Innovating On Tradition: Scotland's Global Investment Opportunity

Join Sandy Begbie CBE, CEO of Scottish Financial Enterprise to hear more about Scotland’s Global Investment Summit, taking place in Edinburgh in October.

Scotland’s Global Investment Summit 2025 is hosted by Scottish Financial Enterprise and the Lord Mayor of London, with support from the Scottish and UK governments, and a wide range of partners, will provide investors with a unique insight and direct connections to the opportunities that can be found in three of Scotland’s key sectors: renewables, life sciences and financial services

Against the backdrop of Scotland’s world-famous blend of heritage and innovation, the summit will provide a unique opportunity to experience and engage with the very best Scotland has to offer.

As the UK’s largest financial hub outside London, Scotland boasts a centuries-long track record of financial innovation - now worth over £17.7bn GVA to the economy. With strengths in Fintech, data and AI, Scotland’s vibrant FS sector provides opportunities for global firms in a range of areas.

Scotland today stands at the forefront of the global net zero transition, with investible energy projects worth tens of billions of pounds across the country. These projects encompass a varied range of renewable technologies, from offshore wind and tidal energy to hydrogen production and carbon capture, offering substantial opportunities for sustainable investment.

Scotland’s innovative life sciences sector is a leader in health tech and research, with the industry now worth more than £10bn to the Scottish economy. This sector thrives on a collaborative ecosystem of universities, research institutions, and innovative companies, driving advancements in areas like drug discovery, medical devices, and digital health solutions.

Speaker:

Sandy Begbie CBE, FRSE was appointed Chief Executive of Scottish Financial Enterprise in October 2020. Prior to joining SFE, Sandy led the development of the Scottish Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee following an 18-month contract at Tesco Bank as the Chief Transformation Officer. Sandy was responsible for the Global People, Organisation and Culture Integration following the successful merger of Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management in 2017. Before the merger Sandy was the Chief People Officer and Lead Executive for China and Hong Kong for Standard Life for eight years. During this time, he led the Standard Life HR team to be recognised as one of the top performing functions in the UK and also led the turn-around of Standard Life’s Chinese Joint Venture. Sandy was appointed Senior Advisor to the Standard Life HASL Asia business in Hong Kong in July 2020, having been Chair of the Hong Kong-based Board since 2014. In December 2023 Sandy was appointed as International Director to the HASL Asia business and stepped down as Senior Advisor.

Before joining Standard Life in May 2010 Sandy held similar Transformation and Group HR Director positions within Aegon, Scottish Power and Royal Bank of Scotland. Sandy holds several non-executive positions including Chair of Place2Be Scotland and a Trustee on the National Place2Be Board, Chair of Young Person Guarantee and Chair of DYW (Developing the Young Workforce). Sandy was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in August 2018 for services to business and social inclusion. He was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) in March 2023. In December 2024 Sandy was awarded Freedom of the City of London for his transformative leadership in Scotland's financial sector and his enduring commitment to fostering economic growth and social inclusion across Scotland.

Chairman:

Dr Kevin Parker is Science and Economics Advisor for Z/Yen. He has been
a long-standing collaborator and Associate of Z/Yen since its founding,
working on technology, energy, finance, and green projects for a variety
of major commercial and NGO clients. In 2005, Kevin performed the first
estimates of ‘unburnable carbon’ or ‘stranded assets’ when Z/Yen pointed
out that fossil fuel reserves, if burnt, were likely to produce
extremely high CO2 levels. This work has been updated into a peer
reviewed paper published in 2024. In 2009 he provided the science input,
and presented the first public paper, on Z/Yen’s concept of ‘Policy
Performance or Sovereign Sustainability-Linked Bonds’, updating this
work in a presentation to the Scottish Government in 2023.

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