Royal Bank of Scotland Chief Executive to address annual business conference in the Scottish Parliament

22.11.2013

The Chief Executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Ross McEwan, will today address over 200 delegates at the ‘Business in the Parliament’ conference.

Now in its eighth year, this event tackles the major issues that matter to Scottish businesses and today delegates will be discussing how to maximise economic growth during a time of financial constraint.

Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, the Rt. Hon Tricia Marwick MSP said: 

“The Scottish Parliament is uniquely placed to host this event which brings together over 200 leading names from the worlds of business, politics and the public sector. I am sure the debate today will be lively and at times controversial, but it is a debate which is vital given the challenging economic circumstances we find ourselves in.”

Mr McEwan will tell the conference that:

"We’re getting a clear view, through our business customers, that the economy has turned for the better. They are hiring more people and more of them are asking us about borrowing to invest in their businesses than at any point in the last five years. We want to support those customers as they see economic opportunities emerging for them. But the reality is that right now we don’t always live up to that responsibility, so we are going to have to make some fundamental changes to make RBS a great bank for our customers."

Murdo Fraser MSP, Convener of the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee, will tell delegates that we are at a critical time for our economy and that he:

“…could think of nothing more important to the lives of the people of Scotland than doing all we can to help the wealth creators in our society turn our economy around from the massive challenges we have faced since the financial crash of 2008.

“This is why this event is so important. It has always been a listening event. But now more than ever, we need to hear the voices of our business community.”

First Minister Alex Salmond said:

“Growing the Scottish economy is at the heart of everything this Government does and tomorrow’s Business in Parliament conference is a real opportunity for leading business people, academics and politicians to come together to discuss how best we can encourage, inspire and support economic growth plans.

“I am delighted to be speaking at the conference where I will outline the exciting opportunities which will be afforded to the people of Scotland through taking full control of and rebalancing our economy, supporting re-industrialisation through innovation, and the attraction of inward investment to create good business and great jobs for Scotland.
  
“This conference is part of a wider Government commitment to the business community in Scotland, where we recognise the importance of listening, understanding and supporting the ideas of business experts to ensure we retain our position as the most competitive and innovative business environment in the UK.” 

The event is jointly organised by the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government and contributors to the event include:

• Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick MSP;
• First Minister, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP;
• Convener of the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee, Murdo Fraser MSP;
• Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth John Swinney MSP;
• Fergus Ewing MSP, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism;
• Ivor Tiefenbrun MBE, Executive Chairman, Linn Products Ltd
• Anna-Louise Simpson, Entrepreneur and Founder of Simpsons Food and Drink Ltd
• Grahame Smith, General Secretary of the STUC
• Kerry Sharp, Head of the Scottish Investment Bank at Scottish Enterprise
• Chris Van Der Kuyl, Chairman, 4J Studios Ltd

Background

The sessions in the Debating Chamber will be broadcast live on Parliament TV.

More information (and full programme) about the Conference and previous events can be found HERE.