The British Chambers of Commerce has called for Government to focus on boosting services, advanced manufacturing, green and digital trade if it wants to hit its £1tn trade target. 

 

The move comes as research shows SME exports continue to languish:  

  • In Q2of 2023, half of all SME exporters (50%) saw no change in overseas sales, and almost a quarter (24%) reported a decrease 
  • Just over a quarter of exporting SME firms (26%) saw their overseas sales increase in Q2
  • SME Manufacturers faredslightly better as 30% saw an increase, with the services sector at 23% 
  • The last time more than 30% of firms saw increased export sales was in Q4 2018

Boosting exports is key to the UK’s future economic prosperity, but firms of all sizes are facing a wide range of stumbling blocks. These include inflationary pressures, a restructuring of global supply chains and a continuing flow of new requirements from the EU trade relationship. 

The BCC’s newly revised Trade Manifesto, supported by logistics company WTA Group, sets out a comprehensive list of steps to get more UK businesses, currently just 10%, involved in international trade. 

It builds on other recent research by the BCC that found: 

  • 54% of businesses say smoother customs procedures are the key to boosting UK exports 
  • 42% favour lowering tariffs, while 35% said there is a need to reduce regulatory barriers, and 29% want better support for smaller businesses

Among the Manifesto’s key proposals are: 

  • Establishingan Exports Council to focus on boosting the UK’s services, green, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing exports – achieving the £1tn exports target early in 2030s 
  • Raising the proportion of UK exports done digitally to 60% by end of the decade
  • Building upon trade documents digitalisation by moving to online border processes at pace. 
  • Updating the UK Export Strategy with specific support and promotion for green exporters.
  • Earmarking additional dedicated UK Export Finance for green trade. 
  • Reaching an agreement between the UK and EU in the coming months on electric vehicles and batteries’ rules of origin, to avoid damaging new tariffs.

The new manifesto has been updated to account for the latest developments in the world of international trade and to reflect that several asks from the first edition have been acted upon. 

These include: 

  • Establishing a Governmenttrade growth office (Preference Utilisation Unit) 
  • Fixing problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol
  • Extending the grace period on CE marked goods
  • Resolving a dispute with the US to avoid punitive tariffs

  

Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the BCC, said:  

“The world of international trade is where British business belongs. If our economy is to grow then we must export more, it’s as simple as that. 

“Firms that trade overseas, grow faster, pay better, and are more resilient. If the UK wants to remain one of the world’s largest economies, then we need more firms selling more goods and services internationally. 

“Our new Manifesto sets out long-term strategy on the key areas where the Government must focus if it wants to hit its target of £1tn of exports. 

“Trade is constantly developing and there are real opportunities for a global Britain to exploit new markets as technology advances, Net Zero takes hold and the geopolitical landscape shifts. 

“We are already a world-leader when it comes to digital trade and we must lean more heavily into the opportunities that will provide. 

“We also need to build a strategy to protect the UK’s supply chains – the US, the EU and China are all investing £100bns in sustainable and low-carbon technology. 

“We don’t have that kind of money, but we do have great strengths – services, renewable energy, green finance, engineering, professional services, cutting edge manufacturing, food and drink exports, and R&D.  

“We need to work with Government to put in place a framework that makes use of all the advantages the UK has, to keep us at the top table. 

“Finally, we need to look again at ways of improving trade with the EU. It remains our biggest trading partner, but firms continue to express huge frustration with the complexity and costs involved – which go beyond what they face elsewhere. 

 “If we all work together to take action then we can revitalise our exports growth and help power up the UK economy.”  

 

 Rochelle Sommer, CO-CEO of WTA Group, said: 

“It is an exciting time for UK companies to enhance their international trade. Exporting is a great strategic tool for growth and can provide robustness to profit and loss, as it can minimise seasonal peaks and troughs and protect your growth strategy from pockets of economic downturn. 

