Check out all the latest partnerships, appointments, awards, and expansions across Scottish tech with the latest edition of DIGIT’s Movers & Shakers.
Welcome to August’s jam-packed edition of Movers and Shakers!
The summer has only just finished and the kids are barely back to school, but Scotland’s tech scene has wasted no time getting back to business, with a fresh crop of high-level appointments and strategic hires in every sector from cyber to space.
We’ve also seen plenty of partnerships inked over the last few weeks between old hands and new faces, including some exciting news from a couple of the country’s fastest growing startups.
To top it all off, with trophy season just around the corner we’re already celebrating with the finalists for some of Scotland’s most anticipated awards.
The CyberScotland Partnership (CSP) has appointed Karen Meechan, CEO of ScotlandIS, as the new Chair of the Partnership, which came into effect on 1 August, 2025.
Bringing extensive experience in digital innovation and cyber collaboration, Meechan is dedicated to helping solve the challenges the cyber security industry faces in order to help Scotland’s technology landscape to thrive.
Succeeding Clare El Azebbi, head of the Scottish Government’s National Cyber Resilience Unit, Meechan will lead the CSP’s 23 partners, who work together to improve cyber resilience across Scotland in a coordinated and coherent way.
“As we continue to face an escalating and unpredictable cyber landscape, collaboration across sectors has never been more critical,” said Meechan. “I look forward to working with our partners to strengthen Scotland’s cyber resilience, support innovation and ensure that our digital future is secure and inclusive for everyone.”
Gordon Baggott has been appointed as Edinburgh-based Smart Data Foundry’s new Chief Data Scientist.
With more than twenty years’ experience across healthcare, banking and insurance, Baggott helped pioneer the use of machine learning and AI in major high street banks in areas such as risk operations, insider fraud and cybersecurity.
Also the co-founder and commissioning editor for the Business AI Alliance, he will now be responsible for the development of the data science strategy for the Smart Data Foundry, driving forward research that promotes financial wellbeing, economic resilience and policy change.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Smart Data Foundry as Chief Data Scientist,” said Baggott. “It’s a great opportunity to bring my experience of analytics, machine learning and AI to help the team unlock the huge potential that financial data holds.”
Space Scotland, the not-for-profit organisation supporting the Scottish space industry, has appointed Dr Natasha Nicholson as its new chief executive.
Returning to Space Scotland after serving as a cluster manager, Nicholson will now take her skills and lead Space Scotland into its next development stage, focusing on the delivery of its national strategy, as well as responding to the commercial needs of Scotland’s space community.
Holding a doctorate in astrobiology, Nicholson has previously worked for the Science and Technology Facilities Council, and was a founding director of space R&D firm Star Helix, not to mention her role as chief scientific officer for the Arctic research station.
“Scotland’s space industry offers major opportunities across sustainability, launch, data and advanced manufacturing, while also enabling innovation in sectors like life sciences, AI and fintech,” said Peter Young, Space Scotland chair.
“Natasha is the right person to help us harness that potential – her scientific knowledge, delivery focus and strong network made her an outstanding choice.”
Glasgow-headquartered medtech novosound has announced the appointment of medical technology executive Gary Beale as executive vice chairman.
Beale will lead the company’s medical business as novosound moves towards FDA clearance for its cuffless, continuous, and calibration-free blood pressure monitoring device, which is powered by its proprietary ultrasound platform.
Formerly the CEO and founder of medical tech Emblation, Beale brings a wealth of experience from senior leadership roles at Microsulis (now part of AngioDynamics) and Boston Scientific, and has a track record of scaling medtech businesses and securing significant international partnerships.
“Gary brings unmatched experience in commercialising medical technology and forging strategic global alliances,” said Dr Dave Hughes, CEO and Founder of novosound.
“His appointment comes at a pivotal time for novosound as we focus on transforming our next generation ultrasound platform into FDA-cleared medical products.”
KubeNet, the Glasgow based ISP and technology solutions provider, has announced the appointment of Richard Logan as non-executive chair.
Logan brings over thirty years of experience in senior financial and board-level roles across the UK’s tech sector, having played a key role in building and scaling high-growth businesses, with a strong track record in private equity-backed ventures and acquisition-driven strategies.
The new appointment will strengthen KubeNet’s board as the company continues to build momentum following the recent acquisition of ISN Solutions and backing from Maven Capital Partners, with Logan isset to help in shaping the growth strategies that KubeNet said will be instrumental to scales its footprint across the UK market.
