Lisa Boyle’s Business Bulletin

Dec 4 2009 by Lisa Boyle, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

ROBERT Burns will feature on the Clydesdale Bank’s new £10 note.

This note is the fourth of Clydesdale Bank’s new world heritage banknotes and was available at selected Clydesdale Bank cash machines and retail branches across the country from 10am on November 30.

Willie Mackie, managing partner of Clydesdale Bank’s Ayrshire Financial Solutions Centre, said: “Our new £10 note reflects Scotland’s excellent worldwide reputation. We are extremely proud to mark the remarkable achievements of Burns, especially on the 250th anniversary of his death.”

Nat Edwards, director of the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway, added: “Marking the achievements Burns made on the world with his depiction on the Clydesdale Bank note is fantastic and I hope this continues the public’s interest in his work.”

l AT least 400 call centre jobs in Kilmarnock have been secured.

Becogent, the contact centre group, has its contract renewed with the National Australia group, the owner of the Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks.

The news comes as the company celebrated its 10th anniversary.

l AYRSHIRE businesses are being encouraged to Twitter more.

Murdoch MacDonald is managing director of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle and proprietor of PR consultancy Fame Publicity Services.

He said: “In order to best survive the remainder of the current recession and take advantage of the coming economic recovery, Ayrshire companies need to make sure that future potential customers can find them more quickly and easily on the internet, and that they are more prominently visible than any of their competitors.

“They should ignore the trivial aspects of networking sites and make it their business to find out how to make proper use of them as part of an integrated internet PR campaign, making a real, positive, and tangible difference to their future company performance.”

l MACKAY Corporate Insurance Brokers, based in Ayr, has become the sixth insurance broker in Scotland to achieve Chartered Broker status.

The status, awarded by the Chartered Insurance Institute, recognises general insurance brokers for their professionalism and commitment to qualifications in the insurance sector.

MCIB is a leading corporate insurance broker based in Ayrshire. MCIB was established in 1989 and has grown to become one of the top 10 leading independent brokers in Scotland. The aim is to look after their clients’ insurance requirements, and design a programme that protects their assets, revenues and liabilities.

MCIB managing director Ian Warnock said: “This is a great achievement. We have put a huge amount of dedication and investment into training to benefit both our staff and customers, and this has really contributed to our professional service.”