About us

What is Scottish Business UK?

Scottish Business UK (SBUK) is an independent, non-party voice for business leaders who want to see Scotland thrive economically as part of the United Kingdom.

It seeks to make a positive case for that future and believes strongly that the campaign to break up the UK offers unacceptable disruption for business and public services, especially as Scotland tries to rebound from the challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

As an organisation representing business leaders across a wide range of sectors and geographical areas in Scotland, SBUK is sending a clear signal to the Scottish Government that we do not welcome the additional uncertainty created by the continued threat of a second referendum on breaking up the United Kingdom. If a further referendum is announced, SBUK stands ready to garner the support of company leaders to secure the best interests of business across Scotland.

SBUK’s founder and chairman is serial entrepreneur Robert Kilgour and its Chief Executive is Struan Stevenson. They are supported by an Advisory Council whose members currently oversee business interests that together employ over 10,000 people in Scotland and over 35,000 UK wide.

Read our full mission statement by clicking here

How is SBUK funded?

SBUK’s activity is funded mainly through donations received from its Advisory Council and details of its membership can be accessed below. Anyone who wants to make a further contribution to the work it does can use the ‘Support Us’ page on this website to access tools for giving. As a limited company, SBUK’s annual accounts are freely available, and it complies with all relevant Electoral Commission guidelines for campaign work.

SBUK’s Advisory Council consists of:

Dr. Robert D. Kilgour

Founder and Chairman Robert D Kilgour is a Scottish serial entrepreneur, investor and property developer who was the Founder of...

Struan Stevenson

Chief Executive A renowned political activist and campaigner of many years’ standing, Struan represented Scotland in the ...

David McKie (Legal Adviser)

Advisory Council member David McKie (Legal Adviser) David McKie is the senior partner of Levy & McRae Solicitors and is the legal adviser to SBUK. He has be...

Dr Poonam Gupta OBE

Advisory Council member Dr Poonam Gupta OBE Dr Poonam Gupta OBE is a leading UK entrepreneur and CEO of one of Scotland’s most successful export businesses, P...

Becky Lumsden CA

Advisory Council member Becky Lumsden CA Becky Lumsden CA is the founder and CEO of PURE Spa & Beauty - an award-winning company that started in 2002 with o...

Jon Fleming

Advisory Council member Jon Fleming Jon Fleming is a healthcare entrepreneur and property developer who formed The Jon Fleming Group, an award-winning business ...

Ian Paltiel

Advisory Council member Ian Paltiel Ian Paltiel is co-founder and director of successful, Fife business, Internet Creation. Established in 2000, Ian has grown t...

Hugh McNally

Advisory Council member Hugh McNally Hugh McNally is Managing Director of Forsyth of Denny, one of Scotland’s leading haulage and heavy lift specialists opera...

Archie Meikle

Advisory Council member Archie Meikle Archie Meikle is Managing Director of Ashwood Scotland Ltd – an established, award-winning construction company based in...

Hugh Andrew

Hugh Andrew has a long career in bookselling and publishing. He was educated at Glasgow Academy and Magdalen College, Oxford and set his own business up in 1...

Charlotte Black

Advisory Council member Charlotte Black Charlotte Black was, for 27 years, Marketing Director of Brewin Dolphin (leading investment manager with £45 billion of...

Colin Clark

Advisory Council member Colin Clark Former Scottish Office minister Colin Clark enjoyed a successful career in the agrifood sector as a company director and the...

Ian M. P. Condie

Ian M. P. Condie is a former partner in Condie & Co, Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers.  He assumed the role of senior partner in 1988 and pr...

Cllr Barney Crockett

An exceptionally experienced public servant, Cllr Barney Crockett is currently Lord Provost of the City of Aberdeen and President of the World Energy Cit...

Sandra Hill

Advisory Council member Sandra Hill Sandra Hill is the owner and founder of all-female, multi award-winning, Manor Estate and Lettings Agency based in Uddingsto...

Fergus Hardie

Advisory Council member Fergus Hardie Fergus Hardie is Chairman of successful 3rd generation, Glasgow business, Hardie Polymers. Established in 1924, they suppl...

Puneet Gupta

Advisory Council member Puneet Gupta Puneet Gupta is a serial entrepreneur with a diverse business portfolio, ranging from healthcare, hospitality and leisure, ...

Tom Smith

Advisory Council member Tom Smith Tom Smith developed his company, Nessco Group from providing high technology Telecommunication solutions to the North Sea Oil ...

Dr. Belinda Dickson OBE

Belinda Dickson OBE is a luxury knitwear expert boasting over 35 years’ experience in the cashmere industry. As the ‘Queen of Cashmere’, Beli...

Ghill Donald

Ghill Donald co-founded marketing agency BD Network in 1990 and remains as Chairman. Ghill was very active during the Scottish independence referendum, cre...

Angelina Fairgrieve

Advisory Council member Angelina Fairgrieve Angelina Fairgrieve joined The Travel Company Edinburgh in March 2010 as Head of Sales and is now General Manager. A...

Charles Ferguson

Advisory Council member Charles Ferguson Charles Ferguson is a lawyer with over 30 years’ experience defending clients in high stakes criminal cases. As a sol...

Gwyneth Fleming

Gwyneth Fleming started working life as a teacher in Wales before moving into a successful career in sales and marketing, becoming a successful entrepreneur ...

William Frame

Advisory Council member William Frame William Frame is founder and Managing Director of Braemore Estates and has over 40 years of experience within the property...

