Our Team

Heather Thomson

CEO

Heather joined The Data Lab in 2018, leading the £8m data and AI skills programme, including the establishment of the MSc programme The Data Lab Academy. She was appointed to the Executive team in 2021, serving as Interim CEO from April 2024 before being appointed to the role of Chief Executive Officer in February 2025. Heather is responsible for setting the direction, strategy and culture of The Data Lab, driving collaboration and innovation forging partnerships and engaging with stakeholders to deliver economic growth and societal impact.

Holding previous roles with Epicor, GE Energy, and ION Geophysical, Heather is a thought leader and board member with over 20 years cross-sector experience in leadership, developing funding proposals and establishing global skills programmes. Heather is a STEM ambassador, with a keen interest in raising awareness and supporting skills development across marginalised and underrepresented groups. She has previously volunteered on the DELL STEM Aspire programme and works closely with social enterprise DataKirk.

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Manolo Perez

Chief Operations and Finance Officer

Manolo is responsible for delivering the operational strategy, encompassing External Projects, Operations, and Finance.

He is a qualified Chartered Accountant in Public Finance with over 25 years of experience in Finance and Operations senior roles in the University Sector. He joined The Data Lab in January 2015, having previously worked at various Schools within the University of Edinburgh.

Mark Wilkinson

Chief Growth Officer

Mark is responsible for the delivery of the growth strategy, which encompasses Skills, Marketing, Business Development, and External Funding activity in The Data Lab.

He has more than 25 years of experience in the global data and analytics sector and has managed business teams that include start-ups and established organisations.

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Daniel Montgomery

Business Development Executive (Academia-Industry Engagement Lead)

Daniel is a professional relationship builder with over 10 years of experience across the Data Science, Innovation and Finance sectors. He is responsible for overseeing The Data Lab’s Academia-Industry Engagement, creating long-lasting strategic relationships, connecting people and organisations and ensuring our collaborators are able to maximise the opportunities that come with working with us. Daniel is passionate about Data Science and Innovation in Scotland and the impact for good that it can have on a national and global scale.

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Sandra Ripley

Business Development Executive (Industry, Partner & Skills Lead)

Sandra believes strongly in the power of a good data strategy and supporting skill set in driving business success.  She is delighted to be part of the team at The Data Lab working with Scottish businesses to support growth of their data skill set.  She has extensive cross-industry experience working in business development and marketing roles.

Max Baczynski

Business Development Officer (Skills)

Max joined The Data Lab in November 2021 to oversee the MSc Industrial Placements Programme and help connect businesses with emerging Data Science and AI talent. With over 6 years of experience in the tech education space, he previously worked for the coding bootcamp Makers and built partnerships with companies from Deloitte to Deliveroo. Max will build on this experience to help scope out suitable short data science projects for organisations across Scotland.

Adam Turner

Head of External Funding

Adam is responsible for the creation and delivery of strategic funding programmes supporting Scottish based organisations. Since the External Funding Service creation in 2020, Adam has overseen over 100 consortia led applications into a range of funding bodies delivering over £85M of funding into Scottish, UK and European collaborations. In addition to his role at The Data Lab, Adam is the Scotland lead for the £54M Smart Manufacturing Data Hub, a collaboration supported by 13 UK partners with a mission to revolutionise the way SME Manufacturers use their data for productivity and environmental advancement.

Adam is an active contributor on several Health and Energy programmes, tackling key challenges throughout our economy. His previous roles at The Data Lab in Business Development, and IBM Watson Consultancy Services has seen Adam facilitate clients on their way to a Data and AI powered Future over the last 10 years.

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Saleh Seyedzadeh

Head of Data
Saleh is a Data Scientist with a wealth of experience working in academia, the public sector and industry across different sectors, from manufacturing to healthcare, both in the UK and internationally. He holds a PhD in Data Science in Built Environment from the University of Strathclyde. His research has been published in more than 60 high-impact research outputs and has been cited more than 1100 times. He works with multidisciplinary teams of researchers, engineers and data scientists to deliver cutting-edge digital and data science solutions.

Vyron Christodoulou

Data Scientist

Vyron is a Data Scientist with both academic and industry experience. He is interested in Machine Learning, Open Source Software, automation and Machine Learning and Operations (MLOps). He joined The Data Lab from the British Geological Survey (BGS), where he worked with multiple groups and types of data, applying software engineering practices and ML methods to make publicly accessible and reproducible research and science. He holds an MSc and a PhD in Artificial Intelligence where he worked with satellite data in anomaly detection and data drift.

