There is no shortage of business conferences. Scotland Means Business is the one built to cut through the noise.
No fluff. No waffle. No filler. Just people who have actually done it, saying what they wish they had known.
It lands at The Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh on Thursday 25 February 2027. One day, around 200 people, and every stage of business life in one room: starting out, running it, growing it, protecting it and passing it on.
Scotland Means Business is an initiative by The Exiteers, led by Peter Wright and Phil Morris, and organised by The Marketeers. Phil, who cofounded The Exiteers, will host the day.
It is built for everyone with something at stake. The young founder with a first idea. The owner running a business that has stood for thirty years. The director planning an exit. They will all be in the same room, learning from the people who have done it.
The keynotes
Peter Proud is Founder and CEO of Forrit, the Edinburgh digital technology company. He spent 15 years at Microsoft, where he was Head of Digital Strategy for Europe, before becoming a founding partner of Accenture Interactive. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde, his keynote, Everything I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Business, is the honest version of the story.
Adam Ashe went from Scotland and Glasgow Warriors rugby player to serial founder. In 2018 he cofounded Puresport, pioneering CBD in professional sport and building it into one of the UK's leading nutrition and endurance brands. In January 2025 he launched NX1 Project, a natural skincare brand built on grass fed beef tallow and raw honey, which has grown from £10,000 of his own money to being on track for more than £9 million in annual revenue in its second year, with no outside investment.
Joined by
A line up of leading voices from across Scottish business, law, finance, property, education and data:
Harry Linklater, HNH
Mike Kane, Turcan Connell
Yen Tran, Heriot Watt
Dom Taddei, Mortgage Advice Bureau
Gill Murray, JP Morgan
Peter Wright, The Exiteers
Phil Morris, The Exiteers
More speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.
Three acts, no filler
The day runs in three parts.
Build Today. Starting, running and growing a business that works.
Protect Tomorrow. Guarding what you have built, from your people to your wealth to your plans for the unexpected.
Create Your Legacy. Closing with The Million Pound Question: What Does a Successful Exit Really Look Like?, a panel and audience Q&A on what it takes to hand over, sell or step back well.
Early bird tickets are available from £95, with standard tickets at £135 and tables of ten at £1,250. Book here
Scotland Means Business is a day for hearing it straight, meeting the people who can help, and leaving with something you can act on the next morning. Edinburgh, 25 February 2027. Be in the room.