COVID-19 SUPPORT SERIES: Opportunities in the Current Crisis

 

Our series of COVID-19 Support Events are FREE for WeDO Scotland members and take place twice weekly in addition to our weekly Brainstorming meetings every Monday at 11am and our Social Drinks on Thursdays at 5pm.

We’re delighted to have WeDO member & 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Brian Williamson hosting this event for us.  Our thanks to him for kindly giving his time and sharing his experience, ideas & advice with us.

Brian will seed the conversation on what he has learned over the last five recessions he has been through. These are areas of learning that he believes has improved him and the businesses in which he worked. From his first recession in the mid 70s he developed an attitude of positive framing which is not only a business skill but a life skill. Why that is important right now is because positive framing tends to lead to a personal call to action. Boy do we need that right now. Negative framing often leads to inaction which in the current crisis could be fatal.

MORE ABOUT BRIAN

Brian is an engineer, a professional businessman and an award-winning entrepreneur. He draws on the knowledge and experience he gained in a fast-advancing managerial career in industry, and from his success as an entrepreneur in high growth business situations.

He started life in a tenement flat in Stirling the son of a waitress and a foundryman. He remains a grounded individual and a proud Scot.  He has been running companies at Board level for the last 38 years, the last 26 as an entrepreneur.

Brian has exited nine businesses in his life and two of them in the last two years. Brightwork a recruitment business in 2017 after growing sales to £38m. The second and more recent in 2019 is Jumpstart which was launched at the time the 2008 recession started however by 2010 and through to 2013 it was recognised as the fastest growing SME in Scotland.

The 2020 Covid-19 recession is the fifth recession Brian has lived through as a businessman

Today Brian is Chairman of the 4icg Group as well as Chairman of thinkWhere and Miigen. He also is the investment Director at Vert Rotors looking after the interests of the investors of Equity Gap, a private equity group.

In 2016 Brian was recognised by our Lifetime Achievement Award for his significant contribution to the entrepreneurial community.

In 2017 Brian was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Glasgow Caledonian University for his contribution to entrepreneurship.

Please check your text messages or in the events section of our app for the link to register after which you will be emailed the dial-in details.  Remember you can  submit a maximum of 2 questions prior to the event – instructions are in the confirmation email.