Welcome to the March 2025 edition of DIGIT’s Movers & Shakers!

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

Last month saw plenty of major awards being won, some top appointments to Scottish firms, and exciting partnerships being inked between key players in the tech scene. Read on to find out exactly what’s been happening!

Appointments

Edinburgh’s Smart Data Foundry Appoints New CEO

Edinburgh’s Smart Data Foundry has appointed Dougie Robb as its permanent chief executive officer.

Robb, who has been interim CEO since May, will be responsible for the next phase of growth for the University of Edinburgh subsidiary, which uses the power of financial data to help tackle poverty and inequality.

Formerly CFO of Smart Data Foundry, Robb has been a pivotal member of its leadership team since its inception, and has been key to establishing the SDF vision of opening financial data for good as well as creating dedicated data science and technology teams to support that vision.

Robb also worked in securing SDF’s earliest data sharing agreements, with NatWest group and Sage UK, and over the past nine months has played a key role in the development of Smart Data Foundry overseeing its move to Edinburgh Futures Institute.

Read more here.

Trio of Key Appointments Drive Bright Signals’ Momentum

Digital communications agency, Bright Signals, has strengthened its senior management team with three new appointments.

The firm welcomes Frances Irvine as its new managing director, overseeing the agency’s client services teams with responsibility for commercial performance, Phillip Lockwood-Holmes as head of innovation, and Vic Milne, who takes on a key role leading Bright Signals’ creative and communications strategists.

The agency – which employs 50 people – has steadily expanded its offering across creative, digital and media, while recently seeing success in the public sector, winning places on two of the Scottish Government’s Marketing Services Frameworks.

David Craik, CEO at Bright Signals said: “I’m delighted to welcome Frances, Phillip and Vic. Added to the incredible array of talent that was already in the agency, our great culture and fantastic clients, I’m hugely excited about what we can do together.”

HIT Scotland Strengthens Trustee Board With Three Industry Stalwarts

Hospitality Industry Trust (HIT) Scotland, has welcomed three respected industry figures to its board of trustees.

The charity for Scotland’s hospitality industry, HIT Scotland has strengthened its board with the addition of industry stalwarts Richard Mayne, general manager of Edinburgh’s Radisson Blu Hotel, Claire Gamble, executive director of sales for entertainment, media and luxury at Dakota Hotels, and Joshua Ryan-Saha, director of Traveltech at Edinburgh Futures Institute.

The new trustees will harness years of experience to further the charity’s vision of advancing Scotland’s hospitality industry through scholarships that develop and nurture professional talent.

“Richard, Claire and Joshua each bring a diverse and valuable skillset to the Board. With big ambitions for HIT Scotland’s future, it is a pleasure to have their vast experience and knowledge at our disposal,” said David Cochrane MBE, chief executive of HIT Scotland.

Chair of Highlands and Islands Enterprise To Retire

The chair of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has announced plans to retire from the role in July.

Alistair Dodds CBE has served on the HIE board for 11 years, first being appointed chair in 2020 and then reappointed for a second term in 2023, which was due to last until April 2026.

However, in a letter this week to Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, Mr Dodds said he felt it was important for HIE to have a new Board chair appointed well before the pre-election period for the new Scottish Parliament elections to ensure they are in place to work with the next Government.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “I am grateful for the huge amount of time and commitment Alistair has put into Highlands and Islands Enterprise over 11 years, the last five as Chair leading the agency.

“Thanks to Alistair’s leadership, it is in a strong position to continue helping businesses and communities realise the region’s enormous economic potential and benefit from the many opportunities that lie ahead.”

Partnerships

CREST Partners with CirrusHQ to Scale Cybersecurity Certification

Scottish-headquartered AWS cloud specialist CirrusHQ has announced that CREST International (CREST), the global not-for-profit, membership body representing the cybersecurity industry, has significantly scaled its cyber exam delivery following a successful cloud migration to AWS which it supported.

CREST is responsible for accrediting over 400 member companies and certifying individuals through rigorous technical examinations to elevate standards in cybersecurity services, and turned to CirrusHQ to migrate its exam platform to AWS, creating a secure, scalable, and globally accessible solution.

Mark Grigg, operations director at CREST said: “Working with CirrusHQ has been a highly positive experience. They quickly grasped our unique needs and demonstrated a deep understanding of our objectives.

“Throughout the project, CirrusHQ consistently went above and beyond to ensure successful delivery. Their proactive approach and ability to propose creative, effective solutions to challenges made them a reliable and invaluable partner.”

Read more here.

