Jumpstart’s Brian Williamson joins thinkWhere as chair

Brian Williamson, managing director of Edinburgh R&D tax specialist Jumpstart, has joined Stirling-based geographic information firm thinkWhere as chairman.

thinkWhere specialises in deploying products, services and solutions using the very latest OpenSource technologies. It is data driven and works extensively with Ordnance Survey digital map products and publicly available geographic datasets

The appointment follows the departure of Bruce Beveridge from the Geographic Information System (GIS) consultancy, which was founded in 1993 and now employs 25 people.

An award-winning entrepreneur, Mr Williamson, who lives in the Stirling area, has a solid track record of developing high-growth businesses among innovative science and technology companies.

He also boasts a wealth of commercial SME experience and has supported and developed a number of start-up companies across the UK.

He said: “I am delighted to be joining the team of a company with such great potential. As a local entrepreneur, it gives me tremendous pleasure to be involved in a high tech business from Stirling at what is a particularly exciting time for innovation and growth in the geospatial sector.

“The company already has a well-deserved reputation for quality work and I am excited to have the opportunity to lead and support the next stage in thinkWhere’s expansion and development plans.”

Alan Moore, chief executive at thinkWhere, said: “Brian will bring a wealth of commercial experience in growing SMEs, underpinned by an innovative mindset and entrepreneurial flair. I’m pleased to be working with him at a particularly exciting time for GIS business opportunities and growth potential.”

Mr Williamson joined Jumpstart as MD shortly after it was founded in 2008. As a classic disruptive technology, it transformed the process by which innovative British companies could benefit from notoriously difficult-to-access research and development tax reliefs.

His business career began at the age of nine, with business model that looked remarkably like eBay.

He became a managing director at 26, and launched his first company in the automotive sector in 1994. His range of experience includes sectors such as automotive, IT, oil and gas, international trading, software, recruitment and professional services.