Scotland’s Leading Business Podcast: Scottish Entrepreneurs Sir Tom Hunter & Lord Willie Haughey Discuss Business and Chat to Jonathan Burridge Co-founder/CEO and John Trower Co-founder of Utopi

Summary: 

In this episode, Sir Tom Hunter and Lord Willie Haughey delve into a range of topics from the challenges faced by the hospitality and retail sectors and the potential impact of redundancies at Edinburgh University. They are joined by Jonathan Burridge Co-founder & CEO and John Trower Co-founder of Utopi and its innovative approach to smart building technology. The discussion also touches on the importance of investment in Scottish scale-ups and the development of green energy technologies.

Additionally, on the Board You Can’t Afford, David Dwyer highlights the transformative potential of AI for businesses and asks for advice on growing in the AI sector.

 

Key Topics Discussed:

[00:00:38] Children in Need Challenge: Sir Tom Hunter's participation in the Paddy McGuinness challenge, cycling from Wrexham to Glasgow, and the Hunter Foundation's donation.

[00:03:00] Bank of England's Interest Rate Strategy: Analysis of Andrew Bailey's approach to interest rate cuts and the comparison with European rates.

[00:05:00] Consumer Confidence and Budget Impact: The effect of the budget on consumer confidence and spending habits.

[00:07:00] Unemployment Rates and Economic Growth: The rise in unemployment rates and its implications for economic growth.

[00:10:00] Scottish Labour's Stance on Pensions: Analyzing the announcement by Scottish Labour regarding the reversal of the pensioners' ruling.

[00:12:00] Arnold Clark's Financial Performance: Overview of Arnold Clark's turnover and profit, and the impact of a cyberattack on the company's finances.

[00:15:00] Young Entrepreneurs: Highlighting the success of Finlay Gordon and his business 'Restock' in the limited edition sports shoes and clothing market.

[00:17:00] Hospitality and Retail Sectors: The challenges faced by these sectors, particularly with business rates and the NRA.

[00:20:00] Investment in Scottish Scale-Ups: The importance of investment in Scottish scale-up businesses and the role of the Scottish National Investment Bank.

[00:23:00] Green Energy Technologies: The construction of a new facility in Aberdeen for developing green energy technologies.

[00:25:00] Edinburgh University's Redundancies: The potential impact of staff cuts at Edinburgh University on talent and innovation.

 

Special Guests: Jonathan Burridge Co-founder & CEO and John Trower Co-founder of Utopi

 

At Utopi, they simplify the complexities of data acquisition and ESG reporting to decarbonise the multi-tenant real estate sector, for the benefit of people, planet, and profit. Whether it be Performance Reporting, Automated Temperature Control or Empowering Residents to change their behaviours.

 

[00:27:00] 

Utopi's Business Model: Jonathan Burridge and John Trower discuss their company Utopi and its focus on smart building technology and IoT.

[00:35:00] Net Zero Carbon Challenge: The role of data and IoT in helping real estate investors meet their net zero carbon targets.

[00:40:00] Commercialising Smart Building Technology: Utopi's approach to selling their technology and the benefits it provides to clients.

 

Board You Can’t Afford

[00:45:00] AI in Business: David Dwyer from Inspire Digital Agency talks about the opportunities and challenges of AI for Scottish businesses. He also has a question for Sir Tom and Lord Haughey.

 

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