Mather appointed chairman of Gael

FORMER Scottish enterprise minister Jim Mather is joining software company Gael as chairman and will also provide advice to its sister company MindGenius.

Gael founder Donald Maciver said Mather would help take the East Kilbride-based company to the next stage of its development.

“I am delighted that Jim Mather has agreed to join us as chairman. He brings a wealth of experience from his background in IBM, his time as an entrepreneur in the IT industry and his advocacy of continuous improvement.”

It is Mather’s second directorship since he was appointed to the board of Bloxx, a website filtering company in Livingston.

Gael was founded in 1992 by Donald Maciver and Derek Jack who now leads MindGenius. It employs 112 staff and helps organisations manage quality, safety and risk.

Mather served as an MSP from 2003 to 2011 and in 2007 was appointed to the enterprise, energy and tourism portfolio, a role he served until he stepped down from frontline politics this year.

He began his career as a chartered accountant before moving to IBM in IT sales and marketing roles. He built and sold Computers For Business, a Scottish-based reseller of computer brands.

He said: “Gael is one of Scotland’s understated success stories, with a range of products that help companies across the world manage complexity and perform at much higher levels of effciency and effectiveness.”

Gael’s chief executive Ashley Marron added: “This appointment comes at a crucial time as we step up a few gears and capitalise on the market opportunity available to us across all continents.”

Mather is a prolific user of MindGenius, having used it in nearly 200 sessions with communities and industrial sectors across Scotland in his time as minister.