“KubeNet is a business with real momentum, a strong culture, and clear ambition,” said Logan.
“I’ve joined at an exciting time, with a shared focus on sustainable growth through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions. I’m looking forward to supporting the team as we build something of real substance in the UK technology market.”
Edinburgh-based space tech firm Aurora Avionics has bolstered its senior leadership with the appointment of Myles Bax as commercial lead, bringing a decade of experience scaling startups into markets across the UK, the US, Europe and Asia.
Most recently, he supported dozens of Scottish startups as a relationship manager at Scottish Edge, advising on growth and funding strategy.
Earlier this year, Aurora secured a £500,000 investment led by Kelvin Capital, alongside Gabriel and Scottish Enterprise, allowing the company to grow its engineering team, expand its facilities at Edinburgh’s Royal Observatory and accelerate development of its modular avionics systems.
“I’ve worked with dozens of early-stage businesses, and few have the clarity of purpose, technical strength and market positioning that Aurora has,” said Bax.
“There’s a growing appetite across Europe and beyond for reliable, independent space infrastructure. Scotland, with its advantageous geography, engineering talent and deep tech ecosystem, can lead that push and Aurora will be right at the centre of it.”
Executive search firm Livingston James has strengthened its senior team with the hire of Dan MacNeill as director to lead the businesses expansion into technology and advanced industry, both in Scotland and internationally.
MacNeill joins Livingston James having spent a successful period working for a London-based firm, where he worked with VC and PE-backed businesses on senior appointments across semiconductors, photonics, quantum, AI, and clean tech.
At Livingston James, he will predominantly support Scottish-headquartered companies scaling into overseas markets, while also helping global tech firms establish a presence in Scotland.
The firm said it is seeing rising demand for senior hires in enterprise software, space, industrials, and scale-up growth, with clients ranging from PE and VC-backed companies entering new markets to international businesses investing in Scottish talent.
“Livingston James’s extensive contacts and partnerships throughout the UK and overseas provide the perfect platform to connect world-class executive talent with Scotland’s most ambitious companies, and to help those companies tell their story on the global stage,” said MacNeill.
CreateFuture has secured a partnership with Skyscanner that will see the digital consultancy work with the global travel marketplace across its Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, and Barcelona offices in areas like audience experience, data, and AI tooling and app experience.
Appointed after a multi-stage process looking at a national and international pool of consultancies, CreateFuture was recognised for its engineering expertise, cultural alignments, and track record around delivery.
Skyscanner joins CreateFuture’s client list which includes PayPal, adidas, NatWest, Baillie Gifford, MoneySavingExpert, Penguin Random House, Simple Online Healthcare, Multiverse, and FanDuel.
“CreateFuture’s proven capabilities, culture match, and overall collaborative approach made them the ideal choice for us, and we fully expect their team to be instrumental in helping us to achieve our engineering goals,” said Andrew Phillips, Skyscanner CTO.
Juro, the intelligent contracting platform, has signed a partnership with Wordsmith, the AI workspace for in-house teams, which will see the two platforms integrating to enable mutual clients to leverage the best of both as part of their legal tech stack.
With the new integration, Juro’s 550+ clients will be able to use Wordsmith as part of their core workflows. Further, Wordsmith clients will be able to sync easily with Juro’s system of record and leverage Juro’s AI tools via a first-of-its-kind MCP integration.
As part of the strategic partnership, the teams are exploring further opportunities for collaboration, including marketing the joint offering to new clients and deepening the integration further.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Juro,” said Ross McNairn, CEO & Co-founder of Wordsmith.
“This partnership is about more than integration; it’s about giving legal teams the kind of intelligent automation that actually gets used day-to-day. Together, we’re enabling legal and business teams to move faster, with less friction, and with total confidence.”
FinTech Scotland has added law firm CMS and international payments company Mastercard to its Scottish Fintech Cluster as strategic partners, bringing financial and professional services expertise aimed at supporting fintech innovation and accelerating economic growth across Scotland and the UK.
Mastercard is expected to provide fintech businesses in Scotland with more opportunities for innovation, collaboration, and access to global markets, while CMS ‘s expertise in digital assets and blockchain technology supports plans for the new Centre of Excellence in Distributed Ledger Technologies, being developed by FinTech Scotland with Edinburgh Napier University.
Their involvement reflects what FinTech Scotland describes as continued momentum for growth within the cluster and a commitment to collaborative innovation to help shape the future of financial services.
