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From Tax Manager To Lord Provost: Building Community Wealth In Stirling
Neil Munday from The Stirling Business Podcast talks with the Lord Provost to explore how Stirling’s people, SMEs, and creative industries are shaping a confident, fast‑growing local economy. From community wealth building to a major film studio, we unpack how civic vision translates into jobs, skills, and pride.
• career path from senior tax manager to Lord Provost
• Why SMEs are the backbone of local growth
• practical community wealth building pillars and impacts
• Stirling’s rising profile for liveability and investment
• film studio plans and skills pipeline with the university and college
• screen tourism and supplier opportunities for local firms
• rural business hubs reducing isolation and sharing support
• success stories from food, cooperage, and cottage industries
• the role of Chambers, Business Gateway, and STEP in advice
• closing reflections and charity room naming initiative
Stirling Business Podcast, Studio King Street, BID, CodeBase, Forthvalley Chamber of Commerce, Stirling University
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Studio-King-Street/61581099163683/
Email: enquiries@studiokingstreet.com
Website: https://studiokingstreet.com
Host: Neil Munday - Studio King Street
Producer: Iain Johnston - Johnston Media Podcasts
#StirlingBusiness #BusinessGateway #Entrepreneurship #BusinessSupport #Podcast
Hello, welcome to the first episode of the Sterling Business Podcast. I'm delighted that our first guest that we have today is the Lord Provost of Sterling, Elaine Waterson. Elaine has visited us several times now over the course of the last six months as we've been getting our project in Sterling up uh up and running. And she kindly offered to be uh the first guinea pig, the first guest on our podcast today. Um I was really excited when uh when Elaine said that she would be uh interested in partaking because she has a real passion for business, and hopefully that will come across when uh you know when when we start the discussion. So welcome Elaine. Thanks for coming along to King Street. Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here.
SPEAKER_00:You know, I've always loved this place. What is it you love about it? I love the quality that is here, actually. Um it's just it blew me away when I first came in and to know that we didn't have anything else like this in Sterling and looking to the future again, which we'll go into no doubt, as to, you know, the the the development that we are hoping as a council that will happen within Sterling, with obviously the film studios coming along. I just thought it was, you know, you were perfect for Sterling as it is at the present moment in time. And I love the idea as well that there was the office space and the meeting rooms and event space, and it was so well finished and so well done. So yeah, I was bowled over.
SPEAKER_01:Great. So we had you back two weeks in succession. So you you came back on the following week after doing the grand opening of our business to uh do exactly the same with uh one of our clients that we have on stage. Yeah, fantastic.
SPEAKER_00:Norwegian Norwegian client, wasn't it? That's right. Yeah, they were lovely, weren't they? And they were so excited, but yeah, it was a great day.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and they're still thanking me for the piper starting to play, I would say, but I said that was down to you. Yeah, it was quite nice for the Norwegians. I'm sorry, I I just cannot lie here and say that I planned that. Fantastic. So we know you're passionate about business, Eileen, and um you know, in particular business in Stirling and Stirlingshire. Absolutely. So tell me a little bit about your past and how you uh how you know how you came through your um career before you ended up uh doing the wonderful role that you do today?
