The Saltire Foundation: Flying the flag

THEY are the best of the best but in a year they should be even better. Last night, 14 of the nation's most talented young professionals set off to the United States for an experience aimed at making them Scotland's corporate leaders of the future.

The first Saltire Fellows – handpicked because of their drive, achievement and skills – jetted off to Boston for what one insider described as a "business boot camp".

The 12 men and two women are in their 20s and 30s and have all given up well-paid jobs to spend four unpaid months at a top business school followed by an internship at a major US firm.

In return, all have committed themselves to work in Scotland, and a never-ending battle with a culture that claims we all "kent thair faithers".

Most of the £60,000-per-fellow cost of the programme – which will last a year – will be paid for by a new charity, the Saltire Foundation. Its aim is to create a new generation of go-getting entrepreneurs in a nation where ambition, especially raw, open ambition, is often frowned upon.

"That is something we have got to change," said Crawford Gillies, an entrepreneur and the chairman of the trustees of the Saltire Foundation. "It has been part of Scottish culture for some years. The foundation isn't going to change things on its own. But we can do our bit. Scotland should be celebrating ambition."

And among the fellows, that ambition has not been dented by the credit crunch. None of them has dropped out despite the looming recession.

"We are taking a risk," admitted one, Neil Campbell, a 27-year-old computing graduate of Edinburgh University. "Maybe it's a good time to take a year off and do something different?"

Campbell has set himself clear goals. He wants to be chief executive of his own company. He has just ended a stint as a technology consultant in London and now wants to find ways of getting Scottish hi-tech products on to world markets. "Hopefully this scheme will help the whole of Scotland to be a bit more confident," he said.

The training – at Babson College, Boston, and afterwards – will focus on improving sales and marketing skills in individuals who already have a solid background in their chosen fields, which range from computing and science to hospitality.

One of the scientists on the programme is 32-year-old Verna McErlane, from Northern Ireland, who is now settled in Scotland.

McErlane has spent nine years researching cancer drugs but has come to understand that science alone isn't enough to get potentially life-saving products to market.

"You need to find ways of making products or therapies commercially viable for them to get to patients," she explained.

McErlane is now relishing her trip to America, despite being parted from her husband, fellow scientist Marcus.

She said: "With so much to gain the sadness of leaving my husband and family for the year is put into perspective as this, I believe, will be a life-changing experience and bring much benefit to Scotland's economy and people."

Ian Stevenson, another fellow, is a 33-year-old computer expert and engineer from Aberdeen. He is leaving his wife Ruth behind for nine months as he seeks the skills and education he believes he needs to win a leadership position in a growing Scottish company.

Experience is not enough to become a top leader, he said. "I believe in having a solid academic foundation for whatever I do, having the right mental tools to approach the problem."

Ian Webster, a 26-year-old Oxford maths graduate, said he expected to learn a lot from his fellow Fellows – as well as from Babson tutors.

He said: I am looking forward to a year spent in the company of an incredible group of people, each of whom I have already learnt much from, and the community in Babson, whose enthusiasm is already beginning to overcome my sceptical streak."

Gillies pursued his own successful career in international business outside Scotland. He is determined that young Scots should be able to follow in his footsteps but without leaving the country and without suffering the scepticism many ambitious youngsters encounter north of the border.

Business leaders fear that Scotland's "kent yer faither culture" is having an impact on its economy. There are not enough go-getters around to develop ideas into global products, to turn small businesses into international players.

Gillies said: "The problem we have in Scotland is that there are enough small start-up companies and enough finance around, but the biggest constraint is around people. The Saltire Foundation was created to produce people who are equipped to go into these companies and help them grow.

"These companies don't have the drive, the skills and the visibility to take them on to be real scale global companies. It's a real gap in Scotland."

Gillies is a member of the International Advisory Board for Scotland, a group of senior business leaders determined to boost the nation's international performance. It was the board which came up with the idea for the Saltire Foundation. Eventually the hope is the charity will pay its own way. Big businesses are already contributing. But for now it is kicking off with core funding from Scottish Enterprise, the national development and training agency.

The Foundation has already found a way to lure ambitious young men and women back to their country: three out of four Fellows are returning Scots currently working in England or further afield.

But not all the Fellows are born-and-bred Scots. Some, like McErlane are people from elsewhere in the UK determined to settle in Scotland, with its lifestyle advantages, but able to enjoy the kind of career they could have had in, for example, the south-east of England.

Gillies said: "These individuals have committed to come back and work in Scotland for three of the five years following their graduation. We have been talking to a lot of Scottish growth companies, venture capitalists, angel networks, and they are all very interested to meet these people and recruit them. They will come back to very important jobs, no doubt.

"The idea preceded the recession, but it has had no effect because this is a long-term initiative.This is not trying to solve Scotland's problems in 12 months, this will take a number of years to produce a pipeline of people who really can make a difference to the economy."

Wanted: undergraduates with 'can-do' attitude

The Saltire Foundation isn't just for people who are already doing well in the world of business. This summer the charity will give 40 undergraduates the chance to take internships at major corporations in other countries, including the US, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. It is looking for young people, all in their junior honours year at university, who can be ambassadors for Scottish business and who want to add practical experience to their theoretical learning.

Would-be interns face two rounds of interviews to get a shot at meeting senior leaders in international business. But they don't have to be the brainiest, the Saltire Foundation said.

A spokeswoman said: "Importantly, we are keen to ensure the application process isn't purely based on academic achievement. What's more important is that candidates have the motivation, enthusiasm and capability to succeed.

"Professional behaviour, an absolute desire to achieve, a truly 'can-do' attitude and demonstrable initiative is expected of candidates at all times – both inside and outside the workplace."