Recruitment and Appointments

The Data Lab

Scotland’s innovation centre for data and AI, The Data Lab, has a new Interim CEO at the helm.

Brian Hills will be responsible for leading the 50+ strong team, driving the growth of AI and data science skills across the academic and business community in Scotland.

In addition, Heather Thomson, Head of Skills, has joined the centre’s senior management team.

A member of The Data Lab for three years, Heather will work with Brian and the wider senior management team to extend the reach of The Data Lab to ensure Scotland is seen as a ‘world leader in AI and data science’.

“This will be a pivotal year for The Data Lab as we continue to reinforce the power of data and AI to organisations,” said Hills.

He added: “SME recovery and growth following the pandemic are high on the agenda. Accelerating the value of data will undoubtedly be a contributing factor to the business community as part of this recovery, but there remains a lack of understanding on how firms can use data effectively.

“We will be looking at new ways that we can empower the sector to realise how data science and AI could contribute, while also opening up opportunities for growth.”

Want to find out more? Read the full piece here.

Seccl

David Ferguson, founder of financial advisory platform Nucleus, was announced as the new Chief Executive at Seccl in January.

The appointment will see Ferguson replace current co-CEOs Sam Handfield-Jones and Dave Harvey in April.

In a statement, Seccl said Ferguson would be steering the firm’s future technology and product direction as it continues to scale.

Handfield-Jones, who led the company’s acquisition by Octopus in 2019, will transition into an advisory role, Seccl confirmed.

Ruth Handcock, Chair of Seccl and CEO of Octopus Investments, said: “I’m really pleased and excited to welcome David, whose deep sector expertise, proven track record and clear commitment to putting customers first will be of enormous value as we look to further accelerate our growth.”

Prior to stepping down in September 2021, Ferguson led Nucleus to £20bn in assets under administration.

Commenting on the appointment, Ferguson said: “I’m both grateful and motivated to join such a respected, disruptive and progressive company, and to build on the strong foundations that the team has already laid.

“I was determined that my next role should involve working with the best and most transformational technology in our industry, with the backing of an investment partner who shares my ambition and values.”

Want to find out more? Read the full piece here.

Cyan Forensics

Cyan Forensics has appointed Stuart Hutchinson as VP of Sales for EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and APAC (Asia Pacific).

His appointment will help the firm accelerate its sales growth in the UK and deliver on international expansion plans. He is a former Head of Sales for BlackBag Technologies and joins Cyan from Oxygen Forensics.

Commenting on the role, Hutchinson said: “What attracted me to Cyan was its core values and mission, and the fact it’s a prospering British company with a strong moral compass. The technology we have at Cyan is a game changer.

“It’s got the potential to have unbelievably significant impact across law enforcement globally, and certainly here in the UK, and this was something I was excited to be a part of.”

Ian Stevenson, Cyan Forensics CEO, added: “Stuart has excellent experience in growing forensics businesses in the UK and internationally, built on a policing background that gives him deep understanding of our customers’ needs. We’re excited to add Stuart’s talent and experience to our team.”

Stuart’s appointment takes Cyan’s number of employees to 25, with further significant hires expected in 2022.

Hanya Partners

Leading management consultancy Hanya Partners has announced the appointment of Ali Law as managing partner for a new service line in IT & Digital Transformation Services.

Building on Hanya’s existing work, he will deliver a range of services from IT strategy and digital agility through to managed services.

Law, who has been an associate with the Edinburgh-based firm since 2021, has more than 30 years’ experience across IT and business transformation.

He previously held several roles with Royal London Insurance including group head of digital transformation and chief information officer (Life & Pensions).

Commenting on his appointment, Law said: “Having known Hanya’s reputation for some time and more recently worked closely with the team in my role as an associate, I’ve been able to see first-hand the high quality of services and expertise which they bring to their client relationships.

“The firm’s strong focus on delivering valuable outcomes for the organisations they support and their commitment to creating positive partnerships is entirely in line with my own approach and meant the decision to take on this role was a simple and extremely welcome one. Technology is now intrinsic to the successful operation of the vast majority of businesses – that was true even before the onset of the pandemic and, as the process of recovery continues, IT will only become more important as a key driver of innovation.