SPEAKER_00:Um Well, previously I lived down south, I lived in London and London and Twickenham, although because people who live in Twickenham wouldn't say they live in London. So it's a bit of a rugby. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. So we have a rugby fan. So it was it was it was a match made in heaven. Um and my last job in climbing through the the the the ladder of accountancy was that I was um a senior tax manager in Deloitte, um looking after high net wealth individuals, uh SMEs and estate planning. Um and when I decided to move back home, following the death of my father actually, um, I decided that I'd start working for myself. So I was really, really lucky in that most of the clients that I had came with me. So I continued working on my own, um using the alumni of of Deloitte's at times because it's such a vast subject of tax, and there's no way that you can possibly live on your own, you know, with all tax changes which happen, can happen every day. So it was it was I was very fortunate. So there was me working in an office in Calendar. Okay. Um so uh yeah, it was it's I still keep in touch with people from Deloitte that I worked with, great bunch of people, um, still in the alumni. And uh yeah, so that was how I got to be interested in business because one of the things that I did through that were looking at especially in estate planning and looking at SMEs, was you know, what's the destination? How do we get there? What's the planning that we've got uh in family businesses especially, um, which was an area that yeah, I was incredibly interested in and and how to have that succession planning and going forward, not just for the company in itself, but the family. So it was it was it was always good. It was I always found it incredibly interesting. So how did you become the Lord Provost? Oh gosh. Well, um I was elected as uh Ward Councillor for Trossecks and Teeth in May 2022, which is a baptism on fire, a vertical learning curve. It's nobody can tell you what the job is going to be like. It's just unbelievable. And so I was yeah, I was fulfilling my role as a ward counsellor on various committees, and then the previous um provost stood down. And so they said, you know, who would like to go forward for it? And because of the job I had done in London as well, and I had done a lot of what you could call meet and greet. And although I didn't know the full capacity of what the civic role was, um I thought, well I can do that. You can definitely meet and greet, yeah. Yeah, thank you. Um so I thought I can do that. So and then I was elected to be provost then. And then it was the Lord Dean and Lord Lieutenant that uh made the appropriate approaches to the authorities due to Sterling 900 and in celebration of 900 years, celebration of uh the royal borough, that um the provost should be appointed as Lord Provost. Okay. So that actually I was told about that a year past in the summer, it didn't become official until November. But it's uh I mean it's a fantastic honour for the city because yeah, you know, uh if when I go as Lord Provost, next Provost will be Lord Provost's added item. So it's just a fantastic honour. I still can't believe it. So you got a huge promotion in the first time. Well, I got yeah, an uplift. It wasn't it. But yeah, it was no, it was really good and and such an honour. But you don't see it as a personal honour because it's not mine. I don't own it. It's this it's Sterling that owns it. So it's I did see it really as a fantastic honour for Sterling. Oh, great.
SPEAKER_01:Well, that's it's fantastic. And you've you're obviously very passionate about the businesses in Sterling. Yeah. Okay. And you've been here several times, and that you know, every time that we've spoken, I can I can see that and I can hear that in your in your voice. So um, you know, obviously I'm representing a business within the city centre, like a lot of uh, you know, a lot a lot of other kind of local retailers and and local businesses. Um but what makes you so passionate about business and helping and and helping and seeing business owners succeed?
SPEAKER_00:I think one of the things that I've come from in my career is seeing that entrepreneur um taking a risk, um putting his life in his line, you know, mortgaging his children almost, or her children, and the passion that they have and the drive that they have to make that particular business successful. Now, you can take many levels of that. It could be um the person who's sitting originally at the kitchen table, um, designing something, creating something, baking something, whatever it would be, and and how to move that you know passion that they have upwards. So it's it's from I've always been a great believer in business that from little acorns, etc. So you know you everybody has to start somewhere, and it's been able to provide that encouragement, enthusiasm that they have, because they have you know sold out everything to actually start up this company to make sure they're getting as every bit of support they can possibly get to make that more successful. Because, you know, from that person sitting at the kitchen table, they'll go on to employ one person, they'll employ five people. And before you know it, depending on how lucky they are and how the stars are aligned and how hard they work, it could be 50 people we're looking at. So it's you know, that's how these come and and to me the the SMEs of of of of the UK, of Scotland of the UK, are the backbone of this country without a shadow of a doubt. I they are the ones that then go on to provide that enthusiasm to the next manager who can go off and start his own business and and and they will give advice. They're never selfish. Entrepreneurs are never selfish about how they got there.
SPEAKER_01:That's great. That's great to hear that. And you know, that that definitely comes across in terms of how you kind of represent yourself and and and how you talk to businesses. Um the council used the term community wealth building a lot, okay, in terms of a tagline. What what do you see, what do you think they mean by that in terms of what what are they trying to foster in the community with that with that phrase?
