BIMA announces council of leaders setting Scottish agenda 

BIMA, the industry association representing the digital and interactive media industries, has announced members of its core council in Scotland, and confirmed its strategy, following the council’s first meeting in Glasgow.

The BIMA Scotland Council comprises of seven industry leaders from across the country, representing a broad spectrum of the creative and digital industries including public sector and start-ups, publishing and media, creative consultancies, training and research bodies, marketing and digital agencies. The council includes: Gerry McCusker, CEO at Dog and BIMA Scotland Chair; Nathan Fulwood, Strategy Director at CreateFuture; Stephen Lepitak, Editor at The Drum; Jessica Mullen, Managing Director at CreateFuture; Claire Scally, Joint Managing Director at TRCmedia; Darcie Tanner, Digital Director at Stripe Communications; and Alisdair Gunn, Director at Framewire.

“Driving excellence”

Gerry McCusker, Chair of BIMA Scotland and CEO at Dog, said creating the council provided an opportunity to gather individuals that are committed to “driving excellence across Scotland”.

He said: “We’ve taken our time and been careful to approach individuals who are not only leaders in their respective fields, with the experience and expertise that that brings, but those who are influencers and those who demonstrate the energy and passion required to make things happen. Creating a council is not a tick box exercise, but an opportunity to gather a group of individuals who will be committed to driving excellence across Scotland through our ambitious programme. It also helps to have a genuinely nice bunch of people who enjoy what they do. I’m delighted to welcome Alisdair, Claire, Darcie, Jessica, Nathan and Stephen into the council and thank them for making the commitment to supporting the sustained growth of an ever stronger digital community here in Scotland.”

With a mission to drive innovation and excellence across Scotland, the council is united in setting a country-wide agenda that aims to boost the Scottish industry around BIMA’s four key pillars:

• Recognising excellence to showcase the outstanding work being produced by Scottish businesses and students.
• Building connections both within Scotland and nationwide to facilitate collaboration and commercial opportunity.
• Promoting home-grown thought leaders on a national stage and encourage global thought leaders to share their knowledge and expertise with the Scottish community.
• Driving positive industry change within Scotland.

Talent is core focus

The council has confirmed that its core focus for the coming years is talent, promoting young talent, improving the skills within the community, encouraging collaborations, and promoting the digital and creative industries as a viable career choice to students.

McCusker continued: “BIMA is an inclusive organisation, one that is open to collaborations and partnerships with those who are committed to the same mission as we are, and one that hopes to facilitate connections and nurture individuals, businesses and communities across Scotland and UK-wide. We hope to work closely with other industry organisations, hubs and communities to break siloes and open up opportunities for everyone involved in digital across Scotland.”

The BIMA Scotland council is one of four councils in the UK, which implement the nationwide strategy which aims to drive innovation and digital excellence across the UK to ensure the industry retains its position as a global leader. The organisation also boasts nebulous Think Tanks, Communities and Groups to aid industry leaders and practitioners to fuel the future, and change in the industry on topics such as gender, diversity, and young talent.