IoD Scotland Autumn 2021

Panel: Samantha Suppiah, Professor Mark Logan, Dr Rachel Sibande and Amee Ritchie
Sustainability and learning to
‘walk the walk’
Conference’s final panel session focused
on getting creative with sustainability
solutions and ‘walking the walk’.
Led by IoD Scotland’s Louise
Macdonald, it brought together Professor
Mark Logan, Scottish Government Lead on
a tech-led recovery; Dr Rachel Sibande,
Digital Impact Alliance; Samantha
Suppiah, Sustainability Strategist; and
Amee Ritchie from S’wheat to outline
some of the big challenges and possible
solutions.
Innovation offers hope
Dr Rachel Sibande, the founder of
Malawi’s first tech hub, had faith that
digital innovation would provide a path to
sustainability, while being prepared to
“think outside the bottle” had led young
Scottish entrepreneur Amee Ritchie to
lead her firm to produce a sustainable,
plastic-free water container.
But strong words from Mark Logan and
Samantha Suppiah offered arguably
conference’s most strident challenges.
A tragedy of the commons
We were blindly following ‘the tragedy
of the commons’ in our destructive use of
natural resources, said Mark, pointing out
that despite the awareness of the dangers
of fossil fuels, they were still responsible
for 88 per cent of our energy supplies. As
a tech expert he found solace that digital
innovators could find answers, and he
urged the government to adopt a
“wartime footing” and work aggressively
with tech companies as it did with
pharmaceutical firms to develop a Covid
vaccine.
‘Colonial-era thinking’
Singapore-based Samantha was even
harsher in her criticism, pointed an
accusing finger at the Global North for
perpetuating colonial-style development
policies that endangered eco-systems in
the Global South. When asked if she found
hope in the form of youth-led eco-activists
such as Greta Thunberg her response was
a blunt and uncompromising “No”. Rather,
“Global South activists are simply importing
ideas and strategies from the Global North
that are another form of colonialism.” The
only hope and inspiration she found came
not from western-centric activism but
from indigenous communities challenging
the profit-first priorities of global corporates.
She was angry at the “15 per cent who
made the money while 85 per cent
suffered the consequences”, and was
particularly dismissive of the UN, the City
of London and Wall Street for
“perpetuating colonisation-era policies.”
“We need a strong decolonisation
movement that changes perspective in the
mindset of people of the Global South and
returns them to their original perspectives
on living in commune with nature.”
Thoughts on COP26
The panel had their own messages for
delegates at this November’s COP26
summit. Dr Rachel Sibande said she would
like to remind them that “talk was cheap”
and that tangible solutions and actions
were necessary. She saw seeds of hope in
the way indigenous knowledge was being
brought back to the table.
Amee asked COP26 delegates to leave
their egos at the door – otherwise there
was little hope of major change being
agreed. It was time, she said, “to think out
of the bottle”, as her business had done.
Mark Logan wondered if recent climatelinked
catastrophes around the world
– such as the wildfires in USA and Canada,
storms in Asia and flooding in Europe and
New York, would focus minds in a way that
they hadn’t previously.
On COP26... “talk is cheap...
tangible solutions and actions
are necessary.”
Dr Rachel Sibande
“I want delegates to leave their
egos at the door...”
Amee Ritchie
Conference polls
Delegate polls were held throughout
Conference to gauge views on
key questions of the day.
Are you confident the Scottish
Government can create the
conditions for the economy to
flourish post-pandemic?
Yes: 37%
No: 35%
Don’t know: 28%
Do you want a referendum on
Scotland’s constitutional future
during the term of this Holyrood
Parliament?
Yes: 39%
No: 42%
Don’t know: 19%
Do you think there will be another
independence referendum during
the term of the current Scottish
parliament?
Yes: 50%
No: 38%
Don’t know: 12%
Given its Code Red status, should
the climate change emergency be
treated by governments as a greater
priority than Covid-19?
Yes: 66%
No: 25%
Don’t know: 9%
Do you think the UK will achieve its
net zero target by 2050
Yes: 24%
No: 60%
Don’t know: 16%
Will Brexit have a bigger impact than
Covid in the next five years?
Yes: 47%
No: 37%
Don’t know: 16%
Has the impact of Brexit been worse
than anticipated?
Yes: 49%
No: 34%
Don’t know: 17%
Is Brexit damaging the UK economy?
Yes: 77%
No: 14%
Don’t know: 9%
Are you suffering from labour or
supply shortages related to Brexit or
Covid-19-related impacts?
Yes: 49%
No: 49%
Don’t know: 2%
Will you keep some flexible/remote
working in the future rather than
return to a full-time workplace
Yes 100%
Autumn 2021
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