Gavin Jones has worked at a UK, EU and global level, being retained by the World Bank, the DTI and the EU as an adviser on International SME competitiveness. After a career in engineering, Gavin held the position of Marketing Director for Waterford Wedgwood Japan Limited, responsible for brand licensing and management of group products sold in the Japanese and Chinese / Asian markets, based in Tokyo.
He has also worked on Cluster Development in several countries, including working with Adam Smith International in Libya. For the past 15 years, Gavin has been involved in the design and delivery of business competitiveness processes in a number of countries – most recently as the project director of the Company Competitiveness Programme with CzechInvest and the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Gavin has lived and worked in over 50 countries throughout the EU, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Central and Eastern Europe, with extensive experience of competitiveness issues - in particular their export competitiveness. Gavin has spent a considerable time at senior management level in both the private manufacturing sector and the public sector, running and managing SME restructuring programmes. Additionally, Gavin is an Investors in People adviser, an EFQM practitioner and a benchmarking practitioner.
James Mason has worked in the UK and internationally at Managing Director level for two major textile plcs. After his career managing many diverse organisations, James became a Strategic Management Consultant - a role he has carried out over the last 14 years. James has been involved with SMEs, providing strategic and practical assistance to those in both high growth and turnaround situations.
Following project work within companies, he has held non-executive roles for many diverse organisations: a laser technology company, spin-out from Heriot Watt University, a high growth contracting company requiring growth funding, a strategic consultancy spin-out from Scottish Enterprise, and a turnaround and funding of a traditional textile company into a brand name.
James has specialised in benchmarking for over 8 years and has held the licence to develop, market and train for the DTI Benchmark Index in Scotland. Additionally James is an Investors in People adviser and an EFQM practitioner.
Kirsty Scott has worked in senior management roles both internationally and the UK. She has over 15 years experience in business development, including the promotion of the textiles cluster in Scotland and assisting SMEs develop international market entry strategies. Her skills in this area stemmed from a successful career based in Asia and North America where she managed sourcing, sales and marketing for multinational apparel companies. More recently, as head of National Textiles for Scottish Enterprise, she led the development of an industry strategy based on building coherence and a shared agenda between leading players in industry, government and support agencies.
She was responsible for the design and delivery of a range of activities to increase competitiveness and business growth in the sector, primarily focused on increasing innovation, collaborations and marketing competencies. Kirsty has extensive experience of developing international marketing and promotional strategies at both individual company and sector level.
Kirsty has excellent communication and interpersonal skills, allied to a strong strategic focus and a pragmatic, hands-on approach. She has an extensive network of contacts in the UK and overseas. Kirsty has an MBA and is a benchmarking practitioner.
