Welcome to the February 2025 edition of DIGIT’s Movers and Shakers!

Each month, our Movers and Shakers feature gives you the low-down on recent news in the Scottish tech ecosystem.

This August has been another bumper month, with many innovative Scots organisations and key players doing exciting things. Read on to find out what exactly’s been happening!

Recruitment

Scots SpaceTech Scaleup Krucial Adds Senior Appointments

Scottish scaleup Krucial, which utilises space technology to provide digital monitoring solutions for organisations with remote and dispersed assets, has announced two senior appointments to its commercial and executive team.

Graham Lenden joins Krucial’s Executive Team as Chief Commercial Officer, while Anna Dawson comes in as Head of Energy. These two additions to the commercial team will see a new era for Krucial as they ‘drive growth globally across high value industries such as aquaculture, energy, infrastructure and food security.’

Lenden has more than 30 years of experience in global executive leadership roles spanning across the automotive and technology industries, while Dawson spent over 10 years working across the energy, oil and gas and mining sectors with roles focused on strategy and business development at brands including Deloitte and Equinor.

Dawson joins Krucial as Head of Energy where she will be leading on commercial expansion into the energy sector.

To read more, click here.

Scottish Financial Enterprise Appoint Two New Board Directors

Two senior industry figures are to be appointed to the board of Scottish Financial Enterprise, the member body for Scotland’s financial and professional services industry.

Santander UK’s Andrew Wilson and Capco’s Roland Inglis were selected following a competitive process and bring extensive experience in industry and across Scottish public life to the SFE board.

Andrew Wilson is director of communications, marketing and responsible banking at Santander UK plc. He joined Santander in 2023 from Charlotte Street Partners where he was founding partner, and his previous roles include deputy chief economist and head of group communications at RBS and member of the Scottish parliament.

Roland Inglis is a Partner and Head of Scotland and North England at global management and technology consultancy Capco, which has been established in Scotland since 2016 and now employs over 370 Scottish consultants.

Roland and his team advise a range of leading financial services firms to deliver and execute on both business and technology change, with recent growth across data, technology and AI. Prior to Capco, Roland was focussed on delivering business and technology change at RBS.

Abrdn Appoints New Chief Financial Officer

Abrdn, the Scottish financial investment company, has appointed Siobhan Boylan as its new chief financial officer (CFO) and as an executive director of the company.

Following regulatory approval, Boylan is anticipated to start her new position in the summer.

With 30 years of experience from across the financial services sector, Boylan is primed to bring her expertise from her current position as chief financial officer at Coutts & Co, NatWest’s private banking arm. She also currently serves as an independent non-executive at Jupiter Fund Management.

To read more, click here.

INEOS Stalwart Named as New IBioIC Chair

The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) has appointed Dr Peter Williams, group technology director and head of investor relations at INEOS, to lead its governing board and support the centre’s continued impact on the growing bioeconomy.

Williams has more than four decades of experience in the chemicals industry and currently sits on the UK’s Building a Green Future Advisory Board, having previously been a council member of the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

His career at the multinational chemicals producer began in 2006 as CEO of INEOS Technologies and before that, he spent over 20 years with BP.

To read more, click here.

Partnerships

Aizle Expands Collaboration With Financial Conduct Authority

Aizle, the synthetic data engine developed by Edinburgh’s Smart Data Foundry, has announced the renewal of its long-standing collaboration with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

The new collaborative agreement, which will run until September 2025, will expand the FCA’s data capabilities, with access to more synthetic datasets, and help the FCA to test new protocols, developed to make it more difficult for cyber criminals to defraud bank account holders.

Aizle will continue to supply the FCA with synthetic data, which is artificially generated data that mirrors the characteristics and patterns of real-world data without exposing any actual personal information. It is designed to serve as a substitute for real data, especially in contexts where privacy, security, and data scarcity are concerns.

