Steve Watt, CIO, is listed in The Tech 100 again

Pauline Brown
Monday 21 September 2015

PRESS RELEASE… PRESS RELEASE… PRESS RELEASE

Technology leader at St Andrews makes power list again

Steve Watt listed three years in a row

tech100A key IT figure at the University of St Andrews has been named in a power list of industry professionals for the third year in a row.

Chief Information Officer, Steve Watt, has been listed in The Tech 100 – the who’s who in government, education, business and other organisations of leading figures in public sector ICT policy and its implementation – once again.

Published by Holyrood Magazine, this year those listed had to be nominated by other industry figures rather than selected by the editorial team. Mr Watt is understood to have received several key nominations from senior figures in the IT industry in Scotland.

Some key factors in Steve’s nominations and listing in this year’s The Tech 100 are:

  • Steve continues to play a key and influential role in the education and ICT sectors: he is a member of the two Scottish Government Boards, representing the education sector on both. Steve chairs HEIDS (Higher Education IT Directors Scotland) and is a fully active member of the Board of Dundee & Angus College.
  • Since 2012, Steve has championed the IT Apprenticeship programme – and offered 12 places in his IT department, creating fantastic opportunities for young people who would not normally get such early access to this kind of career development. Two IT apprentices have won significant awards – Microsoft Scottish Apprentice of the Year and Most Promising Young IT Professional from the British Computer Society. It was just announced last week that the University of St Andrews’ IT Services have been shortlisted as Apprentice Employer of the Year in Scotland’s Modern Apprentices Awards (run by Skills Development Scotland).
  • In partnership with APUC (Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges), Steve continues to deliver, influence and champion the shared services agenda in Scotland and is a member of the Board of UCSS (University and Colleges Shared Services).
  • The University of St Andrews was recently re-accredited by the British Computer Society & Data Centre Dynamics at Gold level (the highest award) for its energy efficient data centre and is the only public-sector type body to achieve this.
  • The University of St Andrews is the only University in the world to have achieved 4 star Service Desk Institute accreditation.
  • Steve works closely with partners and the local community (including the Business Improvement District team) to look to provision free Wi-Fi throughout the town of St Andrews, to benefit not only the University community, but also businesses and visitors to the town.

He is also leading on the University’s transformation plan, working through an ambitious framework to support business change and to enhance the core mission of excellence in research and teaching in St Andrews.

Steve Watt said: “I’m delighted to be listed in The Tech 100 again, amongst a very high calibre of IT professionals in Scotland. It was particularly pleasing to learn that colleagues in the industry had gone to the effort of nominating me. Representing the University of St Andrews and HE sector in Scotland is something I’m passionate about and I will continue to do so with enthusiasm and determination to ensure we deliver the best possible IT services for students, staff and beyond.”

ENDS

NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS

An interview with Steve Watt and more information on the Connect Tech 100 is available on the Holyrood magazine website.

Issued by the University of St Andrews Communications Office, contactable on 01334 462530 or [email protected].

http://www.holyrood.com/articles/feature/university-st-andrews-cio-getting-institution-fighting-fit

 

 

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