Recruitment

CodeClan

CodeClan made two major announcements in October: firstly that current CEO Melinda Matthews-Clarkson was to step down from her role, and that Loral Quinn would be taking up the post.

Matthews-Clarkson plans to take a sabbatical in her native United States before pursuing a new position in the Scottish technology ecosystem during 2023.

Commenting on her departure, Matthews-Clarkson said she leaves the digital skills academy in a “solid state” and prime position to continue supporting the tech sector.

She said: “The best thing has been seeing the students graduate, get their dream jobs, and then seeing them being promoted, buying homes, and starting families – that’s a hard yardstick to beat!

“As a not-for-profit social enterprise, we have weathered many storms over the last five years, facing them with a growth mindset, collaborative problem-solving, and a determination to see things through. I could not be prouder to be part of our amazing team.

“Five years ago, I put a quote on the wall of CodeClan’s Edinburgh campus, which said, ‘Will it be easy? Nope, but worth it? Absolutely.’

“Now I understand that quote applies to all that study and work at CodeClan. It is a unique environment that allows people to grow, learn and connect with passionate people around technology.”

New CodeClan CEO Loral Quinn said she is planning for scale at Scotland’s digital skills academy, as Quinn replaces outgoing Matthews-Clarkson.

The former CEO and co-founder of Sustainably, said: “There are 20,000 software jobs out there, and CodeClan is perfectly placed to help close the digital skills gap, and the current hiring and upskilling crisis.

“We are going to get there by scaling the operation, and scaling the engagement of industry partners who benefit from the graduates we produce.”

Quinn added: “I want to bring my experience of leading global teams, combined with the lessons I learned as a startup founder, to CodeClan. We can become even more integral to the ecosystem value chain in Scotland, will champion inclusivity and diversity, and be accessible to as many students and businesses as we can.

“To make more of an impact, we need to work closely with the entire tech ecosystem from startups to scale-ups, corporate and public sector. So, increasing engagement with industry is going to be front and centre.”

Cytomos

Cytomos made three C-suite appointments as the firm gears up for its next stage of growth.

David Rigterink joined the scale-up as CEO and is appointed to the Board while Dr Lindsay Fraser joins as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO).

In addition, Gordon Sharp has been promoted to interim Chief Technology Officer as part of a new-look executive team.

The newly appointed executive team will help drive the company forward during this next growth stage, which includes the development of the CDS platform, the conceptual design of in-line GMP chip sensors, and relocation to a larger integrated HQ with office and laboratory space.

Commenting on the appointments, Cytomos Chairman Dr Alan Raymond said: “The appointments of David, Lindsay and Gordon add considerable experience and expertise to our first-class team of biopharma professionals.

“With our new Executive team and funding in place, Cytomos is well positioned to accelerate its pace of growth and advance the development of our novel process analytical technology platform.”

Smart Things Accelerator Centre

Smart Things Accelerator Centre marked its first anniversary by making a string of senior appointments to its team.

Former Scottish Enterprise Managing Director and interim CEO Linda Hanna is now in place as STAC’s Head of Partnerships, while Meta VP for Supply Chain Sean Murphy joins a STAC Advisory Board that includes recently appointed Volvo Cars CEO Jim Rowan.

Commenting on Hanna’s appointment, STAC CEO Paul Wilson said: “We want to be in tune with the Scottish Government’s economic and social priorities, through fulfilling the technology requirements via Scottish innovation and entrepreneurship.

“There are very clear challenges around energy, climate, sustainability, health, and social care, and IoT plays well into these sectors. Linda’s experience and network will help us to better engage with the Scottish Government, enterprise agencies, higher education, and big business, and support our push to match Scottish innovation with the greatest societal issues we face.”

Murphy commented: “I am excited to join the team at STAC to harness the very evident talent in Scotland. I am fortunate to enjoy an international career, and it’s clear that Scotland is producing talent working at senior executive level in many top tier tech original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

“Through STAC, we will develop talent into brands and see them compete internationally. In my view, the mission is bold, but also very realistic.”

