Welcome to March 2026’s edition of Movers & Shakers.

This month honoured rising stars and industry stalwarts with the ramping up of awards season, as well as key partnerships in agentic research, industry appointments to senior leadership, and expansions across the UK.

What really set March apart was its range of awards, from DIGIT’s very own Cyber Awards honouring the best and brightest in cybersecurity, and the Digital Tech Awards from ScotlandIS rounding out industry honours.

With Spring just beginning, Scotland sure is shining brightly!

All that and more coming up.

Partnerships

Lloyds & Glasgow Uni Launch 4-year Agentic AI Research Partnership

A new research partnership between the University of Glasgow and Lloyds Banking Group is setting out to explore the potential of AI to support software and data engineering.

Over the next four years, the partners will explore how large language model-based coding tools called agentic AIs could support and enhance the work of software and data engineers at Lloyds Banking Group.

Agentic AIs are software tools which act as semi-autonomous ‘agents’ to complete tasks of varying complexity. In software and data engineering, they are already being used to write and debug code, solve technical problems, and perform a variety of project management tasks.

The University’s research team and Lloyds Banking Group will work together to design experiments that test the efficacy of agentic AI for high priority activities in individual software teams.  The team will use a variety of empirical software engineering research techniques to gather evidence, such as data mining.

Read more here. 

KubeNet Appointed as Managed IT Services Partner for Erskine Veterans Charity

KubeNet has been appointed to take over and manage the full IT environment for Erskine Veterans Charity, supporting the organisation as it continues its vital work with veterans across Scotland.

Erskine Veterans Charity is one of Scotland’s most respected veterans’ organisations, supporting more than 1,300 veterans and their families each year. Founded in 1916, Erskine delivers a wide range of services including specialist care homes, supported housing, community and activity centres, transitional accommodation for veterans at risk of homelessness, and home support services across multiple locations throughout Scotland.

To support this scale of activity, Erskine went to market seeking a modern, secure, and resilient Managed IT Service that could support staff and volunteers’ day to day, strengthen cyber security, and provide long‑term stability across all sites. Following a competitive tender process, KubeNet was selected to deliver a comprehensive Managed Services solution, covering service desk support, proactive infrastructure and network management, enhanced cyber security, on‑site engineering, and a clear roadmap for future improvement.

Appointments

Quorum Cyber Appoints new Chief Operating Officer

Quorum Cyber, has announced the appointment of Joe Strathmann as chief operating officer (COO). Strathmann will be responsible for operationalising Microsoft Security for customers on a global scale.

A senior security operations leader with more than 25 years of experience in IT services and cybersecurity, Strathmann previously held senior operational leadership roles at Secureworks and Rapid7, where he led global managed security services, security operations centres (SOCs), and professional services organisations supporting customers worldwide.

Chief executive, Federico Charosky commented: “Strathmann will focus on bringing the organisation closer to the customer, while unlocking the power of AI in delivering frontier-grade security capabilities”.

Read more here. 

Karen Meechan Announces Departure From ScotlandIS

Karen Meechan is stepping down as CEO of ScotlandIS, the membership and cluster management organisation for Scotland’s technologies industry, after 22 years at the company.

Meechan is set to depart on 29 May 2026, but will continue to support the board in an advisory capacity. To maintain continuity, ScotlandIS COO Nicola Taylor will be Acting CEO from 29 May until a new leader is appointed.

Having held the position of CEO since 2021, Meechan has successfully steered ScotlandIS through various economic headwinds and has consistently been a strong, influential voice for its members and the wider tech sector in Scotland. Prior to her role as CEO, she held the titles of head of operations from 2004 and COO in 2019.

Read more here.

AND Digital Appoints Catherine Rousseau as Technical Solutions Director and John Bintu as Head of Databricks Ecosystem

In her new role, Rousseau will define and execute AND Digital’s strategy to be responsible for building partnerships and will be responsible for shaping and leading the delivery of enterprise technology solutions for AND Digital’s US clients, which include Mastercard and Dynamic Yield.

Rousseau is a senior advisor to executive stakeholders, overseeing solution design, technical delivery, and architectural quality across complex digital transformation programmes. Her focus will include cloud strategy, application modernisation, platform engineering, and the adoption of modern engineering and AI-enabled delivery practices.

The firm has also appointed John Bintu as Head of Databricks ecosystem to support the entire AND Digital organisation across all group practice areas, strengthening the company’s global Databricks capability and ensuring clients worldwide can accelerate value from data, cloud and AI. The appointment comes as AND Digital continue to expand in the US with reported growth reaching more than 400% year-on-year.