“Our focus will be on helping our clients deliver more value from IT and digital as well as enhancing their relationships within their organisations and with their customers and citizens.”

Martin Ewart, Founder of Hanya Partners and CEO of their parent group Taranata, added: “Ali is well known to us and has a record of success wherever he has been.

“He is a forward-thinking leader on all aspects of IT enablement and Digital change. His delivery of results, both client side and as a consultant, is the perfect mix to lead this part of our business.

“Our clients will really value Ali and the team’s deep experience in their current digital and IT transformation challenges.”

Converge

Converge has extended its national reach through the appointment of two new regional enterprise executives.

Richard Cormack Corrigan joins Converge as enterprise executive for northeast of Scotland. He previously worked for Young Enterprise Scotland’s Elevator UK programme promoting enterprise and entrepreneurship in education.

Corrigan will be based at the University of Aberdeen, supporting university enterprise development teams across the region.

Brian McEwan joins as enterprise executive for the west of Scotland, working with universities in the greater Glasgow area. He is well known across the Scottish education eco-system having worked across the west coast of Scotland for the last 15 years supporting students and practitioners to develop startup businesses.

Corrigan and McEwan will work closely with Lissa Herron, Converge’s existing enterprise manager. Herron provides dedicated support to universities and research institutes in the central belt and is responsible for the overall delivery of Converge’s outreach and training programme.

The new team structure will enable Converge to be pan-Scotland, providing enhanced support to universities and their next generation of innovators, creators and ground breakers at all stages of development; including delivering educational workshops, providing one-to-one advice, and helping to strengthen entrepreneurial mindset and the pipeline of new businesses.

Claudia Cavalluzzo, executive director at Converge, commented: “These appointments mark a new phase for Converge as we expand not only our team, but also strengthen the ‘on the ground’ support we provide across Scotland.

“Brian and Richard both bring considerable experience and local knowledge to the organisation which will level up the delivery and awareness of our outreach and training programmes throughout Scotland.

“Converge’s new phase of growth is reflective of Scottish Government’s commitment towards entrepreneurship and focuses on enriching the bounty of creativity and innovation within Scotland. Converge’s expansion will ensure we are best placed to provide the support needed to turn Scottish ideas and innovation into actual, living sustainable businesses.”

Desana

Former WeWork Director Greg Miley has been appointed to lead hyper growth at Scottish proptech startup, Desana. This is the first senior hire for the company in a milestone move.

Miley acted as WeWork’s Director of Broker and Agent Development during the company’s biggest period of growth. Managing a multi-million pound budget for EMEA, Miley’s channel was responsible for over 50% of the sales revenue generated for the EMEA business.

In his new role as VP of Strategy and Growth at Desana, Miley will lead the startup’s mission to scale and grow in 2022, both in terms of customer acquisition as well as in increasing the number of quality spaces available worldwide via the Desana platform.

Miley said: “I am incredibly excited about joining Desana! Throughout my journey in the sector, I’ve been at the heart of its constant innovation and evolution.

“The way people want to work and live has drastically changed, and businesses have had to adapt to ensure they keep their employees happy, retaining and also attracting the best talent.

“It has taken a global pandemic to show employers that their employees can be trusted and given the autonomy to work where suits them best, on any given day. While this huge mindset shift has presented a world of new options for the global workforce, it has simultaneously created challenges for businesses who are not yet set up to empower and effectively manage a distributed workforce.”

He added: “I truly believe that Desana provides the platform to help businesses adapt to the new way of working and fundamentally create a fantastic employee experience. I am looking forward to leading Desana’s bid to scale globally and to create the best possible platform and service for our amazing customers.”

Desana CEO Michael Cockburn added: “Like most proptech companies, Desana has the challenge of being an agile technology business while needing to simultaneously keep one foot in the legacy property industry.

“Finding new talent with in-depth knowledge of the office space sector without the embedded “status quo” thinking is something that we are really prioritising in our hiring decisions for Desana’s senior leadership team.

