12 June 2012
Appointment of University’s first Entrepreneur-in-Residence
The University of Dundee has appointed its first entrepreneur-in-residence to advise students and graduates with ambitions of commercialising their talents and ideas.
Scott Brady, a successful businessman who has built up and sold three companies across different sectors, takes up the post having already worked with The Enterprise Gym (TEG), a University initiative to encourage students to develop the skills, confidence and self-reliance that the next generation of entrepreneurs require.
Scott will pass on the benefit of his experience of the business world to students and graduates, with a particular focus on helping start-up companies to develop and grow.
He will deliver practical advice to those who engage with TEG through group and one-on-one sessions that examine a variety of subjects including market research, marketing, accounting, regulation, production and access to funding and investment.
Scott said he was delighted to be taking up the role for an initial period of three years, and that he hoped to help talented emerging entrepreneurs to fulfil their potential to the benefit of the local area and the wider economy in that time.
“We are living in challenging economic times, and there is no point pretending otherwise,” he said. “However, such times very often lead to genuine innovation and I am sure that, with the right help, we can help to unleash the creativity and entrepreneurialism that exists at Dundee.
“I have worked with The Enterprise Gym and thought it was an exceptional service for students so I’m very happy to now be part of it and to bolster their offering. I think that, more and more, we are seeing that the entrepreneurs of tomorrow will be those who achieve academically. My job is to help them take their talent, creativity and knowledge and equip them with the skills to succeed in business.”
Scott has an impressive background, having worked extensively in the public sector and lecturing in a part-time capacity on Environmental Health Safety Management and Auditing up until 1997. He then left local government to start his own company, ecos limited, which is still trading successfully today.
As managing director of ecos, Scott works closely with the hospitality, food and drink sector, and advises on lobbying and public policy matters at the Scottish Parliament for the Scottish Wholesale Association.
In 2011, he was appointed to manage a licensing project on behalf of new UK blue-chip alcohol companies explaining the requirements of alcohol legislation to the licensed trade in Scotland. This widely distributed booklet received a written acknowledgement by Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
“Scott is a fantastic addition, and his appointment will really help us to establish entrepreneurialism at the very heart of everything we do at the University,” said TEG director Ken Edward.
“This presents a fantastic opportunity for the next generation of entrepreneurs to access free advice from someone who has faced the same challenges they do and gone on to achieve success. We welcome him aboard and are looking forward to him inspiring students and graduates to take the first step towards an exciting career as an entrepreneur.”
Students who sign up for The Enterprise Gym can access online training materials, training sessions led by members of the local business community, and a variety of other resources. Training workshops are held throughout the year as well, and competitions are held which challenge students to demonstrate their business ability.
All TEG services are free, and more than 1500 students have signed up to the project since its inception seven years ago. Certificates and prizes are presented to those who participate in TEG activities, and a new credit-bearing module enables students to obtain recognition for their entrepreneurialism whilst working towards their degree.
More information about TEG is available at www.enterprise-gym.co.uk.
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
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