able to watch the session back via SFE’s member platform in the very near future.

Skills Development Scotland’s Sectoral Skills Assessments (SSAs) are published annually and provide a high-level evidence base to inform future investment, built up from existing datasets and forecasts.   This year’s release of the SSAs includes 14 reports alongside a report on Scotland’s Labour Market Drivers which provides an overview of the drivers expected to have the greatest influence on Scotland’s labour market outlook based on a comprehensive analysis of structural and cyclical factors. Complimenting these publications, Skills Development Scotland are inviting members to join them for a one hour webinar this coming Wednesday to provide an overview of the latest SSAs for the financial and related professional services sector. Sign up for the event here: https://lnkd.in/eM75-i6j Laura Wilson | Kerry Wilkie | Monika Frejeryte | Karen B.

Jeremy Grant's new article in The Banker is a must read for anyone who is interested in how Scotland is building its reputation and capabilities as a global financial centre around technology, AI, and green finance. Jeremy discusses the scale and scope of large financial institutions like Barclays, BlackRock, J.P. Morgan, and Morgan Stanley in Scotland, why their operations here are globally significant, and what their growing presence means for Scotland's economy. A wide-ranging piece with contributions from Sandy Begbie CBE FRSE, Vida Rudkin, Scott Walker and Mark Napier. https://lnkd.in/e7F65HXZ

We joined Barclays UK at their Glasgow campus last night for an event focusing on building resilience. The event included a panel of speakers who shared some of their firsthand experiences of how they have built up resilience throughout their career as well as how their personal background has helped them to harness resilience and specific points in their career where they had to be particularly resilient. We’d like to say a huge thank to our speakers for opening up and sharing some of their stories for our attendees and thank you to Barclays for hosting the event for us. Jayne Currie | Jamie McMillan | Brian Kennedy APA

Interested in finding out about getinto.finance, our new online skills and careers hub? Join our webinar this coming Monday and see firsthand how the sector can be used to promote career opportunities and pathways into financial services. Sign up for the event here: https://lnkd.in/etEz6e5W Sandy Begbie CBE FRSE | Nicole Scott | Sara Votta

We hosted an event at Citi in Edinburgh last night with insights into the expansion and progress of our sector and why Scotland is a leading destination and growth hub for financial services on a global scale.   Thank you to our panellists Tiina Lee, Daniel Johnson and Scott Walker for taking the time to come along and provide your insights.