“We’re super excited to be working with Greg given his expertise in the sector as well as his alignment with the direction we’re going in.”

io IT Services

Aberdeen tech startup io IT Services has created three new jobs following a raft of contract awards, despite continued pressures caused by the pandemic.

In addition, the company has appointed Ryan Kerr as systems consultant, Allan Smith as business development manager, and Amir Omicevic as developer/data engineer, taking the size of its team to five.

David McCready, director at io IT Services, said: “I’m extremely proud of what the business has achieved throughout these past two years when the world has faced such uncertainty.

“The continued support shown by our clients has been a major factor in our success to date, while these recent wins have already helped us exceed our growth targets for the current financial year. As a result, this has given us the confidence to invest in the business and I’m excited to see what the future holds for our expanded team.”

The business has been buoyed by recent contract wins, totalling £250,000 over the past six months – including a major deal agreed in November to provide multi-site wireless guest access networking and internet services provision at 20 locations across Scotland for a national charity.

Directors Nick Pickering commented: “Our success has been built on a commitment to providing excellent customer service and I’m delighted that we have been able to continue growing the business following unprecedented demand for our services.

“These key technical projects not only highlight the full range of technical capabilities and expertise possessed by the team but also demonstrate rising levels of optimism in the north-east business community for the year ahead.”

Forrit

Forrit has appointed Gary Roberts as its first Chief Revenue Officer to accelerate growth across the business.

Roberts joins Forrit’s senior leadership team as the company sees continued double-digit growth in 2021 and equally ambitious growth targets in place for 2022/23.

“Gary has established a strong reputation for building and leading commercial teams across the retail and technology sectors, and we’re confident he will be a superb addition to our senior leadership team,” said Peter Proud, CEO at Forrit.

“Not only will Gary drive business development across the company, but he will also be a valuable asset in helping to coach and mentor junior colleagues – a key focus for us as we look to upskill the next generation of leadership talent internally,” Proud added.

With more than two decades of senior leadership experience in the tech and retail sectors, including Fujitsu, Laura Ashley and Microsoft, Roberts will be responsible for leading all aspects of Forrit’s future growth.

Prior to joining Forrit, he was Chief Revenue Officer for EMEA and Asia at Sitecore, and Global Chief Revenue Officer for Geneva headquartered Jahia.

Roberts said: “Forrit is a genuinely innovative company and is well placed to help organisations drive enhanced value across a business’s digital assets.

“I am looking forward to hitting the ground running and helping more businesses understand how the cloud can help them form deeper engagement with customers and drive business growth in a post-pandemic world.”

Want to find out more? Read the full piece here.

Check Point

Cyber security provider Check Point has appointed Deryck Mitchelson to the position of Field CISO and C-Suite advisor for EMEA.

Mitchelson is leaving his position as Chief Digital Officer at NHS Scotland and will be taking up the new role later this month.

Prior to Check Point, he also held an executive role of CISO at Wood McKenzie.

Commenting on his new position, Mitchelson said: “This is a unique role, providing the opportunity to give back to the wider security community as a thought leader, making a tangible difference to the security and operations of both public and private sector enterprises.”

Legado

Legado announced the appointment of Colin McKay as its inaugural Chief Commercial Officer last month.

McKay has over twenty five years of experience in senior roles in the domestic and international banking markets, the majority of which time he spent as a lawyer specialising in banking & finance.

During that period, he was a partner in several firms, including K Legal/KPMG Law, Eversheds, and Shepherd & Wedderburn. McKay has also held a variety of management roles and responsibility for various key institutional accounts.

More recently, he spent more than five years as CCO of a growing fintech firm in the UK banking market, with responsibilities including both sales and account management.

“Colin understands the potential – and increasing need – for personal data storage within the digital experience offered by financial institutions, having worked in both the finance and technology sectors both domestically and internationally,” said Josif Grace, CEO & founder of Legado.

“We are delighted Colin has decided to take up this role and help us scale the business, laying the groundwork for continued success.”

McKay added: “The team has already demonstrated an ability to develop a scalable product and close early enterprise deals, and the market’s clearly starting to open up, so it’s a very exciting time to be coming on board.”

