International week looks to get Scotland connected

0 Christine Esson and Russell Dalgleish of the Scottish Business Network get ready for the event The inaugural Scottish International Week will kick off today with the aim of helping businesses to tap into overseas opportunities.

Organised by the Scottish Business Network (SBN) in partnership with IOD Scotland, the initiative runs until Friday with a list of speakers and participants drawn from international trade and commerce associations, as well as Scotland’s own business scene.

While a 2014 report into the entrepreneurial ecosystem by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that a lack of “effective connections” is a critical issue for businesses looking to grow beyond indigenous markets, recent research suggests that just 15 Scottish companies account for 50 per cent of the nation’s exports.

Russell Dalgleish, co-founder of the SBN, said: “We’re looking to establish Scottish International Week as a platform to help bring about even more global opportunities for our most ambitious companies.”