It is a year since John Swinney entered Bute House, and a year until the nation goes to the polls at the next Scottish parliament election.

In his first 12 months, the First Minister has received credit for bringing a degree of political stability after a tumultuous period, as well as ushering in a more business-friendly tone to Holyrood that recognises the importance of economic growth.

From a business perspective, tone matters and the recognition that economic growth is crucial for funding public services is to be welcomed. Unfortunately, there have been too many examples of tone causing real economic damage from across the Atlantic.

But as the First Minister enters his second year in office and seeks to win a second term next May it is incumbent on the Scottish Government to go further. It must help deliver an environment that will allow business to thrive, including Scotland’s financial services sector, which is worth almost £15 billion to the economy and supports around 150,000 skilled jobs.

The Programme for Government contains some measures that could help do this.

Plans to create a single gateway to attract inward investment are a step in the right direction as is the removal of peak rail fares, which we have long called for and which will improve connectivity for workers and businesses. A renewed focus on exports is also positive, particularly for Scotland’s financial and professional services, which export more than £10bn of services annually.

In the longer term, further investment in the nation’s infrastructure should also be a priority, alongside removing obstacles in the planning system that are holding back the development of low-carbon technologies.

We believe that both the UK and Scottish governments’ tax policies should be more courageous and focus on expanding the size of the tax base, rather than take.

Divergence between the tax regimes of Scotland and the rest of the UK remains a key concern for firms trying to attract and retain talent. Think of what Scotland could achieve in terms of investment and attracting well-paid, high-skill jobs, if it were to become the lowest taxed part of the UK.

Emerging industries also continue to face skills shortages in important areas. Tackling this is now a matter of urgency and should be high on the First Minister’s list of priorities, particularly when considered against the backdrop of looming demographic changes and the financial crisis engulfing some of our colleges and universities.

This in particular is a knotty problem that will not resolve itself and requires a mature and frank conversation from our leaders. We need cross-party action to align the skills system with the needs of the economy.

A greater focus on addressing these issues would help stimulate the economy now, while laying the foundations for a more prosperous future.

In October, the spotlight of global investors will fall on Edinburgh during the Scottish Investment Summit, organised by Scottish Financial Enterprise and the City of London Corporation.

The event, backed by both the Scottish and UK governments, will explore the massive growth potential of our financial services, green energy and life sciences sectors and offers an important opportunity for both administrations to work together to deliver the investment that is essential for Scotland to thrive.

This must be the unrelenting focus of our politicians in all programmes for government.

Sandy Begbie CBE is chief executive of Scottish Financial Enterprise