Dundee Culture founder Andrew Batchelor delivers keynote at St Paul’s inaugural Business Breakfast
Dundee Culture founder Andrew Batchelor has delivered a keynote talk to senior pupils at St Paul’s RC Academy as part of the school’s inaugural Business Breakfast.
Andrew was invited to speak to S4–S6 pupils about his career journey, the growth of Dundee Culture and some of the challenges he has faced along the way.
During the talk, he reflected on starting Dundee Culture while still at school, the difficulty he experienced when trying to find the right employment route after leaving, and the role mentoring played in helping him develop the platform into a business.
He also spoke about the impact of the Covid pandemic, his work with organisations including Dundee Heritage Trust, Mills Observatory and Dundee Museum of Transport, and how those experiences have shaped his approach to work, marketing and community engagement.
A key part of the presentation focused on three principles Andrew said have stayed with him throughout his journey: nothing is impossible, nothing ventured, nothing gained, and the importance of being patient.
The 15-minute keynote formed part of a wider morning designed to give pupils the chance to hear directly from local businesspeople and professionals about different career paths, routes into employment and life in the workplace.
Andrew said: “I was delighted to be invited to speak at St Paul’s first Business Breakfast and to have the chance to share my story with the pupils.
“It was a brilliant morning and I really enjoyed talking about how Dundee Culture started, some of the setbacks along the way, the importance of mentoring and how opportunities can develop over time.
“One of the nicest moments came afterwards when a pupil came up to speak to me about her brother, who also has cerebral palsy. Moments like that remind me why sharing the personal side of my story is so important as well.”
He added: “The feedback from the other speakers was incredibly encouraging too, with some saying I came across as a natural, which meant a lot.”
The event also featured other keynote speakers and business mentors, with pupils given the opportunity to ask questions and hear a range of different experiences from across the local business community.
Andrew is continuing to develop his work as a speaker, with talks focusing on culture, disability, digital storytelling, mentoring, community impact and the journey behind Dundee Culture.
