Cyberhawk ready for take-off with Ian Marchant

IAN MARCHANT, the former chief executive of Scottish Hydro-owner SSE, is to turn his hand to aerial surveying after taking up a directorship at a company that specialises in running unmanned aerial vehicles.

Cyberhawk Innovations, whose miniature helicopters have been used to peer into forests, oil installations and even assist the Scotland rugby squad, described Marchant’s appointment as a “huge vote of confidence” in the Livingston-based business.

He takes up the non-executive directorship in the wake of a recent £1.25 million investment into Cyberhawk, which was led by Scottish Equity Partners, alongside the Scottish Investment Bank.

The firm, which already works with multinational energy companies in the UK, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, is on an international expansion drive that is likely to see its workforce double this year. Marchant said: “I am impressed with the management team and their plans for the future. Their ideas for creating increased value to their customers using new technology are exciting and I am relishing the opportunity to be involved in bringing Cyberhawk’s solution to more customers globally.”

Cyberhawk chairman Aubrey Thompson added: “The recent equity investment positions us to better serve our growing customer base worldwide. We are now strengthening the board to give us greater insight into our customer needs and expectations.”

Last month, Marchant was appointed as chairman of renewable energy group Infinis.