2024 has been a year of change and growth for The Data Lab. In this guest blog, Heather Thomson, our Interim CEO, reflects on a year of personal and professional milestones. From stepping into the role of Interim CEO to celebrating a decade of The Data Lab’s impact, Heather shares her journey of leadership, collaboration, and the values that have guided the team. Looking ahead to 2025, Heather is excited about the continued growth of our community, and new opportunities to collaborate and drive Scotland’s leadership in data and AI innovation.
The Year of Change
Following a period of uncertainty and change in 2023 as we worked to secure continued funding at The Data Lab, 2024 began on a positive note with confirmation of long-term investment by the Scottish Funding Council under the National Innovation Infrastructure programme. The future was bright, but little did I know that in the coming weeks, further change was afoot, which would result in the most significant impact on my career to date, leading to a very different year than the one I had planned.
Taking the helm
In April I was appointed Interim CEO of The Data Lab – a huge honour to follow in the footsteps of Gillian Docherty and Brian Hills, and the opportunity to lead an organisation so prominent within Scotland’s data and AI ecosystem and a highly skilled team. If I’m honest this was not something I envisaged on my career trajectory when joining The Data Lab as Programme Manager to lead the skills programme in 2018. However, the support and encouragement I received from across the community helped me to realise this possibility, move beyond feelings of self-doubt and imposter syndrome, and reflect on my development over the last six years, highlighting my strengths and driving passion for building and leading successful teams. This was an amazing opportunity that I couldn’t let pass, so here we are nine months on. It has been an exciting, yet challenging year and I have loved every minute of it.
Collaboration is the key to success
There is no doubt that times are tough across all sectors, but what I love about Scotland is that in difficult times we come together as a community to explore how we can work together to overcome challenges, explore new opportunities, and create a multiplier effect. A highlight has been the growth of The Data Lab Community to over 6,000 members across more than 80 countries. The community provides opportunities to meet, learn, share, mentor and so much more and there are many examples of how it has helped both individuals and organisations in different ways, making me proud of the team and their achievements through collaboration.
Developing frameworks for growth
This year has been focussed on establishing a framework for growth and success, both at work and at home as my eldest son makes his all-important subject choices for next year. Supporting him in this process has reinforced the importance of our work in supporting educational pathways and raising awareness of the increasing need for digital, data, and AI literacy from early years to senior leaders, including those involved in developing policy and curriculum. It really is a postcode lottery when it comes to the learning opportunities and careers advice available at both primary and secondary level. If we are to thrive as a nation, we must work collectively to educate, upskill, and realise potential, showcasing existing and future career paths that will rely on these core skills, ensuring opportunities to learn and work are available to all.
The last few months at The Data Lab have been focussed on strategy and culture, thinking about how we can continue to act as catalysts, facilitating collaboration to utilise and connect the strengths of academia with industry through innovation, skills, and community. We are really excited for the year ahead planning to deliver against our vision of fostering a fairer, more equitable, and prosperous society where the responsible use of data and AI empowers everyone to thrive.
We continue to develop and grow as a team, promoting innovation and collaboration internally, with our values – Innovate, Support, Grow and Respect -at the heart of all activity.
Celebrating a decade
November marked the 10th anniversary of The Data Lab, providing the opportunity to celebrate with our community and partners through a programme of events designed to showcase collaborative impact over the last decade. We have travelled across Scotland hosting Skills and Community roadshows, welcoming the new 2024/25 cohort of Master’s students to the Academy programme and providing students with the opportunity to network with our wider community. We will continue the celebrations into 2025, culminating in DataFest, making a return to the Assembly rooms, Edinburgh in May 2025, where it all began with the first DataFest in 2017. This provides the opportunity to showcase Scotland’s data and AI ecosystem on an international stage and attracts speakers and delegates globally.
The New Year
I’m looking forward to spending the festive period with family and friends – a time to recharge and a little break from the side of football pitch, which, for those who don’t know, is where the majority of my leisure time is spent! I’m excited by our plans for 2025 and beyond, and look forward to continued growth of the community, forging new relationships and strengthening existing ones, identifying new opportunities to collaborate, and helping to position Scotland at the forefront of data and AI innovation and adoption.
I wish you all a fabulous festive break and look forward to working with you in 2025! Thanks for your continued support of @The Data Lab Innovation Centre.