Principal Guest

Christophe de Margerie,
CEO, Total

Christophe de Margerie is a graduate of the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce, Paris. Born in 1951, he joined Total's finance division in 1974 initially in the budget department and then as finance manager for the exploration and production subsidiaries before being appointed Group Treasurer in 1987.

In May of 1990 he joined Total's Trading and Middle East division where he was, successively Finance Director, then Vice-President for the Middle East, then President, Middle East before becoming Senior Vice-President for that division in March 1992 at which time he was appointed a member of Total's Management Committee.

In June 1995 he was appointed President of Exploration and Production for TotalFina, and in March 2000 after the merger with Elf, he was appointed Senior Vice-President of Exploration and Production. In January 2002, he became President of Exploration and Production for TotalFinaElf (which became Total on May 6, 2003). He has been a member of the Group's Executive Committee since May 1999.  In early 2007, he becomes CEO of the Group.

and

John Beattie
International Rugby Player, Broadcaster, and Writer

25 caps for Scotland, ended career with knee injury at Twickenham in 1987, aged 29.  Toured with British Lions to South Africa, and New Zealand in 1983. Played for Lions in 1986 against the rest of the World when tour to South Africa in that year was cancelled.  Degree qualified Civil Engineer, retrained as a Chartered Accountant after retiring from rugby.

John recently assumed the role of rugby commentator for BBC Scotland he is also a sports columnist with The Scotsman newspaper, concentrating mostly on rugby. However, he has also written a business column, interviewing some of the public and very private successes and failures from the world of Scotland’s business.  He is a regular sports reporter for Reporting Scotland, has presented BBC Scotland’s Sportscene Rugby Special; reported for Friday Sportscene and presented a series of one-to-one interviews for BBC Choice with all of Scotland’s top sports people.  In addition, John presents his own weekly Saturday morning radio show on BBC Radio Scotland - ‘Sports Weekly’- covering the highs and lows in all of Scotland’s sports.

John has always claimed that he is a softie at heart, with a posh voice from having been born and raised in Malaysia, where his father, from Cathcart in Glasgow, was a rubber planter. Friends and acquaintances appear to argue otherwise!

John chaired a task force for the Scottish Executive called Let's Make Scotland More Active: A strategy for physical activity. The objective for the Task Force was to consider and make recommendations on a strategy for increasing physical activity in Scotland.

Buttered Sauteéd Sweetcorn and Asparagus Soup
Smoked Paprika Fleuron

Herb Crusted Loin of Lamb
Duchesse Potato, Wild Musroom Fricasse, Baby Leeks and Glazed Carrots, Basil Infused Jus

Iced Orange and Cointreau Parfait
White Chocolate Truffle and Orange Sauce

Freshly Brewed Coffee and Tea Selection
Petits Fours