“As well as encouraging and supporting the £1tn export target, this manifesto is committed to the digitisation of supply chains, something we feel passionately about at WTA. This digitisation was one of the key drivers for our partnership with the BCC, as we feel digitisation is what turns supply chains from transactional parts of a business to strategic, and it’s where WTA can add the most value for our customers”. 

Edinburgh Bus Tours is delighted to announce that it has again been awarded the prestigious five-star tourist attraction status from Visit Scotland. The city tours, the third most popular paid attraction in Scotland, has maintained its top score every year since 2011, thanks to exceptional standard of service.

The Visit Scotland Quality Assurance scheme is a 5-star grading scheme for the very finest attractions, accommodation and food that Scotland has to offer.

Edinburgh Bus Tours offer three city-centre signature tours including the world-renowned CitySightseeing Edinburgh Tour, the Edinburgh Tour with a live guide, and the Majestic Tour. The 3 Bridges Tour takes visitors out of the city to Queensferry with the option of taking a boat cruise on the Firth of Forth with Forth Boat Tours, getting up close and personal with the iconic three bridges.

All tours offer tourists and residents alike the best view of Edinburgh from the upper deck of an open-top tour bus, incorporating all the capital’s most famous attractions and landmarks from Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town to the Royal Yacht Britannia and Dynamic Earth.

Kids go free on all of Edinburgh Bus Tours’ services, with tickets starting at £16 for adults, offering a fun-filled experience for families throughout the summer season.

From Wednesday 5 July, Edinburgh Bus Tours customers can now visit the new TourHub on Waterloo Place, with all tours departing just outside.  At the TourHub, customers can buy their tickets before they board, speak to a friendly member of our team to help with planning their time in the city, or purchase the latest Edinburgh Bus Tours merchandise.

Customers can also pre-purchase their tour tickets and access the latest tours information by visiting www.edinburghtour.com or downloading the Edinburgh Bus Tours app from the Apple store or Google Play store.

Sarah Boyd, Managing Director, Edinburgh Bus Tours said:

“I am thrilled that Edinburgh Bus Tours has maintained its five-star status from Visit Scotland. This reflects the passion, hard work and dedication of the whole team from our drivers, tickets sellers, tour guides to those working behind the scenes to put the show on the road.

“Edinburgh Bus Tours really do deliver a fun experience for everyone, locals and visitors alike.

“We look forward to welcoming all those enjoying the Edinburgh summer and choosing our five-star customer service experience.  It’s a great way to see all that the capital has to offer.”

Looking for ways to keep the kids amused this summer, then look no further than some free summer football being offered by Edinburgh Leisure.

Suitable for young people aged 11+ years, the football sessions will run on the main pitch at Meadowbank Sports Centre from 1:30pm – 3:00pm every Tuesday and Thursday of the summer holidays.  Participants can come along, stay active and socialise while enjoying the outdoors. Sessions don’t need to be booked – kids can simply turn up and have fun.

Wherever you’re at on the map or in life, Edinburgh Leisure is here to help the people of Edinburgh enjoy a healthier, happier, and more active life. In the heart of communities, they’re the largest provider of sport and leisure facilities across the city. As a charitable trust they provide activities for everyone as they move through their lives.

A serial entrepreneur is harnessing the talents of Queen Margaret University digital creators and performers to breathe new life into an impressive historic steading development in East Lothian. For the third year in a row, Scottish tech entrepreneur, George Mackintosh, is providing an award programme which will see QMU students help Papple Steading transform into an impressive agricultural heritage centre which celebrates the rich history of the agricultural revolution. 

 

Papple Steading is thought to be one of Britain’s finest historic model farms of the Agricultural Improvement Movement, designed and built in the mid 19th century. Once part of the Whittinghame Estate, whose Laird was AJ Balfour, the British Prime Minister between 1902 and 1905, the farm fell into disrepair with the buildings unused for decades.  

