An Aberdeen woman who co-founded Opportunity North East (ONE) alongside Sir Ian Wood has been recognised in the King’s 2025 New Year’s Honours list.
Jennifer Craw was awarded an MBE in recognition of the significant contribution she has made to the economy of North East Scotland.
ONE was set up in 2015 by Sir Ian and Jennifer to strengthen and diversify the region’s economy with a £64 million funding commitment from the Wood Foundation.
Since then, the not-for-profit has driven action and investment in key sectors including digital technology, food and drink, agriculture, green energy, life sciences and tourism.
Jennifer built a 30-strong team of economic development and sector specialists and helped establish the ONE Tech Hub, ONE BioHub, and ONE SeedPod innovation hubs.
Their stated aim was to create a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem to support growth and innovation and create high-skill jobs for the future.
King’s New Year’s Honours
Sir Ian Wood praised Jennifer’s creative thinking and her ability to turn ideas into action.
“This recognition is thoroughly deserved,” he added. “I have every confidence that Jennifer has a great deal more to contribute to the successful diversification of the economy in the years ahead.
“We formed ONE to focus on action and delivery to make a difference to the region’s economic future, and there were enough senior businesspeople in the area and partners who shared that ambition.
“Under Jennifer’s leadership, that idea and ambition became a reality, and she has created and driven projects and secured investments to make the most of strengths, develop new opportunities, and overcome challenges.”
Reacting to the honour, Jennifer said she was delighted.
She added: “I do something that I love and am very grateful for this recognition.
“ONE is about action—taking a hands-on approach to supporting entrepreneurs, founders and business leaders as they navigate the challenges of customer discovery, innovation, investment, acceleration, and scaling.”
Jennifer said ONE’s new partnership with MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in the region has helped transform their approach.
“It is a great privilege to work with extraordinary entrepreneurs and innovators across the region with talented people across our boards, teams, and partners and to see the impact of our work as we transition the mix of the region’s economy for the future.”
Jennifer, who is also a Burgess of the City of Aberdeen, praised her team and said their work was about shaping a positive future for the region in its post oil and gas era.
Degree in nutrition and dietetics
She first graduated from Robert Gordon Institute of Technology (RGIT) with a degree in nutrition and dietetics followed by a postgraduate diploma in dietetics and a further postgraduate diploma in management studies five years later.
In her early career, she worked as a nutritionist before moving into marketing roles and senior management roles in the food and drink industry.
Between 2002 and 2008, Jennifer was chief executive of Scottish Enterprise Grampian.
She joined the company in 1994 and held posts including head of food and director of competitive business.
Following a spell in the energy sector, Jennifer formed a consultancy.
She worked on philanthropic projects and a renewable energy start-up and supported the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce.
Conversation