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Microsoft is the worlds largest software developer and we’re a global presence - we’re pretty
much in every country in the world, developed markets and developing markets.
We’re here in Scotland because, there’s great growth potential and potential for innovation
within Scotland. We now have 50 people, 50 strong team here
at Waverly Gate. We’ve grown our business across all the sectors in Scotland. But I
guess one of the things we’re particularly proud of, as well in Scotland, how we’ve
engaged more and more with the Scottish community with various aspects of the Scottish community.
We are a global business and we want to use the power of the global business and the global
brand. Our success depends on local implementations of that.
One of the real advantages of Scotland is it’s big enough to be important, it’s
a country of over 5 million people but it’s also small enough to do some really innovative,
test things with – and we can get answers here in the Scottish market much quicker than
we can in other market places and I think it’s important that Microsoft continues
to look at Scotland, not just in the business that comes out of it but also in that context
of being a great test ground. The Scottish labour force fits in very well
to Microsoft’s culture. Microsoft has a culture of ‘just do the right thing’,
if something needs to be done; go and do it, ask for forgiveness rather than permission.
We wouldn’t hire people unless they were able to take the initiative, use their creativity,
use their innovation and actually try and put it to work. So it fits really well actually,
within the Scottish psyche and the Scottish culture that we have here.
We have a very strong relationship with Scottish Development International, from the most senior
level, throughout the organisation and we’re very pleased about that and we always make
sure that, one, we continue that relationship here locally but when we travel abroad and
when we do various events and conferences in the US for example we always ensure that
we make contact with Scottish Development International people there and ensure that
they are engaged in our activities. So we have a very strong, very good relationship,
a very solid relationship with Scottish Development International.
We have been working very hard to encourage Microsoft corporately to bring, build one
of its data centres into Scotland and the support and assistance we’ve received from
Scottish Development International and continue to receive from them as we continue this process
has been excellent. Over the last number of years we’ve grown
the business, the Microsoft business in Scotland, faster than the Microsoft business in the
UK and that’s a good sign. We’ve a fantastically strong and loyal partner base here in Scotland
and I feel that the future is going to be very bright for the company.