Robert Hawkes has been appointed by the Scottish Chambers of Commerce to run the Business Mentoring Scotland Scheme in Fort William and Lochaber.

Robert, a director of Fort William-based web design company Hotscot, plans to recruit business mentors across the Lochaber region and match them to local companies with potential for growth.

The mentors, experienced business people from a range of sectors and industries, will provide their time on a voluntary basis. The service is provided free to businesses that meet the criteria.

Robert, who has lived in Lochaber for 27 years, worked as a chartered engineer and hotelier before founding Hotscot. The scheme could "make a real difference" he said.

"It's not just another initiative for the sake of an initiative, this is real business-to-business support delivered by people who are experienced," he continued.

"It is important that what we do will make a real difference and complement the support which is already out there."

The one-to-one scheme aims to match an ambitious and growing business leader with a suitable mentor, taking into account the skills, background, experience and personality of the individuals involved.

The programme itself supports a mentoring period of up to 12 months, with the respective parties meeting at least once a month.

Robert Hawkes, ready to help ambitious local businesses. Iain Ferguson, The Write Image

During this time, the business will be encouraged to identify issues within their company which require improvement or support.

"Fort William Chamber of Commerce has often discussed the implementation of a scheme like this, and this seems an ideal opportunity to take advantage of a national scheme," explained Robert.

"So if you think you would like to offer your services as a business mentor please do get in touch with me.

"Likewise if you think your business, or that of a colleague, would benefit from working closely with an experienced mentor, let me know and we will try to find you a suitably matched mentor.

"For anyone interested in either becoming a mentor or mentee, the next step would be an informal meeting with me, and this could be arranged relatively quickly."

The business mentoring programme is a partnership between Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Chambers of Commerce and the European Social Fund through the Highlands and Islands Partnership Programme.

Robert can be contacted on 01397 703 506 or rhawkes@businessmentoringscotland.org

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

Bookmark this

---