World-leading innovation, talent, and a supportive business environment, have all made Scotland a popular destination for businesses to grow. Today, there are some 346,000 private sector enterprises in Scotland, of which 99% are small or medium-sized businesses, and the cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen all feature in the top ten for foreign direct investment outside of London. How are Swedish businesses contributing to this development? And why are businesses looking to Scotland when choosing where to invest in the UK?

Welcome to an afternoon of sectoral insights, success stories, and high-level networking in Edinburgh, as we look into the Swedish business footprint in Scotland. In partnership with the Embassy of Sweden in London and the British Embassy in Stockholm, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK invites you to meet with industry experts, key stakeholders and the Swedish businesses that are investing in Scotland, and to connect with the wider Swedish-Scottish business community.

Agenda

3.30pm

• Registration, tea and coffee

4pm

• Welcome
  
  
• Opportunities in Scotland
  Gordon McLarnon, Inward Investment Specialist, Scottish Enterprise
  Seona Shand, International Trade Director, Scottish Chambers of Commerce
  
  
• Investing in green energy
  James Lindsay, Market & Sustainability Manager, IKEA Group
  Paul Steen, Head of Business Development (North), Vattenfall Heat UK
  
  
• A green approach to placemaking
  Claire Carr, Director, Transport Planning, Sweco UK
  
  
• How financial services are facilitating the green transition
  Mickael Paris, Marketing Director, FinTech Scotland
  Thomas Patience, Green and Sustainable Finance Manager, Handelsbanken
  

5.30pm

• Networking and drinks

The discussions are moderated by Mike Christopherson SCC Chapter Chair and Honorary Consul of Sweden Edinburgh.

About the event

‘Swedish business footprint in Scotland’ is part of a series of events looking into the contribution Swedish businesses make to the regional development of the UK. Where are job opportunities created, what investments are Swedish businesses making, and how do they contribute to the local communities? The event is free of charge, and open for all to join.

Speaker bios

Claire Carr, Director for Transport Planning, Sweco UK
Claire Carr is Sweco’s UK Director for Transport Planning based in their Edinburgh office. Claire has 40 years of experience in transport planning starting her career in London and moving to Scotland in 1991. She currently leads a team of over 100 transport planners, walking/cycling specialists and development infrastructure engineers in planning and designing places for people.

James Lindsay, Market & Sustainability Manager, IKEA Group
James Lindsay is IKEA Edinburgh & Aberdeen Market and Sustainability Manager based in Edinburgh store. James has 30+ years of experience working in the Retail sector starting his retail career in Ayr on the West Coast of Scotland, having moved around the UK/IE I moved back to Scotland in 2018, Currently leading the business, customer, people & sustainability agenda in the Edinburgh & Aberdeen markets alongside a team of over 40 leaders & 450 co-workers.

Thomas Patience, Green and Sustainable Finance Manager, Handelsbanken
Tom works within Handelsbanken PLC's central sustainability team as a Green and Sustainable Finance manager, helping the bank work towards its various deliverables including a commitment towards 20% sustainable lending for 2025. He works on sustainability strategy, risk management, client engagement, and products.

Seona Shand, International Trade Director, Scottish Chambers of Commerce
Seona Shand has over a decade of experience in the field of international trade and brings to the Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC) deep knowledge and practical experience of trading internationally, doing business in new markets and exceptional commercial acumen. Seona’s role is to maximise SCC’s international relationships with the global Chambers of Commerce network and other key global businesses, governments and partners with a view to expanding and establishing new trading alliances and provide capacity building within the SCC network to deliver additional international support to the business community. 

Paul Steen, Head of Business Development (North), Vattenfall Heat UK
Paul is Head of Business Development for Vattenfall Heat UK’s North Region and is responsible for the delivery of the city-scale district heating strategies and delivery plans that meet stakeholder objectives for decarbonising heat.  Previously Paul spent over 20 years at Ramboll in various roles, most notably as Director leading their UK District Energy Department.