Scotland’s surf-therapy story is remarkable. As a proud Scot and the world’s first PhD holder in surf therapy (2022), I’ve seen our progress first-hand: established programmes changing lives, a deep research partnership with Edinburgh Napier University, and a wave pool built with wellbeing at its heart. 

Perceptive Communicators has announced four significant new client appointments  across its specialist sectors, marking a strong continuation of growth in 2025 following its most successful year to date last year. 

The wins include projects with Clackmannanshire Transformation Space, Invest2Scale, Kadans Science Partner and Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA). 

Working in life sciences, every day begins with one question: how will today’s work change a patient’s life tomorrow? This focus grew out of my own experience of contracting malaria as a child in rural Yemen and is underpinned by my work with the Scottish Patient Awareness Council (SPAC) which seeks to empower the ultimate end user of life sciences innovations. Patient stories remind us that transparency, predictability and empathy matter just as much as the efficacy, quality and safety of a vaccine or treatment. 

Family-owned housebuilder Briar Homes has been granted planning permission by Fife Council for a £40 million residential development in the village of Kennoway.

This marks Briar’s first development in Fife, with plans to deliver 123 high-quality new homes for sale, comprising a mix of three-, four-, and five-bedroom properties on the village’s eastern edge, north of Levern Road.

Cruden Homes has submitted a planning application for a major residential development on Broad Street, Denny, in Falkirk. The proposed development will deliver 224 high-quality, energy-efficient new homes, providing much-needed housing and supporting the region’s wider vision for sustainable growth.

Award-winning five-star housebuilder Cruden Homes has secured planning permission for its first development in Fife for over a decade, bringing much-needed new homes to the picturesque fishing village of Pittenweem.

Located on James Street, on the north-eastern edge of the village, the new development will deliver 39 high-quality homes designed with sustainability and community in mind.

As a mother of two school-aged daughters, I often think about the example I set for them. It’s too early to tell if they will become the next female leaders in construction, but if I can show them that women can succeed in senior roles, that resilience and a strong work ethic open doors, and that they should never doubt their ability to achieve, then I’ll have done my job.

Across the UK, business leaders are navigating a marketplace full of uncertainty. From inflationary pressures and supply chain issues to the knock-on effects of geopolitical disruption, the current economic environment is volatile and for some, confidence is fragile. In my work as a trainer and business coach I speak to leaders across a range of industries, from construction and logistics to professional services and tech.

A common theme has emerged: leaders are carrying almost the entire burden of stress and responsibility while many team members appear more focused on their own rights and rewards than on their role in the collective effort.

Albyn Housing Society has announced it will build 600 new homes over the next five years, responding to the Highland Council’s 2024 Housing Challenge, which calls for 24,000 new homes in the region over the next decade. This is supported by a £10 million loan from Bank of Scotland.

Across the UK, business leaders are navigating a marketplace full of uncertainty. From inflationary pressures and supply chain issues to the knock-on effects of geopolitical disruption, the current economic environment is volatile and for some, confidence is fragile. In my work as a trainer and business coach I speak to leaders across a range of industries, from construction and logistics to professional services and tech.

A common theme has emerged: leaders are carrying almost the entire burden of stress and responsibility while many team members appear more focused on their own rights and rewards than on their role in the collective effort.

FLIC (Female Leaders in Construction) has appointed five new Advisory Board members.  Karen Campbell, Group Corporate Communications Director at the Springfield Group, Louise Chambers, Partner at Burness Paull, Hazel Davies, Sales & Marketing Director at Cruden, Elaine Farquharson-Black, Partner at Brodies and Marion Forbes, Director of Performance & Organisational Change at AC Whyte & Co Ltd.

Five-star housebuilder Cruden has been granted planning permission to redevelop the former St John Vianney’s Roman Catholic Church site at 40 Fernieside Gardens, Edinburgh. The plans will transform the vacant, deteriorating 1950s building into a high-quality, fully affordable housing development, delivering 35 much-needed new homes within one of the city’s well-connected 20-minute neighbourhoods.

Scotland stands at a crossroads. Economic headwinds are strengthening, public budgets are tightening, and in less than nine months, voters will elect a new Scottish Parliament. In this volatile environment, the organisations that will succeed are those that influence the conversation now, before their competitors do.

