How Important Is History Or Heritage To Your Business?

As 2017 is Scotland's Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology we were asked by Vision Scotland Magazine to consider how our past impacts our future, and how important our history and heritage is to our Firm.

Acknowledging and celebrating Scotland's unique place in, and contribution to, the world is something we've embedded within Deloitte - we see it as an important part of doing business here.

To take a few small examples, in Glasgow our meeting rooms are named after some of Scotland's most celebrated innovators, including Alexander Fleming and John Logie Baird. Our office in Edinburgh pays similar homage to Scotland's heritage, with rooms named after castles across the country. In fact, the office sits right at the foot of Edinburgh Castle, immersing our clients and staff from across the UK and further afield in Scottish history.

Beyond the traditional landmarks, we've also worked to cultivate links with another of Scotland's most famous institutions: its universities. In Aberdeen, we're working closely with the city's higher education establishments to create employment and training opportunities for more graduates, while we've also developed ties to Strathclyde and Edinburgh universities.

We have also been collaborating with these world-class establishments to drive forward the Fintech agenda in Scotland, building on our financial services history. With such exceptional expertise and technology talent we have been working hard to drive and build on this sector - as well as encourage investment and promote collaboration.

Part of this has involved working with teachers in our local secondary schools to encourage pupils to consider careers in fintech, and finding ways to bring the underrepresented to the centre of this industry. We hosted Scotland's first "datathon" this year, which enabled us to meet with pupils who had become engrossed in technology and have incredible ideas about what the future of financial services could, and should, look like and very importantly how we promote far better financial inclusion.

With technology already embedded in our history, but now moving at an unprecedented pace, we continue to expand Deloitte Digital's Edinburgh Studio and develop our Greenhouse Labs...