Welcome to the April 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.

Esteemed appointments, major partnerships, and important awards all took place throughout the month.

Read on to find out what exactly has been happening!

Appointments

Burness Paull Expands Leadership with Five New Partners

Burness Paull has promoted five of its lawyers to partner as the firm prepares for further growth in key areas and continues to invest in developing homegrown talent.

The newly appointed partners are Rachel MacArthur, Daniela Pallucci, Colin Smith (all corporate finance), Nick Warrillow (dispute resolution), and Gemma Young (banking).

MacArthur, Pallucci and Smith trained at the firm and Warrillow and Young have each been at the firm for several years.

Peter Lawson, chair at Burness Paull, said: “The attraction and development of exceptional talent is key to our ability to deliver the very best outcomes for our clients. The well-deserved promotions of Rachel, Daniela, Colin, Nick and Gemma reflect the significant contribution all five have made – and our strong belief that their talent and expertise will further enhance our bench of market-leading lawyers.”

Read more here.

AND Digital Appoints New Chief of Growth

Technology consultancy AND Digital has appointed Elaine Van Der Berg as Chief for Growth for Scotland, marking a strategic focus on helping businesses across the region unlock greater value through digital transformation.

Elaine Van Der Berg brings over 25 years of leadership experience across global tech firms including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Capita, Autodesk, and Dell Technologies. Most recently, as CEO of Edinburgh-based tech company Pufferfish, she led the business through a period of rapid transformation.

With a career spanning Europe and Asia-Pacific, Elaine has a proven track record of driving business growth through sharp strategic thinking, customer obsession, and a clear focus on delivering high-impact results that matter to end users and stakeholders alike.

Read more here. 

Napier Uni Appoints Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence

The Royal Society has appointed Mary Jane Brouwers as Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR) at Edinburgh Napier University (ENU).

In the role, Brouwers will play a key part in developing the Investing for Impact Hub at The Business School of Edinburgh Napier University, helping to bridge academia, industry and investment communities.

The EiR scheme, which was launched in 2018, has funded more than 130 placements in 65 institutions, with the aim of increasing the knowledge in UK universities of the science, research and innovation taking place in industry.

Read more here. 

Ana Stewart Appointed as Chief Entrepreneur as Ecosystem Fund Reopens

Businesswoman and investor Ana Stewart has been appointed the Scottish Government’s new Chief Entrepreneur.

Ms Stewart, who also co-authored a landmark “Pathways” report alongside former-Chief Entrepreneur Mark Logan, will take up the role until July 2026.

From this galvanising report reviewing the barriers women face in entering the entrepreneurial landscape, Stewart launched Pathways Forward, an initiative set to empower and enable women in entrepreneurship through industry pledges, networking events, and funding opportunities.

Read more here.

LastingAsset Appoints New Chief Operating Officer

Ciara Mitchell has joined LastingAsset as their Chief Operating Officer.

Ciara brings a wealth of experience in the cybersecurity sector, having previously served as the Head of Cyber at ScotlandIS, where she played a pivotal role in advancing Scotland’s cyber industry. Her leadership was instrumental in fostering collaboration across academia, industry, and government, driving innovation and growth within the sector.

Ciara’s extensive background includes over 20 years at BT where she led product management in Security Intelligence. 

CirrusHQ Appoints AWS Executive as Head of Sales

Also back in December, CirrusHQ, the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud specialist, appointed Craig Ridsdill in a newly created Head of Sales role.

Reporting to CirrusHQ’s Chief Revenue Officer, Stephen Croke, Craig joins the organisation from AWS, where he has spent the last six years leading the cloud services platform’s higher education and NHS healthcare teams.

At CirrusHQ, he will work closely with Croke to further extend the organisation’s relationship with those across healthcare and education seeking to reap the benefits of the cloud.

Calcivis appoints Greg Sheehan as CEO

Edinburgh-based dental imaging technology pioneer, Calcivis, has appointed US dental industry veteran Greg Sheehan as its new Chief Executive Officer.

With 28 years’ experience in leading dental businesses in America, Sheehand brings a wealth of experience having previously held senior leadership roles at Dentsply Sirona.

In his new role, Sheehan will focus on using his market experience and expertise to accelerate the adoption of the CALCIVIS Imaging System in the US, with the company having already secured pre-market approval (PMA) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

SOLASTA® Bio makes trio of senior appointments

SOLASTA® Bio, specialising in the next generation of green insecticides, has appointed three senior business and industry experts to support the company’s UK and US growth as it prepares for market entry.

Emma Axelson, based in Scotland, joins as Chief of Staff. She will be responsible for supporting Shireen Davies, SOLASTA® Bio’s CEO, with strategic planning and execution, operations, communications and key projects.

James (Jim) Cink joins as Global Head of Product Development, based in the US. Jim will lead product strategy and development, supporting Paula Pinto, SOLASTA® Bio’s Chief Strategy Officer.

Solito Sumulong, based in the US, joins as Regulatory Affairs Manager. He will oversee registration of SOLASTA® Bio’s solutions in the US and international markets, as well as ensuring regulatory compliance for all company activities.

Partnerships

Codebase Launches DeepTech AI Initiative with Scots Unis and NHS

A DeepTech AI initiative has been launched in Scotland to bridge innovation between university postgraduate talent and NHS Scotland.

‘AI Discovery’, delivered by CodeBase via its Techscaler programme in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, and NHS Scotland, will help postgraduates harness the latest AI technologies and build AI-enabled startups that can address some of the greatest challenges faced by the NHS.

