Conference programme and speaker biographies for the 22nd State of the City Economy Conference 2020

1. #SOCE2020 PROGRAMME
P R I N C I P A L S P O N S O R
22nd STATE OF THE CITY ECONOMY
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
#SOCE2020 Friday 10 January
P R I N C I P A L S P O N S O R

2. #SOCE2020 PROGRAMME
P R I N C I P A L S P O N S O R
9.00AM Registration
10.00AM Welcome and Introductions
Professor Greg Clark, CBE FAcSS
Global Advisor on Cities
10.05AM Councillor Susan Aitken
Leader of Glasgow City Council
10.25AM Professor Sir Jim McDonald
Principal of the University of Strathclyde
10.40AM Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli
Principal of the University of Glasgow
10.55AM Derek Mackay MSP
Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work
Panel Discussion
11.15AM Session 1: Innovation and Creative Economy
Adrian Gillespie, Chief Commercial Officer, University of Strathclyde
Jo Street, Head of Daytime, Channel 4
Evelyn McDonald, Chief Executive Officer, Scottish EDGE
11.35AM Session 2: Sustainability and Circular Economy
Dr Warren Bowden, Managing Director (Operations), SLG Technology Ltd
Ian Bruce, Chief Executive, Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector
Lindsay McQuade, Chief Executive Officer, ScottishPower Renewables
Andrew Parsons, Glasgow City Growth Director, Jacobs
11.55AM Session 3: Leadership and Advocacy
Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council
Derek Mackay MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work
12.45PM Close
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3. #SOCE2020 SPEAKERS
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A Global Advisor, Scholar/Writer, Non-Executive Director and Board Chairman. Greg’s
expertise covers city economies/investment, technology and innovation, urban governance,
city strategic planning, real estate and urban form, regional transport, place leadership and
national policies. He provides thought leadership with global organisations: The World Bank,
OECD, The Brookings Institution, and The Urban Land Institute, on the evolution of the
metropolitan century.
Greg supports leaders in more than 100 cities world-wide on strategy/investment and
advises global firms on the investment and enterprise opportunities of an urbanising world.
He is the author of 10 books and more than 100 reports, and holds professorial roles at
University College London and Strathclyde University, is a Global Fellow at the London School
of Economics, and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. Non-Executive Board roles
with GLA/TfL and the Real Estate sector.
Greg Clark CBE FAcSS
Global Advisor on Cities
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Councillor Susan Aitken
Leader of Glasgow City Council
Susan Aitken became Leader of Glasgow City Council when the SNP became the largest
party on the Council and formed a minority administration in May 2017. She was elected as
a councillor for the Langside ward, where she lives, in 2012 and has been leader of the
SNP group since 2014, having previously served as the group spokesperson on health and
social care.
Before being elected, Susan worked in a variety of policy and research roles in the Scottish
Parliament and the third sector, and as a freelance writer and editor specialising in health and
social care policy. She grew up in Biggar in South Lanarkshire, moved to Glasgow aged 17
and is a graduate of both Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities.

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Professor Sir Jim McDonald is a three-time graduate of Strathclyde having taken his BSc, MSc
and PhD degrees in the area of electrical engineering, power systems and energy economics.
On first graduating, he worked for seven years in the electric utility industry, re-joining
Strathclyde in 1984 as a “new blood” lecturer in Electronic and Electrical Engineering.
He was appointed to the Rolls-Royce Chair in Electrical Power Systems in 1993, became Head
of Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering in 2003 and served as Deputy Principal
for Research and Knowledge Exchange from 2006. He became Principal and Vice-Chancellor
of the University of Strathclyde in March 2009.
Professor Sir Jim McDonald
BSc MSc PhD
Principal and Vice-Chancellor,
University of Strathclyde
Sir Anton is Principal and Vice-Chancellor, University of Glasgow, since 1 October 2009.
From 2007-2009 he was Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University. An economist,
his research interests are monetary economics, central bank independence, fiscal policy,
international finance and macroeconomics.
Sir Anton is Chair of the Russell Group of UK Universities. He chairs the Scottish Government’s
Standing Council on Europe, a non-political group which provides expert advice to Scottish
ministers on protecting Scotland’s relationship with the EU. He chairs the Commission on
Economic Growth for the Glasgow City Region and is a member of the Scottish Government’s
Council of Economic Advisers.
Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli
FRSE AcSS
Principal and Vice-Chancellor,
University of Glasgow

