Liam Docherty, Rew Ferguson, Stephen Judge, Martyn Hickin, Lewis Shiels and Josh Bradbury made up the winning Aberdeen team from 2013/14. Here we speak to Liam about their experiences.
HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT DRAGONS’ GLEN?
We heard about Dragons’ Glen through our Developing Talent team who seen this as a fantastic opportunity for graduates and other ambitious employees.
WHY DID YOU WANT TO TAKE PART?
We entered for three main reasons:
1. To make a positive difference to some of the most vulnerable children in the local area. We believe every child deserves a childhood like one we were lucky to have.
2. To develop business skills that we don’t use in our day to day work but will hopefully help further our career.
3. Like everyone else we have sat watching Dragons’ Den shouting at the TV thinking that we could do so much better than the contestants – here was the chance to prove it.
HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON THE DESK CALENDAR AS YOUR PRODUCT?
We realised that selling advertising space could be our unique selling point. We looked at the timing of the challenge and were going to create A4 corporate diaries and sell the space inside but desktop calendars were more cost effective and ultimately leaving more profit for the charity.
HOW DID YOU ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE?
The experience was one which we all look back on with great pride. We developed business acumen, while raising money for CHILDREN 1st. We developed relationships with people in all levels of Wood Group PSN right up to director level. We nurtured a huge range of skills that we use more regularly than any skills we have learned on any training course.
WHY SHOULD OTHER PEOPLE TAKE PART?
1. To help out a fantastic charity in CHILDREN 1st
2. Develop business skills that will accelerate your career such as presenting to CEO’s in board rooms across Aberdeen and meeting product designers.
3. To compete against other leading businesses in Scotland.
4. Fantastic networking opportunities inside and outside of your company.