THE director of one of Scotland’s leading marketing companies has won a prestigious UK award recognising women employed in the IT and digital sector.
Lorraine Gray, one of the founding directors of Glasgow-headquartered Pursuit, has been crowned Role Model of the Year (SME) at the Women in Tech Excellence Awards.
Nominated as part of a 16 strong shortlist, Lorraine triumphed despite fierce competition from leading tech figures at organisations such as Arsenal Football Club, Skanska and ALDI.
Judges who selected Lorraine as the role model of the year said her ‘motivation to succeed and develop her team, which in turn has supported her company to exceed ambitious growth targets, is simply amazing.’
Since its inception in 2011, Pursuit – which is part of the 4ICG Group – has grown a hugely impressive roster of clients including Microsoft, Google, Sage and Nokia. It has done this whilst winning a host of awards, including best employer at the BusinessInsider awards in 2016 and recognition at The Herald Scottish Digital Business awards.
Chair of 4ICG Group, Brian Williamson, paid tribute to Lorraine’s energy and leadership which was admired by colleagues across the company.
Brian said: “The success that Pursuit has enjoyed is due in no small part to Lorraine’s vision and ability to inspire her colleagues. Lorraine has been at the forefront of some of Pursuit’s best workplace initiatives such as our four day week and has built a culture where colleagues love coming to work each day.
“These awards recognise the role women can play in what is often seen as a male dominated sector. Lorraine continues to encourage women to view IT as a great career path that is welcoming and inclusive and where gender is no barrier to progression. We congratulate Lorraine on her success and applaud her sterling efforts.”
Lorraine said: “Being nominated for the Women in Tech Excellence Awards was terrific in itself but to be announced as the overall winner in my category was wonderful.
“I try to make a real positive difference for all my colleagues where I can but in turn, I‘m hugely fortunate to work with a great group of people across all levels of the company who make it a pleasure to be at Pursuit with.
“Wherever possible, I try to show that digital and IT services are open to people from all backgrounds. If Scotland is to continue its growth in IT excellence, we need everyone with the skills and upbeat outlook to see the sector as a great place to work.”
