Scotland needs to present a modern image in order to raise its profile around the world, according to a leading North American Scot.

Gus Noble, president of the Illinois St Andrew Society in Chicago, the biggest Scottish society in the US, says that there is no “magic bullet” to inspiring greater co-operation between the 40 million expatriates around the world. He said: “It is all about delivering relevance. It’s about creating engagement and excitement.”

Mr Noble will be among the leading participants in the Scottish Diaspora Forum, which takes place at Holyrood tomorrow and is open to the public.

The debate will look at the heritage of the Scottish diaspora, the values of Scottish identity and the benefits that this could bring.

Alex Fergusson, the Presiding Officer, will be chairman of the televised event, with contributions from David Steel and George Reid. Tom Devine, the historian and head of the diaspora studies centre at Edinburgh University, is the keynote speaker.

Mr Noble will act as a “pitcher” in an entrepreneurial session modelled on the television show Dragons’ Den, in which alternatives for helping Scotland to benefit from the diaspora will be explored. “I want to offer practical solutions,” said Mr Noble, 40, who was born in Dundee and moved to the US in 1992 to work for the British Consulate.

He represents 15,000 people in the Chicago area who are Scottish “by birth, heritage or inclination”. The Illinois St Andrew Society was established in 1845 and is dedicated to preserving Scottish tradition and promoting culture. It has also continued to support Scottish Home, a nursing home that it built in 1910. Its policy is that no deserving Scot shall go without water, food, shelter, medical attention “or be buried in a pauper’s grave”.

The society provides scholarships to students and, alongside its Burns Suppers, Tartan Days and Kilted Classic golf tournaments, hosts business and tourism conferences.

According to Mr Noble, the Scottish connection is “a powerful thing but we have to make it relevant”. He said: “As much as we are interested in heritage, we are equally focused on engaging with contemporary Scotland. We take every chance we can to promote it. The best example of what we are trying to do is our Scottish North American Leadership Conference, which we have run for six years, bringing everyone together.

“We have a Scottish-American Hall of Fame and I’m very keen to begin updating that by creating an annual induction ceremony, inducting the living so that it is as much about Ewan McGregor as it is about Andrew Carnegie.”

Mr Fergusson said: “As the Parliament marks its tenth anniversary and the Year of Homecoming, the Scottish Diaspora Forum will provide a unique opportunity to reflect upon how Scots have shaped today’s world — and how they can continue to do so in the future.”

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