David Tracy, head of data products, Aizle, said: “This new agreement marks a significant step forward in enhancing the scope and utility of our datasets, in alignment with the FCA’s strategic focus on Consumer Duty regulation which sets high standards of consumer protection across financial services, and requires firms to put their customers’ needs first.”

smartR AI and Sovereign Systems Form Strategic Partnership

smartR AI™, the developer of AI tool SCOTi® AI, has announced a strategic partnership with Sovereign Systems, a technology solutions provider based in New Zealand.

The partnership will seek to bring SCOTi to businesses in New Zealand.

“We are thrilled to partner with Sovereign Systems, a company that shares our passion for innovation and customer satisfaction,” said Oliver King-Smith, smartR AI founder and CEO.

Scottish Building Society partners with Legado

Scottish Building Society has partnered with Legado to implement technology aimed at enhancing member communications.

Legado also provides its technology platform and suite of tools to financial services brands like FNZ, Moneyhub, and Co-op Legal Services.

In addition to providing a more user-friendly digital experience, the collaboration will reduce costs associated with printing and posting, promoting paperless processes in keeping with Scottish Building Society’s net zero targets.

Aveni AI selected by Equifax UK as a Strategic AI Partner

Aveni.ai, specialists in AI for financial services, have been selected by credit reference agency Equifax UK as a strategic AI partner.

The Aveni Detect solution has been deployed by Equifax UK, helping to streamline quality assurance processes and reduce the amount of manual checking time whilst increasing coverage across calls. Aveni Detect, an AI-powered solution, automates compliance monitoring and identifies potential risks, allowing for a more systematic approach to addressing root issues quickly.

Aveni Detect has helped Equifax increase the efficiency of its end-to-end quality assurance checking process since implementation.

Additionally, the ability to access and search all recorded information from one central source enables the team to focus on more thematic-based analysis. In turn, more time can be spent on improving insights to better understand customer requirements whilst enhancing feedback for coaching conversations to help drive better outcomes for customers.

BT Group Broadens Partnership with Optiva

BT Group as broadened and strengthened its partnership with Optiva (TSX: OPT) to implement innovative B2B and B2B2X BT network communication services using Optiva’s latest state-of-the-art Application Server.

Central to this initiative is Optiva Charging Engine, a cloud-native, open-architecture service creation platform featuring Optiva’s Open API framework. The advancement will enhance BT Group’s ability to grow cutting-edge services and create new revenue opportunities.

CyberScotland Expands With Three New Partners

The CyberScotland Partnership has announced the addition of three new Partners: The Scottish Cyber Coordination Centre (SC3), the Local Government Digital Office, and Age Scotland. The expansion was announced during CyberScotland Week 2025.

The CyberScotland Partnership is a collaboration of national organisations, brought together by the Scottish Government’s Cyber Resilience Unit with the aim of raising cybersecurity awareness and building Scotland-wide cyber resilience.

To read more, click here.

ICO Partners With Capgemini to Implement Data Strategy

The UK’s privacy and data protection regulator has just signed a four year contract worth just shy of £5m to help deliver its planned data strategy.

The contract, which was delivered on 17 January and published on the 31st, went to Capgemini, a IT and digital transformation firm headquartered in France.

Last year, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) published a new data strategy, with intentions to make the ICO “an exemplar of responsible innovation using data.

The ICO’s two overarching goals set out in the strategy including growing its data maturity, as well as delivering “tangible value” from its data and analytics for its own pursuits as well as those of its customers.

The deal is set to aid the ICO in these ambitions, as the firm aims to provide the UK watchdog with “technical consultancy, strategic planning and transformation delivery support to drive the ICO’s data transformation and achieve our vision,” the filing read.

To read more, click here.

Clyde Hydrogen Enters Partnership to Debut New Tech

Clyde Hydrogen Systems (Clyde Hydrogen) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Hebrides-based green hydrogen producer and distributor, PlusZero, to demonstrate its decoupled electrolyser technology for the first time outside of the laboratory.

Glasgow-headquartered Clyde Hydrogen’s breakthrough technology aims to reliably deliver high pressure green hydrogen safely at scale and at low cost.

This has the potential to match renewable energy with hydrogen production in a more productive way than currently possible – solving one of the industry’s biggest challenges to date.

