Patrick Foley will address the subject of economic connectivity and the increasing globalisation of our economies with particular focus on financial services. He will also give his views on the prospects for recovery and outline the broad principles upon which we have to re-build our financial services.
All of the most powerful drivers of our current energy world – demand, supply and the environment – are set to undergo significant change. But how will this happen? Will national governments simply scramble to secure their own energy supplies, or will new coalitions between societies and governments, ranging from the local to the international, begin to add up to a new energy framework? Ultimately, will policy, technology and commitment from government, industry and society connect to address the challenge?
Peter Head is a global thought leader in sustainability for Arup, one of the world’s leading firms of consulting engineers, designers, planners and project managers. His presentation will highlight research carried out by Arup into a more sustainable global economic model, maximising resource efficiency and renewable resources. He will discuss how an energy-hungry society can ensure sustainable and innovative approaches to consumption, and how this could be achieved in Scotland by retrofitting existing communities, reconnecting urban and rural resources, and harnessing the powerful energy resources available.
Steve Robertson will explore Openreach’s contribution as a ‘connectivity enabler’ to Scotland’s economy, providing the essential first mile of communications infrastructure connecting millions of homes, businesses and public services. He will examine the social and environmental benefits of greater broadband availability, the opportunities that a converged communications sector brings and the investment and deployment challenges of a new, high-speed world.
The First Minister will look at Scotland’s place in the world and how the Scottish Government is renewing and re-energising Scotland’s international connections in areas such as technology, business and education. He will also outline some of the leading initiatives Scotland is taking forward with our European neighbours, including collaboration on worldleading research on renewable energy, as we look to meet the global economic challenge.
Dr Sreedharan, regarded as one of India’s greatest civil engineers, will give his unique perspective on the successful management of the Delhi metro project, which he delivered on time and on budget for the Indian Government. He will address the lessons which can be learned in terms of connectivity between government and the private sector to provide successful infrastructure projects; the benefits to the city emerging from this enhanced connectivity; and how Scotland might learn from the outcomes in meeting our own infrastructure needs.
Gordon Ballantyne will address the direction of the global market and how we can exploit future applications of mobile technology – as businesses, to make organisations more productive, and as consumers. He will assess how Scotland is performing, and where we can learn from others who have adopted these technologies productively in the business world.
Erin Reilly will explore how businesses and organisations can learn and adopt best practice from innovative approaches to communication and interaction, such as social networking sites. With the speed of adoption increasing with each generation, new technologies now permeate all aspects of personal and educational lives. Employers need to develop new responses and innovative working practices and processes to ensure we encourage young people in the workplace to ensure they meet their full potential.