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Derek is currently SNP Business Convener (Chairman of the Party), responsible for chairing
Conference, the National Executive and the management and administration of the party.
Elected to Renfrewshire Council in 1999 at the age of 21, he was the youngest male councillor
in Scotland at the time. He won three successive ward elections to become Leader of
Renfrewshire Council in May 2007, taking the SNP from opposition to lead the administration
for the first time. He became a national figure in local government leading the SNP group at
COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) 2009 to 2011.
He served on Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board as a Non-Executive Director and Chair
of Renfrewshire Community Health Partnership (2007 to 2011). He was also previously chair of
the Paisley Vision Board and Renfrewshire’s Fairtrade Steering Group.
Derek has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Renfrewshire North and West since
2011, and has previously served as Minister for Transport and Islands and Minister for Local
Government and Planning.
Derek Mackay MSP
Cabinet Secretary for Finance,
Economy and Fair Work

6. #SOCE2020 PANELLISTS
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Adrian Gillespie BaCC MBA
Chief Commercial Officer
University of Strathclyde
Adrian provides commercial and business development leadership for the University, including
Strathclyde’s role in major strategic international projects.
Adrian has more than 25 years’ experience of economic development and commercial
management, 16 of these with Scottish Enterprise (SE) where he was Managing Director
Operations from 2013 until 2017 with responsibility for Business Growth, Innovation and
Infrastructure. Prior to this he led SE’s support for the Energy and Creative/Tech sectors.
Adrian has a degree in Accountancy from University of Glasgow and an MBA from the
University of Strathclyde. He is a trustee of the Glasgow Science Centre.
Session 1: Innovation and Creative Economy
Jo Street is Channel 4’ s new Head of Daytime and Head of Hub in Glasgow. She is responsible
for the brand new daily live Steph Show which starts in Leeds in 2020 and amongst other things:
Escape to the Chateau DIY; Come Dine with Me, Four in a Bed: and Countdown.
Before joining C4 she spent 25 years at the BBC where she started as a PA in radio at Pebble
Mill in Birmingham and ended up as Commissioning Editor for Entertainment and Daytime based
in Glasgow. She’s pretty much worked all over the UK in various production and commissioning
roles. Some shows she’s worked on include: Countryfile, Weakest Link, Homes under the
Hamer, Money for Nothing, Eggheads, The Hit List, I’ll Get This, Antiques Road Trip, Getting
Hitched Asian Style, Rogue to Wrestler and Test Drive.
Jo Street
Head of Daytime,
Channel 4

7. #SOCE2020 PANELLISTS
P R I N C I P A L S P O N S O R
Dr Warren Bowden is a Chartered Environmentalist and the Scottish Leather Group’s
Sustainability and Innovation Director as well as Managing Director of one of its operating
companies, SLG Technology Ltd. A Fellow of the Society of Leather Chemists and Inventor of
the pioneering and patented Thermal Energy Plant, Dr Bowden has spent the past 15 years of
his 25 year career in the sector leading the “drive to zero” and circularising leather manufacture.
Dr Warren Bowden
Managing Director (Operations),
SLG Technology Ltd
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Session 1: Innovation and Creative Economy
Previously run by Scottish Enterprise for four rounds, Evelyn oversaw the spin out of Scottish
EDGE in Autumn 2014 to the private sector led Scottish EDGE C.I.C. funded by Royal Bank,
Scottish Government, the Hunter Foundation and private donors. To date, Scottish EDGE has
awarded over £15 million to 395 businesses. The introduction of lending in Round 5 – Scottish
EDGE prizes are 60:40 loan and grant – has created a revolving loan fund to support future
applicants. In addition, the small team of seven have introduced mentoring, alumni events,
training, a business support package to winners and the EDGE Pledge. Prior to joining the
EDGE in November 2014,
Evelyn had a long career at the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust, and latterly the Prince’s
Trust. In 2002, she helped set up and run a successful growth fund which assisted over
300 Trust-supported businesses, including BrewDog, Trtl and Aircraft Medical, providing access
to loans of up to £25,000 and follow-on support.
Evelyn is also a board member at the Scottish Design Exchange and an assessor of the Small
Business Charter Award.
Evelyn McDonald
Chief Executive Officer,
Scottish EDGE
Session 2: Sustainability and Circular Economy

