The former head of digital transformation at the Scottish Government has set out her vision for Scotland’s tech sector after being named chairperson of a Scottish trade body.
Alison McLaughlin has been appointed to the role by ScotlandIS – a membership and cluster management organisation for Scotland’s digital technologies industry.
McLaughlin, who recently joined digital solutions company Exception as sales director, worked for many years at software developer Sopra Steria, where she was “pivotal” to the company’s growth in Scotland.
McLaughlin said: “Scotland has an enviable reputation as a centre of collaborative growth in the tech sector. I am delighted to be the new chair of ScotlandIS, which represents Scotland’s burgeoning tech scene. ScotlandIS has a small professional team, which has made a big difference.
“The organisation has always been excellent at representing the breadth of industry views and has been instrumental in creating new tech clusters. We’ve a wide agenda and it is important that we build on our reputation sustainably. We need to consolidate that role and continue to work in close partnership with the Scottish Government to meet the needs of our members and the sector as a whole.
“Looking ahead, the tech sector has a huge role to play in the economic and social recovery from the pandemic and there is no doubt that government and climate technology are going to be of growing importance. The Cop26 Conference in Glasgow will undoubtedly highlight the work that Scotland’s climate tech community is doing to deliver net zero. We need to continue to work with the government to use Scottish innovation to enhance public services and operational resilience.
“I look forward to an exciting year ahead as the new chair of ScotlandIS.”