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 British computer scientist. She is a leader at the University of Strathclyde as their Chief Commercial Officer. She also serves as the President of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce. From 2015 to 2022, she was the CEO of The Data Lab. This is a special center in Scotland that focuses on new ideas in data science and artificial intelligence. In 2021, she became the first Chair of Scotland's AI Alliance. This group helps put Scotland's plans for AI into action.

Learning and Degrees

Gillian Docherty studied computer science at the University of Glasgow. She also received a special award called an honorary doctorate in technology from Robert Gordon University. This award recognized her important work in technology.

Her Career Journey

Starting at IBM

Gillian Docherty began her career at IBM in 1993. She worked there for 22 years. During her time at IBM, she worked in many different areas. These included technical sales, financial services, and working with computer hardware and software. She became a senior leader in the UK. She led a team that helped Scottish businesses use IBM's software.

Leading The Data Lab

In June 2015, Gillian became the CEO of The Data Lab. This organization was started in 2014. By 2018, The Data Lab had finished over 100 data science projects in Scotland. They estimated that these projects added more than £100 million to Scotland's economy.

The Data Lab has offices in several cities. These include 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 The Data Lab's MSc program. This program helps students learn about data. In 2016, she doubled the number of students in the program. This was to meet the growing need for people skilled in big data.

Speaking and Awards

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 titled 2037 - Who's leading? Who's following?. She won the CEO Of The Year award in 2017 at the ScotlandIS Digital Technology Awards.

Current Roles

Gillian is the President of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce. She was previously the Deputy President. In 2022, she became the chief commercial officer at the University of Strathclyde. She also helps a charity called Beyonder Involve. She gives advice to new businesses, known as startups.

Awards and Recognition

Gillian Docherty has received many awards for her work.

• In March 2017, The Scotsman newspaper named her one of the most influential 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 was honored with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2019. This award was for her services to information technology and business.
• In 2024, she was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

About Her Life

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