Conscious Leaders Scotland

Scottish Businesses Join Together In Support For Conscious Leadership

Discussed and developed entirely through video chat sessions, Conscious Leaders Scotland is the Scottish chapter of a global community championing thoughtful leadership.

Inspired by the work of a global movement that promotes the value of thoughtful and people-centric business practices, a group of Scottish business people have come together in recent months to form Conscious Leaders Scotland – a Scottish ‘chapter’ of the Conscious Capitalism community.

The group’s mission statement outlines their vision as “Advocates for bringing together purpose-driven, stakeholder-first businesses that believe prosperity and growing people should be harmonious” and they hope to attract interest from businesses across Scotland, in a variety of sectors.

The founding members met initially through an Entrepreneurial Scotland - ‘Conscious Leadership’ catalyst delivered in collaboration with Babson College, and quickly discovered shared aims for their respective businesses.

Sandy Kennedy, Chief Executive of Entrepreneurial Scotland, said: “Our future will be shaped by those who think, act and lead in an entrepreneurial way. Here we have a cohort of leaders stepping forward to shape a new future that consciously puts people (customers, employees, communities) and purpose alongside profits. A vital conversation.”

By creating, curating and delivering focused content and events, the group aims to stimulate discussion and offer frameworks that support the growth and development of Scottish businesses. These events promise insight and anecdotes from leaders who have applied a Conscious mindset to business – an approach to enterprise that is realigned to support employees, fit lifestyles more flexibly and prioritise people alongside profits.

Founding members include Ross Turner, Deputy Managing Director of PureMalt; Aileen Boyle, Founder of Fortro Ltd: Vikki Bruce, Managing Director of MacLean & Bruce; Scott Gemmell, Managing Director of LA Group UK; Mark Kemp, Owner/Founder of FortyTwo Studio; Jules Lancastle, Head of Executive Education of Entrepreneurial Scotland; Arti Mohammed CEO & Managing Director of Guy & Beard Limited and Simon Wrench, Finance Director of Aquascot.

"Conscious Leadership is about prioritising people and engaging at a common level to nurture development and inspire results... creating an environment that helps them to flourish.”

Conscious Leaders Scotland founder Ross Turner, Deputy Managing Director of PureMalt, said:

"Conscious Leadership is about prioritising people and engaging at a common level to nurture development and inspire results. Stakeholders — employees, customers, suppliers — are the nucleus of any organisation and it is our responsibility as leaders to identify and remove the barriers that negatively impact their motivations and fulfilment – creating an environment that helps them to flourish.”

“The systemic social and environmental issues we face globally need to be healed and I believe businesses must take ownership for leading and implementing change. If Conscious Leaders Scotland can play a small role in inspiring leaders to this way of thinking in the Scottish ecosystem, then we are fulfilling our mission”

The first Conscious Leaders Scotland online event will be held on Thursday 29th October 2020, with Alison McGregor, former CEO of HSBC Scotland confirmed as the group’s first guest speaker.

For more information on Conscious Leaders Scotland and their upcoming schedule of events, contact us at journeys@consciousleaders.scot

You can also follow the journey via LinkedIn

Entrepreneurial Scotland's next Saltire Leaders Programme launches 1 December 2020.