In his new role, John will be responsible for evolving the company’s suite of accelerators that enable internal teams to deliver greater speed to value and working with Databricks to maximise its strategic alliance partnership.

His appointment further reinforces AND Digital’s ability to scale its Databricks expertise at a time of growth, ensuring the company can continue to meet rising client demand for advanced cloud, data and AI capabilities.

hedgehog lab appoints Malcom Seagrave as CEO and Julian Leighton as New Chair

BGF-backed hedgehog lab, the global digital product consultancy headquartered in Newcastle, has appointed Malcolm Seagrave as its new CEO to lead its plans to expand across the North of England and Scotland.

After an initial 18 months as managing director for hedgehog lab’s UK operations, Malcolm succeeds co-founder and previous CEO Sarat Pediredla. Sarat announced he was stepping down at the end of 2025, as part of a phased succession plan that would allow him to explore other projects.

Malcolm has a strong track record of scaling digital businesses, having led BJSS from 140 to 1,400 people before its sale to CGI and helping AND Digital grow from 170 to 1,500 by heading up its Northern function. He also previously held innovation roles at Vodafone and Morrisons.

The firm has also appointed industry stalwart Julian Leighton as its new chair, as the global product design consultancy continues to roll out its ambitious growth plans across the North of England and Scotland.

Julian brings nearly 30 years’ tech experience to the firm, having cut his teeth with IBM business partners before co-founding digital agency Orange Bus with Mike Parker in 2006. Together, they scaled the business from two to 150 people before it was sold to then FTSE 100-listed outsourcer Capita ten years later.

After serving on the board of Capita Software until 2020, Julian went on to reunite with Mike Parker to develop software company Therion in its early stages. He now runs his own consultancy providing non-executive director support, advisory, and mentorship to help established businesses grow, and was recently appointed a non-exec at Newcastle creative agency Different Narrative.

Sunamp strengthens leadership with Chief Commercial Officer appointment

Sunamp, a leader in phase change material (PCM) thermal storage technologies, announced the appointment of Dr. Maurizio Zaglio as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). The appointment marks a pivotal moment for the company as it prepares to unveil its new industrial scale thermal storage solution at MCE Mostra Convegno Expocomfort in Milan.

Maurizio, who has spent more than a decade at Sunamp in senior commercial and technical leadership roles, brings deep expertise in renewable energy systems, international expansion and strategic partnerships. His background spans mechanical and chemical engineering, a Ph.D. from ETH Zürich and extensive experience driving Sunamp’s growth across Europe, China, and North America.

In his new role, he will lead Sunamp’s global revenue strategy, overseeing sales, partnerships and market development as the company scales its next generation of PCM based thermal storage technologies.

CirrusHQ has eye on customer resilience with key sales appointment

CirrusHQ, the AWS cloud specialist and Premier Tier Services Partner, has boosted its senior leadership with the appointment of Matt Smith as the organisation’s new Head of Sales.

Reporting to CirrusHQ’s Chief Revenue Officer, Stephen Croke, Matt will extend the organisation’s existing and new relationships with organisations seeking to benefit from the cloud across the UK.

He joins the business from IGEL, a secure endpoint operating system organisation where he was regional sales director. Matt previously held senior sales leadership roles at CrowdStrike, Citrix and Computacenter.

Expansions

Wes Streeting Marks Launch of Health Innovation Hub Glasgow

Glasgow’s newest purpose-built life sciences laboratory facility, the Health Innovation Hub (HiH), has been officially opened by Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care following a launch event held on 5 March. This marks a major milestone for Scotland’s life sciences and the healthcare innovation ecosystem in Glasgow City Region.

Developed and operated by Kadans Science Partner, in collaboration with the University of Glasgow’s Living Laboratory for Precision Medicine, the 87,000 sq ft Health Innovation Hub represents a flagship investment to accelerate the growth of precision medicine and digital health companies.

Developed with investment from Kadans Science Partner and £18.8m support from UK Research and Innovation’s Strength in Places Fund, the facility has transformed a former brownfield site within the Glasgow Riverside Innovation District (GRID) into a world-class destination for research, innovation and collaboration.

photo by Paul Chappells

Aurora Avionics moves into cutting-edge Scottish lab

Scotland’s rapidly growing space technology sector has received another boost as a cutting-edge avionics developer expands into a state-of-the-art innovation facility in Edinburgh.

The move comes as the company builds momentum following a series of major European contracts and fresh investment designed to accelerate the development of next-generation launch vehicle technology.

Aurora Avionics, founded in 2023, has relocated its headquarters and research operations to the Edinburgh Innovation Hub, a new facility designed to support high-growth science and technology businesses requiring specialist laboratory space.