Partnerships

Key and Aveni

Equity release firm Key is working with Edinburgh-based speech analytics platform Aveni.ai as it seeks to build on its customer service with artificial intelligence.

Aveni.ai’s tech will be central to Key’s customer interactions – monitoring conversations with AI to improve the later life lending specialist’s ability to identify and support vulnerable customers.

Will Hale, CEO of Key, said: “We embrace innovation at Key, and our partnership with Aveni.ai demonstrates our commitment to using technology to consistently improve the quality of our advice, and ensure we continue to lead the market in how we support our clients.

“Beyond efficiency, this partnership will allow us to drive greater transparency and oversight and help us to better identify vulnerable and other high risk customers, all of which contribute towards ensuring the best possible outcomes for our customers.”

Joseph Twigg, CEO of Aveni, added: “Every company is unique, and off-the-shelf speech analytics tools often deliver less than optimal results, so we start by understanding the specific problems our customers are trying to solve.

“It’s great to work with a company like Key that truly cares about its clients and recognises that innovative solutions can help improve customer service and ultimately unlock a wealth of new intelligence and insight.”

Want to find out more? Read the full piece here.

AnywhereWorks and Saltire Scholar

Team collaboration and business services provider AnywhereWorks has announced a partnership with Saltire Scholar to boost Scottish intern skills.

Alongside the Saltire Scholar Internship Programme, the company is providing an opportunity for three students to develop their skills in a professional environment.

The firm’s internship programme offers penultimate year Scottish university students fully paid opportunities and the chance to boost Scottish intern skills and provide experience in a variety of business areas.

Commenting on the news, Fraser Wilson, Director of Mattering (Marketing) & Impact at AnywhereWorks, said: “Internships play a vital role in helping young professionals gain experience in the business world.

“We’re looking for talented individuals to join our team and help support our vision of a world in which you can work anywhere.

“It’s our hope that the experience they gain here will help the next generation of leaders build a bright future for Scottish and UK businesses.”

Successful candidates will work alongside a global team to support AnywhereWork’s future plans, including development of B2B technologies and launching new brands into growing markets.

Want to find out more? Read the full piece here.

AstroAgency and the University of Edinburgh

Edinburgh-headquartered AstroAgency finished a successful pilot project guiding students looking to enter the space sector alongside the University of Edinburgh (UoE).

As part of UoE’s work, drop-in sessions were held each week at The Bayes Centre – the university’s innovation hub for data science and AI.

The partnership encouraged several students and entrepreneurs to attend both in person and virtual sessions to learn more about the sector and create their own space startups, gaining insights in marketing, messaging, and market intelligence.

Kristina Tamane, Space Sector Lead at the University of Edinburgh, said: “This partnership with AstroAgency allowed us to continue to support space entrepreneurs both within the university and the ecosystem around us – which is exciting and timely as the space sector in Scotland and the UK is rapidly expanding.

“This pilot was a key part of the planned Space Innovation Hub activity, which contributes to our aim to be known as a Global Space University and the Space Data Capital of Europe.”

The University of Edinburgh and AstroAgency pilot saw participants attending the drop-in sessions from both Edinburgh and further afield – the increased reach of social media even pulled in global participants from Canada. The Space Innovation Hub now are looking at how to ensure this activity could be sustainable long term.

Professor Iain Woodhouse, Space Research Theme Lead at the University of Edinburgh said: “In the recent UK Space Strategy, central Scotland was identified as one of the key space hubs in the UK.

“Edinburgh is at the heart of that, and I’m continually amazed by the high-quality space innovation that occurs within the university, both from our staff and our talented students. It is exactly this kind of innovation and creative thinking that will help propel the UK space sector forward.

“AstroAgency’s help will be invaluable in providing the first ‘leg-up’ for our innovators and budding entrepreneurs.”

Want to find out more? Read the full piece here.

Heriot-Watt and CodeClan

Heriot-Watt University announced a partnership with Scotland’s digital skills academy CodeClan.

Programming courses will be delivered to the university’s Software Development Graduate Apprenticeship (GA) through a pilot programme starting in January 2022.

The partnership will enable the university Graduate Apprenticeship candidates to fast-track the first year of the four-year programme by completing CodeClan’s software and user experience course.