 

Under George’s leadership and vision, the ambitious plans look to develop an agricultural heritage centre, heritage reference library, cafe, shop and auditorium, as well as an artist’s studio, meeting rooms and private dining areas. The fully completed first phase of the project included the restoration and conversion of the original farmhouse and outbuildings into self-catering accommodation. This has recently been recognised by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland as winners of the 2023 RIAS Awards. 

 

With a passion for all things tech, George is harnessing the talents of filmmakers, media experts and creatives at Queen Margaret University to showcase the Papple Steading offering in new and exciting ways. The aim is to use creativity, filmmaking, storytelling and drama performance through digital means to captivate and entertain new and diverse audiences, encouraging them to learn about Scotland’s rich agricultural past.   

 

Now in its third year, the Papple Media Prize @ QMU, funded by Papple Steading, offers students at QMU a creative brief with the opportunity to choose from themes focused around global agricultural development and food production. Earlier this month, shortlisted groups of QMU students and recent alumni pitched their creative concepts to a panel of experts, as part of the competition.  

Dr Lesley-Ann Dickson, Associate Head of the Media, Communication and Performing Arts Division at QMU, said: “I absolutely love being part of our Papple Steading Prize panel. The opportunity to see how our students take a brief, bring it to life and add their own creative twist, is really special. The prize has grown from strength to strength over the past three years and I have to say that the standard this year is our best yet – long may it continue.” 

“This prize is a perfect example of the importance of partnership working at QMU. George and Verity at Papple Steading continue to offer an incredible opportunity to our students, whilst also benefitting from the creative talent here at QMU. It really is a win-win all round.” 

This year’s winners are current PhD students Funke Adetutu and Kenny Glenaan who will receive £4,500 to progress their creative project.    

The group will create a documentary style piece which explores the trials and tribulations of East Lothian’s migrant workers over the years. ‘Heroes of Toil’ will be an exploratory documentary film that focuses on the experiences of migrant workers on East Lothian farms. The group will look to elicit stories that have never been told before, and that paint a new picture of the East Lothian countryside we all know and love. 

George Mackintosh, Director at Papple Steading, said: “The judges for the 2023 Papple Media Prize @ QMU enjoyed four powerful and creative pitches by the teams shortlisted for this year’s prize – a commission to produce a short film. Jack Kibble-White of the BBC and Dr Lesley-Ann Dickson of QMU applied great academic and practical experience to the process and review…and we were all most impressed by the originality, energy and team potency of each group.  

“The winning group hit the subject nail on the head and the judges had great confidence in their ability to deliver. Well done shortlisters…and well done QMU!” 

The winners will bring their concepts to life this summer, with their final pieces of digital being ready by October.   

The firm has been named as finalist for ‘Private Client Legal Team of the Year (large firm)’ at the STEP Private Client Awards 2023/24

Independent UK law firm Burges Salmon has been named as a finalist in the ‘Private Client Legal Team of the Year (large firm)’ category at the STEP Private Client Awards 2023/24.

STEP is the global professional association for practitioners who specialise in family inheritance and succession planning.  It works to improve public understanding of the issues families face in this area and promote education and high professional standards amongst its members.  Today, STEP has 21,000 members across 96 countries from a range of professions, including lawyers, accountants and other specialists.

The STEP Private Client Awards are seen as the hallmark of quality within the private client industry.

This shortlisting builds on the Burges Salmon Private Client team’s previous success of winning both ‘Private Client Team of the Year – Large Firm’ and ‘Employer of the Year’ at the STEP Private Client Awards 2022/23, and having been shortlisted in this category the last seven times the team has entered the Private Client Legal Team of the Year awards – winning it five times to date.  Only last month, the team was successful in the ‘Private Client Law Firm (Full Service)’ category at the 2023 eprivateclient Excellence Awards.

The firm has received this shortlisting for demonstrating a clear capacity to undertake complex client issues, reinforcing the team’s sector specialisms, providing excellent client service delivery and innovating to differentiate themselves from competitors, while demonstrating commitment to the wider profession.

Burges Salmon’s Head of Private Client, Jim Aveline, says: “The STEP Private Client Awards showcase the very best of our industry and we’re therefore extremely proud that our team has been named as a finalist in this category.”

