GlobalScot: supporting Scotland’s businesses at home and abroad

The best business advice always comes from someone who’s been there before. If you’re looking to grow your business, you can connect with influential and experienced business professionals in markets all around the world for advice, coaching, contacts and more. Free to Scottish businesses.

Get support for your business

Invaluable support for Scottish businesses

Interested in international markets but not sure if you’re ready? Trying to find the right exporting opportunities for your business? Struggling to find the contacts and connections you need to establish overseas?

Our GlobalScots have the market knowledge and business experience to help ambitious businesses like yours establish in international markets or grow and succeed at home. Get business coaching, attend events, access market insights, establish mentorships, access crucial contacts and more.

Many of our GlobalScots also:

  • Offer strategic insights to the wider Scottish ecosystem including Scottish Development International, the Scottish Government, accelerators, universities and more

  • Promote Scotland to international businesses as an attractive business location

  • Speak at events, on webinars or on podcasts

  • Publish market insights and reports

See who could be giving your business advice and support

From Dundee to Dubai, from Singapore to Sydney, our GlobalScots are based all over the world. Here’s a taste of the types of people you could be connected to.

No members available at this time.

I take great satisfaction in working with Scottish companies. These are exceptionally talented and professional people who work at the cutting edge of their industries. For me, it’s exciting and a privilege to be a member of their respective teams
Mark Goldschmidt, Partner at Holland & Knight

Make connections using our digital platform

Search GlobalScots

Find who you need – search for GlobalScots by location, sector, expertise and more

Connect

Submit help requests directly to your choice of GlobalScot to ask for their support with your international ambitions

Inspiration and learning

Learn new skills, build your network and get inspired through our events, webinars, podcasts, spotlights and case studies.

Community feed

Connect with the wider community – ask a question, share a problem, get support or find opportunities

What's involved?

We know you’re busy and want to offer the most value with the time that you have. You can choose who to help, the level of support that you offer and how long you commit. Here are a few ways you could help Scottish companies.

Business coaching, organisational development and leadership advice

Real time insights into your sectors or geographic markets based on your experience

Arranging introductions to your contacts and networks, including potential suppliers, distributors and customers

Strategic development and applying strategic thinking to business problems

Our mission

By helping more Scottish businesses connect with GlobalScots, we hope to:

Help Scottish businesses grow

Support the Scottish economy

Secure our place on the global stage

Who are we looking for?

GlobalScots can come from all areas of the business world. You should be:

  • Based in International Markets

  • A senior or influential figure in your company, sector or market with significant experience and connections

  • Open to sharing your knowledge, expertise and insights free of charge

  • Able to demonstrate strong entrepreneurial, scaling, funding and investment expertise

  • Open to making introductions to your network where appropriate

  • Able to inspire and motivate Scotland's ambitious business leaders

We’re open-minded about the sectors our GlobalScots work in, but we're particularly interested in:

  • Fintech/ Pharma/ biotech

  • Medtech, healthtech, healthcare

  • Advanced manufacturing (AI, Big Data)

  • Automotive

  • Edtech and AI

  • Energy transition

  • Renewable technologies - hydrogen, heat, offshore wind

  • Food & drink

  • Lifestyle products

How does it work?

Step 1

Register

Tell us about yourself and your business. We’ll use this to create your profile on the network.

Step 2

Search for GlobalScots

Our handy search tool lets you find exactly the connections you need. Search by sector, location, expertise and more.

Step 3

Submit a request

Once you’ve found the right GlobalScot, submit a request. Tell them a bit about what you’re looking for and what you’re hoping to achieve.

Step 4

Work together

If the GlobalScot accepts your request, you’ll be able to message them and start working together. At the end, you can give feedback to let us know how it went.

What's expected of me?

Being a GlobalScot is an active role and you’ll be expected to participate where you can. We’ll review membership each year to make sure the network stays vibrant and responsive to the needs of the business ecosystem in Scotland.

Read our Code of Conduct for some guidance around what we expect.

Update: Online applications to become a GlobalScot currently paused

Exciting news: we are currently refreshing the GlobalScot website to ensure we can deliver the most effective service to Scottish companies looking to access business support.

As part of this work, we will be reviewing both the format of GlobalScot profiles and the application procedure, so we have temporarily paused our online GlobalScot applications.

We are reviewing the application process and it will be reopening in due course.

In the Spotlight: GlobalScot profiles

Spotlight

Christy McLaughlan

Christy McLaughlan has proven a whirlwind of the housing industry

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Latest events

Webinar

Validating Software Products For Life Sciences Compliance

Watch now as GlobalScot Ray McKinney who has spent three decades working in regulatory compliance...

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Event

The digital world - Laptops, smartphones and you

Laptops! Smartphones! The age of VR! Enrol now to learn all about the intricacies and expected developments in our digital future

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Podcast

Bees Bees Bees!

All things bees! How our beloved bees help our economy and ecosystem!

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Register today for free business support

GlobalScot support is free to access for Scottish businesses. Register with us to access new connections, insights, advice, events and more.

Get started