Scottish Enterprise

Scottish Enterprise [http://www.scottish-enterprise.com] [SE] , is Scotland's main economic, enterprise, innovation and investment agency. Covering the eastern, cental and southern part of Scotland from the Grampians to the Borders and is a sponsored Non-Departmental Public Body (or 'quango') of the Scottish Government.

Similar services are carried out by Highlands and Islands Enterprise [HIE] in north and west Scotland.

History

Scottish Enterprise started operations on 1 April 1991 under the Enterprise and New Towns (Scotland) Act 1990. That act merged the former Scottish Development Agency [SDA] , created in 1975 and the Scottish Training Agency [STA] to form one integrated body.

On 1 April 2008, the skills function of Scottish Enterprise moved out of the organisation to the newly formed Skills Development Scotland [SDS] .

Mission

Scottish Enterprise's mission is to stimulate economic growth in Scotland by supporting business growth and developing the business environment. Its key priorities are to provide a range of high-quality services to help new high-growth businesses, support and develop existing businesses and help Scottish business and industry to develop a strong presence in the global economy - building on Scotland's reputation as a great place to live, work and do business.

Scottish Enterprise aims to build a world-class economy based on Scotland's key industries, in particular - energy, life sciences, tourism, financial services and food & drink.

In addition to companies and individuals, Scottish Enterprise works closely with universities, colleges, local authorities and other public sector bodies to achieve these goals and implement the Scottish Government's Economic Strategy.

tructure

Scottish Enterprise headquarters is the Atlantic Quay building in Glasgow, where the main thrust of strategic direction is decided. Scottish Enterprise has approximately 1,500 staff and maintains 12 local offices across eastern, central and southern Scotland in order to provide services to its customers. At present the local offices are based in: Aberdeen, Bellshill, Clydebank, Dumfries, Dundee, Edinburgh, Galashiels, Glenrothes, Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Paisley and Stirling.

The senior management team of Scottish Enterprise are referred to as the Executive Board. Current membership is as follows:

Jack Perry - Chief Executive
Lena Wilson - Chief Operating Officer
Hugh Hall - Chief Financial Officer
John Phillips - Managing Director
Paul Lewis - Managing Director

Finances

Scottish Enterprise is largely funded by the Scottish Government, although it also raises part of its budget from other sources such as property rental and disposal of assets. SE has a budget of approximately £300 million [€380m/$590m] for the financial year 2008/09.

ee also

*Economy of Scotland
*Politics of Scotland

External links

* [http://www.scottish-enterprise.com Scottish Enterpise]
* [http://www.scotland.gov.uk Scottish Government]
* [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1990/Ukpga_19900035_en_1.htm Enterprise and New Towns (Scotland) Act 1990]
* [http://www.sdi.co.uk Scottish Development International]