SPEAKER_00:This is this has been developed within the council and and the thriving communities, there's about six different pillars as to how we should go forward, and that can be in sustainability and transport and and and and providing business support and the communities that we're talking about, communities wealth building, it actually was passed down by the Scottish Government as to how we we can envelop your everything that we need within a community. And the best thing within any community, no matter how much you try to um point it in the right direction, is the people. So if the people can be involved in the procurement, in the creation of wealth benefits, then you you you're your your struggle is is is halfway over. You know, so it's like being able to provide that kind of um facility for people, whether it be uh a toddler, whether it be a hundred-year-old, you know, is is providing that facility to everyone and it's pillars that the economic development team in Sterling Council have come up with, and and the community team as well. So they're all working together, and they're I have to say, they're a great bunch.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's good. So Sterling's been mentioned a lot of time uh a lot lately in the positive light in the press, right? So one of the happiest place to live in Scotland, right? Which was uh I think it was right move that um in Start. Yeah, top one of top three investable cities in the UK.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it's fabulous, isn't it? I mean, it's just like I often say that Sterling, uh people say it's the heart of Scotland. I say it's the beating heart of Scotland. Um I was so chucked to read all those things. They all came in very shortly. Yeah, they did actually, and it was like one thing after the other. So when yeah, so when I was actually doing any speeches, I always had another one to insert as what we were doing best. Um it it comes down again to the people. It's only the people that can lead this, and the way that we embrace tourism, um, the wonderful um facilities that we have here for our tourists could do better, are doing better, and uh but things will definitely get better. But you have to have Sterling Castle, you know, this magnificent building, which I think was the second um most visited tourism spot that you pay for in Scotland. So and I always say when I meet any visitors, Sterling Castle is much better than Edinburgh.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I think uh yeah, I would definitely testify to that.
SPEAKER_00:And I think a lot of people who've been to visit both would probably testify to that after having visited the exactly, and we have the wonderful museum there as well for their Galen Sutland Highlanders, and it's just down from there we have beautiful church Folyroot and Cowens and Yeah, Wallace Monument. I mean, what a beautiful city we've got. I mean I wasn't born in in Sterling. Um I'm a blow-in. But I like to describe a blow-in, yeah. I like to describe myself as an adopted daughter of the rock. Okay. Um because people who are seemingly born within the rock, a bit like the bowbells in London, um, they're jet they're the only ones who are genuine cocknews. It seems to be it's only people who are born within the distance of the rock who could be a son or a daughter of the rock. But I like to say that I'm an adopted daughter of the rock.
SPEAKER_01:Brilliant. Excellent. So from an industry perspective, there are obviously, you know, Sterling's becoming famous for a number of different industry sectors. In particular, the one that's very prevalent is uh film and media. Yeah. Um, and we have a film studio on the horizon, uh not too far away.
SPEAKER_00:How exciting.
SPEAKER_01:Which is fantastic. You know, it's certainly going to be great for our business, and I'm sure all the other local businesses within Stirling when that happens.
SPEAKER_00:You know, the possibilities with this the film studios. I mean, who would have thought, say, five years ago, that Sterling could be the home of the largest film studio in Scotland? And it's it's just you know, it's such a revelation that it's going to happen. But you know, like we have you know the skills within the University of Stirling. It's one of the top film and media um universities in the UK. We've got some wonderful creative industry within Forth Valley College, but it's not just the the creative industry, the knock-on effect that this film studio will have to everywhere, and including tourism again, which uh you know I I've never quite understood it myself, but how people like to come and see where something was made, yeah, that will obviously you know help our tourism again. And uh it's it's just the the local uh procurement of of supplies to the studio, yeah, um the children learning different skills and trades, ever the the whole plethora of skills that are going to be required um to service the film studio is just fantastic. And the opportunity that gives to our young people.