GoFibre

Scottish broadband provider GoFibre announced that CEO and founder Alex Cacciamani and co-founder, Laura Cacciamani will be stepping back from their roles to focus on new entrepreneurial challenges.

The company announced that Chief Financial Officer Scott Walters will also be leaving in November for a new role.

The search for a new CEO and CFO is already well advanced, according to GoFibre, with its board saying they were confident that appointments would be made imminently.

In the interim, Chair Chris Jagusz will take on the role of Executive Chair, leading the Executive Management Team.

On the operational side, Andy Hepburn has joined the business as Chief Operating Officer from Openreach. He will be responsible for the planning and execution of GoFibre’s roll-out plans, as the business continues to expand across Scotland and the North of England.

Consumer Director Sam Calvert will become responsible for all consumer, public sector, business, and wholesale customer relationships in a new role as Chief Revenue Officer.

Executive Chair, Jagusz said: “I would like to say a huge thank you to Alex for all he has done over the last five years, working tirelessly to deliver on GoFibre’s mission to close the digital divide, inspiring the team to take the business to the next level and expanding its presence across Scotland and the North of England.

“Alex leaves an experienced operations team to deliver on GoFibre’s ambitious plans and he will continue to provide support as we move forward. We wish both him and Laura all the very best in their future endeavours.

“As GoFibre continues to experience significant growth, it’s critical that we have the right team in place to deliver on our vision and ambition. We’re confident that the changes we are making now will set us up for success in the future and are looking forward to getting everyone into their roles and continuing to deliver.”

Livingston James Group

Livingston James Group has appointed Alistair Shaw to its Executive Search & Leadership Advisory Practice, Livingston James, in a bid to drive growth in the manufacturing and technology sectors.

Along with being sector lead in Livingston James, he will have wider Group responsibility for new service innovation and growth of the M&T sectors across all brands.

Commenting on his new appointment, Shaw said: “I’m delighted to be joining such a high calibre team at a time when more and more Manufacturing and Technology organisations are looking for agile leaders to guide them through these uncertain times.

“Manufacturing and Technology are both huge growth sectors in Scotland and are key to the long-term recovery and future success of the Scottish economy.

“I look forward to working with organisations in these sectors to ensure they are best placed to tackle key issues such as the transition to net-zero, supply chain disruption, talent shortages, and automation.”

Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre

The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) has appointed a new senior business engagement manager to accelerate the growth of Scotland’s bioeconomy.

IBioIC is hoping that the new hire will allow it to achieve ambitious targets set out in the National Plan for Industrial Biotechnology.

Andrew Bowen joins the firm from Oxford University Innovation, where he was a senior licensing and ventures manager, focusing on commercialising a variety of high-impact chemistry and life sciences projects.

In his new role, Bowen will lead Biotech Innovators – a new accelerator programme for SMEs, spinouts and start-ups launched earlier this month.

He will also help to raise awareness of funding opportunities for companies in the IBioIC network and accelerate the commercialisation of strategic projects throughout the sector.

Commenting on his role, Bowen said: “I’m excited to join IBioIC and apply my experience across its range of projects.

“The innovation centre’s network includes so many fantastic companies using cutting-edge techniques and processes, and I’m looking forward to connecting with them and exploring how IBioIC can support them further.

“Biotechnology presents a great opportunity to embrace the net zero targets for Scotland and I’m keen to be part of the great work IBioIC does to reach these goals.”

Archangels

Neil Cunningham, founder of MatchPoint Hospitality Group, has been appointed to the board of Scottish investment syndicate, Archangels.

An investor in Archangels for more than 15 years, Cunningham’s appointment to the board comes as the Edinburgh-based syndicate celebrates its 30th year.

Chaired by Ian Macleod, other Archangels board members include Tim Allan, Maureen Kinsler, Mike MacPhee and Andrew Sealey.

Macleod said: “Having founded, grown and successfully exited a highly valuable Scottish business, Neil is an excellent addition to the Archangels board of directors.

“Neil brings a great deal of international experience and market expertise, which will be invaluable as Archangels continues to support and promote innovative Scottish businesses and generate real value for our investors and the wider Scottish economy.”

