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DIGIT Movers and Shakers | January 2023
Catch up on all the latest awards, partnership and recruitment news from Scotland’s digital technology sector.
This month features another bumper crop of Scottish awards, relocation, partnership, and recruitment news.
Here’s all the latest news in one place.
Recruitment
Miconex
Former Director of Customer Success EMEA at international payments provider EML, David O’Neil, has joined fintech Miconex as Client Success Director. David will form a key part of the fintech’s senior leadership team as it continues its expansion journey across the UK, Ireland and North America.
David said: “I worked with customers from tiny startups to multinationals at EML, leading a team helping them all to grow year on year. I built a relationship with Colin and the team at Miconex, and straight away I could see the passion that everyone had for the company and its products. The Town & City Gift Card and Downtown Gift Card product is a gift card for good that is transforming communities around the world. This made it very different to a lot of what I was working on.
“When the opportunity came up to work with Miconex directly as Client Success Director, it was one that I couldn’t pass up. What gets me out of bed in the morning is potential to deliver change and opportunity to grow, and Miconex has that in spades.
Barrier Networks
Barrier Networks announced Steven Robertson joined the company as their new Sales Manager. Barrier is an award-winning cyber security service provider and value-added reseller that helps its customers build cyber resilience and develop strategies to defend against cyberattacks.
Steven brings over 18 years of Sales Management experience with a proven track record of success in the cybersecurity industry. He has just returned to the UK, having been running an HPE/Microsoft VAR in the Cayman Islands for the last 12 months.
Prior to this, he spent a large chunk of his career at Hewlett Packard Enterprise in various roles, including 6 years as District Manager, running the Mid-Market Division and 5 years at a TOP 10 UK VAR – XMA, growing their Scotland business unit.
Steven will lead Barrier’s Sales Team and develop strategies to drive revenue growth.
He comments on his appointment, saying: “I’m looking forward to reacquainting with my Scottish-based network and being a part of Barrier’s growth trajectory and continued success.”
Pufferfish
Edinburgh tech firm Pufferfish has appointed Ross Wilson as its new head of marketing, in the latest in a series of senior appointments.
Ross has UK and international marketing experience spanning the arts, medical, education, and broadcast industries. He joins Pufferfish following a stint as a marketing and management consultant, including as an advisor to the British Museum on its contract to jointly create a national gallery in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Commenting on his decision to join the company, Ross Wilson said: “Some of the biggest brands in the world trust the innovative products and services that Pufferfish provides. Having the likes of NASA, Microsoft and Google on our client list shows we’re on the right path and I am proud to be part of the team helping with the journey.”
xDesign
Digital development partner xDesign announced the appointment of Rik Barker as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO). Barker’s appointment was the latest in a series of strategic hires by the company in the last three months as it aims to build on record growth in 2023..
Euan Andrews, Founder and CEO of xDesign, said: “Rik brings with him a wealth of experience having been a key player in the success of global brands such as Sky Betting & Gaming, and more recently, via his role in the wider Flutter Entertainment Group. In Rik, we recognised an individual that shares our vision for how digital should be done, and who has the depth and breadth of experience to innovate and scale vital operational, resourcing and delivery capabilities here at xDesign.
“We’ve certainly set ourselves ambitious growth plans for 2023, however, we recognise that growth shouldn’t come at a cost to our people, culture and the high standards of quality and delivery we provide for our clients. To this end, Rik is a key strategic appointment for the company and will help us realise our true potential and longer-term vision for 2025.”
Smart Data Foundry
Smart Data Foundry, based in Edinburgh, has unveiled its inaugural board as it accelerates its mission to unlock the power of financial data to drive innovation and solve big societal issues.
Joining the board are:
- Zachery Anderson, Chief Data Officer, NatWest Group
- Professor Kim Graham, Provost, University of Edinburgh
- Stephen Ingeldrew OBE, FinTech Scotland
- Fiona Duncan, Independent Advisor, the Promise
- Professor Chris Speed, Director, Edinburgh Futures Institute
Dame Julia Unwin commented: “Our mission to unlock the power of data has struck a chord with leading figures in academia and Financial Services so much so they have been motivated to join us and bring about change.
