- The membership and cluster management organisation for Scotland’s digital technologies industry, ScotlandIS, has appointed Andrew Williams as its new chair
- Williams is currently CEO of Fyne Labs and has been on the ScotlandIS board for almost a decade
- The new chair will formally take up his role on at the organisation’s flagship tech conference ScotSoft
ScotlandIS, the membership and cluster management organisation for Scotland’s digital technologies industry, has announced the name of its new chair. Andrew Williams, long serving member of the organisation’s board and CEO of app technologies pioneer, Fyne Labs, will take up the role on 26th September.
With more than two decades of experience in the tech industry, and almost 10 years on the ScotlandIS board, Williams has been instrumental in advancing skills development and supporting startups across Scotland. Before founding Fyne Labs in 2021, his previous roles included key leadership positions at companies like Kotikan, Criton and Administrate, where he contributed to significant business growth and technological advancements.
Williams will replace Dermot Murray who has been in the post since November 2022. Although no longer chair, Murray will remain a board member, a position he has held since 2019.
Speaking ahead of the announcement, Williams explained what he thinks he can bring to the role.
He said: “As a long-time proponent of the Scottish technology industry, it’s a real honour to have the opportunity to chair an organisation as important as ScotlandIS. As a sector we have a huge amount of potential and I can’t remember a more exciting time to be involved. Whether it’s space, cyber security, software development, IT managed services or connectivity, Scotland can truly claim to be at the very cutting edge of technological development.
“I am extremely passionate about supporting our sector and promoting further growth as we move towards the second half of the decade. I aim to leverage my experience to help accelerate the growth and success of our member companies, as well as the wider sector. We will address the challenges that many are facing and ensure vital support is in place to get early businesses on the path to global impact.”
Outgoing chair, Dermot Murray said: “I’m incredibly proud of what our organisation has achieved in the last two years. It’s been a challenging period as the sector looked to recover post-pandemic, but we’ve made significant progress and I’m really looking forward to seeing that continue with Andrew at the helm.
“I’ve known Andrew for a long time and he will be an excellent choice to take the ScotlandIS reins as we move into a new era for the organisation. Needless to say, I will be doing everything I can to support him as a board member, industry colleague and friend.”
In addition to the new chair, the ScotlandIS board has confirmed two additional board members ahead of ScotSoft, following a comprehensive recruitment process which began in July.
Sheryl Newman, CEO of Appetite for Business, will be taking up a board role representing scale-up organisations, and Michael MacLennan, Founder and Director of strategic communications consultancy, Faur, is joining to offer his marketing expertise to the board.