Scots finance chiefs out to restore nation's reputation
19 May 09
Leaders in Scotland’s financial services industry are to launch a campaign in London in a bid to rebuild the country’s damaged reputation
In an initiative aimed at the City of London, industry leaders from Scotland will emphasise that there is more to the sector than failed banks.
John Campbell, the chairman of Scottish Financial Enterprise (SFE), is expected to outline plans to "refute" the "negative claims" made about financial services in Scotland.
Speaking at a reception in Dover House, the Whitehall base of the UK government's Scotland Office, Campbell will say that one of SFE's "major themes" this year will be to focus on the "reputation" of Scotland.
In an admission that the collapse of the Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS has hurt confidence, Campbell is planning to say that SFE "not infrequently asked" whether Scotland's reputation as a global financial centre has been damaged.
He will claim that other countries do not see the effect of the credit crunch as a Scottish problem but accept that the question "continues to be asked, even if just domestically".