Edinburgh’s Smart Data Foundry has promoted Linda King to Chief of Strategy and Engagement.

Linda, who excelled as Head of Marketing and Communications at Smart Data Foundry, will now be at the forefront of driving the next phase of growth for the University of Edinburgh subsidiary. Her strategic foresight and industry expertise will be instrumental as Smart Data Foundry continues to leverage financial data, research, and insights to enact positive change across society, the economy, and the environment.

She joined Smart Data Foundry in 2023, bringing a wealth of experience from the fintech industry. Linda successfully launched Aizle 2.0, the world’s first self-service, agent-based synthetic data generation tool, and has additionally contributed to the ongoing success of SDF’s work on the Cost-of-Living Dashboard and Income Volatility Dataset.

Dougie Robb, Chief Financial Officer at Smart Data Foundry, said: “Linda has been a key member of the Smart Data Foundry team. Her vision, combined with her passion for our mission – to unlock the power of financial data for societal good – has been inspiring to all those around her.

“She is a true innovator, and her leadership and expertise will play a crucial role as we move to scale up in size and work to create a centre for excellence for data sharing and research in the UK from our new base in Edinburgh Futures Institute.”

Linda, who is from Edinburgh, has more than 20 years experience in the industry-leading strategic marketing initiatives in the technology, software and services industry, with roles at Cloudsoft, Brightsolid, Capita and Axios Systems.

She said: “I’m thrilled to step into this new role at such a pivotal time for Smart Data Foundry. After contributing to the strategic direction of our Aizle synthetic data product, I’m excited now to be part of the effort to make private sector financial data widely accessible via our Research and Insights based solutions.

“Our work has the potential to transform how data is leveraged for the greater good, and I’m excited to help shape our strategy and deepen our engagement with partners across all sectors. Together, we can drive meaningful change that benefits society, the economy, and the environment.”

Smart Data Foundry has unparalleled access to de-identified private sector financial data through pioneering partnerships with leading financial institutions, including NatWest, Virgin Money, Sage, Moneyhub and more.

Smart Data Foundry’s pioneering projects include the Cost-of-Living Dashboard for East Renfrewshire Council. Utilising near real-time de-identified data from NatWest Group, this dashboard integrates financial well-being indicators with contextual information, helping the council better understand the challenges citizens face and how this might impact future policy interventions.

Other projects include the launch of the groundbreaking Income Volatility Dashboard with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. This innovative platform provides a comprehensive and unique view of income volatility and insecurity on consumers throughout the United Kingdom serving as a vital research and policy tool.