The Scottish Family Business Conference 2022
The Family Business United's flagship annual conference for the Scottish family business community returns to Glasgow next week, on 28th April 2022, and LINIAN will be there!
The flagship annual conference for the Scottish family business community is returning IN PERSON to Glasgow (our hometown) to rebuild and celebrate the sector with an event full of insights, learning and best practice to enable family firms to address the challenges they face.
Here's the full rundown and timings for the Day:
8.30 – Registration and Coffee
9.15 – Introduction and Welcome Address – Paul Andrews, Family Business United
9.30 – Opening Keynote – A Fireside Chat With LINIAN
Ian Arbuckle and Lynne Jhangeer are the next generation directors at LINIAN and this brother and sister team is driving the business forward. At LINIAN, it is their mission to create innovative, UK manufactured, easy to install products that can save time, money and lives. Through products, like the World’s first single-component fire-rated fixing, LINIAN solves industry challenges, reduce inefficiencies and raise standards of safety and compliance across the board.
Join us to hear the story behind the business and to see how the next generation is growing the business whilst successfully managing the family dynamics.
10.15 – Succession Planning In Practice – An Audience With Brian Toward & David Beveridge
Brian Toward is the CEO of Wholesale Domestic Bathrooms, the second generation of the family to lead the business following the transition of the business from his father, the founding generation. The deal was completed in early 2021 and Brian will share his journey and plans for the future, together with his plans to put his stamp on the business. During the succession process, he was advised by David Beveridge of Macdonald Henderson and together they will share their insights on the succession process in practice.
11.00 – Coffee & Networking
11.30 – Research Findings – Paul Andrews, Family Business United
11.45 – Family Business & The Sustainability Agenda With Scottish Leather Group
Dr Warren Bowden – Head of Sustainability & Innovation, Scottish Leather Group
Dr Warren Bowden is a Chartered Environmentalist & a Fellow of the Society of Leather Chemists and Inventor of the pioneering and patented Thermal Energy Plant. Dr Bowden has spent the past 18 years of his 25-year career within the sector leading the multi award-winning Sustainability agenda through circularising leather manufacture, towards net zero. Additionally, Warren is a circular “ambassador” and Director of Leather UK.
Scottish Leather Group is the largest producer of leather in the UK, specialising in the sustainable manufacture of upholstery leathers, for automotive, aeronautical, mass transit and other leather-goods markets. The Group is based at the Bridge of Weir site, and markets products under the Brands ‘Bridge of Weir’ and ‘Muirhead’.
James Lang – Director of External Affairs, Scottish Leather Group
James Lang is a sixth-generation family member of a leather business that can trace its origins back to the 1700’s formally establishing itself as a tannery in 1872 in Paisley town centre where it thrives today as the oldest manufacturing company still in the town.
James joined the group in 1978, studied at the National Leathersellers’ Centre (at what is now) the University of Northampton. He has held various posts within the group including Managing Director at Andrew Muirhead & Son Limited and was appointed a director of the parent company, Scottish Leather Group Limited in 2003 prior to becoming Group Marketing Director in 2008. In 2018 James took on the new role of External Affairs and as such is Chair of Leather UK, the UK industry body.
He is a Freeman of the City of London and a Court Assistant at The Leathersellers’ Company in London. He is board member of Textiles Scotland – Leadership Group, a Trustee of the British Leather Industry Trust and The Dorothy Jordan Lloyd Memorial Trust. James Chairs Paisley Museum Reimagined Ltd and Renfrewshire Council’s Economic Leadership Panel. In a personal capacity he is the fourth generation Chairman of the charity P3 – Providing for People in Paisley.
James and Warren will share their pioneering sustainability journey in the context of the family business.
12.30 – Lunch & Networking
1.30 – Panel Discussion – The Way Forward
A number of family business owners will join us to share their insights into the prevailing challenges facing their family firms and share their thoughts on the future.
