UK Digital Economy Conference

Kate Forbes MSP

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic, Scottish Government

Kate Forbes is the Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituency (which includes Dingwall, the Black Isle and the Great Glen). She is the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for the Economy and Gaelic in the Scottish Government.

Kate is from Dingwall, although she spent part of her upbringing in Glasgow and India. Until she was elected as MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Kate was employed as an accountant in the banking industry. Prior to that she studied History at the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh.

First elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2016, she was re-elected as the constituency MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch in May 2021.

Kate first joined the Government in June 2018, as Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy. She subsequently served as Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy from February 2020 to March 2023.

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Paul Connell

Executive Chair, The Data City

Paul co-founded The Data City as a spin out from Open innovations in 2017 with the mission to create a software business that used open data the power of the web and machine learning and AI to help people, business and organisations use real time data to answer their questions about the economy and #KillAllreports.

Paul is an entrepreneur who has built Open Innovations into a 21st century Institution and co-founded The Data City in 2017.

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Hollie Hodgson

Head of Account Management, Tussell

Hollie heads up Tussell's account management team. Working closely with leading technology suppliers and government bodies, Hollie has years of experience in using data to drive better outcomes in public sector procurement. Outside of Tussell, Hollie is the Chair of techUK's Scale-Up Council, championing government policy initiatives to enable UK tech scale-ups to thrive.

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Paul McKean

Director of Further Education, Skills and Training, JISC

Paul McKean is the Director of further education, skills and training at Jisc. Paul provides Jisc with strategic direction around its work in Further Education and Skills (FES). He works with colleagues across Jisc, funders from the four nations, sector bodies and learning providers, to ensure Jisc helps its members and their staff, utilise digital, data and technology. In addition, Paul leads the training team which supports FE and skills, HE and research members with their digital, data and technology CPD needs. While Paul has been an Association of Colleges Beacon award assessor for eleven years.

Paul was a returner learner who retrained in multimedia and web design, as a mature student. He became a FE lecturer, then FE manager. While at Bolton College, Paul wrote the college and council’s first e-learning strategies and led on a number of digital innovation projects including the development of the Maths Everywhere adult numeracy app, an ICT for communities project which included the development of Bolton Revisited and the first use of mobile learning in FE. He also set up the first FE TeachMeet.

Paul joined Jisc in 2014 and was responsible for their first FE and skills strategy and he has been leading the development of Jisc’s Digital Elevation Tool, an e-maturity self-assessment tool for FE providers.

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Anna Ashton-Scott

Head of Skills, The Data Lab

Anna Ashton-Scott is the Head of Skills at The Data Lab, with responsibility for education and training strategies aligned to the vision and purpose of Scotland’s Innovation Centre for Data & AI. Anna’s team supports organisations and individuals - from senior leaders to career changers and early talent - to embrace the potential of data & AI, collaborating with higher and further education to ensure graduates are industry ready, and companies can access and retain talent in today’s rapidly changing world of work. With over 20 years of experience in higher education, Anna has held roles in external relations, knowledge exchange, researcher development, and has led the implementation of national industry-focused postgraduate internship and placement programmes.

: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annatscott/

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Jill Mckinney

Director of Delivery & Head of Skills, Sunderland Software City and DSIT Digital Skills Council

Jill Mckinney Director of Delivery & Head of Skills at Sunderland Software City and  DSIT  Digital Skills Council member , I’m passionate about making sure tech talent and industry connect in the right ways, helping people and businesses grow in the digital economy.

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Mark Sterritt

Senior Investment Director, British Business Bank

Mark has held leadership roles throughout a 25 year career in both the public and private sectors originally in Corporate Banking in London and more recently in economic development in Ireland.  In his current role as Senior Investment Director with the British Business Bank (BBB) Mark is responsible for leading the team that manages >£500m of debt and equity investments into SMEs across Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and the South West of England. 

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Professor Steven Drost

Co-Founder and Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) , CodeBase Scotland Ltd

Professor Steven Drost is a three-time startup founder with one successful exit, one failure and one ongoing venture. Steven is a practitioner and mentor who loves learning and understanding, connecting people and ideas. 

He has founded startups, raised funds, scaled and sold businesses, and worked with large corporations and state institutions. His current focus is economic development for the UK via building startup ecosystems.

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Michelle Ferguson

Director, CBI Scotland

Michelle Ferguson is a highly accomplished leader with a distinguished career spanning the commercial and third sector, manufacturing, and consultancy. She is best known for her transformative leadership and commitment to fostering inclusive workplaces.

Michelle played a pivotal role in founding Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, a social enterprise dedicated to supporting Armed Forces veterans. Following this success, she took on the leadership of RBLI’s (Royal British Legion Industries) Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company operations in Aylesford and Leatherhead. Overseeing three factories across the UK, Michelle drove significant operational improvements while maintaining a strong focus on social impact, providing employment opportunities for veterans and individuals with disabilities in competitive markets.

Earlier in her career, Michelle revitalised St Andrew’s First Aid, transforming it into Scotland’s leading provider of First Aid Training. This success highlighted her ability to deliver strategic and operational excellence across diverse organisations.

Alongside her leadership roles, she has worked extensively with local and national governments across the UK, fostering collaboration on key issues such as employment, social enterprise, and sustainability.

Michelle is a Non-Executive Director of Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce, where she supports local businesses by sharing her expertise in governance and strategy.

In January, she took up the position of Director of CBI Scotland, where she represents and advocates for the Scottish business community. Combining her leadership experience, knowledge of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) matters, and interest in emerging technologies, Michelle is passionate about driving innovation and fostering sustainable economic growth.

A mother to two sons, Michelle balances her professional achievements with a love of travel and a keen interest in exploring how developing technologies can shape the future. Her reputation for transformative leadership and her ability to create meaningful social and economic impact continue to inspire businesses and communities across Scotland and beyond.

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Hollie Hodgson

Head of Account Management, Tussell

Hollie heads up Tussell's account management team. Working closely with leading technology suppliers and government bodies, Hollie has years of experience in using data to drive better outcomes in public sector procurement. Outside of Tussell, Hollie is the Chair of techUK's Scale-Up Council, championing government policy initiatives to enable UK tech scale-ups to thrive.

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