The Data & Marketing Association (DMA UK) has announced it is ‘refocusing its presence in Scotland’ in support of the country’s AI strategy, underpinned by the appointment of a new chair of DMA Scotland.

Anneli Ritari-Stewart has set out her vision for championing the responsible and ethical use of AI to drive growth and innovation in Scottish marketing, in line with Scotland’s AI strategy.

Ritari-Stewart, head of digital marketing at Royal London, believes marketers can harness AI as a “superpower”, but has warned that a trustworthy and customer-centric approach must be adhered to in order for businesses and their customers to see the true benefits, as the culture around the technology continues to change “at an electric pace”.

Taking over from existing chair Howard Barber, Ritari-Stewart, who will continue her role at Royal London where she is part of the group’s AI Working Group and is scaling the use of generative AI ethically, held a position on the DMA council for four years before becoming deputy chair of DMA Scotland in 2022, during which time she has been actively involved in delivering value to the DMA’s Scottish members and fuelling regional industry growth.

“Scotland represents a truly unique and exciting opportunity to drive the ethical use of AI forward,” said Ritari-Stewart.

She added: “I believe marketers can harness the technology as a superpower – but stakeholder trust, customer-centric approaches, and regulatory collaboration must be achieved. The culture around AI is changing at an electric pace; we need to encourage curiosity, winning the hearts and minds of the professionals who will use AI and the customers who stand to benefit.

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“I’m thrilled to lead the DMA’s charge in Scotland at a crucial time for shaping the future of technology and data-driven marketing. The winds of change are fast moving, and together we can steer the ship in the right direction.”

Steph Wright, head of the Scottish AI Alliance, comments: “We welcome DMA UK’s refocus in support of Scotland’s AI Strategy and its vision for Scotland to become a leader in trustworthy, ethical and inclusive AI. Commitments from organisations like the DMA to the vision is absolutely key to ensuring that Scotland’s AI future is responsible and equitable to all and we look forward to exploring how we can work together to achieve this.”