“We have demonstrated that we can work collaboratively to create clarity through data which can inform policies and decision-making.”
Scottish Government
Former CEO of DC Thomson was appointed as Chief Business Advisor to the First Minister.
‘Sustainable growth and long term economic success for Scotland’ are the goals for the newly appointed Business Advisor to the First Minister.
Ellis Watson has held senior positions at a number of companies including John Menzies plc, First Group plc, News Corporation, Syco and DC Thomson. He will work directly with the First Minister, identifying the priorities of the business community and helping shape the government’s support and response.
Want to read more? Click here.
Partnerships
Trickle and AAI EmployAbility
Edinburgh-based not-for-profit AAI EmployAbility has partnered with employee engagement and wellbeing company Trickle to offer its feedback app to clients seeking to improve their team’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
CEO Joy Lewis says “We want to change recruitment for the better and help create company cultures that are open and inclusive. Having a partner like Trickle will really help us to ensure that the diverse candidates we place feel comfortable sharing their views with their employers.
“We see this partnership as a way to support employees to have their questions answered or concerns raised anonymously, which we believe is vital at a time when many diverse individuals lack the confidence to speak up.”
Edinburgh-based Trickle’s CEO Paul Reid added: “This is a really important partnership for Trickle. It will give more people a voice in an inclusive, transparent, and accessible way – which is especially important when diverse jobseekers have a range of different personal circumstances and may be lacking the confidence to put their heads above the parapet to ask questions or flag any worries they may be having in person.”
SaxaVord and The Rocket Factory Augsburg AG
A Germany-based rocket company as announced a launch operations partnership with SaxaVord Spaceport in Sheltand.
The Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA) will have exclusive access to Launch Pad Fredo for orbital launches, meaning the company’s first launch of its RFA ONE launch system will take place from the northernmost point in the UK, planned for the end of 2023.
Jörn Spurmann, Chief Commercial Officer at RFA, said: “We are super excited to launch our first flight from SaxaVord.
“This partnership of privately financed companies enables the spirit and speed that we need, to be on top of the commercial small launch competition.
“The SaxaVord team was incredibly determined to build our launch pad and get the operations up and running. We are proud to be part of this historic event for the UK having built the first launch pad in mainland Europe.
“We firmly believe in the UK’s strategic space vision and are absolutely convinced that the double-digit million investment in the site is well placed on our part.”
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Fintech Scotland and Morgan Stanley
Cluster management body FinTech Scotland has announced a new strategic partnership with Morgan Stanley, in a move that the organisation says will ‘further strengthening the growth of the financial technology innovation and excellence across Scotland and accelerating the fast-growing sector’s global connectivity.’
Commenting on this new partnership, Khalid Rafiq, Glasgow Head of Technology at Morgan Stanley said: “We are thrilled to deepen our ties with the Scottish fintech community and to help foster the growing start-up ecosystem.”
Nicola Anderson, Chief Executive at FinTech Scotland said: “We’re looking forward to working with Morgan Stanley, building even more global connectivity as we continue to build, grow, and advance the FinTech Scotland Cluster.”
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Microsoft and OpenAI
Microsoft has extended its multi-year, multi-billion dollar partnership with OpenAI.
The third phase of the partnership aims to accelerate breakthroughs in AI.
OpenAI has been a huge part of the recent AI discourse following the the launch of ChatGPT, its advanced chatbot which can respond to questions with human-like cadence.
Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella, said: “In this next phase of our partnership, developers and organisations across industries will have access to the best AI infrastructure, models, and toolchain with Azure to build and run their applications.”
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AccelerateHER and Codebase
CodeBase and AccelerateHer are partnering to host a hackathon event tailored to female and non-binary tech founders, focused on development and commercialisation of business ideas.
