Software consultancy Appetite for Business added to its haul of honours by scooping the best workplace of the year gong at last night’s Scottish Digital Technology Awards.
The Aberdeen firm was among 11 winners, including “unsung hero” Tommy Lawson, an Edinburgh-based schools technology advisor, unveiled at a ceremony at the Radisson Blu hotel in Glasgow.
Appetite for Business – based at the Innovation Park at Bridge of Don – is a specialist in Microsoft 365 and SharePoint business software.
The company is owned and led by Sheryl Newman, whose past accolades include a business of the year title at the Association of Scottish Businesswomen Awards in 2019.
Leader of the year
She had previously won a leader of the year gong in the Scottish Women in Technology Awards, and also counts a “spirit of enterprise” success from the Elevator Awards among her many accolades.
Earlier this year, Ms Newman’s business was awarded gold accreditation from the Learning and Performance Institute.
Appetite for Business was the sole winner from the north at last night’s ceremony.
Celebration of Scottish digital technology
Hosted annually by ScotlandIS, the membership and cluster management organisation for this country’s digital technologies industry, the Scottish Digital Technology Awards celebrate innovation in the sector and its efforts to tackle issues such as climate change.
ScotlandIS chief executive Karen Meechan said: “Each year we host these awards, the competition is fierce.
“I’d like to congratulate our winners and runners-up on what was a challenging year for our judges.
“It’s particularly heartening to see how much the sector is contributing not only to the industry… but also how the industry is championing issues that impact our every day lives, with creative and impactful solutions to parts of the climate crisis straight through to cyber security.”
Ms Meechan added: “I’d like to send special congratulations to this year’s unsung hero, Tommy Lawson, whose breadth and depth of knowledge, and ability to communicate to his students, shone through in his application – as did the respect and admiration his peers have for him.
“Talent is an ongoing challenge for our industry and it’s important to recognise the real champions we have working to inspire the next generation.”
The digital technologies industry in Scotland employs more than 70,000 people, offering a wide range of skills and professional services from niche specialised companies to global players.
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