Scottish digital firm doubles headcount and targets £10m sales as AI demand surges
“We always talk about staying ‘relentlessly human’ in a digital world” – chief executive James Buchan
A “digital transformation” specialist with a growing client roster that includes the likes of Weir Group, ScotRail and the Scottish Government has doubled its headcount.
Edinburgh-based Zudu is also on track for “significant” double-digit revenue growth to around £3.5 million in 2025, while targeting £10m by 2027, driven by surging demand for AI-enabled technology.
The firm specialises in building scalable software platforms and enabling organisations to “unlock value” from artificial intelligence. Its headcount has doubled to 24 in the past year.
Founded by chief executive James Buchan in 2014, Zudu marked its tenth anniversary last year, and has recently appointed Paul Duffy as managing director. He joined from ClearSky Logic. Zudu has also promoted Laura McTurk to operations director and Angus Turner to commercial director. Meanwhile, former Whitespace managing director Iain Valentine has been brought on board as a strategic adviser.
Buchan said: “We’re on a mission to redefine digital transformation and support our clients around AI enablement, while being one of the fastest and smartest digital delivery companies around. Importantly, we always talk about staying ‘relentlessly human’ in a digital world.
“We have some amazing clients, more in the pipeline, and we plan to get to the £10m revenue figure over the next few years. We’re excited to get Paul on board to lead the team, and pleased that Laura and Angus are now in place in the leadership team,” he added.
Buchan also led the Zudu team that developed ePass, licensing software designed for regulators, which secured a Scottish Government contract to deliver the national tobacco and vape register and funeral services register following participation in last year’s CivTech accelerator programme. He has since spun ePass out of Zudu into a standalone limited company.
“AI is no longer a buzzword - it’s becoming the operating system for modern business,” added Buchan. “The challenge isn’t just adopting AI tools, it’s integrating them meaningfully into organisations. That’s where Zudu comes in, by bridging the gap between innovation and execution, and ensuring our clients can harness AI responsibly, at scale, and in a way that keeps people at the heart of technology.”
New managing director Duffy said: “Inheriting incredibly talented tech and leadership teams is an absolute privilege. For years now, I’ve been speaking with business leaders all over the UK who are AI curious; there is a shortage of experts in our space, and we feel it’s time to support business growth and AI enablement in a series of sectors.
“The skills and knowledge the Zudu team has built up through working on hundreds of projects puts us in a strong position to advise, support and engage with our customers.”
He added: “I am excited to work alongside James, Iain and the rest of the team to help lead a new strategy during our next phase of growth. Scotland has a strong tradition of world-class software delivery companies, and we want to add to that tradition.”
Zudu’s client list also includes Asahi, the NHS and Portman Asset Management.
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