The firm’s Private Client team is nationally recognised for providing clear and practical legal advice to clients in the UK and abroad. It works with a wide variety of clients including entrepreneurs, landowners, Ultra High Net Worth Individuals (UHNWI), High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI), trustees and family offices, both onshore and offshore. With one of the largest private client law offerings in the UK, the team has an expert pool of knowledge, helping its clients to mitigate tax, structure their affairs, preserve their property and pass it on to their successors, including advice on divorce and nuptial agreements. The team has extensive experience of cross-border estate and succession planning, international tax and property structuring, and settling family disputes. It also advises global financial institutions on the provision of trust and tax planning services.

The STEP Private Client Awards 2023/24 will be held on 21 September 2023 at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

Scottish law firm Gillespie Macandrew announces the appointment of corporate partner and accredited charity law specialist Alan Gilfillan.

Having previously completed his legal traineeship with Gillespie Macandrew, Alan now re-joins the firm from Balfour+Manson with 13 years’ experience advising businesses and charities on a wide range of corporate legal matters, from formation and fund raising to restructuring and sale.  Alan also has experience working within the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) and is recognised as leading individual in the charities field within the legal directories.

Chief Executive Officer, Robert Graham-Campbell commented:

“I am delighted to welcome Alan to our partnership as we continue to develop the expertise of our corporate team.  Alan will be joining our three partner Corporate and Banking team, and brings a wide breadth of corporate experience, as well as, working closely with our leading Charities team, led by Lianne Lodge, to support charities and the third sector”.

The firm advises clients across Scotland and the UK, with offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Perth on all areas of land and rural business, private client, commercial real estate, energy, tax and disputes, combining a personal approach with industry-leading expertise.

An inspirational woman who is a leading figure in the support and resettlement of refugees in Scotland was awarded an honorary degree from Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh at its first graduation ceremony of the year, held on 3rd July.

Wafa Shaheen, Head of Services at the Scottish Refugee Council (SRC), the leading refugee charity in Scotland, has helped develop a uniquely Scottish approach to welcoming people seeking international protection.

Wafa Shaheen, who was awarded a Degree of Doctor of the University, Honoris Causa by Queen Margaret University, was joined by Dame Prue Leith CBE, Chancellor of QMU, and 400 new graduates and their families at the first of three QMU graduation ceremonies to be held this summer in Edinburgh’s beautiful Usher Hall. This year, the University’s ceremonies run over two days to accommodate the University’s growing number of graduating students. The events will see the first cohort of students graduate with a BSc Paramedic Science, BA (Hons) Education Studies and the BA (Hons) Education Studies (Primary). Students from these courses will take up vital positions as paramedics in Scotland’s NHS, as primary teachers in schools, and in education roles across Scotland.

Having lived and worked in Baghdad, Wafa Shaheen has encountered the restrictions and hostility imposed by Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship. Her husband was one of Iraq’s forcibly ‘disappeared’ – one of up to one million people in the country who have been detained without an arrest warrant, usually for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Following her husband’s return a month after he was taken, the couple knew they had to get their family out of the country. In 1996, the family found themselves in Glasgow, and have since made Scotland their home.

Wafa’s experience supporting new Scots in their journeys to social and economic inclusion started soon after her arrival in Scotland when she first began supporting Arabic speakers to access health care. She has been with the Scottish Refugee Council since 2000, where her skill and experience in developing high quality services has led to the development of a uniquely Scottish approach to welcoming, supporting and integrating refugees into their new communities. As well as delivering asylum and immigration advice, Wafa has been key in providing strategic insights into the new communities settling in Scotland. She has worked closely on research with the Institute for Global Health and Development at Queen Margaret University, and her insights into the importance of social connections – within and across communities – have guided government strategy ever since. She receives her honorary degree in the year QMU’s Institute for Global Health and Development celebrates its 30th anniversary.

