Scotland 5G Centre makes key appointment to drive forward first rural 5G connectivity hub

Following on from the announcement that the Scotland 5G Centre has set up their first rural S5GConnect hub at The Crichton in Dumfries, the Centre has appointed Andy Todman as Business Engagement Manager.  Andy will be based at Crichton Central, a new digitally enabled collaborative centre for learning and rural innovation and serving the South of Scotland.

Andy Todman has previously held Chief Executive Officer roles, including for a chain of residential nursing homes and was a Head of Service at Loreburn Housing Association. He brings a wealth of health and social care experience to the hub role and of working throughout the Dumfries and Galloway region.

The S5GConnect Dumfries hub is being equipped with a dedicated 5G network with advanced capabilities including a testbed that will enable SMEs to test products, services and solutions. Andy’s role will be to foster innovation and collaboration by bringing together partners across the private, public and third sectors to create a pipeline of projects that will promote 5G by using the S5GConnect Hub.

Paul Coffey, Chief Executive of the Scotland 5G Centre added: “We are delighted to announce Andy’s appointment at this landmark hub in our S5GConnect programme.  Andy’s knowledge and connections will help to equip businesses and entrepreneurs across Dumfries & Galloway with the skills they need to understand how 5G can help to supercharge their business.”

Gwilym Gibbons, Chief Executive of The Crichton Trust said: “As the first rural 5G connectivity hub in Scotland we are excited about the potential of 5G in rural communities and we look forward to working with Andy in his role as Business Engagement Manager with The Scotland 5G Centre here at The Crichton. We are fortunate to have this opportunity to explore the potential of 5G in rural areas and so if you would like your sector or organisation to be involved in trialling 5G locally, then I would encourage you to get in touch with Andy so that we can put 5G connectivity to the test in Dumfries and Galloway!”

For more information on the Dumfries 5GConnect Hub, visit: www.scotland5gcentre.org/s5gconnect/s5gconnect-dumfries