Seattle recognises Edinburgh and Glasgow as two of the world's most competitive cities
Sixty of Seattle’s most prominent business, government and non-profit leaders are visiting Scotland this week to meet with some of Scotland’s most ambitious companies.
Scottish Development International (SDI) is hosting the delegation from Seattle’s renowned International Study Mission (ISM) for a six day visit to Scotland to explore what it means to be a “Competitive Region in a World Economy”.
Known as a “travelling university”, the International Study Mission will give Scottish companies the unique opportunity to build robust relationships with delegates from Seattle, strengthening future ties and collaboration.
The Mission visits a different location each year and destinations are chosen for their competitiveness as one of the world’s successful international cities. This year the Mission has chosen to visit Edinburgh and Glasgow for the first time due to their growing reputations on the global stage.
More than a traditional networking trip, the mission is designed to allow the Seattle business figures and Scottish companies to learn from each other. Areas of discussion will include economic structure, business climate, leadership and the challenges of globalisation.
Anne MacColl, chief executive, Scottish Development International, said: “The invaluable face-to-face connections that will be made during this unique visit have the potential to generate new business for Scottish companies and to build important relationships with US business leaders for the future.
“New markets are important to us but we must not forget that the US is our primary source of export. As such we’re working hard to further develop our trade relationship with the US and this is a fantastic opportunity for Scotland to engage with successful Seattle business people.”
Seattle delegates taking part in this year’s mission include prestigious names such as the President and CEO of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, Publisher and CEO of The Seattle Times and President Emeritus of the University of Washington.
Anne MacColl added: “We share many similarities with Seattle itself; we are both establishing a culture of leadership in our businesses, we both proactively seek out opportunities to learn from other successful regions of the world and we both believe that collaboration with our partners, stakeholders and other public agencies is the most efficient way to grow our economies.
“Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International are developing a strong reputation on the global stage for their economic development work. This visit is a real opportunity to send the Seattle delegates home with the message that Scotland is not just open for business but also has world-leading strategies for domestic and international trade.”
During their visit, delegates will hear from a variety of Scotland’s most successful business people, including Dr Mike Capaldi, Director of Edinburgh BioQuarter; Faith Liddell, Director of Festivals Edinburgh; Anne Glover, Scotland’s Chief Scientific Advisor and Professor Jim McDonald, Principle of Strathclyde University. Delegates will also hear from a number of successful GlobalScots who have returned to Scotland having previously worked overseas.
Sam Kaplan, incoming president of the Trade Alliance, said: “We are excited to engage with our Scotland partners to learn best practices and to build productive partnerships for growing the economies in Greater Seattle and Scotland.”
Phil Bussey, president and CEO of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, added: “The chance to network with business people and to study how Edinburgh and Glasgow are competing in the global economy is what drives this mission.”
Founded in 1992, the International Study Mission has visited a wide range of cities across the globe including Hong Kong, Sydney, Berlin, Dublin, Fukuoka, Abu Dhabi and Singapore.