Murray to pitch Scotland to investors in New York during Tartan Week

Ian Murray will pitch Scotland to investors on Thursday as he holds a series of meetings in New York for Tartan Week.

The Scottish Secretary will join Lord Mayor of London Alastair King and Scottish Financial Enterprise chief executive Sandy Begbie during the talks with business leaders.

They will be invited to attend the Scottish Investor Summit – organised by Scottish Financial Enterprise and The City of London Corporation – to be held in Edinburgh in October.

The summit will bring together global investors, UK industry leaders, higher education institutions and government representatives to encourage business in Scotland.

Tartan Week is an annual celebration of Scottish heritage in New York (Donald Bowers/PA). PA Media

The Scotland Office said the event will be key to supporting inward investment which it said could boost Scotland’s economy and encourage job creation.

The department said the US meetings will “showcase Scotland’s key strengths in financial services, clean energy and life sciences to international investors”.

Businesses will meet with the Scottish Secretary and others at the UK Consul General’s residence in New York and at the offices of BlackRock, a global investment management corporation with a significant presence in Scotland.

Murray said: “At a time when we are celebrating Scotland on the international stage, we want to highlight the exceptional investment opportunities in innovative industries.

“These meetings and roundtables are at the heart of Brand Scotland, selling the nation on the global stage.

“By strengthening these international partnerships through our plan for change, we’re laying the groundwork for the Edinburgh Global Investment Summit.”

Begbie said Tartan Week was an “excellent example of the soft power which Scotland commands across the globe”, particularly in the US.

He added: “These roundtables provide just a small taste of the investment opportunity in Scotland.

“The Scottish investment summit later this year will showcase in detail the very best of Scotland’s financial services, renewables and life science to global investors.

“This coupled with opportunities to engage with government stakeholders and investment prospects highlight the unique opportunity the summit will bring.”

Businesses will be encouraged to invest in Scotland During Tartan Week (Jane Barlow/PA). PA Media

The Lord Mayor of London said: “Tartan week is not just an opportunity to celebrate the strong cultural and economic links between Scotland and the US, it is also a chance to deepen them further especially in financial services.

“That is why I am in New York speaking to major US businesses and investors and promoting the forthcoming Scottish Investment Summit in Edinburgh in October.

“The theme of my mayoralty is growth unleashed, aiming to reignite the City’s appetite for positive risk and fully leverage the white heat of new technology to fuel economic growth across the United Kingdom.

“One of the best ways to do that is through greater co-operation with the US in financial services – which is a major part of both the Scottish and wider UK economy.”