Cunningham added: “In the 15 years that I’ve been a member of the Archangels community, I’ve witnessed first-hand the value of angel investing to supporting ambitious early-stage businesses.

“It’s an honour to help steer that support from the Board and to play my role in the next chapter of Archangels’ story.”

KPMG UK

KPMG has instated six new partners that will work closely with the professional network services’ senior partner in Scotland, James Kergon.

Arleen Arnott, a partner within KPMG’s Financial Services practice has also been named as the firm’s office senior partner in Edinburgh and will lead over 280 colleagues based in the capital. Arnott joined the firm in 2015, following 25 years with Standard Life.

KPMG also announced the promotion of 96 others, including three new Directors, 10 Senior Managers, 21 Managers and 62 Assistant Managers across its Scottish offices. These build on the firm’s 30 promotions it made in Scotland in April this year.

Commenting on the new promotions, senior partner for Scotland, James Kergon, said: “Our latest round of promotions highlights the significant investment being made across the firm in Scotland at every level to support our ambitious growth plans to be the fastest growing and most trusted professional services firm.

“We know that businesses are dealing with uncertainty like never before, which makes it more critical that we continue to have the right team in place to provide advice and support to our clients.

“I’m really pleased to see six colleagues join our partnership in Scotland. Each has played a significant role with clients and colleagues alike, and I look forward to seeing them continue growing their expertise and careers at KPMG. I’m delighted that Arleen is stepping into the senior partner role for our Edinburgh office and joining our leadership team in Scotland.”

Aveni

UK fintech company Aveni has announced appointment of investment heavyweight Colin Clark as Chairman of its newly formed Board.

The strategic appointment comes after a recent successful funding injection of £2.75 million to grow the company’s market share in the financial services sector.

Clark will work closely with founder and CEO Joseph Twigg and COO Jamie Hunter to build out a diverse Aveni Board; expand and open sales opportunities; and maintain the emphasis on offering its technology.

Commenting on his role, Clark said: “I have known Joseph from his previous investment roles and always been impressed by his energy and desire to find solutions. I’ve followed Aveni closely since it was founded in 2018, so it was a role I was delighted to accept.

“The business has significant potential for scale and has focused very well so far on bringing in excellent people to develop a product which is truly solutions-focused for the financial services industry and regulatory needs. We will continue that as we build the board – identifying the right mix of experience, skill, and diverse thinking to help the business thrive and expand.

“The fintech market has only scratched the surface of its potential, in my view. It now faces a paradigm shift as technology advancements, data capabilities and regulatory demands create new opportunities. Consumer Duty in particular brings an excellent opportunity for Aveni, as the regulator takes further action to protect consumers and our customer-centric reporting technology can play a key role in providing strategic quality assurance solutions.”

Opulus Financial

Opulus Financial has announced the appointment of experienced business executive, Lorna Jack, who joins the ‘Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Solutions’ business as its new Chair.

Jack has held the position of Chief Executive at The Law Society for Scotland and is now currently Chairman of Highlands and Islands Airports, Vice Chair of Scottish Funding Council and Honorary Consul for the Netherlands in Scotland.

The appointment represents an important milestone for Opulus as the business continues seeks to build a highly skilled team and expand its unique CFO Solutions offering ahead of further growth expected before the end of the year.

Opulus’ new Chair, Lorna Jack, said: “With four successful acquisitions already completed since launching as a business last year, I’m delighted to join such an ambitious business and can’t wait to begin supporting Matthew and the wider team in their efforts in integrating new acquisitions into the wider group and expanding the business’ unique CFO solutions offering across the country.”

Simple Online Healthcare

Glasgow-based online pharmacy, Simple Online Healthcare, has made two C-suite hires as the company targets further international growth.

Rebecca Moore joins the firm as chief operating officer (COO), arriving from TravelNest, with Panos Karyofyllis hired as chief growth officer (CGO) from Skyscanner.

Moore commented: “I am excited to join Addy, Karim, and the team as the company enters a new phase of growth, across the UK and internationally, and to be able to share the journey to scale in the digital healthcare sector with Panos, Shane and Jules.”

