Younger enterprise leaders from throughout Highlands and Islands be part of IMPACT30 programme
One of the trainers in a previous IMPACT30 cohort. Image: Alison White
22 young business people from the Highlands and the Isles were the last to take part in a year-long program aimed at nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs.
The IMPACT30 program is open to people under the age of 35 who are employed in important decision-making positions in young, up-and-coming companies. It offers personalized support, coaching and mentoring based on the needs of each participant.
The youngest cohort will increase the number of people who have participated in the program to more than 100.
IMPACT30 is part of the Northern Innovation Hub, a project led by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), with £ 11m from the UK government under the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal and £ 1.7m program from the Regional Development Fund Scotland 2014-2020.
The program is provided by Anderson Anderson and Brown Consulting (AAB) on behalf of HIE.
Lizi Blackwood, Head of Development at HIE’s Northern Innovation Hub, said: “I am once again delighted with the growing interest of our young entrepreneurs who want to join our IMPACT30 family. This is our sixth group that I am particularly excited about, especially given the focus that many place on environmentally friendly and ethical doing business.
“When selecting the individual groups, the focus for me is on the quality and potential of the young company. That made the selection incredibly difficult given the high number of high-quality applications. “
Christina Mackay from Pledge to Thrive Fundraising Consultancy is part of this year’s cohort.
She said, “As a new business owner, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to go through the IMPACT30 program to gain expertise and tailored support to run a successful business and turn our passion into profit.
“The program also gives us a great opportunity to build relationships with other professionals from different sectors in the region who will help us become better known and expand our network.
“After a long year of isolation and lockdown, being surrounded by like-minded people with great ambitions for the future is exactly the kind of inspiration and drive I’ve been looking for. The rest of this year’s cohort and I want to say a huge thank you to everyone involved for giving us this great opportunity. “
Mark Bell, Program Director at AAB, said, “It is fascinating to see the different challenges these young entrepreneurs face and we have the privilege to support them.
“Over the years we have seen more and more collaboration between the participating companies. We would like to encourage and use this cooperation when we welcome our 100th participant in the program. “