To read more, click here.

Expansions, Openings & Relocations

Owendale Advisory Launches to Empower Leaders for the AI Era

Gary Crawford, a recognised leader in business innovation and artificial intelligence, has launched Owendale Advisory, a consultancy headquartered in Scotland dedicated to helping senior executives navigate the transformative challenges and opportunities of the AI era.

“AI isn’t just about technology and data. It’s a fundamental shift in how businesses compete, operate, and grow,” says Crawford.”

Owendale Advisory is for senior leaders who want to do more than survive this shift—they want to lead it.”

While AI offers transformative potential, it presents critical challenges for leadership, such as addressing the AI-literacy gap, anticipating AI-driven market shifts, balancing automation with employee and customer experience, and preparing workforces for human-silicon collaboration.

With decades of experience working with leading brands at ThoughtWorks and AKQA and, most recently, as chief innovation officer at Waracle, Crawford is uniquely positioned to guide businesses through this seismic shift.

New Digital Manufacturing Centre Opens in Ayrshire

A new centre designed to support process manufacturing industries with next-generation technologies is officially opening in North Ayrshire as part of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS).

The Digital Process Manufacturing Centre (DPMC) is set to give process manufacturing businesses access to digital and data driven manufacturing expertise, enabling them to innovate and adopt new technology in a low-risk environment.

AI, robotics, digital data management and virtual and augmented reality are among the tools that will be available to trial at the centre.

To read more, click here.

Glasgow Uni Unveils New Magnetism Lab for MedTech Research

The University of Glasgow is set to become one of the UK’s leading centres for cutting-edge medical magnetics research with the establishment of a new laboratory facility.

The University’s new magnetism lab, equipped with a bespoke magnetically shielded room known as MuRoom, was officially opened on Monday, 24 February with an event at the James Watt School of Engineering.

Built with a £250,000 investment from the School, the lab was custom-engineered to eliminate magnetic interference from external sources, such as nearby electronics and the Earth’s magnetic field. This magnetism lab will enhance the University’s research and development capabilities, supporting spinouts like Neuranics, which is focusing on pioneering magnetic solutions.

To read more, click here.

First Minister Opens BT’s Multi-million Pound New Office in Dundee

Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, officially opened BT Group’s office in Dundee, which marks the end of the project which has seen the company invest millions in a brand new, long-term office in the city.

The first minister was welcomed at the new office by Allison Kirkby, BT Group chief executive, as they both met teams based at the site. Home to around 1,000 colleagues from across BT’s Consumer and Business divisions, the flagship 24/7 site houses teams who help customers right across the UK.

“The opening of this new office is an important moment in Dundee’s remarkable economic transformation, reflecting Scotland’s commitment to digital innovation, growth, and opportunity, ” said first minister, John Swinney.

To read more, click here.

Awards

Shortlist Revealed for Scottish Chief Financial Officer Awards

The shortlist has been revealed for the 2024 Scottish Chief Financial Officer Awards, with this year’s ceremony set to take place for the second year at the iconic voco Grand Central in Glasgow.

Finalists were shortlisted following an application and interview process at the end of last year, with the winners being chosen by an independent panel of judges, to be announced at the awards event on the 20th March.

The awards celebrate exceptional financial directors and CFOs across ten categories, and were open to chief financial officers, or equivalent, in all industries, who showcased enterprise, leadership, and social impact within Scotland’s business landscape.

To see the full list of nominees, click here.

Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards 2025 Finalists Revealed

Revolutionary developments in renewable energy, mental health, education, sport, medicine and food and drink have made it to the finals of the 10^th Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards highlighting the diversity of sectors and disciplines thriving in Scotland.

With 32 individuals, teams and projects shortlisted across 10 categories, the 10^th anniversary celebration will be the largest to date.

Amelia Whitelaw, director of Interface, which organises the Awards, said: “At Interface, we are proud to deliver the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards on behalf of Scotland’s vibrant innovation ecosystem. These awards are more than just a celebration of achievements—they showcase the transformative power of collaboration between academia and industry.

To see the full list of finalists, click here.