Panos Karyofyllis joins from Skyscanner where he held various leadership positions across growth, marketing, strategy, and insights, most recently as senior director of performance marketing.

Addy Mohammed, Co-founder, Simple Online Healthcare, commented: “Becs and Panos bring unrivalled experience in building brands in global markets, worked closely with our Non-executive Directors Shane and Jules during their time at Skyscanner, and we couldn’t be happier to have them on board.”

Alba

Scots fintech firm AlbaCo (Alba) has appointed banking and financial services executive, Graeme Jones as its new Chair.

Jones, a qualified Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute ACII, brings experience to the existing Alba team having spent the last four decades undertaking a range of senior operational roles at high-profile organisations such as Standard Life, RBS, Aviva Life and Experian.

Jones commented: “I’m truly excited to be joining the highly motivated team at Alba aiming to launch the first new bank in the West of Scotland in over 130 years.

“Throughout my career I have been passionate about giving innovative and driven SMEs the support they need to continue to be the backbone of the UK economy and I’m convinced Alba, with its focus on relationship banking, will do just that.”

Rod Ashley, CEO of Alba, added: “While the last couple of years have unquestionably been challenging as we, like so many businesses, have been impacted by Covid-19 and the subsequent volatile economic climate, we believe this appointment represents our confidence in reaching the next important step in our journey of becoming a fully licensed SME-focused bank.

“Graeme has an impressive track record within the financial services industry and is the perfect additional to our existing team as we know he shares our steadfast determination on becoming a new bank with a clear vision and purpose – to support small and medium-sized businesses as they develop their aspirations, grow and realise their potential.”

Partnerships

Biscuit Tin and Age Partnership

Biscuit Tin has announced a new partnership with the UK’s leading equity release advisory firm, Age Partnership.

The new collaboration will enable Age Partnership to provide their customers with preferential access to the personalised secure digital vault.

It follows several partnerships and collaborations secured by Biscuit Tin over the last year, including Scottish Building Society. East Lothian based founder Sheila Hogan launched Biscuit Tin in 2020 following a successful forty-year career in digital transformation.

Commenting on the new Age Partnership collaboration, Hogan said: “I am delighted to be working with Age Partnership to provide their valued customers with a special opportunity to get organised and plan in advance with Biscuit Tin.

“Creating a structured digital legacy of our lives means we can feel safe in the knowledge that we are making a difference by taking much of the administrative stress and stain away from our loved ones in the future. Biscuit Tin enables everyone to securely organise all of their life information and create a digital biography of their life to leave as a legacy to hand down the generations.

“I’m delighted with the progress we’re making as a business to achieve our vision of making Biscuit Tin a global household brand in digital legacy within the next five years, in world where planning for end of life is the norm, and where we all have virtual biscuit tins containing our digital legacies to hand down the generations and we make a difference by making life easier at every stage.”

Highlands and Islands Enterprise, XpoNorth and UHI

The Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) XpoNorth Digital programme, UHI and Hollywood producer Jason Lust have partnered to deliver a new initiative for creatives.

FutureCreative is designed to directly connect creative, heritage and digital students with professional networks and opportunities.

XpoNorth Digital will deliver workshops, one-to-one advice and specialist mentorship as part of the project, which will allow students to integrate more fully into the creative industries, explore new ideas, develop relationships, and build professional futures.

The programme will be available to all students studying a creative or heritage course at UHI.

In addition to the broader FutureCreative programme, executive producer Lust will work with XpoNorth Digital and UHI to deliver a specially curated mentorship and talent development strand, custom designed to support students to access high-level national and international opportunities earlier in their career and development journey.

XpoNorth Digital programme manager Alex Smith commented: “Following the success of our previous LevelUp partnership, we’re delighted to be further extending our relationship with UHI through the launch of the new FutureCreative programme.

“With a distinct focus on supporting students to better explore the diversity of pathways into the sector, this exciting development will see increased access to the XpoNorth Digital support framework alongside specialist workshops, mentorship, and network building opportunities.

