Scottish digital achievements honoured at tech awards gala

This year's Digital Tech Awards celebrated the accomplishments within the Scottish tech sector at an event in Glasgow.

ScotlandIS, the organisation at the centre of Scotland's digital technologies industry, marked its 25th anniversary by announcing the 2025 Digital Tech Awards winners. The event highlighted achievements across various sectors, including artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, aerospace, education, managed services, and fintech.

More than 100 entrants vied for recognition, with a panel of judges selecting 12 winners based on outstanding contributions to the industry. Strategy and commitment to long-term success were crucial in evaluating contenders.

Among the recognised entities was Inicio AI, a fintech start-up led by women, which received the Service Innovation award for its AI-driven financial advisory methods. Sopra Steria secured the Best Wellbeing at Work award due to its long-standing Employee Trust fund to support employees in financial distress.

Lugo was acknowledged as the inaugural recipient in the new Outstanding IT Managed Service Provider category. The company was commended for emphasising leadership, innovation, and customer service.

In individual recognition, Cieran Smith, an infrastructure engineer at KubeNet, was honoured as this year's Digital Tech Rising Star.

Karen Meechan, CEO of ScotlandIS, reflected on the sector's achievements despite recent challenges facing the industry. "A lot has been asked of the Scottish tech sector in recent years, with a high expectation when it comes to driving growth. It has been a source of great pride for our organisation to see so many businesses across Scotland achieving so much. Taking moments like this to celebrate the success of our brilliant sector is so rewarding."

Meechan also acknowledged the diverse range of entries and their significance for future talent. "Every year the calibre of entries for Digital Tech Awards never fails to amaze me and it's inspiring to see the range of sectors this year's winners represent. From education to AI, it's indicative of the work being done at all levels to inspire the next generation of talent and support the growth of the sector, despite a tricky climate. It's a real grassroots to glory picture that's being painted, and I hope to see that determination continue in the next 12 months."

Marking ScotlandIS's 25th anniversary, Meechan expressed pride over the organisation's evolution and achievements. "Marking a quarter of a century of ScotlandIS, this year's awards feel particularly special. Having personally been part of the journey for 21 of those 25 years, I've seen how we've gone from just a small team to now supporting a membership base of more than 1,000 Scottish businesses. We're incredibly proud of how the Scottish tech sector has flourished over the past two decades and we only hope to see that continue in the next 25 years."

Sponsors such as Sopra Steria, Pulsant, and the Scottish Government National Cyber Resilience Unit supported the winners. The range of categories highlighted a commitment to recognising excellence in various aspects of digital technologies.

The complete list of winners included: 1partCarbon for Tech for Good, British Youth International College for Product Innovation, DeepMiner for Data Trailblazer, PACE Anti-Piracy for Cyber Excellence, Improvement Service for Public Sector Innovation, CAVU Aerospace UK for Digital Tech Business of the Year: Start-Up, British Youth International College for Digital Tech Business of the Year: Scale-Up, and Kick ICT for Digital Tech Business of the Year: Enterprise.