RBS and STAC Join Forces to Accelerate Deep Tech Growth

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has joined forces with advanced technology accelerator STAC in a bid to supercharge Scotland’s nascent deep tech startup scene.

The collaboration is being delivered at STAC through the Royal Bank of Scotland’s Accelerator, which is based in Glasgow city centre, and will provide businesses operating within the deep and advanced technology sector the opportunity to benefit from Accelerator support.

The relationship with STAC will also extend its specialist skills to the wider Royal Bank Accelerator community, seeking to equip bank colleagues with greater knowledge and understanding of this growing market.

STAC’s CEO Paul Wilson said: “We are ready to kick on from here to position Scotland as a leader in Deep Tech, and the partnership with Royal Bank is strategically focused around our next steps of internationalisation.

“We are now collaborating on raising more investment, connecting our startups to corporates, and expanding our footprint. STAC and ‘thebeyond’ in the centre of Edinburgh is now under careful consideration.”

Read more here.

Safello Teams up With Zumo To Set the Standard for Sustainability

Swedish cryptocurrency exchange Safello has entered into a strategic partnership with Edinburgh-based digital assets firm Zumo to comply with sustainability disclosures under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation.

As part of the agreement, Safello will now explore Zumo’s Oxygen solution suite, reinforcing its commitment to both regulatory adherence and sustainability within the crypto industry.

“Safello is a market leader in the Nordics so we’re delighted the team has chosen to partner with Zumo to help meet new regulatory requirements,” adds Nick Jones, Founder and CEO, Zumo.

“We’re committed to supporting CASPs at every stage of their sustainability journey, and complying to the MiCAR sustainability requirements is a critical first step.”

BR-DGE and Traveltek Team Up to Transform Travel Payments

BR-DGE, the Edinburgh founded payment orchestration provider, has announced a strategic partnership with Traveltek, a provider of travel technology, in a deal which adds to BR-DGE’s fast-expanding presence among travel companies and booking platforms.

Under the new partnership, BR-DGE’s payment orchestration solution will be integrated into Traveltek’s internet booking engine, iSell, access to BR-DGE’s modular payments capabilities, including payment method connectivity, tokenisation, dynamic smart routing and multi-acquiring, and data analytics through a single integration into BR-DGE’s platform.

“We’ve seen huge demand recently from travel platform businesses who see the value of using our modular orchestration layers to strengthen their operational capabilities and deliver more value for their end merchants,” said Tom Voaden, VP Commercial at BR-DGE.

“Securing this partnership with Traveltek means a great deal to us. Together, we are set to provide Traveltek’s merchants with simplified integrations, more interoperability, speed to market, enhanced customer experience and new growth opportunities.”

Openings

Acumen Cyber Officially Opens New Glasgow SOC

Acumen Cyber, an engineer-powered cybersecurity service provider, celebrated its first anniversary as an independent MSSP by officially opening its new headquarters at EastWorks, Glasgow.

Now hosting what the firm is calling ‘the most cutting-edge Security Operations Centre (SOC) to reside on Scottish soil’, Acumen were joined Scotland’s minister for business, Richard Lochhead, to cut the opening ribbon.

“Acumen Cyber is a great example of a Scottish business – not only responding to the serious issue of cybersecurity, but also developing innovation that will contribute to the creation of jobs and deliver benefits across the local economy,” said Lochhead.

“I wish it every success and look forward to see it growing and developing further from its new Eastworks base.”

Acumen’s state-of-the-art SOC builds on a strong 12 months for the firm, with its SOC achieving CREST accreditation, its headcount surging by 60%, and the onboarding of over 18 new clients.

Read more here.

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 will 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, with AI, robotics, digital data management and virtual and augmented reality among the tools that will be available.

“The DPMC will be a valuable hub for process manufacturing businesses to explore digital technologies and access the wider capabilities of the NMIS group and our partners,” Chris Courtney, CEO of NMIS said.

Read more here.

Awards

Winners Announced For The 2025 Scottish Cyber Awards

Scotland’s cybersecurity sector gathered in Edinburgh to celebrate innovation, resilience, and excellence at the 2025 Scottish Cyber Awards.

Run by DIGIT and hosted by comedian Ian Murphy, the awards took place at the EICC in Edinburgh and saw 14 coveted prizes given to winners from across the cybersecurity sector.

Quorum Cyber was crowned Cybersecurity Company of the Year, sponsored by Recorded Future, while emerging players in the sector were also recognised, with True Deploy taking home the Start Up of the Year award, sponsored by FullProxy.