“We are delighted to welcome CMS and Mastercard to the FinTech Scotland Cluster,” said Nicola Anderson, CEO at FinTech Scotland. “Their global reach, commitment to innovation, and deep sector expertise align perfectly with our ambition for the future of fintech innovation in Scotland.
Emtelle, a manufacturer of pre-connectorized, blown fibre cable and ducted network solutions, has deepened its strategic partnership with network provider GoFibre following the ISP’s recent multi-million pound contract win.
The collaboration will see Emtelle supply duct, sub-duct and fibre infrastructure for new full-fibre networks to enable Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) speeds of up to 10Gbps, with infrastructure supplied to Edinburgh-based GoFibre as part of its latest £105m contract under the UK Government’s Project Gigabit.
Emtelle and GoFibre recently joined forces to enhance digital connectivity for 8,000 residents and businesses in Hawick, but the extension of the partnership will see high-speed broadband delivered to around 63,000 residents and businesses across Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee, the Highlands, Moray and Perth and Kinross.
“Our strategic partnership with Emtelle is an important enabler for GoFibre to deliver our Project Gigabit contract in the north-east of Scotland,” said Neil Conaghan, GoFibre CEO.
“GoFibre and Emtelle are both Borders-born, and for two Scottish businesses to play such a crucial role in delivering gigabit connectivity for the country shows the strength of local supply chain.”
3t, a safety-critical training and learning organisation for hazardous industries, has announced a major new collaboration with Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen to establish a Geothermal Simulation and Modelling Platform.
Marking 3t’s entry into the geothermal sector, the initiative will adapt and enhance RGU’s DrillSIM:5000 simulator to support Mid to Deep Single Geothermal Wells, bringing a new level of realism and training capability to geothermal drilling simulation.
Underpinned by 3t’s drilling systems simulation technology, the platform is designed to accelerate innovation, drive down costs, and build a skilled workforce to meet net zero goals using realistic geothermal drilling scenarios in a safe, controlled
environment.
“This partnership exemplifies what’s possible when academia and industry collaborate,” said Phil Hassard of RGU’s Energy Transition Institute. “With 3t’s cutting-edge drilling simulation technology and RGU’s research excellence, we’re
unlocking the future of clean and scalable geothermal energy.”
Edinburgh’s AstroAgency has signed two new Memorandums of Understanding with Voyager Technologies and Cislunar
International, kicking off a six-month push to grow the firm’s connections and clients across the US and Canada.
The first MOU will see AstroAgency and Voyager Technologies collaborate across several fronts, including the development of VISTA, a new science park initiative, with AstroAgency anticipated to establish a North American office at VISTA as the development progresses.
The second MOU with Cislunar International is focused on tailored support for aerospace businesses, building on a long-standing relationship with Cislunar co-founder Sam Peterson, who has served as an advisor to AstroAgency since 2023. The partnership will see both firms work to strengthen services for their international client bases.
“We’re excited to deepen our North American partnerships and bring our experience in delivering bold, impactful campaigns and strategic guidance to companies across the United States and Canada,” said Daniel Smith, CEO of AstroAgency.
4J Studios, the Dundee-based BAFTA award-winning developer, has opened its first Edinburgh office as it accelerates development on its upcoming title Reforj, due for release in 2026.
The firm’s new studio in the capital’s George Street will be home to staff focused on software and design roles, with a recruitment drive now underway to tap into the city’s games sector talent pool.
Founded in 2005 by Chris van der Kuyl and Paddy Burns, 4J Studios is best known for its work on the Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo console editions of Minecraft, with the firm now employing more than fifty people across its two studios in Dundee and Edinburgh.
Reforj is being developed in collaboration with the gaming community through 4J’s Pioneer Program, whereby hundreds of players have been given access to the title while it is in production.
“The development of Reforj has been gathering pace for several months now and 20 years on from Chris and I launching the studio, this is as exhilarating a time as we can remember for the firm,” said Paddy Burns, chief executive of 4J Studios.
“We hope we can capitalise on that momentum and sense of energy by opening our first office in Edinburgh, which will give us even better access to the diverse pool of software and design talent that exists in and around the city.”
ML Photonic Ltd, a manufacturer of precision optical components and sub-systems, has opened its latest facility at the former Scottish Water site at Pitreavie Business Park in Dunfermline, providing an operational base to serve customers across the UK, Europe and international markets.
The Dunfermline plant will specialise in the production of high-end precision optics alongside R&D, engineering, and customer engagement, in support of its Chinese headquartered parent company, ML Corporation.