Our panelists include:
- Anne-Marie Cairney, The Victor Pizza Company
- Samantha Fernando – Keela
- Mike Kane, Turcan Connell
Anne-Marie is the Managing Director of The Victor Pizza Company which is based in Glasgow. Family owned, Victor Pizza began as a small bakery in Glasgow. In the early 70’s, they were asked by an Italian Fish & Chip shop owner to produce a pizza he could fry as his family had done for many generations in his hometown, Naples. Pizza Fritto was born.
Their Frying Pizza grew in popularity and now sells in almost every fish and chip shop in Scotland. The business moved into new premises in 2014 and continues to grow. They now focus on a range of innovative, healthy products. As a family business, they continue to have at their core: commitment to staff, to the quality of our products and in consistently bringing new ideas and products to customers.
Samantha is the Sales Director of Scotland-based outdoor clothing experts Keela part of the Ardmel Group. She has been working within the outdoor sector since the heady days of COLA Harrogate and was the founder of the infamous ROKS show.
Committed to the health and vibrancy of the outdoor industry, she is currently serving as a committee member for OTS (Outdoor Trade Show) and Vice Chair for the OIA Board(Outdoor Industry Association). Sam is also keen to promote and champion UK SME’s and Manufacturing within the wider context of UK business and at government level, and is presently an elected CBI committee member for Scotland.
2.15 – Family Business Insight – Passion To Purpose, Mairi Mickel
Many family businesses’ next generation struggle to align their interests with those of the family company. This can lead to the next generation feeling overwhelmed by the thought of being a future leader and owner. Finding true purpose, feeling heard and understood is best handled as an intergenerational conversation. Join Mairi to learn where to start.
2.50 – Afternoon Tea & Networking
3.00 – Closing ‘Fireside Chat’ – Family Firms Making A Difference with Sir Peter Vardy and his son, Peter Vardy
Join Paul Andrews as he talks to Sir Peter Vardy about the successful business that he built and sold, how they like to find solutions, the next generation and how to support them in following their own dreams, purpose, values, the creation of a foundation and helping to improve society and much more besides.
Sir Peter Vardy has dedicated almost half a century to business and enterprise in the North East of England. His career began in 1963, aged 16 years old, when he joined his father’s car and haulage business, Reg Vardy, in Tyne and Wear. On the death of his father in 1976, Peter took control of the car business. He developed franchises for some of the world’s finest performance and luxury manufacturers. Through innovative finance schemes and strong marketing strategies, Reg Vardy became the top Aston Martin dealer in the world. Ferrari, Rolls Royce and Bentley, as well as Lotus, were added to the small dealership in a mining town. Not a place normally associated with such high-priced cars.
In 1982, he began to build a regional and then a national chain of motor dealerships. As the company grew, so did central services, and head office buildings were built on Wessington Way. This was followed by a flagship facility at Doxford Park. The company was floated on the Stock Exchange in 1989 and there followed a period of successful growth, establishing dealerships from Aberdeen in the North down to Reading in the South. Turnover increased to £2 billion and the workforce grew from six to 6,000; Reg Vardy became one of the most successful motor retail groups in Europe.
As the industry went through a period of consolidation, the company received an approach from Pendragon plc. This resulted in the sale of the company in February 2006 for £506 million, enabling Sir Peter to concentrate on “putting something back” in the UK and across the world.
Sir Peter is now Chairman of the Vardy Group of Companies which includes his sons’ businesses; the Vardy Property Group and Peter Vardy Holdings Ltd, as well as being a director and/or investor in various companies throughout the UK. However, the majority of his time is spent on The Vardy Foundation, the charitable trust of the Vardy family established over 30 years ago. The Foundation built and sponsored a City Technology in Gateshead and then three City Academies in areas of high or very high deprivation, as well as awarding grants and donations to thousands of individuals and organisations in the UK and overseas.
3.45 – Closing Remarks – Paul Andrews, Family Business United
4.00 – Close