“We’re also incredibly pleased to have worked with Jason Lust on what we’re sure will be a transformational opportunity for the students to connect with high-level opportunities on an international scale.”

Commsworld and Netomnia

Commsworld will work with Netomnia to provide full-fibre broadband connectivity to around 90,000 homes in North Lanarkshire.

The partnership, which started in 2021, comes as Commsworld begins the first phase of its 15-year contract that was announced earlier this year.

Through this partnership, Commsworld – which is installing its own full-fibre connectivity to council buildings, sites and schools – and Netomnia will also use Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) to share duct and pole infrastructure.

This “build once” approach aims to minimise the disruption that builds of this kind can bring to roads and streets in the region.

Bruce Strang, Commsworld Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Netomnia, a company which like us is fully committed to the rapid roll-out of high capacity, resilient, and future-proofed pure fibre connectivity to towns, cities and regions throughout the UK.

“Together we have begun delivering our commitment to North Lanarkshire to provide better broadband connections to the local authority area, through its schools, offices and businesses. Also we will provide North Lanarkshire’s community organisations and residents with all of the socially inclusive benefits that more resilient, ultra-fast connectivity can bring.

“These new connections, due to be completed by the end of 2023, are the beginning of what we believe Commsworld and Netomnia can achieve in the future.”

INBEST, Lightning Reach and Fair4All Finance

Scottish benefits platform INBEST and Tech for Good start-up Lightning Reach will work with Fair4All Finance to broaden their coverage of cost-of-living support for individuals on both platforms.

Lightning Reach and INBEST aim to integrate their respective platforms, broadening their combined coverage of cost-of-living support.

This integration will allow Lightning Reach to include benefits, grants and discounted tariffs covered by Inbest in its one-stop support portal, while Inbest will add discretionary schemes and grants available on the Lightning Reach portal to its benefits calculator.

The partnership is being supported by financial inclusion not-for-profit Fair4all Finance which is making the portal available to the community finance sector as part of its programs to expand the provision of affordable credit and the pilot for the No Interest Loan Scheme.

Senthan Balachandiran, Programme Manager at Fair4All Finance, said: “One of the core initiatives in our cost of living response is to make available in as many customer journeys as possible a benefit and grant check because we know that awareness is one of the biggest barriers to claiming entitlement.

“In addition to the No Interest Loan Scheme pilot journey, we are working with credit reference agencies, price comparison websites, loan management systems, and community and mainstream finance to ensure these checks are provided to all their customers.”

PETRONAS and Heriot-Watt University

PETRONAS and Heriot-Watt University formed a research partnership to jointly develop cost-effective technologies to produce hydrogen from biomass waste.

The £1 million research project is a collaboration under PETRONAS Centre of Excellence in Subsurface Engineering and Energy Transition (PACESET), one of the three Global Technology Centres established by PETRONAS and its academic partners to advance low-carbon and cleaner energy solutions. PACESET is based at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, United Kingdom.

Researchers will advance techniques to use thermochemical reactions to produce hydrogen from biomass and other waste materials. They will also explore solutions to address scalability and storage – main barriers in popularising hydrogen as an alternative energy – to promote adoption globally.

Professor Raffaella Ocone, who is leading the research at the university’s Institute of Geoenergy Engineering said: “Hydrogen is seen as a key contributor to the energy transition, but current production and storage methods face multiple scalability challenges. Biomass and biomass-derived fuels can be used to produce hydrogen sustainably and our multidisciplinary team is uniquely placed to address the current barriers by bringing together engineers, scientists, geologists, and industry partners.

“Our research will initially develop new technologies to process and create hydrogen from different biomass waste products, completing a circular economy pathway and producing higher volumes than those currently achievable from existing production methods.

“Our focus will be on technology that can scale because hydrogen remains a small contributor to our overall energy mix. For net zero ambitions to be met, this needs to change rapidly. Collaborators will be essential for the success of this research, and we welcome like-minded partners to join us.”

Awards

Topolytics

Award-winning data analytics platform Topolytics announced it has been selected as a winner in the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Sustainable Smart Factory competition.

