[Dave Watson, Chief Information Officer, Head of Digital, Data and Technology Profession]: We're building a nation where digital technology enables everyone to progress, but we can't do it alone. Stay ahead, we're reaching out, sharing what we know and learning from the brightest digital leaders and innovators across the nation. The Digital Fellowship is a secondment opportunity, allowing senior leaders from industry to join the government to deliver impactful projects that will change our country.

Our fellows collaborate with and learn from civil servants at the highest levels of government. Over the course of a placement, they join us to share knowledge and tackle some of our nation's most important challenges.

Alison McLaughlin (seconded from Sopra Steria to Head of Digital Transformation): The three words that sum up the digital fellowship experience to me are, opportunity, collaboration and challenge. Opportunity, because it's a great opportunity for me personally, to learn and understand, but also hopefully for government to learn and take advantage of the experience and skills that I have. Collaboration because to me, that's what it's all about, it's about having diverse ways of thinking, diverse experience working together to achieve a common goal and finally challenge because it was hard, it was a different environment to work in, finding new ways of engaging with staff and finding new ways to make things work in a different environment.

Glenn Preston (Offcom Scotland Director): This is the first time we've ever used the Digital Fellowship Scheme, it's been really straightforward, they've been incredibly accommodating of our needs, and I really think it'd be a privilege to work with. But it also gives both the colleagues that go to it and the Scottish government, some real benefits. So the Scottish Government, for example, benefit from the skills that colleagues bring in about markets or economics or other skills, so in our case, it's about regulation and the colleague benefits from having a much better understanding of the sort of political, the economic and the social implications of their jobs.

Jonathan Ruff (seconded from Offcom to Head of Digital Strategy and Policy): As a really broad-ranging high-profile piece of work, which is setting out a roadmap for Scotland's digital transformation and I'm also getting the opportunity to lead and coordinate elements of this year's program for government, so I'm helping to shape Scotland's digital agenda for the coming years.

Davie Gow (seconded from Leidos to Chief Technologist): Get the civil servants to try things they wouldn't normally try, take them out of their comfort zone and that's why it's fun.

Glenn Preston: Go on, go and do it.

Dave Watson: The digital world is constantly evolving and the Scottish Government are right there, innovating and forging the way forward.

Let's combine our principles, ideas, and knowledge to shape Scotland's digital future.

Find out more at digital.jobs.gov.scot.