Tech 100: Others

Gina Alexander, Director, Patient Opinion

A former Involvement Worker with Clackmannanshire Council, Alexander joined the non-profit social enterprise in 2011 as Engagement and Support Officer and became Director in 2013. The organisation works with all 14 health boards, using its online feedback service to listen to, respond and act on stories and experiences shared by patients, relatives, carers and the public. This autumn it is supporting the launch of Care Opinion, a complementary site that will allow people using adult social care services to share and compare their experiences.

Eddie Anderson, Partner, Pentech Ventures

The founder, he raised the firm’s first two funds and has more than 20 years’ experience in building innovative software companies and products. Prior to Pentech, he was co-founder and Chief Executive of Objective Software Technology (OST), a software tools company, providing tools for developers worldwide. Previously, he held various roles in BT Research, building next generation telecoms infrastructure software and real-time systems for video routing and switching.

Paul Atkinson, Coordinator, Scottish IT Directors’ Forum; Managing Partner, Par Equity

A founding partner, Atkinson’s early career spanned engineering, sales, recruitment and management within the semiconductor and IT industries, having worked with companies including Phillips Electronics, Millipore Corporation, Computer People, IBM and Royal Bank of Scotland. He founded and sold two recruitment businesses and was subsequently involved in a number of IT and services companies. He began investing full time in 2008 with the foundation of Par Equity. Atkinson is also chairman and a non-executive director of a number of other companies, including Head Resourcing and Kiltr.

Professor George Crooks, Director, Scottish Centre for Telehealth & Telecare; Medical Director, NHS 24

Crooks joined NHS 24 eight years ago after a career as a GP in Aberdeen for 22 years and appointments including Director of Primary Care with NHS Grampian. His interest lies in innovation and the appropriate use of technology to support the delivery of high quality patient care to the population of Scotland. He secured European funding for two large telehealth projects supporting long-term conditions monitoring supported by ICT and leads the £10m ‘Living it Up’ initiative, a co-design programme using ICT solutions to improve choices in health, care and wellbeing to a community of 55,00. He chairs the Digital Health Institute, the Scottish innovation centre for digital health. He leads a European Commission-sponsored action group on integrated care and is President of EHTEL, the European health/telematics association.

New Neil Cullen, Digital Projects Coordinator, Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Since graduating with a Computer Games Technology degree from Abertay University, Cullen embarked on various gaming and interactive digital adventures with the BBC and FascinatE as well as developing a BAFTA-nominated mobile game, ‘The Unknown’, as audio director and producer. Cullen’s new role focuses on creating new platforms and resources to reach more classical music fans, as well as engage the orchestra members in digital activities. It also includes initiatives with schools and communities through the use of new technology and interactive media, both online and in workshops.

Alastair Dutton, Head of Technology, SCVO

Dutton has worked in and around the IT industry for over 14 years. His passion for technology and what it can do to transform organisations of all shapes and size can be seen at SCVO, where he has been at the forefront, ensuring not-for-profits can get the very best from technology. As well as innovating their own use of technology and raising SCVO’s profile, Dutton and his team have launched a range of software and IT services specifically aimed at not-for-profits and the education sector.

New Sandra Fox, Head of ICT at Scottish Fire & Rescue Service

Fox was appointed Head of ICT for the newly merged Scottish Fire & Rescue Service in April 2013. She has overseen the integration of eight regional fire and rescue services into one national entity, overcoming significant geographical, technological and operational challenges, all the while ensuring that one of Scotland’s most valued and critical public services maintains its high standards of response. Fox was co-winner, along with Martin Leven, CIO of Police Scotland, of the Connect Leader Award 2014.

New Grant Gibson, Digital Innovation Manager, Herald & Times Group

Gibson manages the development team responsible for HeraldScotland.com, the Evening Times’ website and a range of related sites and apps When the HeraldScotland website was launched in 2011, the Herald & Times Group became the first Scottish newspaper publisher to put one of its titles behind a paywall. Working with the group’s digital and editorial teams, the site now has around 2m unique monthly visitors and at the beginning of this year the number of digital subscribers surpassed its 5,500 print subscribers.

Campbell Grant, Chair, Digital Health Special Interest Group, Scottish Life Sciences Association; Founder & CEO, Sitekit Group

Grant founded Sitekit in 1989 on his native Isle of Skye and has led its growth to 25 staff and leadership in its chosen market niche. The company sponsors PhD research projects in e-health with Stirling University and is co-founder of the Health Web Science SIG, part of the Web Science initiative. Grant is also a director of the Scottish Intellectual Assets Centre.

Michael Kowbel, Scotland Manager, e-skills UK

Working closely with e-skills UK’s Scottish Employer Board, which he set up and runs, Kowbel is responsible for the delivery of e-skills UK’s strategy north of the border. This covers the full range of skills development from school students via student placements to MA programmes, and onwards into the workplace.

Tommy Laughlin, Public Sector Liaison, ScotlandIS

Laughlin has worked for major IT companies in a wide range of account, marketing and senior management roles. He has a long involvement with ScotlandIS, first as a board member and latterly heading its public sector activity. As chair of the industry forum for large ICT companies supporting the Scottish Government’s digital strategy, he is engaged with 20 companies employing more than 25,000.