Wafa’s influence extends well beyond the Scottish Refugee Council. She has been a member of the Scottish Government’s New Scots Core Group, has been involved in Glasgow’s Homelessness Strategic Planning Group and was one of the original members of the Scottish Government’s Refugee Task Force Integration Forum, the legacy of which continues to shape Scotland’s response to refugee arrivals, including the Syrian, Ukrainian and Afghani resettlement schemes.

Sir Paul Grice, Principal of Queen Margaret University, said: “We are delighted that, today, our students have the opportunity to learn about the life and career of Wafa Shaheem – a strong, compassionate and inspirational woman who has worked tirelessly to support and resettle refugees in Scotland and to help develop policies that recognise and respond to refugees’ resilience and capacities rather than their vulnerabilities. She has been pivotal in the work of QMU’s Institute for Global Health and Development where she has supported research into the importance of social connections. She has been a truly compassionate leader who has helped Scotland build and connect communities and strengthen its capacity for successful multicultural integration. Her achievements align with QMU’s values of social justice and with our aim of producing relevant research and work which makes a positive impact on the world. Her advocacy for compassionate, sustainable, holistic refugee integration could not be more urgent or relevant in today’s world.

“We are truly honoured to have such an exceptional individual at graduation, and we are delighted to recognise Wafa’s impressive achievements with an honorary degree.”

Work has finished to complete this year’s design on the world’s oldest Floral Clock in Edinburgh’s West Princes Street Gardens.

For 2023, the hugely popular landmark will celebrate 100 years of Flying Scotsman, the world’s most famous steam locomotive.

Our team of three gardeners took just four weeks to plant over 50,000 flowers and plants used to create the clock, which will be in bloom until October. There are 20 different plants included in this year’s design such as antennaria, crassula, echevaria, sedum, saxifrage and annuals such as pyrethrum, begonias and geraniums.

The dedication of the clock coincided with a visit to the Capital from the iconic locomotive. The Lord Provost Robert Aldridge was joined by floral clock gardeners Gillian and David to welcome Flying Scotsman at Edinburgh Waverley.

Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Robert Aldridge said:

I am delighted to once again see the city’s beautiful floral clock completed, and blooming in time for the special visit from Flying Scotsman.

Each year the iconic clock marks special occasions and events in the heart of the Capital and this year it is a unique tribute coinciding with celebrations taking place around the country to celebrate 100 years of Flying Scotsman.

My thanks and congratulations to the dedicated and creative parks team who have put together the design that I’m sure will be enjoyed by everyone who passes by it this summer.

Andrew McLean, National Railway Museum Assistant Director and Head Curator, said:

I first saw the clock when I was a boy and my grandfather was involved in helping maintain it as part of his job as the Clerk of Works for the City of Edinburgh Council from the late 1940s until the early 1980s. It is an important part of Edinburgh’s history and was always a source of great pride so bringing the clock and Flying Scotsman together is a great joy for me.

The Floral Clock was first created in 1903 by then Edinburgh Parks Superintendent, John McHattie, and is the oldest of its kind in the world. It initially operated with just an hour hand, with a minute hand added in 1904, followed by a cuckoo clock in 1952. Until 1972 the clock was operated mechanically and had to be wound daily.

Since 1946 it has been designed in honour of various organisations and individuals, including the Girl Guides Association, Robert Louis Stevenson and the Queen, for her Golden Jubilee. In the clock’s centenary year in 2003 it won a Gold Medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Find out more about Edinburgh’s parks and green spaces.

Flying Scotsman, the world’s most famous steam locomotive, turned 100 in February 2023. Synonymous with the golden age of rail travel, the locomotive is renowned as a feat of design and engineering. It is a star attraction in the collection of the National Railway Museum (part of the Science Museum Group) in York, where it is a working museum exhibit.

Hospitality venues adopt new partners to drive sustainability efforts

A POPULAR venue which helps to support the advancement of surgery around the world has adopted a range of impressive new sustainability measures.

