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Bill's blog: HIE hits the US

Bill Magee | Wednesday October 01, 2008



Hoping to catch a glimpse of Space Needle as they winged their way past the scenic Discovery Mountains range, a high-powered Highlands & Islands Enterprise group and associated businesses and commerce have landed in Seattle.  And they mean business.

HIE is leading a dozen-strong team from both the public and private sectors that's immersing themselves in a two-day intensive series of briefings, staged in "face time" mode by senior executives and held within Microsoft’s Redmond Campus.
Yours truly is fortunate enough to be the sole journalist covering this key event, and I reckon it’s the first time that such an occasion has occurred. Where an entire grouping of key economic agency personnel from a single enterprise outfit - certainly from Scotland – plus local business and commerce, has taken the time to conduct such an exercise.
Led by Raymond O’Hare, the director of Microsoft Scotland, aided by colleague Kevin Kelly, internal business manager – public sector (Scotland), the group’s trip is timely to say the least.
It comes at a time of mass economic uncertainty caused by the twin-planks of the international credit crunch and sub-prime mortgage crisis having a major global resonance as they leave a rising number of casualties in their wake.
In such a negative economic scenario it’s the outfit that gets that vital edge, in terms of arming itself with the very latest technoligical knowhow and data, that is likely to not only survive such an onslaught, but emerge stronger.
In HIE’s case it’s one of being ready to strengthen its ongoing commitment towards creating Highlands and Islands as a competitive region ~ one home to strong and connected communities together with successful, high-growth businesses and an unsurpassed excellent quality of life.
Literally, to take on the world in terms of going further down the hi-tech road creating a knowledge economy, improving its connectivity and standing out in terms of catching the eye of prospective international investors; whilst simultaneously significantly improving economic opportunities back home.
I’m not surprised that it’s HIE that’s here. Since the creation of this particular Scottish Government agency, Highlands and Islands Enterprise has stood out when it comes to leading the way in terms of economic, community and business growth innovation and initiatives.
In its case, across a diverse and quite stunningly beautiful region, taking in from Shetland to Argyll and from the Outer Hebrides to Moray.
A highlight of day one of the HIE trip is an executive working lunch ~ entitled “In Search of Business Value” ~ staged by someone no stranger to Scotland, Robert (Bob) McDowell, a Microsoft vice president, covering this key topic that has ramifications for every aspect of an economic agency’s raison d’etre.
I feel rather privileged, to say the least, to be party to this major event. Not so much as a fly on the wall, but as an active participant. I’ll let you know how we get on...


billmagee8@hotmail.co.uk

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