This is an event being run by Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International to look to inspire Scottish firms to look at International or better still global market strategies to secure healthy futures

1. International Business
Strategy Event
Inspiring Scottish Businesses to Internationalise
Thursday 3rd March 2011
Dalmahoy Hotel, Edinburgh
Enabling International Growth
Internationalisation represents the single biggest opportunity for growing Scottish companies and is one of the major
factors that could accelerate our economic recovery.
To maximise this opportunity we have to commit to developing an international mindset which raises our international
aspirations for Scottish businesses and industry.
We know success in global markets is not about the size of your company or how many languages you speak but it
is about having the right skills and being prepared. Many businesses tell us however that the perceived barriers to
internationalisation prevent them from making that initial step into new markets.
That’s why Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International are offering all aspiring Scottish companies the
chance to attend ‘Enabling International Growth’ - a one day event that focuses on the opportunities for overseas trade
and development and how companies can address the barriers they might face.
Delegates will have the opportunity to hear from speakers with first-hand experience in international growth, learn
from a wide range of business leaders and make those crucial face-to-face introductions. There will also be round
table discussions, supported by members of our GlobalScot network.
Venue Dalmahoy Hotel, Edinburgh
Date Thursday 3rd March 2011
Time 9.00am refreshments for 9.30am prompt start.
The event will be chaired by Alasdair Northrop of Scottish Business Insider.
Key speakers include;
• Anne MacColl – Chief Executive Scottish Development International
• Mike Keiller – Chief Executive Morrison Bowmore
• Nick Price – Managing Director Bright Purple Resourcing
• Chris van der Kuyl – Chief Executive BrightSolid and a Globalscot representative.
Mick McHugh, company growth support director, Scottish Enterprise, will also emphasise the key focus that Scottish
Enterprise is placing on internationalisation to address the challenges of accessing global markets.
For more information and to register visit Enabling International Growth or call 0845 607 8787.

2. Biography
Alasdair Northrop
Alasdair Northrop has been editor of Scottish Business Insider magazine since September 2000
and has spent the past 30 years working in journalism.
Under his editorship, Insider has continued to grow its reputation as a leading business publication
and he has also been involved in widening its portfolio of events including the Scottish Retail
Excellence awards, the SME300 Awards and the Scottish Accountancy Awards.
Alasdair believes it is vital to promote international trading and shortly after his arrival at Insider launched its now
long running regular feature aimed at helping current and potential exporters.
Prior to joining Insider Alasdair worked for some of the UK’s leading regional newspapers including the Manchester
Evening News where he was business editor for seven years.
He regularly appears as an expert on business issues on TV and radio.
In 1996 he won the BT National Business Journalist of the Year award.
Anne MacColl
Anne MacColl is the chief executive of Scottish Development International (SDI). SDI is the Trade
and Investment arm of the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands
Enterprise. SDI is a joint venture between these three partners.
SDI’s role is to: raise the aspiration and ambition of more Scottish businesses to think, compete
and trade globally; attract investment and talent which builds on Scotland’s globally competitive
sectors, and to; actively work with others to increase the global competitiveness of the business environment in
Scotland and enhance Scotland’s image globally.
Prior to this, Anne was operations director for the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region of SDI, managing
SDI’s overseas sales & marketing teams and directly working to both attract inward investors and support Scottish
companies to successfully trade internationally.
Anne was previously the regional head for Southern Europe for SDI. Prior to this, Anne lived and worked for two years
in Madrid and for 3 years near Toulouse, France, as a management consultant to the French Chambers of Commerce
network, and as part of a national private Spanish consultancy, Soluziona.
Her first degree from Glasgow University in French, Spanish and Portuguese and this then led her to apply her
business skills to an international setting, through an MBA at Strathclyde Graduate Business School. Fully fluent in
both French and Spanish, Anne has a track record of international business and is passionate about “selling” Scotland
internationally. She has a strong interest in international education, and is an active participant in the activities of
the International School in Sevres, near Paris.