SPEAKER_01:Oh yeah, I mean it it it's certainly um it's certainly going to help massively in terms of kind of generating a a new workforce, uh local workforce to be able to support that industry uh sector, especially if we've got the likes of Stirling University and Forth Valley College offering, you know, media courses to support uh people's careers.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, but I mean I I I don't know whether or not they had a crystal ball at Sterling University when they were rated one of the highest for uh film and and and and media studies, but it was certainly going to pay off paid dividends um when it's not fully running.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and I guess it's very timely with uh you know 30th anniversary of Braveheart, the movie. I went to to the talk up at the monument last week from uh Dr. Tom Christie, which was fantastic just to kind of you know get to understand, you know, some of the history um, you know, that the film was effectively made in the state.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, of course. I mean we have had um a number of films being made here for the fantastic locations that we have around, you know, Stirling is just not the city, it's a huge constituency, most of which some sometimes I think is my constituency, but it's uh it's a huge constituency. So we had, for example, Outlander was you know has brought many visitors. Um we've got Dune and Deansden again, which is my constituency, and the the castle and the Holy Grail, yeah, fabulous. But yeah, so it's it's it's not completely new to us, but actually having a film studio in in in situ is just a fabulous opportunity for everyone.
SPEAKER_01:And I think it kind of you know it kind of leads on to the kind of one of the last questions I've got, actually, Elaine, which is um the city centre seems like it's it's starting to boom, it's vibrant, you know, from a kind of local business point of view. But Stirlingshire in general, um you know, there's lots of businesses. You mentioned you were based in an office in Calendar for a while as an example, but there's so much going on in the suburbs of of the city centre. And and I guess the um you know the film industry is a very big part of that if they're they're making movies and the locations, I mean it because in the Shire, right?
SPEAKER_00:I might be an adopted daughter of of Sterling, but I love Trustees and Chief. I mean, it's stunning, it's absolutely stunning. Um, but to see, you know, what's been really quite good since I came on board in May 22, it was one of the things I wanted to encourage was um having rural business hubs, having a situation where the rural businesses could get together, um, form a unit that's not always that convenient for somebody from Cullen to come down to Stirling. So it was just like have this these these smaller rural business hubs where they could drop in, where they could exchange off information, where they could get assistance, whatever they were doing. And you know, we've got so many successes in our rural businesses. We have Campbell Shortbread, we're one of the biggest distributors of shortbread throughout the the world. We have a new company in Calendar, actually, um, Cooperage, which is the whiskey um barrels. And hopefully, if Trump gives us that exemption in the whiskey tariffs, because these um barrels are exported to the United States for them to make their bourbons taste better. Fantastic. So that's all and and you think of the skill and the craftsmanship that's gone out into starting a business like that. And they've been really successful, but there's there's all sorts of little smaller cottage industries, which again, going back to from a cottage industry, you can make something really big.
SPEAKER_01:So Yeah, we've got a few guests lined up for the podcast um over the over the coming weeks and months um who do have businesses in likes of Calern and Calendar and other locations. And who knows, they could be on the world stage with some of the things that they're doing on a in in a short space of time because they're they're so successful very quickly in terms of what they're doing. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00:And and sometimes I think from having chats with some of these businesses, they do feel as if they're ignored. Hence my passion for the rural business hub, which has been um, you know, it's been work with Business Gateway and Step. So that is all going ahead. And I know that from talking to some of the businesses, especially the smaller businesses, don't perhaps have the money to seek professional help, and that they need they still need that help. So Business Gateway and Step has been able to step in there and oops, step in there and uh provide that kind of advice to you.
SPEAKER_01:And a lot of these guys are uh Fourth Valley Chambers members as well. That's how I've kind of met a lot of these. Yeah, they are that's great.
SPEAKER_00:Great organization. It's one of the strongest in Scotland, Fourth Valley, headed up by the wonderful Lynn. Yeah, who will be visiting us in a couple of weeks to be interviewed. Uh and and then you know, like I I work with Lynn on Soup, um that's the innovation part. And some of the companies up there are just mind blowing. I just smile when I meet some of them because they just they just fill my heart with complete joy and what they're doing and what they're achieving, you know, and in life sciences and and and the tech that they're doing. Yeah, it's it's just it's fabulous. Absolutely fabulous.
SPEAKER_01:Well, that brings us to the end of uh our chat. Elaine, uh thank you very much for coming along today. Uh we've got some other duties in terms of uh naming some rooms after charities as part of our giving back strategies. So exciting. I guess we better get off and do that. But thank you again for being my first guest from the Sterling Business Podcast. So thank you, Elaine, for the first episode of the Sterling Business Podcast, and we'll be back soon within the next couple of weeks with our next guest.