Glasgow means an incredible
amount to me. I was born here but moved to England when I was three
years old as my dad, a qualified CA, worked for Shanks and McEwan
in Corby. My great grandfather was the Dry Dock Harbour
Master at Govan docks, so I really am Clyde Built!
I've been working in the city
now for nearly 20 years between Radio Clyde, where I was marketing
director, and Glasgow Chamber of Commerce. I have very early
fond memories of visiting my Gran and Papa in Shawlands
and being overawed by the red sandstone tenements, which were
unusual if you lived in a small village in the Midlands. I
used to love going to the boating pond in Queens Park and then to
the Brooklyn Cafe and having authentic Scots-Italian ice cream and
tablet!
I spent 10 years at Radio
Clyde, which was a dream job for a marketeer who loved music,
sport and current affairs. We had a brilliant team of people
working on air and behind the scenes and it felt very special, like
being in a family. I was responsible for promoting the brand
and investing in advertising, marketing, PR and events.
Glasgow is
a resilient city and there is a determination in people to make a
success of themselves, but not forgetting their social values
and putting something back in to help others. There are many
entrepreneurs who are prepared to take a risk and go from strength
to strength, but they also offer others a hand up and aren't
precious about sharing their experiences and contacts. There
are many that realise that it's not just about themselves
and I like that.
If I had to leave
Glasgow I'd miss the banter and the beautiful buildings,
iconic skyline and breathtaking seasons we
have. I'd also miss Scottish football and music. I love
going to gigs and would miss the Hydro, King Tuts and
Barrowlands. No-one quite does music and
entertainment the way we do it in Glasgow. I'd miss
having breakfast at Cafe Gandolfi and having a pint at the
Anchor Line.
One thing
that really sticks in my mind was the Summer of 2014 and the
Commonwealth Games. I was staying in the Merchant City and
was lucky enough to have tickets to the sports events and
loved seeing the city utterly coming to life in the
sunshine, with the eyes of the world on us. We really
did rise to the occasion and I like most felt incredibly proud that
we produced the best games ever.
I'm always pleasantly surprised
when I'm abroad and people want to know more about the good things
and changes which have happened in Glasgow in the last 30
years. Of course, they ask which football team you support,
but they also talk about the architecture, history and passion of
Glaswegians. I was in Turin recently and was told that
Italian artist Carlo Marochetti
designed our famous Wellington statue, something I didn't
know. There's recognition too that we have some special
companies headquartered or significantly represented here like
Edrington, Aggreko, Clydesdale Bank, ScottishPower and BAE
Systems.
One of the things which always
amazes me about this part of the world is that I can leave
Aberfoyle, where I moved 10 years ago, in the morning and be at the
Chamber's office in George Square in under an hour. I love having
that work life balance and being lucky enough to have the
best of a brilliant city and the
stunning countryside. Glasgow really is the gateway to
Scotland.
Connect with Richard Muir
on LinkedIn
or visit the Chamber of
Commerce website for more information.
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