Working closely with Scottish Enterprise and Fife Council’s Economic Development team to support its growth plans, the new Dunfermline site is expected to create 20 highly skilled roles initially, with plans to increase to 60 employees in the next five years, spanning engineering, optics, R&D, and operations.
“Establishing a presence in Dunfermline represents an exciting new chapter for ML Corporation,” said Richard Green, General Manager at ML Photonic. “Scotland offers an ideal environment for innovation, talent and long-term growth.”
Highland-based clean water technology company RSE has opened its first North American office in Milwaukee.
Initially a team of three, RSE’s new US arm will begin by focusing on supplying the firm’s biological and nature-based water treatments, such as its modular Moving Bed Biofilm Reactors used for wastewater, building on access to a network of potential partners.
RSE’s partnership and investment in Forres-based Biomatrix Water Solutions will also be key to the expansion plans, as it deploys the company’s floating ecosystem solutions throughout the US market.
Beginning life as a start-up in Muir of Ord, RSE now employs more than 2,000 people, with revenue increasing from £61 million in 2019 to £360 million in 2025.
“We are proud to mark this exciting new era for RSE and to welcome our American team to this new office,” said Stephen Slessor, CEO of RSE. “Now, we look forward to further growth through acquisition in this important market.”
Women-led businesses from across Scotland have been chosen as finalists for the Women’s Enterprise Scotland Awards 2025, with the judging panel facing the difficult task of determining 48 finalists across 10 categories.
Finalists at this year’s awards include Edinburgh based Three Robins, The Highland Soap Co Ltd, and Alexander Manufacturing, based in Cumbernauld.
Winners will be announced at a glittering ceremony in Glasgow on Thursday 23 October, featuring keynote speaker Annie Stewart, co-founder of ANTA Scotland.
“Our Awards recognise the considerable contribution women-led businesses make to Scotland’s economy,” said Carolyn Currie, chief executive at Women’s Enterprise Scotland.
“It is our time to come together and celebrate success, as well as to provide visible role models for the women and girls who follow.”
Read more here.
Scottish Women in Business Awards Reveal 2025 Contenders
This year’s Scottish Women in Business (SWIB) awards finalists have been announced, alongside news of an exciting new partnership.
Set to take place on Thursday, 4th September at The Exchange in Glasgow, guests can look forward to an afternoon that will recognise the women who have had the biggest impact over the last year, with the ceremony hosted by broadcaster Jennifer Reoch.
This year’s event also officially launches SWIB’s partnership with Dress for Success Scotland, named as the organisation’s Charity of the Year. Operating since 2010, the charity supports women into employment by providing more than just professional clothing, also offering interview preparation, workshops, and ongoing career support.
“Dress for Success Scotland’s mission aligns perfectly with our own,” said Sarah Heaney, president of Scottish Women in Business. “Both organisations are about unlocking potential and creating opportunities for women to thrive. Showcasing their work at our awards is an ideal way to amplify their impact.”
The Inform Prize, an annual competition showcasing student tech projects, is expanding to Glasgow for the first time in its 12-year history, with events set to take place in both Glasgow and Aberdeen this September.
Launched in 2014 and funded by Aberdeen-based software company Intelligent Plant, the competition is designed to encourage students to think about how they communicate their ideas and research findings to local employers, while promoting closer links between academia and industry.
The expansion is expected to generate “friendly rivalry” between participating universities — Robert Gordon University and the University of Aberdeen in the north-east, and Glasgow-based institutions in the west.
“Scotland’s universities are brimming with talent, and events such as the Inform Prize really helps to connect students with local opportunities while showcasing that talent to industry,” said Steve Aitken, founder of Intelligent Plant.
A Scottish schoolgirl named one of the first ever Time magazine Girls of the Year after designing a solar-powered blanket for unhoused people says the award proves that young people can make a difference despite their age.
Rebecca Young, now 13 and a pupil at Kelvinside Academy in Glasgow, has been included in the inaugural list honouring ten young people from across the globe for extraordinary achievements.
Rebecca rose to global attention aged just 11, when she beat more than 70,000 UK entrants in the UK Primary Engineer competition for her invention – a heated blanket built into a backpack and powered by solar panels.
The design was later turned into a working model by engineering firm Thales and is now being trialled by a Scottish charity supporting people experiencing homelessness in Glasgow.
“I can’t believe I am one of the first Time Girls of the Year,” said Rebecca. “It’s simply incredible. To be named alongside nine other girls who have achieved so much is one of the most special experiences of my life.”