“We have some of the world’s best universities, and there is a real opportunity to point some of the brightest minds at some of society’s biggest challenges.  The plan is to connect NHS data to AI startups who can help bring about significant productivity and efficiency gains,” CodeBase’s chief strategy officer Steven Drost said.

Read more here. 

Search and Rescue Tech Firm Zelim Partners With Pulsant

As part of a vision to deliver the world’s first unmanned search and rescue capability, Zelim launched ZOE Intelligent Detection in 2024. ZOE applies inference AI to video feeds, to deliver real-time detection and alert of passengers or crew who fall overboard – this guides search and rescue operations, making them faster and safer.

Due to intense, rapid growth, Zelim identified a need for a colocation partner. Having initially hosted its servers on-premise, the company faced not only high energy costs but also an unacceptable level of risk. This exposure ranged from the threat of power outages and fire, to flooding and theft.

Read more here. 

University of Strathclyde Renews Partnership with Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland

The University of Strathclyde and Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) have renewed a long-standing partnership to revolutionise support for stroke survivors.

The Sir Jules Thorn Co-Creation Centre for Rehabilitation Technology at the University has helped more than 120 stroke survivors with a cutting-edge, technology-driven approach.

The Centre has been supported by CHSS since 2022, with funding for two research assistants, who design and supervise the pioneering rehabilitation programme and manage the day-to-day operation of the centre.

Expansions

Scotland Launches UAE Energy Hub for Clean Tech Firms

A new Scottish energy transition hub is set to be launched in Abu Dhabi to support Scottish companies working in the clean energy sector and provide them with direct access to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) energy market.

Announced by Scottish Enterprise, the hub is the second phase of a dedicated programme that aims to generate additional international export sales and in its first year, will be home for up to ten Scottish companies entering the UAE market for the first time with products and services that support global energy transition.

These businesses will be able to use the hub as their UAE base for up to eighteen months, with access to advice and support on setting up in the local business environment, as well as mentoring, coaching, and advice on funding sources. 

Read more here. 

Biotech MiAlgae Expands into Grangemouth with New Production Facility

Biotech pioneer MiAlgae has marked a major step forward in its mission to increase production volumes of its sustainable biotechnology solutions, as it submits plans for a new production facility in Grangemouth, Scotland.

Underpinning its role in Scotland’s green economic transition, the first phase of the site is estimated to create over 100 green jobs once operational. The planned expansion will allow MiAlgae to continue to offer retraining opportunities for workers transitioning from the oil and gas industry.

MiAlgae repurposes whisky industry by-products to grow microalgae as a sustainable, cost-effective alternative to fish-derived Omega-3s. The site is ideally located near distilleries and MiAlgae’s customers in the Central Belt of Scotland, which will help it scale its sustainable production model.

The new facility will enable the company to address the increasing demands from aquaculture and pet food markets, which are seeking sustainable and ethical sources of marine Omega-3s.

Awards and Recognition

Who Won at This Year’s BAFTA Game Awards?

The winners of the 21st BAFTA Games Awards were announced last night in a ceremony hosted by Phil Wang at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London and broadcast live on streaming platforms YouTube and Twitch.

The BAFTA Games Awards celebrate the very best games of the past year and the people who made them, and showcase a wide range of storytelling and creative excellence.

Astro Bot won five BAFTAs: Animation, Audio Achievement, Best Game, Family and Game Design.

Optimum Eco Group anniversaries celebrated in Scottish Parliament

A motion has been lodged at the Scottish Parliament recognising Optimum Eco Group’s pivotal role in driving Scotland’s environmentally responsible economy and celebrating the company’s 25 years in business. 

This significant milestone, proposed by Ruth Maguire MSP for Cunninghame South and backed by a cross-party group of 14 MSPs from across Scotland, has delighted the group and coincides with the 20th and 25th anniversary celebrations of the group’s two constituent companies. 

Published on 3rd April, the motion celebrates the whole Optimum Eco Group, specifically recognising CCL (North) for its specialised services in secure data destruction and the valuable reuse, repair, and recycling of IT equipment and waste electrical and electronic equipment.

It also acknowledges Restructa’s important work in the reuse, repair, and recycling of displays, stating its belief that both companies make substantial contributions to Scotland’s circular economy and overarching sustainability objectives. 

Aberdeen Tech Scale-up Becomes Certified B Corp

Aberdeen tech scale-up, LiberEat, has called for food businesses to go beyond compliance to actively protect consumers against allergens after becoming a certified B Corporation. 

The move sees LiberEat join a global community of companies committing to pursue a sustainable purpose as well as profit through B Corp certification, and comes as high-profile allergen-related recalls and regulatory changes are putting growing pressure on the food industry to strengthen safety standards and reduce risks. 

Barry Leaper, Founder and CEO of LiberEat, commented: “With food safety under the spotlight more than ever, companies must go beyond compliance to actively protect consumers. At LiberEat, we’ve always championed this mission and now, our commitment has been recognised with B Corp Certification.

Quorum Wins at Microsoft Security Excellence Award

Quorum Cyber today announced it won the Security MSSP of the Year award in the Microsoft Security Excellence Awards 2025 presented by the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA).

The company’s innovation and achievements over the past 12 months have elevated and distinguished it within the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA), an ecosystem of independent software vendors (ISVs) and managed security service providers (MSSPs) that have integrated their security products and services with Microsoft Security technology. 

Award winners demonstrated excellence across the security landscape during the past 12 months.