Scottish digital industry body ScotlandIS to gain new chairman at flagship conference
“I can’t think of a more exciting time to chair an organisation as influential as ScotlandIS” – Professor Gordon Morison
Digital industry body ScotlandIS has appointed a new chairman as it looks to strengthen links between the technology and academic sectors.
Having served on the ScotlandIS board for four years, Professor Gordon Morison will officially take up the role on September 24 at the organisation’s flagship conference, ScotSoft.
Morison has worked in academia for more than 15 years and currently serves as the dean for the faculty of computing, sciences and engineering at the University of the West of Scotland. He will replace Andrew Williams, chief executive of Apptrix.ai, who has been in the post since September 2024. Williams will remain on the ScotlandIS board, which he joined in 2014.
Morison said: “I can’t think of a more exciting time to chair an organisation as influential as ScotlandIS. Despite its challenges, the Scottish tech sector continues to see new investment and opportunities - particularly in space, cyber security and green data centres - and there’s a strong sense of optimism throughout our membership.
“I’m looking forward to drawing on my experience in academia to find new ways for the two sectors to work together. We will continue to tackle the challenges facing our members and the wider industry, ensuring they get the right support when they need it.”
Outgoing chair Williams said: “During my time as chair, I’ve been incredibly proud of what ScotlandIS has achieved in bringing more people together. We’ve created opportunities for the public and private sectors to partner on innovation, supported businesses to collaborate with the government on AI, and seen early-stage founders build valuable connections through the Founders Hub.
“At a time when conference numbers around the globe are shrinking, it was also fantastic to be able to present the Innovation Summit in 2025 and the AI Summit in 2026 alongside the ever-popular annual ScotSoft event.
“I’m confident that under Gordon’s watch, ScotlandIS will continue to thrive. As we move into a new era of collaboration, I look forward to seeing ScotlandIS’ influence in key industry developments, including Scotland’s AI strategy, and will be supporting Gordon every step of the way,” he added.
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