Martin Leven, Director of ICT and Chief Information Officer, Police Scotland

Leven joined the Scottish Police Services Authority, now called Scottish Police, as Chief Information Officer in January 2012 where he was responsible for the delivery of ICT to all eight Scottish police forces. With the creation of one force in 2013, Leven was tasked with delivering an IT strategy which merges existing networks, systems and applications into a single operating model. His work was recognised this year when he was presented with the Connect Leader Award, jointly with Sandra Fox, Head of ICT at the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service.

Louise MacDonald, Chief Executive, Young Scot

Starting her career as a journalist, MacDonald now leads the award-winning charity Young Scot and is the driving force behind the organisation’s innovative digital strategy, which connects over 500,000 Young Scot cardholders to information, opportunities and ideas via a range of online tools and apps. The organisation’s Young Scot Rewards won Innovation in the Public Sector at the 2013 ScotlandIS Technology Awards. MacDonald is a member of the Digital Participation Leadership Group.

Liz McGettigan, Director of Digital Experiences, Solus

As Head of Library and Information Services for City of Edinburgh Council, McGettigan pioneered the transformation of Edinburgh’s libraries into key information, digital, learning and business hubs for communities across the city. Now with digital communications company Solus, McGettigan is also a member of the Digital Innovation Advisory Board at Edinburgh Napier University.

Ewan McIntosh, Young Adviser to Vice President and Commissioner for Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, European Commission; Founder, No Tosh

McIntosh was a French and German high school teacher, before moving into technology research and leadership as Scotland’s first National Adviser on Learning and Technology Futures. He worked in start-up investment for Channel 4 and launched the world’s first iPad Investment Fund in 2010. His company now works globally, with offices in Edinburgh and Melbourne, helping improve creative results for leading media, technology, fashion and education organisations.

Jackie McKenzie, Head of Innovation Programmes, Scotland, Nesta

The focus of Nesta’s work in Scotland under McKenzie has been on digital initiatives. Nesta has been testing how local authorities open their data to local developers to create new digital services. It has been running a research and development programme with Scottish cultural organisations, supporting them to work with technology partners to get to new audiences and test new business models, and encouraging an increase in the number of young people using digital creativity in schools.

John McNicol, Investor Relations, Kelvin Capital

Qualified as a chartered accountant after completing a degree in Computer Science, McNicol has accumulated extensive experience in managing rapid growth within companies, most recently at IDOX plc, where organic growth was supplemented by a number of acquisitions. He has strong commercial, corporate finance, and corporate governance experience. McNicol is also is a member of the Accounting Standards Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

Andy Robertson, Director of National Information Services Group, NHS National Services Scotland

Robertson has run the IT shared services organisation within the health sector for the past five years with responsibility for national-level IT systems, vendors, contracts and services. He has had engagement beyond health where the NSS IT team has been leading on the Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN) Vanguard Procurement Project to establish public sector-wide network contracts and services as part of the broader Scottish Government’s Digital Public Services initiative.

Stuart Robertson, Director of Digital Highlands and Islands, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE)

Following 12 years in the North Sea oil industry, Robertson joined HIE in 1993 where he has held a number of posts related to information and communications technologies, telecoms development, transport and population growth. He is now leading one of the most ambitious broadband infrastructure projects in the UK, bringing fibre services to 84 per cent of premises in the Highlands and islands. It took another step forward over the summer when engineers started work on Scotland’s longest, publicly funded subsea fibre connection linking the Outer Hebrides with the mainland.

Mark Salveta, Head of The Business Advisory Group, NHS National Services Scotland

Salveta heads the team in NHS National Services Scotland that provides IT software and services procurement support to health boards and the wider public service now that National Services Scotland has new legal powers to act on behalf of the wider public service. He is responsible for ensuring that the best value for public money is delivered and is responsible for running some of the largest IT procurements in Scotland. Salveta was winner of the 2013 Connect Inspire Award for his work in driving improvement of services through the adoption of technology.

David Smith, Director of Technology and Creative Industries

Appointed in May 2013, Smith was previously Director of the Innovation and Enterprise Services Directorate at Scottish Enterprise and held a number of senior posts at Scottish Development International, including interim Chief Executive. He has considerable experience across the private and public sectors, having worked in a number of roles in ICT and in the retail and aerospace sectors.

Professor Charles Swainson, Independent Consultant and e-Health Clinical Lead, Scottish Government

Swainson’s current work includes part-time clinical lead on e-Health to the Scottish Government. He has helped secure investment in whiteboard software and clinical early warning systems for acute hospitals, and for the next few years is working on a fully coded discharge protocol. He is a founder council member of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Treasurer of the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh.

Geoffrey Thomson, Chief Executive, Braveheart

A company founder, Thomson is an experienced fund manager and deal maker. He is a recognised authority on SME investment, having written extensively for national newspapers and is a regular speaker at business events. Thomson is on the board of the UK Government’s £50m Angel CoFund and was, until recently, a director of NESTech – the challenge fund of the universities of St Andrews, Dundee, and Aberdeen.

John Waddell, Chief Executive, Archangel Informal Investment

Responsible for reviewing all new investment proposals, Waddell is a lawyer with wide experience in industry and corporate finance in the UK and abroad. He sits on the board of one Archangel portfolio company, CXR Biosciences Ltd. He is also on the advisory boards of Amadeus & Angels Seed Fund and Seraphim Capital plus NVM Private Equity Limited.

New Chris Yiu, Director of Digital Participation, SCVO

Yiu leads SCVO’s work in helping everyone in Scotland to benefit from the internet, and to boost digital capability in Scotland's third sector. Before joining SCVO he was director of digital government at a UK think tank, and has held senior roles in government and in the private sector.