We like to get out; to meet new people, learn new things, and gain perspective on how we can bring those learnings into our practice with our clients.
It was a busy week, starting in London meeting with Fiona McLaren and Natalie Turner for an incredible festival menu at Peruvian restaurant “Pachamama“, and only the 3rd time we have sampled this cuisine – this was great company and great food.
Of course it wasn’t all downtime and chat – we had work to do, and the next day the 4 of us were at an “innovation roundtable” co-hosted by Linklaters law practice, and HYPE Innovation (who enable open innovation with a very clever innovation platform) we heard from them both and The 6 ‘I’s® model creator Natalie Turner. What struck us was how in 3 very different ways, the speakers explained the need for human connection, trust and collaboration for innovation to actually work. We shall be sharing more in due course.
Back in Inverness, on Thursday we attended the Inverness Chamber of Commerce business breakfast at The Drumossie Hotel in Inverness, and sponsored by Ledingham Chalmers LLP. This was a must attend event, and the attendee list was a great indicator of the local commitment – truly a thin slice example of all the organisations who could collaborate and be a part of the extraordinary change the Inverness & Cromarty Firth Green Freeport will bring to the area.
Inverness & Cromarty Green Freeport CEO Calum MacPherson explained what a freeport actually is, the scale of this one (520 Hectares), the model that will be followed (Renewable energy, Green hydrogen and Lifesciences), and the opportunities to be realised for the region, and challenges that this project will face. There are mandatory rules for doing this ethically with workforce and community welfare at the heart, along with truly environmentally sustainable plans which participants must sign up to be they can begin. This was a truly inspiring and motivating talk and a strong message for the Highlands to come together and make the most of the sustainable transformation – there really is enough business for all, and the reinvestment in the area will be transformational in terms of services, quality of life, and sustainability for the future. Check out the website here.
