ScotlandIS names Professor Gordon Morison as new Chair

ScotlandIS has appointed Professor Gordon Morison as its new chair as the organisation seeks closer ties between Scotland's technology industry and academia.

Morison has served on the ScotlandIS board for four years and is dean of the Faculty of Computing, Sciences and Engineering at the University of the West of Scotland. He succeeds Andrew Williams, chief executive officer of Apptrix.ai, who has held the chair since September 2024 and will remain on the board.

ScotlandIS is the membership and cluster management body for Scotland's digital technologies industry. Morison's appointment reflects a push to deepen collaboration between businesses and universities as technology companies seek skills, research links and policy engagement.

Morison has worked in academia for more than 15 years. His current role places him at the centre of teaching and research across computing, engineering and science, areas that align with industry demand in fields such as artificial intelligence and data science.

The leadership change comes against the backdrop of a sizeable technology sector in Scotland. According to ScotlandIS, the country has 3,900 digital technologies companies. The sector contributes about GBP £7.5 billion to Scotland's gross value added and is growing at 1.5 times the rate of the wider economy.

ScotlandIS members employ about 60,000 people and contribute about GBP £4.7 billion to Scotland's GVA. Across the wider economy, around 100,000 people work in digital technology roles, and about 13,000 job openings are created each year.

Commenting on his appointment, Morison pointed to continued investment in parts of the Scottish market despite wider pressures.

"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. Andrew has created some brilliant momentum in this area, and I'm excited to build on it with fresh energy and focus," said Professor Gordon Morison, chair of ScotlandIS.

Board transition

Williams joined the ScotlandIS board in 2014 and will stay involved after stepping down as chair. His tenure covered a period in which the organisation expanded its work across member networks, public sector engagement and founder support.

He said ScotlandIS had focused on bringing together different parts of the technology ecosystem, including government, early-stage companies and established businesses.

"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 present the Innovation Summit in 2025 and the AI Summit in 2026 alongside the ever-popular annual ScotSoft event.

Our members continuously remind us of the strength of innovation we have right here in Scotland. As technology moves faster than ever before, I encourage all our members and the wider tech ecosystem, including our world-class universities, to keep thinking big and show other nations what we're made of.

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," said Williams.

Sector links

The emphasis on stronger academic links reflects a broader issue for the industry in Scotland, where employers continue to compete for technical skills and universities play a central role in research, graduate recruitment and start-up formation. ScotlandIS has worked with public agencies including the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland on sector development and workforce planning.

Digital technology is also a significant export sector for Scotland, with exports worth more than GBP £3.3 billion, according to the organisation's figures. Average annual pay for digital technology workers is about GBP £36,900, around 26% above the average for all workers in Scotland.

The appointment places a senior academic at the head of an industry body that has become a notable voice in policy and business discussions around AI, skills and innovation. It also signals that ScotlandIS sees collaboration between universities and companies as central to the next phase of the sector's development.

ScotlandIS said its events attracted 6,500 attendees in 2019, and the organisation continues to position itself as a convening body for businesses, public agencies and academic institutions across Scotland's technology economy.