The best of Scottish business was celebrated at a reception at Edinburgh Castle last night. 

Attended by over 100 senior business leaders, the event showcased the immense contributions made by the Scottish Chambers of Commerce network in supporting businesses to grow and invest in local communities and highlighted Scotland’s place on the world stage in securing net zero opportunities and expanding international prospects.

First Minister Humza Yousaf praised the work of the network and said collaboration between business and government will boost investment, exports, and entrepreneurship.

He said:

“The Scottish Government I lead is absolutely committed to unleashing the country’s enormous economic potential.

“We are using the powers at our disposal to contribute to boosting international investment and unlocking the wealth of investment opportunities we have in Scotland – measures such as issuing our first ever bond to finance key infrastructure support that ambition.

“Scottish Chambers of Commerce and its wider network play an important contribution to seizing Scotland’s economic and investment opportunities, particularly through the support it offers to local businesses and helping promote the significant exporting opportunities many businesses across Scotland have. 

“I look forward to continuing to engage with the many Scottish businesses that are investing and innovating in Scotland, as well as supporting our commitment to an economy that is fair, green, and growing.”

Stephen Leckie, President of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce said:

“I was delighted to welcome businesses from every part of Scotland to the Scottish Business Reception at Edinburgh Castle. From the cities to the Highlands and a wide cross-sector of companies from energy, manufacturing, tourism, retail, finance, space, education, and more, the event was a great celebration of Scotland’s business community.

“From expanding our international trade and exporting opportunities and accelerating our solutions to reaching net zero, the Chamber Network in Scotland and across the world are leading from the front and we look forward to collaborating with the Scottish Government to achieve our shared ambitions.”

Ian Kinnaird, Drax’s Scottish Assets Director, said:

“This event showcased the breadth and depth of talent that exists in Scotland’s business community, and Drax was very proud to support it.

“Scotland has all the right attributes to become a global leader in renewable energy and with the right government support, we can continue to harness the power of wind and water to deliver a sustainable future for our environment and our communities.

“That’s why at Drax we are progressing plans to invest more than £500 million in the UK’s first new pumped storage hydro plant in a generation at our existing Cruachan facility, near Oban. It will not only make our power grid greener and more secure, but it will provide a huge boost to the local economy.”