This year sees four women on the Board for the first time in the Exchange’s history. Welcomed by new Chairman Chris van der Kuyl, new director Amanda Boyle of Bloom VC talks about what she hopes to bring to the organisation.
Chris van der Kuyl, CEO of BrightSolid, was appointed Chairman of the Exchange at the Annual Conference. He’s hugely ambitious for the organisation over the next 12 months, and spoke of the challenges and opportunities facing Scotland’s entrepreneurs.
In his opening address to the conference, Chris said: “While the economic outlook continues to be gloomy it is inspiring to see so many of you seeking out the opportunities that occur in challenging times, that’s the definition of an entrepreneur, that we actively seek out challenges and change.
“Nobody got up the day that the banks crashed and did back flips, but by the end of the day, or the next morning, when we’d done all the risk assessment, most of us knew what was going on and started to think about the opportunities it would create.
“In the next few years ahead of us, in the UK and in Scotland, it’s going to be historic, we’ve got the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, and some kind of referendum. The spot light will be on us, as a nation, both the UK and more specifically, Scotland. We in the Exchange need to be acting as an incredibly strong voice for the entrepreneurial community, we’ve got to look at the challenges and opportunities ahead and be debating them, discussing them and acting on a strong and coherent message that supports the growth potential of every Scottish entrepreneur in business.
“None of us knows where that is going to be, but we can be a pivotal point for that debate, encourage that debate and support us all in trying to get the best outcome. Because what do we care about? We care about a thriving environment to do business in. There are great entrepreneurial opportunities, whether they are barriers blown out the way when it comes to red tape or access to finance, and its very important we do take a strong position whether that’s with sister organisations across the country, like the RSE who are spurring on the intellectual debate or the governments of the time.”
Chris also shared his thoughts about the new Board directors, appointed at the conference.
