Is it possible to be a committed Christian entrepreneur in the world of Scotch whisky? Duncan McFadzean (photo) reckons so.
He is an Investment Banker to the Scotch whisky industry and co-founder of Creo, which exists to ‘connect, train and resource Christian entrepreneurs to advance the common good’.
Speaking exclusively to en, McFadzean says: ‘We have a venture in Creo currently that is a spirits business (our first alcoholic venture) which has social impact in the field of water use and is led by a very faith-filled entrepreneur, which has led to some great questions on how to wrestle with the dark side of alcohol abuse, what a redemptive business might look like.
‘I’ve been able to use my knowledge of business, the spirits industry, my experience with entrepreneurs and how to ask helpful questions in that relationship. More broadly, the network and practise of providing good advice in difficult and dynamic situations works well in both environments. I also get to share with people in the whisky world about the ventures that the Christian entrepreneurs are building.’
Asked about the issue of money and business, McFadzean says it is how it is used that is important: ‘I’ve worked with people who’ve been paid $1 billion in a year! I’m not convinced anyone, Christian or otherwise, is ever embarrassed to make a lot of money.
‘My question is what are you going to do with it? If God gave you that, what does it look like to give that back to him? Does that mean giving it away? Investing it into mission? Caring for widows and orphans? Discipling others? Planting churches?’
He adds: ‘I’d love to see Biblical scholars help us build helpful frames as we and others seek to help these entrepreneurs. I’d love to see Christian entrepreneurs being Christlike leaders, with teams that love their workplace, and who are bringing products and services to the world that celebrate and advance good; oppose and challenge evil; bring clarity to the confused and help create what is missing. I’d love to see more Christian investors get behind new businesses led by Christians, and philanthropists behind new Christian-led charities. There are already a number of fellow organisations meeting regularly in the UK to collaborate, pray and innovate on how we can work on serving faith-driven entrepreneurs together.’
