ScotlandIS appoints Professor Gordon Morison as new chair  

ScotlandIS, the membership organisation for Scotland’s digital technologies industry, has appointed Professor Gordon Morison as its new chair.  

Morison is the Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Sciences and Engineering at the University of the West of Scotland and takes on the role after four years as a member of the ScotlandIS board. 

“I can’t think of a more exciting time to chair an organisation as influential as ScotlandIS,” Morison said. “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.” 

Morison has worked in academia for over 15 years and will look to bring his combination of academic leadership, AI and data science expertise, and deep industry connections to ScotlandIS in an effort to build closer collaboration between business and academia.

He will replace current chair Andrew Williams, CEO of Apptrix.ai, on 24 September at the organisation’s flagship conference, ScotSoft. 

“I'm looking forward to drawing on my experience in academia to find new ways for the two sectors to work together,” Morison said. “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.”   

Morison joins recently appointed chief executive Andrew Weir at the helm of an organisation that represents over 1,000 Scottish technology companies through its cluster ecosystem, with members contributing about £4.7bn to Scotland’s GVA (gross value added) annually. 

Outgoing chair Williams said: “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.”