A businesswoman, investor and equalities campaigner has been appointed as the Scottish Government’s new chief entrepreneur.
Ana Stewart, who has advised the SNP-led government on making it easier for women to become business founders, was unveiled today as the successor to former Skyscanner executive Mark Logan.
Stewart, who collaborated with Logan on the landmark Pathways report which laid the foundation for locally-run hubs to help women across Scotland get access to support for starting their own ventures, will take up the role until July 2026.
She said: “Leveraging my own lived experience as an entrepreneur and investor, I am looking forward to contributing to the development and optimisation of the Scottish Government’s entrepreneurship strategy.
“Entrepreneurship is the engine room for economic growth and it’s essential that we provide more pathways, increased access and accelerated funding to current and future founders, whilst ensuring private and public sector are aligned in making that happen.”
Among Ms Stewart’s priorities will be to implement the recommendations of her own report, which included setting up or working with existing hubs around Scotland to develop a network of pop-up ‘pre-start’ centres for women to access business advice, guidance and support.
She will also be tasked with growing Scotland’s risk capital market and working with universities to increase the number of spinout companies who reach scale, engaging closely with investors and entrepreneurs, and ensuring that government policy and delivery is shaped by business.
Ms Stewart – who is a partner with St Andrews-based impact investors, Eos Advisory – will also be charged with making sure entrepreneurship is instilled in the education and skills systems, with clear routes established to setting up a business. She has elected to take up the role on an unpaid basis, and that funds earmarked for her remuneration will be reinvested instead in the Scottish startup economy.
Last year, Mark Logan stepped aside from the role following adverse publicity over his salary. He came under fire from government opposition benches after it emerged that he had been paid £263,863 between July 2022 and July last year for a position that is not full-time.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes and Ms Stewart visited the offices of Inspirent, a social enterprise based in Hamilton, to mark the appointment and launch a new round of the Scottish Government’s Ecosystem Fund.
Inspirent will be the delivery partner of this year’s £700,000 fund, which is focused on developing the strength and impact of Scotland’s start-up community by funding organisations and programmes that support new companies to start and grow.
The application process is being fully digitised from this year through a dedicated online portal, enabling faster funding decisions and expanding opportunities for grassroots initiatives and community-led projects across Scotland.
Already, £2.6 million has been awarded to 75 innovative projects through the Ecosystem Fund since it launched in 2021-22.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “It is vital to Scotland’s economic resilience that we support our business community – particularly those taking their first steps. Ana Stewart is an exceptional talent with deep experience of starting, scaling and investing in some of Scotland’s best companies, and will ensure we are well-placed to deliver this support.
“Scotland is home to some of the world’s brightest business minds, ideas and innovators. The Scottish Government is committed to helping deliver an end-to-end support network that nurtures this talent and helps this and future generations of business founders to thrive.
“To deliver truly meaningful, strategic support, it is vital we continue to listen to and learn from entrepreneurs and the wider business community. Ana Stewart brings the insight, lived experience and connections needed to shape and accelerate our policies and deliver for Scotland’s start-up talent.”
Applications for the 2025-26 Ecosystem Fund are open until Monday 20 May. The Scottish Government will invest £34.7 million across entrepreneurship, innovation and social enterprise in 2025-26 – a 50% increase on 2024-25.