The firm gained funding to help improve energy efficiency, productivity, and the sustainability of manufacturing processes.

The grant comes as part of UKRI’s Made Smarter Innovation Challenge, and body awarded 12 organisations with a combined grant of £14 million towards projects that harness digital innovations, to boost energy and carbon efficiency within manufacturing.

Together, the 12 winners are projected to create 1000 jobs, and reduce manufacturing CO2 emissions by 300,000 tonnes a year, which is the equivalent to taking nearly 65,000 cars off UK roads.

Michael Groves, CEO of Topolytics, said: “We are delighted that UKRI has recognised the significant role our technology plays in developing more sustainable manufacturing processes.

“Every year the world produces billions of tonnes of waste, which often ends up in landfill as organisations don’t have a clear way to track and manage the waste they produce. This is critical to the environment, and Topolytics is here to address this challenge.

“Our work is looking to generate visibility of waste from raw material inputs, through a production process into the external waste system. By doing so, we can generate insights that can drive operational and resource efficiencies, and measure and reduce carbon impact.”

Tech Nation

Tech Nation has announced the 35 mid-stage scaling tech companies that have been accepted into Upscale 8.0.

The latest cohort form the eighth iteration of the Upscale programme, which supports Series A tech companies to overcome common growth challenges.

Success for these 35 companies – which have an average growth rate of 250% – reflects the strength of the mid-sized market overall, which is growing faster than ever across the board.

Winnie Yan, Upscale Programme Lead at Tech Nation, said: “I am delighted to welcome all of these ambitious, fast-growing tech scaleups to the Upscale programme this year.

“The impact these companies’ innovative solutions are already having on people’s lives across so many industries is evident from their combined revenue of over £90 million, and it’s fantastic to see investors taking note of the potential these tech companies have not only to scale but to transform every corner of society for the better.”

Behavioural Finance

Edinburgh-based startup Behavioural Finance has been unveiled as the winner of the inaugural Phoenix Group Innovation Forum.

Launched in May 2022, Behavioural Finance was selected as a finalist alongside Airfunders and Moroku. The companies were then assigned mentors from Phoenix Group’s senior leadership team to develop their concepts further.

Behavioural Finance was confirmed as the winner after a final pitch on 22nd September. Judges noted that the company’s ‘WealthPersonality’ tool concept stood out for its “ingenuity, creativity and ability to engage customers”.

Commenting on the award, co-founder and CEO Chris Tweed said: “We are delighted to have been chosen as the winner of the inaugural Phoenix Group Innovation Forum, which has been a valuable and rewarding experience for us.

“Improving financial outcomes is the cornerstone of our WealthPersonality tool, and we look forward to working in partnership with Phoenix Group to build a new concept that will really support their customers now and into the future.”

Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards

The eighth Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards has opened for entries to celebrate exceptional business-academic partnerships.

Interface will host the Awards ceremony in person on Thursday 23 March, 2023.

The Awards acknowledge collaborations from businesses, social enterprises, public sector organisations, third sector, universities, research institutes, innovation centres and colleges.

This year’s iteration was launched by Ivan McKee, Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, at an event for past winners at Heriot-Watt University.

He commented: “It was great to be part of the launch event for 2023 Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards (SKEAs), celebrating the innovative collaborations between business and the research community across Scotland.

“I have been involved with the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards for a number of years now and always look forward to hearing more about the impact of these business-academic partnerships across all sectors of industry, helping to tackle some of society’s big challenges and making Scotland a more resilient nation.”

Click here for further information on the awards.

Scottish Financial Technology Awards

The winners of the 2022 Scottish Financial Technology Awards have been announced, with Modulr securing the ‘Fintech of the Year’ award on the evening.

Held as the closing event of the Scotland Fintech Festival, the 2022 awards were an opportunity to reconnect and celebrate the resilience and innovation displayed by the FS and fintech ecosystem over the last two years.

Here is the full list of winners from the 2022 Scottish Financial Technology Awards.

