A global technology services and engineering company which played a role in developing the NHS’s Covid app is scaling up its presence in Scotland.
Switzerland-headquartered Zühlke has hired former CodeClan chief marketing officer Linda Scott to drive growth in the Scottish market, and financial services across the UK.
Her appointment takes the company’s Scottish staff to 12 after Kate Forbes MSP and the UK’s Swiss Ambassador, Markus Leitner, opened its Edinburgh office in June 2022.
Scott is also a former director at Scottish Chambers of Commerce, and CEO of West Lothian Chambers of Commerce.
Zühlke UK CEO Wolfgang Emmerich said: “We see exciting potential in Scotland, matching up with our sector focus across the UK and internationally.
“We were also impressed by the talent in Scotland, with multiple world-class universities producing high-quality computer science and engineering degrees. It is great to have Linda in place to support our growth plans.”
He added: “We believe that innovation and technology can be a positive force for business and society and can help us and our clients reach a sustainable future.”
The Edinburgh office is Zühlke’s third in the UK, with the group also having bases in London and Manchester. Founded in Switzerland in 1968, partner owned Zühlke now has almost 2,000 employees worldwide in territories across Europe and Asia.
With a client base that includes organisations like HSBC and NHS England, Zühlke has a focus on financial services, government, and healthcare.
Linda Scott, director of business development at Zühlke, said: “I have been so impressed by the calibre of the existing team across the UK, and the vision Wolfgang has for a fast-growing office in Scotland.
“We already work with clients here, but the investment being made will see more people joining and the capacity to deliver an ever better service from our local base. At Zühlke we can lean on global industry experts in various fields, a resource that is now available to highly ambitious businesses and organisations in Scotland.”
Zühlke played a critical role in the design and development of the NHS COVID-19 app and supporting infrastructure, with the app downloaded over 22 million times.
Scott says the speed of turnaround – the COVID-19 app for England went from ideation to launch in 12 weeks – illustrates the ability of Zühlke to deliver large complex projects in short timescales.
“Zühlke’s role in the development of the Covid app is well documented, and we are excited to bring the team’s talents to the Scottish scene,” she said. “We have a number of client wins and senior hires in the pipeline, which we will be announcing later in the year.”
She added: “From startups and scale-ups, right through to large global corporates, and throughout the private and public sectors, Scotland has such a vibrant business scene, and we want Zühlke to become a real fixture in the nation’s business world.”