Nikki Flanders attends the SCC Annual Business Address 2024

The SCC Annual Business Address is one of the biggest events in our calendar, welcoming more than 650 business leaders from across Scotland. It‘s an opportunity to network with visionaries from the business community in Scotland, exchanging ideas and establishing connections. Speaking at the event was John Swinney, First Minister of Scotland, Diane Gutiw, Vice President Global AI Research Lead at CGI, Mike Soutar, Portfolio Director and Investor, Rowena Bird, Co-Founder of LUSH, and Nikki Flanders, Managing Director of SSE Energy Customer Solutions, sharing their perspectives on the ever-growing business landscape.

Take a look below for reflections on the event from Nikki, and key takeaways from her speech on the value of collaborative efforts in the energy transition.

Reflections

Attending the SCC Annual Business Address was a fantastic opportunity for SSE, and specifically SSE Energy Solutions to showcase how we are supporting Scotland’s decarbonisation mission. The event served as a vital platform for businesses from various sectors to come together, underscoring the collective commitment to driving economic growth and reaching renewable targets.

The impact of the speakers was a standout – thought provoking, practical and good humour. The headline speaker John Swinney, First Minister of Scotland, shared his insights on the role of government, private sector and businesses in shaping the economy. There was a welcome applause to his commitment in the Scottish Government’s recent budget to provide £150m of investment in offshore wind infrastructure in 2025/2026, with the aim of unlocking £1.5bn of private investment.

Throughout the event, the importance of investment and commitment to the energy transition was discussed in terms of decarbonising, whilst supporting the economy and attracting inward investment. The event was a reminder of the value of collaboration in achieving targets and continuing to build a thriving economy in Scotland.

Key takeaways

Representing SSE Group, my keynote covered the following key points:

• The investment required in energy infrastructure, the needed response to the energy transition and the support that we provide to businesses as they navigate their decarbonisation path.
• The challenges faced in the past couple of years, from the pandemic to the energy crisis and its aftermath. And while it’s impossible to predict the next challenge, it’s possible to prepare for it by fostering resilience, developing technologies and investing in renewable energy.
• The progress that we have already made at SSE, and how we are halfway through our five-year commitment to invest £20bn into low-carbon infrastructure. That is around £50m a week. Our projects and investments are creating around 1,000 direct jobs every year, with three indirect jobs supported for every direct role at SSE.
• That getting the infrastructure built is critical, but it isn’t the full story. I stressed that, at SSE, we recognise the value in working directly with the business community to support decarbonisation initiatives ~ which as we all know can be as simple as completing an energy audit right through to the large scale solar or retrofitting.
• The support that’s available at SSE. Just last year, SSE Energy Solutions dedicated £15m to supporting our UK business customers to help them through the energy crisis, with a number of measures still in place today.
• To the policy owners in the audience, I hope they heard the challenge that more work is needed to improve the conditions for investment. This includes simple policy mechanisms that investors understand to achieve risk profiles for attracting that critical private investment into low carbon infrastructure and clean energy.
• To all members of the audience, I hope my last point landed as a rally cry – “If not now, then it really is when”. I also pointed to a few members of our sales team who joined me on the night offering their expert services to guide businesses.