Hugh Wallace

HUGH WALLACE

CIO at Research Data Scotland

Can you please provide a little introduction about yourself

I'm based in Edinburgh, Scotland where I live with my wife and two sons (although I'm actually a Glaswegian who's drifted east). I've been in my current role as CIO at Research Data Scotland for almost 18 months. We're a small charity - around 40 people - dedicated to making sensitive data faster and easier to access for research in the public good, and this involves work with lots of public sector organisations, such as the government, the NHS, and universities. I have a small, dynamic team who oversees digital service design, information governance and the organisation's technology infrastructure. We're still in the first phase of our service delivery, but there are lots of exciting things afoot in the next couple of years!

What has your journey to your position been like? What path have you taken?

I started my career in book publishing, but made the leap over to electronic publishing in the late 1990s as the web started to take off - I find it amusing that a lot of the books I designed are still in print, whereas all of the websites from those early days have long since disappeared!

I worked for several years in a commercial digital agency, which gave me lots of great experience in how to build teams, and work to specific budgets and timelines. For the last twenty years, I've been involved in the public and charitable sector - as Head of Digital for Oxfam (the UK's largest humanitarian aid charity) and subsequently National Museums Scotland, and then in a digital transformation role within Scottish Government for six years, before joining Research Data Scotland in 2022.

Although I started out in front-end design in what would now be called a UX/UI role, I've grown my skills and experience to understand how technology can be deployed, scaled and maintained in lots of different contexts. I can't overstate the importance of my early experience in design and having to deal directly with end-users: most of the technology disaster stories I'm aware of are rooted in approaches that are too focused on what technology can do, and not enough on the human beings that actually have to use that technology.

Has it always been your vision to reach the position you’re at? Was your current role part of your vision to become a tech leader?

In some ways, it's always been an ambition to be doing the sort of role I am now, which offers me the flexibility and support to tackle design and technology challenges carefully and thoroughly. I've had lots of roles in the area of digital transformation, so have had to work in various different, and sometimes very difficult, contexts - often across multiple complex organisations and with huge variations in budget and resources.

I don't think I've had a specific vision in mind when it comes to my career, but I've definitely wanted to be in a position where I've got autonomy to make, and influence, strategic technology decisions and be part of a shared leadership structure with colleagues whose skills and experience I value.

Have you had a role model or mentor that has helped you on your journey?

I have lots of people who I've relied on for advice, guidance and as sounding boards over the years. I'm particularly fortunate to have peers who I first met while working in the arts & culture sector, all doing similar digital jobs and coming up against similar challenges. The way that we can all relate to each other in a 'been there, done that' way has been a huge influence, huge comfort and given me some great laughs over the years.

How do you see the role of the technology leader evolving over the next 5 years?

What skills do you think leaders of the future will need in order to thrive?

The same ones as great leaders currently have: empathy, compassion, and kindness. The ability to see other points of view, build progressive partnerships, and remember that at the end of the day we're pretty much all just seeking to do the best jobs we can.

How do you keep current with new skills, technologies and personal development?

I subscribe to a lot of newsletters, listen to far too many podcasts, and try to seek as many opinions as I can when I'm considering something new. I also recently started writing a weekly(ish) newsletter (http://tumshie.substack.com) which really helps me focus my thinking and explore other people's work and ideas. I can't describe how much clearer my mind is since I came off X/Twitter - I find the time and emotional energy I used to spend doom-scrolling is much better served expanding my horizons.

What do you see as the next leap in technology that will impact your business or industry in particular?

It's hard to get away from AI, isn't it? While I think we're all having to cope with a huge amount of hyperbole at the moment, there's definitely going to be change in the kinds of processes we can automate and streamline, and hopefully, the ability to deal with a lot of manual processes and menial tasks that too often drag people down.

I think potential leaps too often get overstated - there are usually a few test cases that breakthrough and then start to shape how others tackle similar problems. We're a year on from ChatGPT's release and there are relatively few organisations whose business models have fundamentally shifted since then (despite what the tech press might say!). Change takes time, and it's important not to get carried away by all the fanfare around the 'next big thing'.

"Never be afraid to buy yourself time, think things over..."

If you were mentoring a leader of the future, what advice or guidance would you give to help them on their way?

I'd say the importance of taking your time, listening, absorbing information, and then deciding on an appropriate course of action. I've seen too many decisions taken as a result of a high-pressure meeting, or because it's seemingly essential to give a quick answer rather than a strategic one. Never be afraid to buy yourself time, think things over, and come back with a response or direction of travel that you've duly considered (even if it's exactly what your instincts would have said in the spur of the moment).

Is there anything in particular that you would still like to achieve in your career or what is the next step on your journey?

I don't think I could offer a specific next step, but I'd like to continue in roles where there's a focus on doing public good and making a tangible difference to people's lives.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be? 

A big thank you to Hugh Wallace from Research Data Scotland for sharing his journey to date.

If you would like to gain more perspective from Tech Leaders and CIOs you can read some of our other interviews here.