The Scottish Space Network, the ecosystem builder championing Scotland’s space industry, has appointed Ross Hamilton as chief operating officer (COO) to help drive sector investment and growth.

Hamilton began his career with Rolls-Royce plc in the late eighties, going on to work for JP Morgan and other Fortune 100 companies in London and New York.

He serves as founder and managing director of New York-based venture capital specialist Sustainable Alpha, chair of the New York GlobalScot advisory board, and over the last twenty five years has advised and invested in a number of businesses and startups across multiple industry sectors.

On his new role, Hamilton commented: “I’m thrilled to join the Scottish Space Network at such a pivotal time for the space sector in Scotland and its potential to achieve a leading position on the international stage.

“We have a unique opportunity to drive collaboration across the broader space industry and ecosystem.

“My focus will now be on helping to drive investment to support the sector’s growth, unlock new potential, and to make an impact on companies and individuals that can make Scotland a global leader in space innovation.”

Overall, Scotland’s space sector is projected to achieve revenue of around £4 billion within the next six years, and creating over 12,000 jobs by 2030, taking the national headcount to approximately 20,000.

In a move to help drive further investment and partnerships, the Scottish Space Network is set to commence a global survey of companies in the space sector and ecosystem later this year.

On this, Hamilton added: “We want to identify high performing, innovative, and high potential space tech and space adjacent companies for the purpose of creating investment deal flow for investors, and to seek world-class partnership opportunities within the space sector.”

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Speaking on Ross Hamilton’s appointment, Dr Andy Campbell, CEO and founder of Scottish Space Network, said: “Ross’s appointment marks a significant milestone in our mission to propel Scotland’s space sector to new heights on both the national and international stage.

“By focusing on three foundational pillars – support, funding, and opportunity – we have a vision to ignite and advance Scotland’s giant leap to the stars, and Ross will help us make this leap.”

“Ross will be instrumental in developing insights on high-potential space companies and assisting with the formation of funding and investment solutions to drive the sector forward.

“His strategic insight and operational expertise will be invaluable as we continue to support the Scottish space sector’s rapid growth.”

The news of Hamilton’s appointment comes just weeks after the Scottish Space Network, which was founded in 2023, also announced its first wave of “founding partners.”

Collectively, the founding partners bring a “wealth of knowledge, expertise, support and resources that will be instrumental in driving innovation, developing entrepreneurial companies and delivering commercial success for the Scottish space industry.”

Legal firm Burness Paull, innovation and training consultancy Eureka!Europe, accountancy firm Johnston Carmichael, and international property specialist Marks & Clerk, were named as the first corporate founding partners.