• Climate Innovation: Zumo
• RegTech Innovation: Aveni
• Financial Services Innovation: Lloyds Banking Group
• Fintech Student of the Year: Amirreza Sarencheh
• Social Impact Award: Miconex
• Fintech of the Year: Modulr
• Open Finance: DirectID
• Financial Technology Partner: Incremental Group
• Outstanding Female Leader: Jude Cook
• Fintech Collaboration: TSB
• Best New Entrant: Snugg
• Fintech Evangelist: Mickael Paris
• Payments Innovation: AutoRek
• International Achievement: DirectID
• Special Recognition Award: Nicola Anderson

Commenting on the awards, DIGIT Founder Ray Bugg said: “It was fantastic to bring Scotland’s vibrant financial services and fintech communities together under one roof.

“Throughout the Scotland Fintech Festival, we have seen the innovation and pioneering spirit of these industries showcased far and wide, highlighting their importance to Scotland’s economy and her people.

Gen+ skills and leadership programme

Five more Scottish schools are set to join the Gen+ skills and leadership programme which aims to ‘equip and inspire the next generation of young Scots to have the skills and confidence to learn, lead, and thrive.’

The secondary schools taking part are St John’s High School, Perth, St Ninians’s High School, Kirkintilloch, Inverclyde Academy, Greenock, and Glasgow’s Hillpark Secondary and Shawlands Academy.

They join Barrhead High School in East Renfrewshire, Lourdes Secondary in Glasgow, Morgan Academy in Dundee and The Glasgow Academy, all of which have signed up to continue with the programme following their participation in the pilot programme which concluded in June.

The Gen+ programme has lofty goals of reaching 360 schools and 290,000 young people within the next five years.

Victoria Vardy, CEO of Gen+, said: “We are delighted that the four schools from our pilot project have re-engaged with us for another year and we welcome hugely the five new schools which have joined this year.

“Gen+ has one overarching ambition: to provide every child in every classroom with a leadership and personal development programme that helps them recognise and develop their unique skills and talents. Our vision is to equip and inspire the next generation to have the skills and confidence to learn, lead, and thrive.

“Through six meta-skills focused modules, the programme teaches students leadership, resilience, collaboration, communication, initiative, and organisation, allowing them to reflect on and develop their capabilities.”

Zumo

Edinburgh-based wallet and crypto-as-a-service firm Zumo has announced that it has become a member of the World Economic Forum’s Crypto Sustainability Coalition.

Part of the wider Crypto Impact and Sustainability Accelerator, the newly formed coalition will explore how blockchain tools can be leveraged to contribute to meaningful progress toward positive climate action.

Zumo will contribute to the outputs of the coalition’s targeted working groups in developing the guiding principles and toolkits for companies, regulators and start-ups to leverage the potential of blockchain to reach energy goals.

Nick Jones, Zumo CEO, said: “It’s extremely encouraging to see the level of coordinated activity that has emerged in this area since we started our own crypto decarbonisation journey.”

“As we all know, there’s a lot left to do and a long way to go; what we’re seeing, however, is the strands of this work in the crypto ESG space really coming together – and, perhaps, the beginnings of a shift in the narrative and the ability to see this technology not just as a problem, but as a potential force multiplier for good.

“Making sure crypto and blockchain more generally develops in a way that caters to the needs of people and the planet is critical to Zumo and what we’re doing. We’re delighted to be invited to participate in this worthy World Economic Forum initiative, and to continue to build and collaborate with our fellow actors in the space.”

“What is urgently needed are global coordination technologies that can transcend the mass bureaucratization of climate action. This is where web3 takes up the torch. I’m excited to work with climate innovative companies, like Zumo, to showcase the impact journey that the Crypto Sustainability Coalition is spearheading from climate challenge to web3 solutions.”

Slush tech conference

A group of entrepreneurs has been selected to travel to the Slush tech conference in Helsinki next month as part of a programme led by Startup Grind Scotland to boost international connections.

Held between 12-20 November, the Helsinki trip is supported by the Scottish Government and Scottish Development International (SDI).

The Scottish cohort, which will be joined by tech incubator CodeBase, hopes to improve connections with the international startup community, peer-to-peer learning, investor engagement, and learning best-practice for ecosystem-building from the Finnish model.

