Entrepreneurial Scotland (ES) yesterday (Thursday, 03 March) raised a glass of beer in honour of its latest signing, James Watt, Captain and co-founder of independent craft brewery, BrewDog, who joined the organisation’s fast growing and influential Leaders’ Exchange network.
Watt joins more than 1,000 of the country’s most entrepreneurial business leaders and future leaders who are collectively supporting Entrepreneurial Scotland’s vision to make the country the most entrepreneurial society in the world.
At the entrepreneurial event, James Watt explained to Entrepreneurial Scotland Chairman, Chris van der Kuyl, how BrewDog is tearing up convention, disrupting the industry and turning traditional business models upside down.
Hosted at the newly opened Technology & Innovation Centre, at the University of Strathclyde, the new home of Entrepreneurial Scotland, Watt engaged with an audience of 200 of Scotland’s leaders and entrepreneurs.
Leaders Exchange (formerly Entrepreneurial Exchange) is a community of individuals who are leading organisations; a close-knit network of likeminded people who openly share experiences, ideas and techniques for growth.
Commenting on his latest signing, Chris van der Kuyl, said:
“James is seen by many as one of Scotland’s most disruptive entrepreneurial leaders and his approach and drive is inspirational. As a member of Entrepreneurial Scotland he will be playing his part in helping our members to grow their businesses and transform the organisations they work in.
“We know that helping those individuals who have an entrepreneurial mindset to form close networks, share experiences and learn from each other is key to their success. With over 1000 members at every stage of the in their careers, Entrepreneurial Scotland is playing an increasingly important role in helping Scotland to compete globally.
“But we are ambitious to do even more and I want more people to take advantage of the opportunities we can offer to our members. I guarantee it will be the best investment they make for their business as we can provide unrivalled access to the experience, skills and knowledge of some of Scotland’s most successful global leaders.”
James Watt, Captain and co-founder of BrewDog, said:
“For the past 9 years, we’ve been recruiting some of the most progressive people in Scotland to join our ramshackle pirate ship of a craft brewery, and every single one of them boasts entrepreneurial spirit in some incarnation. Being forward-thinking and challenging traditional business models is in our DNA, and will live and breathe through everything we do, via everyone in our crew. But if we rest on our laurels for even a second, if we think like we’re taught to think and do as countless have done before us, we’ll never change perceptions, and we’ll never start revolutions.”
Entrepreneurial Scotland was formed by the coming together of the Saltire Foundation and Entrepreneurial Exchange to create an organisation with the capacity and connections to help make Scotland the most entrepreneurial society in the world.