The moves see Surgeons Quarter serving up a new coffee bean supplier while also delivering a partnership to recycle coffee grinds, as part of a sustainability review across its portfolio.

The organisation, which operates a range of venues to support the work of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd), has named workers’ cooperative Equal Exchange as its preferred coffee supplier across all its venues, including luxury hotel Ten Hill Place.

Now the ‘Grown by Women’ coffee range will be used in all espresso and bean-to-cup machines throughout its venues. Grown by Women’s coffee is directly sourced from Equal Exchange’s female cooperative members, and helps support women, their families, and wider communities.

Meanwhile, Surgeons Quarter has also partnered with a farm operated by homelessness charity, Cyrenians, to recycle coffee grinds from its Café 1505 venue on Nicolson Street. The charity’s working farm uses organic waste, including coffee grounds, in its compost.

Stewart Munro, Operations Manager at Surgeons Quarter, said: “We are renowned for our sustainable practices especially in Ten Hill Place Hotel, but we continually seek new partnerships to help us build these practices across the campus.

“We’re delighted to be supporting Equal Exchange by taking them on as our coffee supplier and partnering with Cyrenians to upcycle our coffee grinds in a sustainable way.

“Cyrenians Farm is a fantastic enterprise, we’re already looking at ways to expand the partnership to support the work they do to produce sustainable, organic produce.

“We were also particularly drawn to Equal Exchange’s ethos to invest in crucial initiatives such as mobile health clinics. Given our affiliation to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, we were especially keen to support these enterprises.”

Surgeons Quarter promotes, sells, and manages all commercial activities held within the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh campus. It includes facilities for conferences, meetings, private events, parties, weddings and its own four-star hotel Ten Hill Place as well as Café 1505 and SQ Travel. The new partnerships have been implemented following a review of sustainability practices across its venues, in a bid to meet ambitious sustainability goals.

Sophie Bell, Fundraising Manager at Cyrenians said: “Working with Surgeons Quarter is an exciting opportunity for us, we’re impressed by their commitment to work with likeminded enterprises.

“Our farm aims to foster a sense of community and supports our work to tackle the causes of homelessness. We’re excited to be partnering with Surgeons Quarter’’.

Cyrenians Farm in Kirknewton, West Lothian, is home to a community for young-people aged 16-25 years, and the surrounding working farm is a social enterprise providing opportunities for residents, volunteers, and visitors to grow vegetables, and develop life skills, while being in a trusting and nurturing community

Stewart added: “We have several initiatives in place to offset CO2 and drive sustainable practices in all our venues. Which is why it’s important that the products enjoyed by our customers, guests, and employees are ethically sourced and sustainable, as we want to make a positive difference.

“Undertaking the sustainability review allowed us to make an informed decision about how we could provide the best combination of quality and sustainability in our choice of suppliers.”

Additionally, Surgeons Quarter plans to expand its ethical retail range of products in Café 1505 through Equal Exchange to offer organic fairtrade chocolate, raw honey, and Palestinian extra virgin olive oil.

The review also appointed Scotland based Caffia, a third-generation family-run business, as the new preferred supplier of filter coffee and tea across the Surgeons Quarter venues. Caffia will supply a range of organic, Fairtrade, and Rainforest Alliance coffees and teas.

Profits from the Surgeons Quarter portfolio go towards the advancement of surgery and the improvement of patient outcomes worldwide.

More information about Surgeons Quarter can be found at: https://www.surgeonsquarter.com/

UK top 50 and leading Scottish law firm Brodies LLP has announced its thirteenth consecutive year of growth posting record revenue of £106.25m.

With revenue growth for the financial year to 30 April 2023 up 8% from £98.5m the previous year, operating profit also increased by 6% from £46.1m to £48.6m.

Throughout the year, Brodies continued to make progress across its main areas of practice – banking and finance, corporate and commercial, litigation, personal and family and real estate – with each reporting record income.

Investment in colleagues continued with headcount growing by 3% from 771 to 794. All eligible colleagues received a bonus of 6% in June 2023, adding to bonuses paid in January, June and November 2022.