Securing the outcomes your organisation needs, whether planning permission, funding, or policy change, requires more than strong business fundamentals. It demands early, sustained engagement with the people who influence your success: politicians, regulators, community leaders, and sector stakeholders. At Perceptive Communicators, we specialise in putting our clients at the heart of their industry’s sphere of influence - turning potential roadblocks, like securing planning permission, into growth opportunities.

Biotechnology in Scotland is stepping out of the shadows. No longer a specialist sector, it has become an essential lever for public health, climate resilience and economic renewal. Life sciences now touch every aspect of modern life, from infection prevention and advanced diagnostics to sustainable materials and digital therapeutics. But if we want biotech to power Scotland’s future, we need to do more than celebrate breakthroughs. We need to connect them.

Scotland’s ecosystem is rich with outstanding universities, NHS-linked research hubs and a growing cohort of entrepreneurial biotech ventures. Yet challenges persist. Translating research into real-world impact remains slow. Early-stage companies face funding fragility and talent retention issues. Regulatory complexity limits market access. And too often, success stories are hidden behind technical language or lack the visibility to inspire and attract global partners.

Pancreatic cancer is a silent killer. Its early symptoms - fatigue, back pain, unexplained weight loss - are easily mistaken for everyday ailments or dismissed entirely. Tragically, the warning signs often go unnoticed until it’s too late.

Despite its quiet onset, pancreatic cancer is one of the UK’s deadliest cancers. Only 8% of those diagnosed survive beyond five years, and just 1% reach the ten-year mark. It is now the fifth biggest cancer killer and the tenth most common cancer in the UK. These stark statistics underscore the urgency to shine a light on its subtle symptoms and make early diagnosis the norm - not the exception.

Invest2Scale, Scotland’s leading investor showcase event, has today announced HSBC Innovation Banking as a new headline sponsor for its 2025 event. The financial partner to innovators and their investors joins the Scottish National Investment Bank and British Investment Bank as event sponsors supporting the continued growth of Scotland’s thriving scale-up ecosystem.

The future of Masterplanning in Scotland is undergoing a transformative shift, one that puts people, place and sustainability at its core. Instead of a one-size fits all solution, developments are being shaped by local needs and priorities, fostering more resilient communities and places that truly belong to those who live there.

The housing market is increasingly defined by rising land values, tightening regulations, and growing demand for quality homes, meaning developers are rightly focused on viability. But there’s a persistent myth in the industry that good design comes at the cost of profitability. At Studio LBA, we challenge that thinking.

Across Scotland, infrastructure is under strain. Whether it's housing delivery, transport networks, energy transition or workforce planning, the scale of challenge now facing our sector is one we can no longer afford to sidestep—or postpone any further.

We’ve all seen the headlines: multiple local authorities declaring housing emergencies, yet residential completions are down by 4%, new starts down by 11%. Social housing build is at its lowest level in nearly a decade. At the same time, strained water and drainage networks, large highways and rail schemes and a forecasted £45 billion energy spend by 2035 all demand readiness and capacity unlike anything we've known or experienced before.

And yet, what worries me most isn’t the data. It’s the inertia.

In just a year’s time Glasgow will welcome back the Commonwealth Games to our city, albeit a pared back version. This will, just twelve years after Scotland last hosted the Games, showcase Glasgow to the world. Importantly, it will once again show the transformational change that has been made in the communities which played host to the Games back in 2014.

The east end of Glasgow and Rutherglen were at the heart of this, being home to the Athletes’ Village and world class venues like the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome and the Emirates Arena. In the intervening years between the Games, these venues have hosted premier sporting events like the 2018 European Championships, the World Cycling Champions in 2023, and most recently the 2024 World Athletics Championships.

Scotland’s life sciences sector is smashing the targets set for it by the Industry Leadership Group, surpassing an £8bn contribution to the Scottish economy a full year ahead of schedule. With a new, ambitious target now set for 2035, the industry requires strategic action to solidify our position as a global leader in this high growth industry

 This will not be easy in the face of difficult economic headwinds: stubborn inflation, expected rises in global oil and gas prices, higher cost of living for employees. Pair this with sectoral specific issues such as shortages of skilled labour, adequate infrastructure and funding, and the outlook is challenging to say the least.