Deloitte Digital Scotland appoints new leadership team
Gareth Edwards and Debbi McLean have joined Deloitte, as the firm bids to strengthen its Scottish digital offering with a new leadership team at its Edinburgh headquarters.
One year after launching its new studio in Edinburgh, Deloitte Digital has continued its drive to expand its digital offering in the region, with the appointment of a new leadership team. The Big Four professional services firm announced the successful poaching of both Gareth Edwards and Debbi McLean from the Royal Bank of Scotland, with the duo taking up residency at the consultancy’s Edinburgh HQ.
The pair join an eight-strong team at Deloitte’s Edinburgh studio where they will be responsible for shaping and leading the local arm of the firm’s service design capability in. The new appointments will also see them working with the newly acquired Market Gravity team, as they aim to assist clients to enhance capabilities, while developing prototypes for new products and services.
Rich Hurley, a Technology Consulting Partner at Deloitte, said in a statement following the hire, “Deloitte is committed to growing its digital presence in Scotland – the appointments of Gareth and Debbi significantly help us boost this side of our practice. Coupled with the recent acquisition of Market Gravity, these hires put us in a strong position to expand Deloitte Digital and make a real difference to our clients’ digital strategies – in Scotland, the UK, and further afield.”
New challenge
Gareth Edwards previously lead Digital Solution Design at Royal Bank of Scotland, and has over 16 years’ experience in the digital sector. He joins Deloitte specifically to lead the continued expansion of its Edinburgh studio following the June acquisition of Market Gravity. He also held senior marketing positions across the financial services sector, including heading up Digital, Media & Production at Scottish Widows Investment Partnership and Head of Online Marketing at Bank of Scotland.
Debbi McLean meanwhile joins the firm with over 14 years of experience in the financial services industry. Having worked across a range of technology, design and innovation programmes, including proposition development, and the design and delivery of Royal Bank of Scotland’s customer-facing artificial intelligence solution – amid increasing global interest in the use of digital innovation in banking – her new role at Deloitte Digital, sees her responsible for shaping and leading its service design capability in Edinburgh.
Edwards, who expressed excitement at his new challenge having traditionally been an in-house appointee, stated a firm commitment to growing the practice and team at Deloitte Digital’s Edinburgh outfit, saying he was keen to see a blend of the best attributes of agency and consultancy practice at the office. “We’re joining Deloitte Digital at an exciting time in its expansion, and Edinburgh is the perfect place for us to be based. Our main focus will be to ensure our clients keep their customers at the heart of their propositions and we quickly learn what works and what doesn’t,” he concluded.
McLean meanwhile commented, “We have a huge opportunity to shape our business here in Scotland alongside our new colleagues at Market Gravity. We’re all united in our ambition to build our place in the local creative community, creating an ecosystem that complements the amazing work Deloitte has undertaken in fintech in Scotland.”
