Ex-Tory cabinet minister Rory Stewart to address Scottish business conference

Taking place on October 1 at Edinburgh’s EICC, this year’s event will be hosted by broadcaster and journalist Kirsty Wark under the theme of “Leadership in Turbulent Times”.

Stewart, who is also a professor at the London School of Economics and a best-selling author, is due to deliver a presentation outlining his own views on what qualities make great leaders followed by a question and answer session with conference attendees.

He will be joined by a number of other high-profile guest speakers including Stephanie Hare, broadcaster, author, and co-presenter of the BBC’s AI Decoded, who will discuss leadership in the age of artificial intelligence. Also addressing the event is Phil Batty, chief executive of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

This year’s gathering will also include a presentation of new research carried out by the University of Strathclyde’s Fraser of Allander Institute featuring insights into what Scotland’s business community needs from its leaders.

Allan Wernham, managing director of law firm CMS Scotland, said: “We’re pleased to announce another superb line-up for our annual On Point conference which includes one of the UK’s leading political commentators, Rory Stewart. As co-host of The Rest is Politics, he has built one of the biggest podcast audiences in the UK through his methodical and astute analysis of the political challenges facing both the UK and the wider world.

“Scotland’s business community is navigating through numerous challenges where great leadership is more vital than ever. We look forward to hearing Rory’s insightful views on this issue as well as the thoughts from our other respected guest speakers at next month’s event.”