Gillian Docherty facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gillian Docherty CBE
Docherty at the UK Data Service Data Impact 2016 event
Alma mater	University of Glasgow
Employer	University of Strathclyde

Gillian Docherty is a smart British computer scientist. She helps lead the University of Strathclyde as its Chief Commercial Officer. This means she helps the university work with businesses and grow. She is also the President of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, which supports businesses in Glasgow.

Before these roles, from 2015 to 2022, she was the CEO of The Data Lab. This is a special place in Scotland that helps use data science and artificial intelligence (AI) to solve problems. In 2021, she became the first leader of Scotland's AI Alliance. This group works to put Scotland's AI plan into action.

Learning and Degrees

Gillian Docherty studied computer science at the University of Glasgow. She earned a degree there. Later, Robert Gordon University gave her a special award called an honorary doctorate in technology. This award recognized her amazing work and achievements in technology.

Her Work Journey

Gillian Docherty started her career at a big company called IBM in 1993. She worked there for 22 years! She had many different jobs at IBM. She worked in sales, helped financial companies, and dealt with computer hardware and software. She became a senior leader in the UK. She led a team that helped Scottish companies use IBM's software.

Leading The Data Lab

In June 2015, Gillian became the CEO of The Data Lab. This center was created in 2014. It helps Scotland use data science to create new ideas and solve problems. By 2018, The Data Lab had finished over 100 projects. They estimated these projects added more than £100 million to Scotland's economy.

The Data Lab has offices in different cities like Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. By 2018, it had received over £25 million in funding. This money came from groups like the Scottish Funding Council and the Scottish Government.

In 2015, Gillian started a special Master's degree program at The Data Lab. This program teaches students about data science. In 2016, she made the class size twice as big. This was to meet the growing need for people who understand big data.

Sharing Her Knowledge

Gillian Docherty has spoken at many important events. These include the Big Data Analytics conference and the Glasgow Business Summit. In June 2017, she gave a TEDx talk. It was called 2037 - Who's leading? Who's following?. In 2017, she won the CEO Of The Year award at the ScotlandIS Digital Technology Awards.

She is now the President of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce. She used to be the Deputy President. In 2022, she became the chief commercial officer at the University of Strathclyde. She also helps a charity called Beyonder Involve. Plus, she advises new startup companies.

Awards and Special Recognition

Gillian Docherty has received many awards for her work.

• In March 2017, The Scotsman newspaper called her one of the most important women in technology.
• In 2017, she was listed among the top 10 most influential data professionals in the UK.
• In 2018, she was named Digital Leader for the UK.
• She also received an Outstanding Achievement Award in 2019. This was at Scotland’s Women in Technology Awards.
• Gillian Docherty was given a special honor called Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2019. This was for her great work in information technology and business.
• In 2024, she was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. This is a very respected group of experts in Scotland.

About Her Life

Gillian Docherty is married and has a daughter. Her daughter even joined her on stage during her TEDx talk!