Tom Lowe

Data Scientist – Smart Manufacturing Data Hub

Tom is a Data Scientist with both academic and industry experience. He is interested in Machine Learning, IoT, and automation. He joined The Data Lab from the Uk Atomic Energy Authority, where he worked with multiple engineering and science groups to enable the research of nuclear fusion for the JET experiment. He holds an Masters and several years experience in engineering and data science.

Anna Ashton Scott

Head of Skills

Anna leads The Data Lab’s data and AI skills programme which supports organisations to develop data strategy consider the impact and potential of AI, build teams and access and retain talent in today’s rapidly changing world of work.

With a background in arts and humanities, she brings a creative problem-solving approach to her work. Her breadth of experience in professional services, including management roles with the University of Glasgow and King’s College London, includes leading high-profile national skills initiatives and cross-sectoral partnership working. Anna is passionate about breaking down barriers to learning and working collaboratively with partners to achieve common goals.

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Cheryl Stewart

Project Manager (Skills)

Cheryl joined The Data Lab in 2016 and currently serves as the Project Manager for the Skills Programme within the Professional Development team. Her key focus areas include online learning, continuing professional development (CPD), executive and leadership development, and Data Skills for Work.

With over a decade of experience at the University of Edinburgh, primarily in HR roles, Cheryl brings a wealth of expertise in supporting professional growth and learning. Her passion for education and development drives her work at The Data Lab, where she’s committed to empowering others with the skills needed to thrive in the data-driven world.

Laura Zoch

Professional Development Programme Manager

Laura is an experienced project manager, facilitator and networker. Driven by the desire to future proof society, she takes pride in supporting the Scottish data and AI talent pool. As a programme manager, her goals include the creation of high quality educational tools and their delivery to a broad range of users and Stakeholders. Previously, Laura worked for SULSA where she created and delivered an innovative skills programme to support the Scottish life sciences sector.

Nuria Fraile-Diaz

Digital Learning and Development Manager

Nuria has worked at the University of Edinburgh for the last 19 years and has vast experience managing projects across different schools, predominately related to Online Learning Environments. She is a learning designer and technologist and worked on the University of Edinburgh MOOC offer (part of the Educational Design and Engagement Team). She has experience with a wide range of VLEs and LMS.
Her specialisation focuses on creating online learning training products focusing on universal design for accessibility.

Marian Dunbar

The Data Lab Academy Programme Manager

Marian has more than 20 years of experience as a University Administrator working with students and academics in a variety of roles. She joins The Data Lab from the Cyber Academy, Edinburgh Napier University, where she supported a range of training, education and dissemination activities on cyber security.

Sara Orr-Saiz

Employability Delivery Manager

Sara joined The Data Lab in October 2021 to oversee the MSc Industrial Placements Programme and help students develop their knowledge and expertise and build their confidence. She joins us from Equate Scotland where for seven years she supported and promoted women in STEM in Scotland, through their Student Network and training and consultancy. Sara has a background in education and gender and has worked in the third sector in four countries for over 15 years.

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Dan Yan

The Data Lab Academy Programme Coordinator

Dan is an experienced programme coordinator with a strong background in managing and optimising hybrid programme deliveries. With an MSc in TESOL from the University of Edinburgh and over 7 years in higher education, she excels in student administration, financial management, and event coordination. Dan applies her expertise to create impactful experiences for international students, ensuring seamless programme operations and fostering community engagement.

Isabella Melking

PR & Communications Manager

Isabella is responsible for managing Communications and Public Relations at The Data Lab. Her role involves sharing meaningful stories about the organisation’s various activities, including leading the development of their first-ever Impact Report. She is a communications and engagement professional with over 10 years of experience working in higher education and social enterprises, designing and implementing projects and activities to engage a variety of audiences.

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Paul McMillan

Community and Events Programme Manager

Paul leads The Data Lab’s Community and Events programmes, which includes responsibility for all events and conferences, as well as The Data Lab’s digital community. Under Paul’s stewardship The Data Lab Community was launched in 2021, and has since grown to 5000+ members from 80+ countries, while attracting 4000+ event attendees.

Paul has over 10 years experience in community building, events and marketing across the tech sector, launching numerous digital communities, managing 20+ international conferences & 100s of community events.