Professor Jim Gallagher CB

Advisory Council member Professor Jim Gallagher CB Jim Gallagher CB FRSE is a company director, mainly in the life insurance and pensions sector. He is a non-ex...

Kevin Hague

Kevin Hague co-founded, invested in and acted as an executive Director of two successful Scottish businesses, M8 Group Ltd and Endura Ltd, employing over 200...

Fred Hallsworth

Fred Hallsworth is a Scottish Chartered Accountant with a 30-year career in Professional Services where he held a number of senior management positions in Ca...

Amanda Harvie

Amanda has been helping businesses operating from Scotland to develop in home and international markets for over 25 years. She is based in the Scottish Borde...

Dr. Azeem Ibrahim

Born in Glasgow, Dr Ibrahim was named one of the Top Global Thinkers by the LSDP European Social Think Tank and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic F...

Ross Laurie

Advisory Council member Ross Laurie Ross Laurie has been working in technology and finance for over two decades and has built and sold a number of businesses in...

Gordon Livingstone

Advisory Council member Gordon Livingstone Gordon Livingstone is a Scottish Chartered Accountant, with significant experience managing businesses across the UK ...

Sheila Low

Sheila Low started her career in investment management before moving to unquoted investment within a venture capital company. She also established her own bu...

Professor Ronald MacDonald OBE

Ronald MacDonald OBE is currently Professor of Macroeconomics and International Finance, and the former Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy, U...

Robin MacGeachy

Advisory Council member Robin MacGeachy Robin MacGeachy is Chairman of Peak Scientific Instruments, the world leader in the manufacture & support of ‭labo...

Elaine MacKenzie

Elaine MacKenzie is Founder and Director of The Namaste Partnership Limited, and its trading partnership, NP Land and Property. The company was formed to f...

Kenneth MacKenzie

Kenneth MacKenzie is founder and chief executive of Target Fund Managers Ltd, a business based in Stirling, with clients and stakeholders across the UK. Born...

Dr Richard J. Marsh

Richard Marsh is a Scottish aeronautical and mechanical engineer who spent the first part of his career with British Aerospace in Bristol on the Concorde des...

Sir Iain McMillan CBE FRSE 

Sir Iain McMillan spent twenty-three years with the TSB Group prior to joining the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) in 1993. He held the position of D...

Baroness Nosheena Mobarik CBE 

Nosheena Mobarik was appointed as a Conservative Member of the House of Lords in 2014 and served as a Government Whip from 2016 – 2017. From September ...

Brian Monteith

Brian Monteith is a former member of the Scottish Parliament, where he was convenor of the Audit Committee for four years, and the European Parliament, when ...

Tim Morrison

Advisory Council member Tim Morrison Tim Morrison is co-founder and Chairman of Morrison Glasgow Distillers, established in 2015 to create a new distillery on t...

Pamela Nash

Pamela Nash has been Chief Executive of Scotland in Union, the campaign for Scotland to remain in the UK, since August 2017.  In this period the organisat...

Maureen O’Neill

Advisory Council member Maureen O'Neill Maureen O’Neill has specialised in staffing solutions for over 35 years, during which she has developed and managed so...

Jack Perry CBE

Jack Perry CBE is an independent non-executive board member and adviser to a number of public and private companies.  He previously served as Chief Executiv...

John Quinn

Advisory Council member John Quinn John Quinn is a Scottish businessman and entrepreneur who spent the large majority of his career establishing and growing Fas...

Cllr Dr Crawford Reid

Advisory Council member Cllr Dr Crawford Reid Cllr Dr Crawford Reid was elected as a Scottish Conservative Councillor for the Strathallan Ward of Perth and Kinr...

Kenneth R. Richards

Kenneth Richards has over 40 years’ business experience (over 33 years as a Director) with five commercial print/graphics companies in East Central Scotlan...

Ken Russell

Advisory Council member Ken Russell Ken Russell is the third generation of a well-known Edinburgh entrepreneurial family with interests in construction, propert...

Katherine Sangster

Katherine Sangster is National Manager for Scotland of The Fabian Society. Britain’s oldest political think tank, the society has been at the forefront of...

Keith Steele

Advisory Council member Keith Steele Keith Steele is a software technology entrepreneur beginning his career with chip manufacturer Texas Instruments before sta...

Guy Stenhouse

Guy Stenhouse is chairman of Shancastle Investments Limited, a private family investment company. Shancastle focuses on investing in very young, mainly Scot...

Allan Stevenson

Advisory Council member Allan Stevenson Allan Stevenson was brought up on a Scottish arable farm and has enjoyed a varied career as a CA in a broad range of pri...

Jamie Stewart

Advisory Council member Jamie Stewart Jamie Stewart, Managing Director of McDonald Water Storage, has worked for the company for over 30 years. The company has ...

Bill Toner

Bill Toner is Chief Executive of Royal Warrant-holding, national catering company, CH&CO. A proud Scot, Bill spent his early career learning the hospit...

Rt Hon Brian Wilson CBE

Brian Wilson has had three careers – as a journalist, a politician and in business. He served as a Labour MP for 18 years and held five Ministerial pos...

Eben Wilson

Following an early career in the media as a current affairs and science documentary producer, largely working internationally, Eben Wilson migrated to a seco...

Lionel Zetter

Advisory Council member Lionel Zetter Lionel Zetter is an *award-winning public affairs, political campaigning, and lobbying expert with over 30 years’ experi...