UK patent and trade mark firm Hindles targets expansion in South West

UK patent and trade mark firm Hindles, headquartered in Edinburgh, is targeting the South West with the opening of an office in Bristol. The Bristol office is headed up by Chris Cottingham, a director at Hindles and a UK and European patent attorney, who describes the region as a “powerhouse of innovation and AI”.

Chris Cottingham said: “Bristol and the wider South West region are an absolute powerhouse of innovation, fuelled by world-class universities and R&D, startups, and globally renowned companies across a series of strategically important sectors, and it’s a perfect home for our third UK office.

“And when you look at the city and region’s fast-growing credentials in AI, we see significant opportunities to support some of the most exciting players here.

“The launch of our Bristol office strategically places us at the heart of the UK’s premier deeptech ecosystem outside the Golden Triangle of Cambridge, Oxford and London. Deeptech innovation is an area where the South West is excelling, driven in part by new startup and spinout companies as well as new incubators, such as the recently launched OMX deeptech lab facility.”

Awards

Winners Announced at Digital Tech Awards 2026

This year’s iteration of the Digital Tech Awards saw finalists represented from a plethora of digital tech touchpoints – from Tech for Good to Product Innovation, as well as the introduction of a brand-new “AI Trailblazer” award.

Now in its 16th year, the ScotlandIS Digital Technology Awards shines a spotlight on “the great kind of innovation” happening across the country’s tech sector. 

Karen Meechan, CEO of ScotlandIS, describes the awards as a showcase of excellence – from startups to large enterprises – and an opportunity for every corner of Scotland’s digital industries to network, learn and take pride in each other’s achievements. 

Meechan commented: “Each year these awards remind us of the strength, ambition and innovation across Scotland’s tech sector. The companies and individuals pushing boundaries and showing resilience in the face of uncertainty are exactly why these awards exist; to shine a spotlight on the world-class talent we have here in Scotland.”

Read more here. 

2026 Scottish Cyber Awards Winners Revealed

Scotland’s cybersecurity community celebrated last night as the 2026 edition  – the year of “wicked messes” – of the annual Scottish Cyber Awards recognised the achievements of individuals, organisations and academics from across the industry.

Run by DIGIT and hosted by BBC Scotland broadcaster Mark Stephens, the awards took place at the EICC in Edinburgh and saw the 14 coveted prizes given to winners from across the cybersecurity sector.

Acumen Cyber was crowned Cybersecurity Company of the Year, sponsored by Be-IT.

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.”

Read more here.

Scots Firms Take Home £400,000 at Regional EDGE Awards

Scottish EDGE has named twenty high-growth businesses from four regions as winners at the second Regional EDGE competition, sharing a prize fund of £400,000.

Taking home £50,000 each were Highland Wood from Inverness, Aberdeen-based Aqura Systems, Gowaan Bike Club CIC from Innerleithen, and Arbroath-based Umbra Dynamics, all of which will have the chance to compete for another £50,000 in the RBS–supported Winner of Winners award, to be announced in April.

“Regional EDGE has proved itself to be an essential part of our national entrepreneurial ecosystem,” said Evelyn McDonald, CEO of Scottish EDGE.

Read more here. 

Abertay University Ranked Top International School For Games Design

Abertay University has been ranked the top International School for video games design in an achievement that ‘cements Scotland’s reputation’ in the industry.

The University has achieved its best ever performance in the Princeton Review’s global rankings for video games education, being named the top International School and the number one institution in Europe.

In the 2026 edition of the influential league table, Abertay’s undergraduate games programmes are ranked 5th in the world, with postgraduate programmes placed 7th globally, strengthening the University’s longstanding position as a leading provider of games education.

Read more here. 

Quorum Cyber Wins 2026 Globee® Award for Cybersecurity

Quorum Cyber, a Microsoft-first cyber security services provider, is honoured to be named a winner in the 2026 Globee® Awards for Cybersecurity, a globally recognised programme celebrating excellence in all areas of cyber security. This prestigious recognition highlights Quorum Cyber for its contributions to digital security, innovation in threat defence, and commitment to advancing cyber security solutions.

The Globee® Awards for Cybersecurity recognise achievements across a wide range of categories, including risk management, threat detection, cloud security, artificial intelligence-driven defence, data privacy, zero-trust architecture, compliance, and other innovations that help safeguard digital ecosystems worldwide. Nominations are evaluated across local, regional, and global achievements, ensuring that impactful work at every level is recognised.

Quorum Cyber was recognised as the Best of Category winner in the Best Cybersecurity Service Provider of the Year, an honour awarded to the entry that received the highest overall score in its category. This distinction represents the top-ranked submission among all entries evaluated in that category, based on a data-driven scoring process conducted by industry experts worldwide.