3. Biography
Mike Keiller,
Mike Keiller joined Morrison Bowmore Distillers Ltd, as chief executive officer in 2000.
Mike is responsible for developing Morrison Bowmore’s vision and strategy, directing and managing
the business on behalf of shareholders, and seeking profitable future development opportunities.
He has been responsible for transforming the business from a bulk whisky supply and services
operation to a consumer brand marketing led company, building its single malt brands’ market
share globally.
Before joining Morrison Bowmore, Mike was director of financial planning and control, BTUK,
British Telecommunications plc. Prior to this, he spent 14 years with Guinness plc (now part of Diageo plc), where
he joined as chief accountant for the Bell Scotch Whisky Group. Following numerous promotions, when Guinness plc
and Grand Metropolitan merged to form Diageo plc, Mike was appointed as merger integration director UK and was
responsible for a wide range of change programmes, specifically the merger of these two large business units.
Mike started his career as a trainee chartered accountant for Morris & Young. He also worked for other major Scottish
companies including Dawson International PLC and Low & Bonar plc.
Mike is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
Nick Price,
Nick is managing director of Bright Purple, one of Scotland’s largest independent recruitment
firms specialising in technology and financial services. He was born in South Wales, moved to
Scotland in 1977 at the age of sixteen and has since made Scotland his home. Nick was one of
the original founders of Bright Purple in 1995 and today under Nick’s leadership the firm is now a
£40m company, employing over 40 people in Edinburgh and London. His company provide specialist
resources across a variety of levels including board room placements.
Nick is also heavily involved outside of his own firm, as a board director of ScotlandIS, the technology trade body for
Scotland’s IT sector and as a director of the FS Club in Scotland. This club is aimed at bringing together financial
professionals and suppliers to the industry to meet and learn from each other. He is also heavily involved in charity
work and in 2011 is working to help raise awareness of Scotland’s homeless community, working with some of his
clients to do so.
In 2011, Nick’s company was named Business of the Year and he was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the
Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and they also were recognised as a finalist in the National Business Awards for
Growth Strategy of the Year and won Recruitment Team of the Year at the Scottish Recruitment Awards.

4. Biography
Chris van der Kuyl, BSc(Hons), FRSE
Chris van der Kuyl is a highly experienced entrepreneur whose expertise covers start-up,
development and market listed businesses in the technology, media and entertainment sectors.
He is chief executive officer of BrightSolid Limited, one of the UK’s Internet pioneers (formerly
Scotland Online). He is also Chairman of the Tayforth Group, which has interests in Video Games
development, Technology and Intellectual Property. Chris is chairman of 4J Studios, a next
generation video game development studio, and also of Add Knowledge, a new company developing
games content for the education market.
Chris is recognised as being one of the UK’s new generation of leading entrepreneurs. He contributes regularly to the
business and enterprise agenda through a variety of conference keynote speaking engagements and also in the media.
He is a member of the Global Leaders of Tomorrow Programme at the World Economic Forum.
Chris is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and sits on the Scottish Scientific Advisory committee, who advise
the Scottish Government on all areas of science and technology. Chris is chairman of the Creative board of the
Education Wing at Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow, and is a director of Dundee Science Centre.
Mick McHugh
Mick McHugh is SE’s company growth support director with responsibility for some of Scotland’s
key sectors such as Renewable Energy, Oil & Gas, Aerospace & Marine and Construction.
Prior to this Mick was the company growth director in the West Region of Scotland and before
this he was the business development director with Renfrewshire Enterprise, where he also had
management responsibility for SE’s National Electronics Team.
His career in Scottish Enterprise has seen him work in a wide range of economic development
support areas from High Growth Business Start – Up, Inward Investment, SME Development, Supplier Development
through to the project management of some of SE’s key strategic investments such as the Advanced Forming
Research Centre.
Mick holds an MSc in Entrepreneurial and Business Studies.