Candidates undertake the 16-week course via virtual classrooms as part of the partnership, which will enable them to code and be more productive within organisations quicker.

Sara Dodd, Digital Business Strategist at Heriot-Watt University, commented: “This partnership enables our GAs to gain productive programming skills at an accelerated pace and to complete a BSc Hons in Software Development that will give them the opportunity to progress significantly faster in their careers within their employer organisations.”

Commenting on the collaboration, Melinda Matthews-Clarkson, CEO, CodeClan, said: “We’re excited to be partnering with Heriot-Watt, who have a long-established tradition in the area of graduate apprenticeships and one of the most dynamic programmes in the Scottish university sector.

“Because we have a large team dedicated to cutting-edge, industry-relevant digital skills training, there is a strong rationale for CodeClan to provide these kind of courses to the university.

“Working with Heriot-Watt, we can deploy the kind of skills that are sought by employers across every sector of industry.”

Want to find out more? Read the full piece here.

AND Digital and Drax

UK-based renewable energy company Drax announced a new electric vehicle (EV) fleet management platform with AND Digital in January.

The ‘My Electric Vehicles’ platform simplifies and supports organisations with their EV fleet management.

It’s hoped the simplicity of the solution will encourage those still using diesel-powered fleet vehicles to make the switch to new electric alternatives.

Commenting on the partnership, Adam Hall, Director of Energy Services for Drax, said: “The help and expertise that AND Digital brought to the creation and launch of Drax’s new My Electric Vehicles portal was invaluable in helping us to develop a portal that provides data and insights not available anywhere else in the market.

“The data and insight available will allow our customers to make the most informed decisions about their fleet in real time.”

Amol Punekar, AND Digital Club Executive and Head of Business Unit, added: “AND Digital was founded on the basis that each individual is not only responsible for developing great tech, but for ensuring that the tech that is created has a wider societal impact.

“The My Electric Vehicles platform is a great example of how we’ve managed to harness the skills and knowledge of our ANDis (the collective term we use for our people); applied them to a pressing global issue; and worked collaboratively with a client to create a game-changing piece of technology.”

Want to find out more? Read the full piece here.

Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) and Eden Towers

A new solar-powered farm with Eden Towers, with support from IGS, will be an Australian-first, growing leafy greens and specialty crops as well as the development of indigenous crops.

The indigenous crop programme is supported by the key WAFIP collaborators and championed by the Peel Development Commission.

The project has also secured funding from the WAFIP’s Enterprise Support Programme and the Regional Economic Development (RED) Grant from the State Government.

Scottish-headquartered IGS has been appointed to build four 12-metre-high Growth Tower structures, which will create a precision-controlled indoor ecosystem where plants can thrive all year round without soil.

The farm will use 98% less water and achieve up to 15 times the yield of a greenhouse or open field. A traditional field would require 6,000m2 of space to produce the equivalent yield.

Construction will begin in Q1 2022, and the farm will be fully operational by early Q4 2022.

David Farquhar, CEO at IGS, said: “Australia’s agricultural production is growing, but it’s vital that’s delivered in an environmentally sustainable way if we’re to curb the emissions our farming habits produce globally.

“Eden Towers is passionate about sustainable farming across Australia, and we’re excited that they have chosen our platform to help deliver this project and to support indigenous crop growth and the local community.”

Awards

Simul8

Glasgow-based technology company, Simul8, is celebrating being recognised with multiple international awards.

Having given away more than £100,000 worth of free software licences and around six weeks of pro-bono consulting, Simul8 has been honoured for its ‘people over profit’ attitude by the US Best in Biz Awards as a Gold Winner.

Its female leadership team of Laura Reid, CEO, and Frances Sneddon, CTO, were named a Silver Winner in the international Stevie Awards for Women in Business. The firm also won a Better Society Award for Tech for Good and was shortlisted as finalist in the Business Tech Awards.

Reid commented: “So many of our partners are healthcare organisations, so when the first wave of the pandemic hit, straightaway we knew that we wanted to offer our support to the people and organisations working so hard on the front line.