8. #SOCE2020 PANELLISTS
P R I N C I P A L S P O N S O R
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Session 2: Sustainability and Circular Economy
Ian recently joined GCVS as CEO, having previously spent 15 years working in the third sector
across the West of Scotland and nationally. GCVS is the main third sector development
agency in Glasgow, supporting and engaging with over 3000 voluntary organisations, social
enterprises and community groups in the city each year. The third sector plays a key role in
Glasgow’s economy, regenerating local communities and supporting vulnerable people to
engage with economic opportunity.
Ian is a passionate advocate for the third sector and its role in developing the social economy.
He has previously worked in housing, the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO)
and CVS Inverclyde and is currently a Board Member of the Association of Chief Officers in
Scottish Voluntary Organisations (ACOSVO).
Ian Bruce
Chief Executive, Glasgow Council for the
Voluntary Sector (GCVS)
Over the last 30 years Andrew has spent the majority of his career working in the City of
Glasgow, where he has gained a wealth of experience across the public and private sectors.
Andrew’s expertise and focus has been around major infrastructure, land regeneration,
sustainability and the built environment. He has held a number of leadership positions at
Jacobs, including Head of Strategy for the Built Environment and more recently as the
Glasgow City Growth Director – he is a passionate advocate for the city and its ongoing
transformation. Andrew believes that inclusive growth is imperative and seeks to bring key
stakeholders together to collectively tackle the city’s toughest challenges, seeking innovative
solutions and always believing there is a better way.
Andrew Parsons
Glasgow City Growth Director,
Jacobs

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Session 2: Sustainability and Circular Economy
Delivering clean, green electricity to homes and businesses is the key objective of
ScottishPower Renewables, under the direction of Lindsay McQuade, appointed February
2018. Lindsay McQuade is responsible for ScottishPower Renewables’ fleet of over 2GW of
renewable generation and future developments of wind, storage and solar plant across the UK
and Ireland.
Prior to her appointment as CEO, Lindsay was the Policy and Innovation Director of
ScottishPower Renewables, having held a number of strategic roles across ScottishPower over
the last 20 years.
Lindsay is a board director of Renewable UK, helping to shape and inform the policy and
regulatory environment for deployment and integration of cost-effective, low carbon, renewable
generation across the UK, as well as promoting the industrial benefits delivered by investment
in renewable energy generation across the UK.
She’s also the Chair of SafetyOn, the health and safety organisation for the Onshore wind
sector, working with industry colleagues to provide leadership in health and safety for the
dynamic and innovative onshore wind industry, ensuring that key emerging risks are mitigated
through co-operation and shared learning
She holds a BA(Hons) in Economics from the University of Strathclyde, qualified as an
Associate Member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers, and has taken part in the
4th edition of the Energising Leadership Programme with ESADE Business School and the
7th edition of the Global Leadership Programme with IMD Business School.
Lindsay McQuade
Chief Executive Officer,
ScottishPower Renewables

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Session 3: Leadership and Advocacy
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Councillor Susan Aitken
Leader of Glasgow City Council
Derek Mackay MSP
Cabinet Secretary for Finance,
Economy and Fair Work