The Startup Grind Helsinki trip follows the success of a similar trip to Silicon Valley in April, with both visits stemming from Mark Logan’s Scottish Technology Ecosystem Review in 2020.

Carolina Melendez, Startup Grind Scotland’s Head of Operations, said: “We’re excited to bring together a richly diverse cohort, not only in the focus and stage of businesses growth, but also in age, ethnicity, gender and lived experience.

“Selected from different locations across this amazing country, our delegates are a true illustration of Scotland’s eclectic entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“We know the trip will bring inspiration and professional opportunities, but the ‘Foras’ model also encourages trust, openness and fostering peer relationships within the group. The cohort will return with invaluable experiences, new connections, and a global mindset that we hope will benefit the Scottish tech ecosystem as a whole.”

Relocations

KubeNet

Glasgow based managed services provider and business telecoms company KubeNet moved to larger premises and gained new contract wins after support from Scottish Enterprise.

The new office at Academy Business Park, Glasgow, forms part of KubeNet’s increased investment in people and infrastructure as it creates 14 new jobs with plans to establish a centre of excellence to develop the technical and digital skills of its employees and clients.

KubeNet recently received funding of £180,000 from Scottish Enterprise to support its growth plans and has also formed a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with the University of the West of Scotland to enhance its products and strategy.

KubeNet director Julie Inglis said: “We have been delighted with the support we’ve had from Scottish Enterprise, with us every step of the KubeNet journey, with funding and advice.

“Our recent expansion to Academy Business Park in Glasgow means we can build on our training and technology services and make use of the latest technology to deliver the highest quality digital communications and solutions across the board.

“What also makes KubeNet unique is the excellent team delivering exceptional, tailored customer service and I look forward to bringing new employees on board with our path to achieve our aim of being a leading technology company in Scotland.”

Norman Broadbent Group

Norman Broadbent Group announced the opening of its first offices in Scotland in October.

With offices in both Edinburgh and Aberdeen, the firm has established a six-strong team to launch the Scottish business, aiming to employ 20 staff across Scotland by the end of 2025.

The company has stated that a physical presence in two key cities strengthens Norman Broadbent’s service offering across multiple verticals and specialist sectors including, industrials, financial services, energy, consumer, digital and technology, life sciences and private equity.

Based in Edinburgh, Diamond is the Managing Director for Norman Broadbent’s operations in Scotland and leads the firm’s global practice focused on private capital and investors.

He will advise and support the firm’s client base and focus on growing the Norman Broadbent team in Scotland across its industry and functional practices.

Norman Broadbent’s Chief Operating Officer, Aberdeen-based Sean Buchan, will be based out of the firm’s new office on Rubislaw Terrace within the heart of the city’s West End office district.

Kevin Davidson, Norman Broadbent Group CEO, said: “I am thrilled to have Norman Broadbent firmly established north of the border.

“Having started my career at Scottish Enterprise I am passionate about the economic contribution and prospects of Scotland on the international stage and incredibly excited to be playing our part in shaping leadership teams of the future across industries.”

Scotland 5G Centre

The Scotland 5G Centre has officially opened a new S5GConnect Innovation Hub in Kilmarnock, partnering with Vodafone and HALO.

This follows another hub that was recently launched in Aberdeen and will be the 5th opened by the Scotland 5G Centre. Other hubs can be found in Forth Valley, Dundee, and Dumfries.

Local businesses can take advantage of the hub’s 5G Mobile Private Network, which promises to improve productivity, decrease downtimes, enhance digital security, and improve customer experience, all while reducing costs and carbon footprints.

Sharon Neely, Business Engagement Manager of S5GConnect HALO Kilmarnock said: “The Innovation hub provides knowledge, expertise and space for businesses to prototype, design and trial goods and services over a private 5G network.”

The hub’s launch is another step in The S5GConnect Programme’s goal of delivering the Scottish Government’s 5G strategy across the nation.

“We look forward to supporting local companies and local public sector bodies, to help them to unlock the benefits of 5G enabled technology and how it allows them to achieve a step change in their business,” Neely added.