In the seventh and final episode of Escaping Lockdown, Professor J. Ignacio Canales interviews Chief Executive for Elevator, Gary McEwan. 

With extensive experience in the forming and scaling of businesses, Gary is an ambassador for developing entrepreneurs in Scotland.

Gary discusses how initially lockdown was a struggle for him and his colleagues at Elevator with many of their clients trying to transition to remote working and changing models of thinking.

Since lockdown Gary has seen the focus for entrepreneurs shift from upscaling their businesses to trying to stay afloat during the economic downturn that has occurred as a result of the pandemic.

Gary commends the work of his colleagues, as Business Advisors they have been a much-needed support system to their clients, keeping the business community in Scotland motivated and energised.

Both Ignacio and Gary also discuss Elevators Accelerate Programme and how they have been still offering this during lockdown to student entrepreneurs across Scotland and with many of them being from the University of Aberdeen.

Student entrepreneurs as Gary explains have taken lockdown as an opportunity to collaborate and work together with 36 of them currently on the programme, with many struggling to find jobs in the current market, students are using this as  learning experience and incentive to develop their own businesses.