Steven Thomson

Community and Events Manager

Steven oversees The Data Lab Community‘s events programme. He joins The Data Lab with a wealth of experience in organising and leading events – including Scotland’s most extensive data and AI careers event Data Talent in his previous role at FutureX.

Flo Millar

Marketing and Communications Manager

Flo joined The Data Lab in November 2024 and is responsible for all things strategy, research, content, communications, and advertising. With five years of experience and an agency background, Flo has a proven track record of delivering impactful campaigns across diverse sectors, including higher education, charity, and the public sector.

Kristina Mutch

Head of Operations and Legal

Kristina leads the Operations Team and is responsible for legal and contractual activity related to all aspects of The Data Lab’s activities. Prior to joining The Data Lab, Kristina worked for a commercial law firm, providing specialist advice to a wide range of private, public, and third-sector clients.

Samantha Penn

Office Manager & PA to CEO

Sam has extensive experience in higher education administration, having previously worked for QMU, the University of Edinburgh & Edinburgh Napier University, in various PA, finance, HR & secretarial roles. She has supported both senior central services and academic staff and also students at all levels & managed a variety of events including workshops, conferences & seminars.

Malcolm Price

Programme Manager (Collaborative Innovation)

Malcolm started his career as a software engineer before moving into project management. He has over 20 years managing technology development projects in various sectors. Malcolm is a great believer in collaboration and the ‘power of together’ to bring success.

Amy Lippok

HR Administration Manager

Amy is an HR professional with a strong background in Higher Education. Amy joined The Data Lab in 2021 from The University of Edinburgh after having worked with many HR Departments in various Schools and Colleges. Before joining The University of Edinburgh, Amy specialised in Compliance within the IT Recruitment sector.

Sean McNamee

Finance Business Support Analyst

Sean works alongside the Director of Operations & Finance and provides support for various departments of The Data Lab.

He has worked in a variety of operations and finance roles within tech and education over the past 8 years including the coding bootcamp CodeClan.

Steph Wright

Head of Scottish AI Alliance

Steph has a diverse background ranging from astrophysics to genomics in academia and film & TV to dance in the arts and the third sector. A project and programme management professional, she loves to develop and build collaborations across organisations to help people with their data/AI journey. Steph led on The Data Lab’s efforts in support of the Scottish Government in developing Scotland’s AI Strategy and she’s now leading on the delivery of the strategy’s vision for Scotland to be a leader in the development and use of trustworthy, ethical and inclusive AI. She is also Co-Founder of Diverse AI and was recognised as one of the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics in 2023 and one of the Top 10 Women in Tech in Scotland in 2023.

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Calum McDonald

Engagement & Participation Manager

Calum is an engagement professional who has worked across education, accessibility, STEM and the arts. He enjoys producing events and coordinating programmes which centre on inclusivity, collaborative relationships and interdisciplinary learning. Calum is also a mentor in the Creative Informatics programme with Creative Edinburgh, and a member of their Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Steering Group

Dawn Hunter

Programme Manager

Dawn is a Project Manager with over a decade’s experience in managing a diverse range of digital, civic society, events and marketing projects. She is an accredited PRINCE2 Practitioner and APMG Agile Project Management Practitioner. Dawn holds an MSc with Distinction in Digital Marketing, where her research examined the effects of the digitalisation of SMEs in Scotland. A lifelong AI enthusiast, Dawn believes that people should be at the centre of digital transformation and is an ardent believer in the power of AI for good.

Maggie Dziezyc

Projects Officer

Maggie brings over 10 years of consulting and project management experience across corporations, startups, and charities. With a keen interest in the psychology of tech and behavioural science, she’s passionate about ensuring that innovation aligns with human values and welfare.

A strong believer in life-long learning, she enjoys exploring new concepts and ideas and sharing them with others in an engaging, fun and accessible way.

Gordon Johnstone

Communications and Events Manager

Gordon is a creative digital professional with demonstrable success working in the third and private sectors.

Gordon leads on all communications and events activity involved in the delivery of the Scottish AI strategy’s vision to make Scotland a leader in the development and use of trustworthy, ethical and inclusive AI.

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Elena Connarty

Communications and Events Officer

With a passion for digital marketing, Elena supports communications and events activity helping to deliver on the vision for Scotland to become a leader in trustworthy, ethical and inclusive AI.

Elena comes from a background studying Business and Spanish. Although her career has predominantly been in marketing, she remains enthusiastic about using her Spanish skills to engage in meaningful conversations.