Scottish Tech Army
Alistair Forbes is the Founding Director and CEO of the Scottish Tech Army, established to mobilize the tech sector in Scotland for COVID-19 response efforts, evolving into a hub for tech for good initiatives. Forbes also serves as a Non-Executive Director at ONE TRIBE, promoting biodiversity to combat climate change, and as a Fellow at The RSA, which focuses on fostering inclusive social impact. Additional roles include Non-Executive Chairman at VizCareer Digital Ltd, Chair of the Advisory Board at CrowdX, and Investor and Adviser at Par Equity LLP. Forbes is a member of the Globalscot Network and has previously held positions as an Investor and Non-Executive Director at Prodsight and Board Member at Auvik Networks Inc. Educational credentials include a PhD in Electrophysiology from Newcastle University and a BSc Hons in Physiology from the University of Aberdeen.
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Scottish Tech Army
The Scottish Tech Army Limited is a not-for-profit organisation that recruits volunteers with technology skills to work on projects to support third sector organisations with digital solutions to help them increase their reach, impact, and effectiveness. It was launched in April 2020 as a COVID response initiative to help organisations that were struggling to cope with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the UK-wide lockdown on their ability to deliver services and support to the people and communities with which they worked. In carrying out this work, we realised that there was a bigger and longer-lasting challenge arising from the fact that most organisations in the third sector have limited experience with technology and do not have the budget to implement digital technologies that have the potential to be highly beneficial to their operations. Our volunteers work to address this gap. We have met companies in the tech and tech-related sectors that have made substantial investments in establishing tech for good initiatives and have demonstrated impressive impact. However, looking at the sector as a whole, there is a limited number of companies that have such programmes in place and there is tremendous potential to tap into the resources of talent, technology and finance within the sector to stimulate a step change in the impact that can be delivered. We launched the Tech for Good Alliance in 2022, creating a mobilising framework for engagement of and collaboration with and between companies in the tech and tech-related sectors to deliver social benefit. The Tech for Good Alliance is a structured programme for delivery of projects with demonstrable social impact, working with third sector organisations with a track record of effective delivery. Across the Scottish Tech Army and the Tech for Good Alliance, we welcome individuals and organisations with a commitment to using technology to deliver social impact. Join us, Join Forces, Create Positive Change