Chair represents Highland Council at Scottish Cities Week Event in London

Cllr Ken Gowans is pictured at the event with L to R, the council’s Head of Development and Regeneration Allan Maguire, Energy Transformation Specialist, Rosa Rotko and Drew Hendry MP

The Highland Council’s Chair of Economy and Infrastructure Ken Gowans has returned from taking part in Scottish Cities Week (24-25 January) where he has been showcasing the investment potential of Inverness and the Highlands to a wide range of national and international investors and developers.

The Council attended the event as part of The Scottish Cities Alliance, a unique collaboration of Scotland’s eight cities – Aberdeen, Dundee, Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth and Stirling – and the Scottish Government working together to promote the country’s great economic potential.

Cllr Ken Gowans: “Taking part in such an important investment event alongside other members of the Scottish Cities Alliance really helps us to build further on the significant strengths and opportunities for Inverness and the wider region. This public and private sector collaboration approach will be fundamental going forward.”

The 3-day programme included events and sessions led by Alliance partners and stakeholders, focusing on a range of topics key to unlocking transformational change across the eight Scottish city economies. It was also attended by investors and developers as well as representatives from the Scottish Government, Scottish Development International, and Department for International Trade.

Cllr Gowans added: “Through the events and networking we were able to showcase the breadth and depth of the investment opportunities for our region. It is critical that large corporate organisations, along with governments, are fully aware of the exceptional protentional we have for growth in Highland.”

“Opportunities resulting from the Inverness and Cromarty Green FreePort, along with the transition to green energy make the Highland one of the most exciting areas in Europe to invest. Together with the £25m redevelopment of the Inverness Castle, the surrounding area and the Inverness Campus are just some of the key projects enabling a varied investment portfolio heritage, culture, infrastructure, technology, life sciences, and transport to attract new employment and growth opportunities. There has never been a better time to invest in our region.”