“I’m so proud to see just how many organisations have benefitted from the time and efforts volunteered by our team, not just in Scotland or the UK but all over the world.

“People over profit is an important value of ours, and for our contribution to be recognised on an international stage by these prestigious awards is a great endorsement for our wonderful team – I’m really proud of them.”

Exizent

Legal technology firm Exizent has hit several significant milestones including signing its 50th customer and raising its staff numbers to over 35, just over a year after launching.

As well as acquiring several high-profile clients, Exizent has secured a number of important partnership deals throughout the year.

These include a collaboration with digital estate planning firm Arken.legal to link up the pre- and post-death journey for legal firms, running a pilot with Scottish Building Society to test a solution connecting legal services to Financial Institutions and most recently, Experian, to automate the asset discovery process.

Additionally, the firm has seen team numbers reach 35 following the recruitment of two new marketing specialists. The appointments come just a few weeks after Exizent bolstered its senior team by bringing in Graeme Jones, ex-CEO at Scottish Financial Enterprise, as Senior Adviser to the Board.

Jones is the second senior hire for Exizent in less than a year – following former Deutsche Bank Global CIO and Nationwide Director Mitchel Lenson who joined as Non-Executive Director in December 2021.

Nick Cousins, Founder and CEO of Exizent, said: “Earlier this year, we conducted research amongst legal sector professionals and found that eight-in-ten think the bereavement process is ‘slow and inefficient’, more than half think they could handle probate more efficiently and more than two-in-five think easier access to data, better technology and software and better communication could all improve probate management.

“Therefore, each client that comes on board not only confirms our belief that the current probate process is not fit for purpose, but also, our trust in the power of platforms and their ability to connect people and perform repeatable tasks efficiently, quickly, securely and at scale.

“Our ultimate aim is to become an integral part of the bereavement journey. While we are pleased to have achieved so much already, we are only a year into our mission, and have huge ambitions for the continued development and improvement of the platform. Going into 2022, our key focus will be to develop our links to financial intuitions.”

AccelerateHER awards and Barclays Eagle Labs

32 inspiring female founders have been named as this year’s AccelerateHER awards finalists in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs.

The influential Scottish women have been shortlisted for their aspirational work in fields of Science and MedTech; FinTech, Data Science and Cybersecurity; CleanTech, Climate and Net Zero and Disruptive Innovation.

There are twelve finalists across four categories across Scotland in 2022.

Commenting on the finalists, AccelerateHER COO, Elizabeth Pirrie said: “We’re delighted to be announcing an incredibly strong shortlist and want to congratulate all of our 2022 finalists who are among the most innovative and forward-thinking entrepreneurs operating in the country.

“The driver behind the AccelerateHER UK awards is to showcase dynamic female founded businesses with major global growth potential. It will be so exciting to celebrate the success of such exceptional talent with our AccelerateHER network when we announce our winners in March.”

Katherine Morgan, Head of High Growth and Entrepreneurs at Barclays, added: “The standard of entries for this year’s awards has been hugely impressive and is exciting to see the number of female-founded businesses innovating in STEM sectors driving change in the UK.

“We commend all of this year’s entrants for their dynamic approach to entrepreneurship and wish all the finalists the best of luck for the finals in March.”

Want to find out more? Read the full piece here.

Bad Dinosaur

Bad Dinosaur has been listed on Clutch as a leading software development company in Edinburgh.

The firm was highlighted on Visual Objects as a leading software development company in the United Kingdom.

Each year, Clutch highlights the top B2B companies across different industries. The top companies deliver high-quality customer service and have accumulated profound knowledge in their fields of expertise.

Commenting on the award, Kyle Whittington, Managing Director at Bad Dinosaur said: “It’s always great to hear positive client reviews and know that we have exceeded their expectations in delivering a product to market.

“We are delighted to receive this Clutch award, especially as it is a result of recognition derived directly from projects we have successfully undertaken for our clients. This award caps off a brilliant 2021 for Bad Dinosaur, which saw us double our headcount and take on larger projects.

“We look forward to continuing to deliver our award-winning services in 2022 that provide real tangible impact for our clients and partners.”