An industry veteran has been appointed as the new chair of Scotland’s tech trade body.
Dermot Murray, vice president of technology at Innoapps, will join the cluster management organisation as it gears up to steer Scotland’s tech industry through a challenging year ahead.
Murray has worked for the global Oracle software partner, which has a core presence in Aberdeen and Linlithgow, for 14 years, as it grew from 20 to 500 employees.
He was an integral part of the company as it built out an international presence serving customers with a focus on enabling businesses to transform, optimise and innovate with the cloud.
As chair of the board at ScotlandIS, he will oversee the organisation’s mission to develop digitals skills in Scotland, enable start-ups to establish themselves and scale up, as well as align key stakeholders across the country.
Joining Murray will be two new members on the board. Roz Barrance, director of business development at Leidos and Maggie Morrison, board director at Hi55 Ventures, will add to the diverse range of experience at the head of the organisation.
Murray said: “I’m very proud to take on chair of ScotlandIS at a crucial time for tech in Scotland. Today, businesses big and small across wide-ranging industries fully appreciate the vital role that tech and data play in their businesses. ScotlandIS helps to facilitate relationships and lay the groundwork for Scotland’s digital transformation.
“I’ve been a member of ScotlandIS for many years and have felt the benefits of this brilliant organisation first-hand. Since my first introduction to ScotlandIS at their annual ScotSoft event, I have been impressed by the sense of community and close-knit, supportive network that they create in the Scottish tech scene.
“As we look ahead to another difficult year for business, it’s more important than ever that we protect this community and nurture the huge digital tech talent in Scotland.
“Scotland’s tech sector has a fantastic future– and promoting skills and supporting start-ups is central to achieving success. As a father and husband, with three daughters, I’ve long wanted to see more digital opportunities for all in education. I’m proud to play a role in making that happen and feel honoured to lead the brilliant work of ScotlandIS.”
Karen Meechan, CEO of ScotlandIS, added: “I am delighted to welcome Dermot as our new chair and Maggie and Roz as our new board members, each of them brings valuable skills and experience which will help us drive forward and deliver our ambitions over the coming year.”