Ray Bugg, director of DIGIT, said: “Cybersecurity is a tough profession, one that constantly challenges us, pushes our limits, and tests our resilience – which is why community and collaboration matter so much in this field. We can’t do this job in isolation, and I really want everyone to embrace that spirit this evening.

“It’s about celebrating achievement, championing each other’s successes, and moving forward as a collective.”

Read more here.

New Regional EDGE Award Invests £400K into Scots Entrepreneurs

Twenty high-growth businesses are celebrating after being named shared winners of the Regional EDGE prize, with a fund worth £400,000.

The new pilot award, aimed at businesses in Aberdeen, Perth & Kinross, Dundee and Angus, and the Highlands and Islands, is the latest initiative in the long-standing relationship between the Scottish Government and Scottish EDGE.

Of the 48 shortlisted finalists, eight entrepreneurs were awarded £10,000, while eight further entrepreneurs secured £15,000 funding each, with all winners becoming EDGE Alumni, granting them access to the organisation’s network of contacts and business acumen.

“I am delighted to see such a wide range of projects and businesses across all four regions being successful and hope the tangible injection of investment they have secured will help them take the next steps to growing and scaling their business propositions,” said deputy first minister, Kate Forbes.

Read more here.

Winners Revealed for ScotlandIS Digital Tech Awards 2025

ScotlandIS celebrated 25 years as the Scottish tech ecosystem’s membership and cluster management organisation with its 15th annual Digital Tech Awards last month.

Out of over 100 entrants, ScotlandIS’s esteemed judges diligently narrowed the selection to just 12 winners, representing cybersecurity, AI, and data excellence, with winners including Inicio AI, Lugo, and DeepMiner.

“Every year it does get harder to select the winners from the amazing array of applications,” said Karen Meechan, CEO of ScotlandIS.

“For quarter of a century we have stood alongside Scotland’s tech ecosystem, promoting innovation. From internet adoption, to the space tech, AI, and fintech revolutions, we have gone from strength to strength, and that is thanks to everyone in this room”

Read more here.

Scottish Knowledge Exchange Award Winners Announced

Developments in renewable energy, mental health, medicine and food and drink scooped awards across ten categories at the 10th Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards on the 19th March.

Among the winners were SolarSub Ltd with Innovation of the Year; Canon Medical Research Europe and the University of Edinburgh with the Inward Investment Impact award; and the Digital Dairy Chain, which was handed the Place-based Impact award.

Amelia Whitelaw, director of interface, which organised the awards, said: “The nominees and winners we are celebrating exemplify how collaboration drives valuable advancements.

“These partnerships have led to the development of new technologies, products, and services that contribute to economic progress and societal benefit. Their innovations are not only transforming Scotland but also have the potential to make a global impact.”

Read more here.

Converge Expands Prize Fund and Partnerships for 2025 Programme

Academic enterprise programme Converge has announced its largest-ever annual awards package totalling more than £400,000, marking a shift to support a broader spectrum of university innovation for academic entrepreneurs.

The record-breaking prize pot includes £305,000 in equity-free cash awards and over £100,000 of in-kind business support, with this year’s programme featuring an expanded range of opportunities, and prize offerings nearly doubling since last year, up to twenty-one for 2025.

The expanded portfolio also includes two new specialist awards from The Data Lab –  a £20,000 award to accelerate market-ready innovations and a £5,000 prize to nurture emerging ideas – which aims to strengthen support for entrepreneurs at different stages of their development journey.

Adam Kosterka, executive director of Converge, said: “This significant expansion in both funding and partnerships marks a transformative moment for academic entrepreneurship in Scotland.

“Through collaborations with organisations like Challenges Group and The Data Lab, we’re creating unprecedented opportunities across our university sector.”

Read more here.

MFMac’s Chief Financial Officer wins industry award

Pamela Ogg, Chief Financial Officer at one of Scotland’s big four independent law firms, MFMac, won the “CFO of the Year – Deal of the Year” category at the 2024 Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Awards, held in Glasgow’s voco Grand Central.

Pamela was recognised for her outstanding financial strategy and leadership in guiding MFMac through a successful merger in the last year.

“This award win is testament to the full MFMac finance team, who have demonstrated unwavering resilience and excellent teamwork, playing critical roles in delivering this deal in very tight timescales,” said Ogg.

Among some of the other CFOs who walked away winners were Philip Holmes at Envevo Ltd, Fraser Dobbie of North Star, Neil Stoddart from Cala Homes, and Angela Milloy, Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Spanning eleven categories, the awards paid tribute to the enterprise, leadership, resilience, social impact and all-round excellence of financial leaders and their teams in Scottish businesses over the past 12-24 months.