Scotland's top '˜40 under 40' business innovators revealed

Leah Hutcheon, founder of Apointedd, was among those to make the list. Picture: Ian Rutherford/TSPL

The leading business innovators and entrepreneurs under the age of 40 living and working in Scotland have been revealed, as chosen by a panel of experts as part of a nationwide competition.

The ‘40 under 40’ list is intended to recognise and celebrate the range of young talent that exists in the business community, especially those who demonstrate potential for growth in the future.

The list was compiled by the Scottish Business News Network (SBNN) website.

SBNN publisher Mike Watson. Picture: Contributed

“We are lucky that Scotland has a very solid infrastructure for supporting and developing business across all sectors,” said SBNN publisher Mike Watson.

“This list shows that significant contributions to Scottish business are coming from young people under 40, which has to bode well for the future of Scottish business.”

East Lothian businessman John Durrant, CEO of digital marketing and PR agency Juggling Swords, was among those to make the list.

“I look up to many of the people named on the list so to be mentioned in the same breath as them is a real honour,” he said.

“Getting a little bit of acknowledgement like this is a great feeling, especially when you have to put in crazy hours and manage a lot challenges within a start-up agency. It can feel like a very lonely place sometimes so to be named as one of Scotland’s best young entrepreneurs is a pretty incredible feeling.”

Other notable names on the list included co-founder and CEO of Entrepreneurial Lucy-Rose Walker, Appointedd founder Leah Hutcheon and Bruce Walker, founder of WeAreTheFuture.

Appointedd announced as AccelerateHER winner at Investing Women Conference

THE FULL LIST

- Laura Etko, owner, Laura’s Gym Ltd, 34

- John Durrant, CEO and co-founder, Juggling Swords, 32

- Pete Docherty, head of people solutions, MBN Solutions, 34

- Matthew O’Hare, international executive, Scottish Enterprise, 25

- Dr Ravinder Dahiya, reader in electronics engineering, University of Glasgow, 39

- Sam Trett, director, LoCa Beverages Ltd, 27

- Tom McDonald, managing director, Exsel Group, 32

- Dominic Taddei, managing director, Mortgage Advice Bureau Scotland, 39

- Leanne McDonald, recruitment director, Cammach Recruitment, 36

- Daniel Halliday, finance director, TenTel Ltd, 30

- Julie Clark-Spence, partner, Balfour+Manson, 38

- Kenny Lowe, head of emerging technologies, Brightsolid, 34

- Brian McEwan, programme manager, Young Enterprise Scotland, 37

- Scott Whyte, managing director, Watermans Accident Claims and Care, 34

- Barry Park, managing director, OEM Group, 33

- Robert Cowman, engineering director, EC-OG, 39

- Andrew Dobbie, director, MadeBrave, 35

- Peter Walker, general manager, Meldrum House, 36

- Donna Hutchison, operations director, Quensh Specialists Limited, 36

- Craig Buchan, founder and managing director, Qpal, 24

- Yekemi Otaru, managing director, YO! Marketing Limited, 37

- Matthew Leonard, assistant syndicate manager, EOS Technology Investment Syndicate, 22

- Neil McLennan, senior lecturer and director of leadership programmes, University of Aberdeen, 36

- Andrew Brown, director, Brown & Brown Architects, 33

- Aqib Pervaiz, founder and CEO, RapidTechSolutions, 19

- Pete Swift, director, Scot-Tech Engagement, 31

- Luke Johnson, CEO, Cognitive Geology, 36

- Colin Hewitt, CEO and founder, Float, 39

- Stuart Lawson, managing director, AISUS Offshore, 30

- Myles Edwards, founder, Gathimba Edwards Foundation, 31

- Ryan Crighton, director of marketing, Aberdein Considine, 31

- Leah Hutcheon, CEO and founder, Appointedd, 36

- Heidi Barnes, entrepreneur strategy manager, Royal Bank of Scotland, 26

- Lucy-Rose Walker, Co-founder and Chief Entrepreneuring Officer (CEO), Entrepreneurial Spark, 36

- Kallum Russell, chief enterprise officer, Acorn Enterprise, 26

- Kendra Byers, managing director, Startedinburgh, 23

- Bruce Walker, founder/CEO, WeAreTheFuture, 22

- Bruce Hydes, founding director, Edgar Stewart Selection Ltd, 39

- Gavin Henry, managing director, Suretec Systems Ltd, 38

- Murray Kerr, managing director, SengS Subsea Engineering Solutions Ltd, 35