“There is no door you can’t open now.” These 8 words from an interview perfectly capture the innate sense of positivity and ambition that Russell Dalgleish exudes and wants to inspire in others.
The twin pillars of positivity and ambition run deep through Russell’s personal and business philosophy.
The serial entrepreneur, strategist, investor, board advisor and business leader believes strongly that we can all be successful in personal and business life through more positive behaviours and being more ambitious.
In his talks, he considers themes such as:
- making a difference
- healthier work cultures
- unlocking potential
- making connections
- the endurance mindset in business
For Russell, life is not all about making money, it’s about making a difference. While he has held board leadership positions with international companies achieving turnover of more than £200m, his passion is changing the work environment and helping businesses to create inspiring and positive environments for their workforce.
Key to his ethos is giving back and supporting others to achieve success by unlocking untapped potential. Nowhere is this more evident than in his work for the Scottish Business Network (SBN), which he helped co-found.
The SBN, which was established in 2016, supports Scottish companies to expand into London and the international market by connecting them with the leading Scottish diaspora.
Through SBN, Russell is aiming to build the largest network of Scots business leaders in the world and the organisation now boasts hundreds of members and has identified several thousand more Scots around the world.
A founding Managing Partner of the advisory group, Exolta Capital Partners, Russell currently holds eight non-exec and board advisory roles with fast-growing business and organisations. In addition he is a member of Scotland Trade Board chaired by Ivan, Cabinet Secretary and is regularly named in the list off “100 most influential British Entrepreneurs”.
Away from work, Russell has developed a passion for endurance events and can often be found at weekends covered in mud and clambering over obstacles.