Andrew Lothian, InsightsBack to Dundee Ambassadors

Andy is Chief Executive of Insights, a global learning and development organisation that he co-founded with his father in Dundee over 20 years ago. He hails from a long line of Dundee personalities - his grandfather ran the famous Palais dancehall, and his father was a jazz musician who was also responsible for bringing the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to Dundee.

Dundee is a fantastic city that is steeped in history and in the midst of exciting change. Our story in jute is outstanding and signifies our glorious past.  But to use the words of a wise man, Charles Handy, I believe ‘we must not let our past, however glorious, stand in the way of our future'. That's not to say we should forget our history but we do need to make the most of the here and now. Dundee undoubtedly has a wealth of potential and I'm very excited about what is going on in the city at the moment - we need to build on this to ensure our own glorious future.

Dundee is my home, it's my story. We set up Insights in Dundee over 20 years ago. I had been working in banking in London when I began to consider my goals for the future. In my heart of hearts I knew I wanted to back in my hometown. Around the same time my father was considering his next venture so we began to grow the organisation together. We haven't looked back and are both extremely proud that we have built our now global business from Dundee, our home. Contributing to the local economy means everything to us and we're looking forward to what the next 20 years in the city will bring.

Nothing beats coming back into Dundee and seeing the River Tay open up with its two magnificent bridges. It's beautiful and definitely one of the most inspiring views I have witnessed. Dundonians should feel both lucky and proud to be living in such close proximity to the water of the River Tay and the beauty it offers.

Dundee needs to stand tall and shout louder. We need to let the world know that we're not a poor relation to other cities in Scotland. There are currently some strong partnerships being formed between the Universities and the Council, as well as other organisations such as Dundee Heritage Trust, The Rep and the DCA. All of these organisations are beginning to think of Dundee as a collective, as a community.  They are demonstrating the power of working together to make the city stronger. I would like to see more of this moving forward and we should strive to encourage it. We are learning about finding our voice, about collaborating internally, and that will undoubtedly make us stronger at a national and global level.

I think we are at a pivotal point in Dundee. We should be proud of what's happened in the last few years. Dundee has really been pulling itself up by its boot straps.  The V&A at the waterfront is going to have a major impact and our reputation as the nation's animation hub is going from strength to strength. These are exciting times and everyone in Dundee can be a part of it if they choose to.

Dundee offers great heritage attractions. Dundee Heritage Trust offers two world class, 5-star visitor attractions - Captain Robert Falcon Scott's iconic ship, RRS Discovery and Verdant Works, which celebrates the history of the jute industry in Dundee's industrial past.   These are internationally renowned assets, and we need to take more advantage of them.

The people of Dundee need to believe in their city and have confidence in its future. We need to help everyone understand what the possibilities are and encourage them to have faith in its potential. There's resilience in Dundee which happens in a lot of cities but it's of a size where it's not too big to be impersonal and not so small to be lost. We're at a size where Dundee can really make a difference - I think it's about realising the spirit of the city, and releasing the spirit of Dundonians.

One of Dundee's greatest attributes is its close proximity to some of the world's most celebrated golf courses. From Carnoustie to St Andrews and then on  to Gleneagles some of the finest golfers have graced our shores and we're lucky to have these courses on our doorstep.

Dundee's Universities are outstanding achievements for the city. Both are under excellent leadership and are really making their mark. The University of Abertay has excelled in recent years, particularly in the likes of forensic science and digital media. The University of Dundee is making strides in a number of important areas including bioscience and its involvement major projects such as the imminent V&A development. I believe the universities are involved not only in education but in creating the wider fabric for the framework of the future of Dundee.