Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Stay ahead in business with expert guidance from Highlands and islands entrepreneurs

Prof Eleanor Shaw
Prof Eleanor Shaw

Highlands and islands entrepreneurs are being offered an opportunity to learn how they can gain a competitive edge over their competitors at a masterclass with a leading expert in Inverness next month.

The two-day workshop will be led by Professor Eleanor Shaw, of the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship and vice dean of Strathclyde University’s business school.

Professor Shaw has more than 25 years’ experience in delivering entrepreneurship education around the world. She has also carried out extensive research on the subject.

The masterclass will also include a session with Stuart Rowell, a non-executive director of Tranent-based thermal energy storage company Sunamp. Mr Rowell’s career spans 30 years, with the past five spent working with SME and start-up businesses, particularly in the software development and energy sectors.

Professor Shaw said: “By creating a competitive advantage, businesses can set a buffer between them and their competitors; in turn creating a more secure place in the market.

“The way in which we approach executive education at the University of Strathclyde is different – we put the focus on the participant in the room, looking at their needs and providing access to toolkits and learning so after the masterclass they can start working with colleagues and honing their value proposition straight away.”

She continued: “Everything we do has been road-tested by working with entrepreneurs and we’ve learned that creating a competitive advantage can help a business in many ways.

“I’m really looking forward to working with Highlands and Islands entrepreneurs, sharing our learnings and making new connections in the region.”

The masterclass, which will take place on February 20 and 21 at the Kingsmills Hotel, in Inverness, has been organised by development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

Louise MacDonald, senior entrepreneurship manager at HIE, said: “Creating and sustaining a competitive advantage can be difficult in today’s ever-changing and dynamic environment. Businesses need to think strategically and be able to analyse their proposition to find ways to enhance impact, value and performance.

“The February masterclass will teach entrepreneurs from across the region the tools and techniques to stay ahead of the game. I look forward to meeting delegates and seeing how they implement what they learn within their businesses.”

HIE is also offering to help companies in the area prepare for Brexit, with an event in the Highland capital on January 24.

The one-day Get Your Business Ready for Brexit session is also taking place at the Kingsmills Hotel.