In line with the firm’s strategic plans, investment in premises continued with a new Inverness office opening in September 2022 and plans agreed for the upgrades to its Aberdeen and Glasgow offices, which will complete later this year.  The firm also launched Brodies Middle East LLP, which, with its first UAE office in Abu Dhabi, will focus on supporting existing and new clients in the energy sector.

With the cost of investments in premises met, and colleague bonuses and other investments paid in full, cash balances at year end were £29.5m, an increase of 13% on the previous year.

Brodies managing partner, Nick Scott, said: “That each of our practice areas were able to report progress was down to our clients, and the colleagues who responded to their calls for our assistance. All of this is against a constantly changing backdrop where clients and colleagues alike have been responding to events such as the war in Ukraine, historically high inflation, uncertain financial markets, and an economy that has been, on some measures, more severely impacted than many of our European neighbours.

“So to record our thirteenth straight year of growth, and to become the first Scottish headquartered law firm to report income over £100m, underpins our continuous focus on our firm’s strategic plans. And it would not have been possible without the support of our clients and the commitment of our colleagues – each one playing a part in helping us reach this milestone.

“Looking forward we will, later this year, set out our strategic plans for 2024 – 2027. We will enter that process with best in class offices in all our locations from which to further develop our local relationships and expertise, and a new members agreement, which our partners signed last summer, committing our firm to responsible and sustainable business practices, seeking to create opportunity for all, regardless of difference.”

Highlights from the financial year in review include:

  • The Chambers & Partners 2023 UK legal guide noted that Brodies has “one of the highest concentrations of elite departments in the [UK] guide. The firm has 50 rankings, 34 of which are in the top tier.
  • The firm’s Edinburgh office, Capital Square, was awarded best new fit out in Scotland from the British Council of Offices.
  • Brodies received the inclusive culture award from The Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion.
  • The firm collaborated with its colleague networks to create new policies and to introduce working practices that will support and maintain a culture of inclusion, including Smart Working, Family Leave, Dignity at Work, Baby Loss, and a Menopause policy.
  • Brodies partnered with the Scottish Ethnic Minority Lawyers’ Association (SEMLA) and Black Professionals Scotland (BPS) to offer work experience placements and a formal internship programme where all participants secured further employment with the firm in both legal and business services roles.
  • The firm continues to support communities and charities, in particular, its charity partner Alzheimer Scotland, and those focused on alleviating the impact of the rising cost of living.
  • Continued growth of private client practice with the appointment of new partner, Jacqueline Stroud, and the promotion of Jessica Flowerdew to partner.
  • Involved in every major public inquiry in Scotland.
  • Advising Bruntwood SciTech in the acquisition and redevelopment of the iconic Met Tower to create a £60m technology and digital hub in the heart of Glasgow’s city centre and Glasgow City Innovation District.
  • Acted for Katjes Greenfood (the investment arm of German confectionary group, Katjes, one of Germany’s largest sweet manufacturers) on its acquisition of Genius Foods, the UK market leader in gluten-free ready-to-eat bakery products.
  • Acted for the shareholders of Balhousie Care Group in the sale to AcalisCare. Balhousie own and operate 26 care facilities across Scotland, ranging from residential and nursing care to specialist care.
  • Representing Quantum Energy Partners in their £300m investment to accelerate the redevelopment of Ardersier Port into a major energy transition facility for offshore wind and the decommissioning of oil and gas assets.
  • Acted for Bluefloat Energy UK Holdings Limited in its successful defence of a £400m claim against it brought by a competitor company, Moray Offshore Regional Power Limited.
  • Acting for Parks of Hamilton and Rangers Football Club in their ongoing dispute with the Scottish Professional Football League.
  • Supported Insight Enterprises, Inc, headquartered in Arizona, on amendments to its existing facilities, advising on matters relating to UK law and co-ordinating counsel and specialist advice across Insight’s EMEA locations.