Audrey Opdycke-Barnes, VP of Place at CodeBase, said: “With an exciting crew of accomplished female business leaders facilitating the space, this will be an equitable and supportive event aimed at helping founders who are technical or non-technical, at the very beginning of their journey, or well on their way.”
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Research Data Scotland and Nexer Digital
Research Data Scotland (RDS) has selected design agency Nexer Digital to deliver a six month digital transformation programme to simplify and accelerate access to public sector data.
As part of the £300,000 project, Nexter Digital will design a new ‘Data Access Service’ to reduce the time it takes researchers to identify and access data without compromising scrutiny or security.
Hugh Wallace, Chief Information Officer at Research Data Scotland said: “Data is often locked away in lots of individual systems, across many different organisations, and isn’t in a format that makes access or integration easy.
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BR-DGE and Visa
Scottish payments orchestration platform BR-DGE have announced a three-year partnership with Visa to offer payment solutions to merchants and consumers, offering them greater choice in how they pay and get paid.
Commenting on the partnership, Tom Voaden, Head of Partnerships at BR-DGE said: “The partnership represents an exciting development in the payments sector as consumers seek greater flexibility, transparency, and control.”
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A unique partnership opportunity by XpoNorth Digital and Smartify will provide a digital boost to six Highland museums.
XpoNorth Digital, Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s specialist digital support programme for the creative and heritage sectors, and Smartify, the world’s most downloaded museum app, have collaborated to put six Highland museum collections on the world stage.
Lorna Cruickshank, Curatorial Manager at The Inverness Museum and Art Gallery said that the museum “is delighted to have the opportunity to take part in the programme, as it will help our charity to extend the accessibility of our museum collections.
“Smartify will support the museum to meet the needs and expectations of an ever-changing audience; local people, international visitors, and those with access needs. The museum looks forward to working with the Smartify team to re-charge the museum’s interpretation and enable new and fresh stories to be told.”
Want to read more? Click here.
Awards
Northern Tech Awards
Global technology and investment advisory firm GP Bullhound is bringing its Northern Tech Awards to Edinburgh on 20th April.
The awards, which showcase the fastest-growing and most promising tech companies in the North of the UK, are returning to the Scottish capital for the first time since 2018 for it’s tenth anniversary.
Javed Huq, Executive Director at GP Bullhound, said: “The tenth anniversary of the Northern Tech Awards will celebrate the incredible achievements of the region’s digital economy over the past 12 months, and we look forward to shining the spotlight on some of the most notable success stories.”
Want to read more? Click here.
Innovate UK
UK Research and Innovation‘s (UKRI) Innovate UK Young Innovators Award has provided £1.25 million in grants to 94 winners for their impactful inventions.
With nearly 700 applications, up from 25% on the previous year, the exceptional standard of entrants saw the number of winners increase by 50% from last year.
Emily Nott, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Programmes at Innovate UK said: “The level of creativity, passion, and commitment to positive change within our society and environment in this year’s Young Innovators Award winners is beyond inspiring.”
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Blackwood Design Awards
The Blackwood Design Awards have commended two different Scottish inventors for their innovations what help improve the lives of older and disable people.
Focusing on technological inventions, the awards highlight accessible innovations that allow people to live independently.
The successful shortlisted inventors joined at the V&A Dundee for the winners to be announced weeks after they originally pitched their ideas to the Dragon Den style competition.
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Relocations
transACT
IT firm transACT Technology Solutions, is set to create 20 new jobs in Glasgow after establishing its Scottish headquarters in the city.
The move comes as part of international expansion plans for the London-based firm, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
Boasting excellent infrastructure and digital connectivity, transACT sees Glasgow as the ideal base for the firm’s latest growth phase.
“As we look to broaden our reach, it makes sense to set up our Scottish headquarters in the country’s largest city,” said newly-appointed Director Duncan Girvan, who is already overseeing a recruitment drive for areas including Cloud, security and operations.
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