Mark Logan has been named by the Scottish Government as the country's first chief entrepreneur.
The new role is aimed at ensuring entrepreneurship is embedded in the economy, and that partnerships with industry and investors are prioritised and strengthened.
Mr Logan will act as a senior advisor to the Start-up Nation Programme.
The chief entrepreneur has more than 25 years of senior leadership experience in the internet technology sector.
He was instrumental in the success of multiple start-ups, including as chief operating officer of Skyscanner, one of Europe's most successful technology companies.
In 2014, the Institute of Directors named him Director of the Year and in 2016 he won the UK Digital Masters award for Excellence in General Management. In 2019, he was conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Science by Glasgow University.
Since leaving Skyscanner in 2016, Mr Logan's focus has been as a start-up/scale-up advisor, investor and non-executive director in start-ups.
He is also a professor at the Glasgow University's School of Computing Science, a senior fellow at Strathclyde University's Innovation Centre and an advisor to the Scottish Government on technology policy.
Economy Secretary Kate Forbes said: "The appointment of a chief entrepreneur will ensure entrepreneurship is instilled within the Scottish Government and future policy-making.
Brilliant asset
"Mark Logan will be a brilliant asset to the Scottish Government.
"We've already drawn on his expertise in developing the Scottish Tech Ecosystem Review report and enhancing Scotland's tech credentials.
"Now we are ready to take this to the next level and ensure entrepreneurial thinking and skillsets are enshrined in the curriculum and across the public, private and social enterprise sectors.
"As we look beyond the pandemic, we must be ready to seize the economic opportunities that come with achieving net-zero and becoming a fairer country.
"The National Strategy for Economic Transformation is clear - embedding an entrepreneurial mindset across the economy will be key to achieving our economic goals and I look forward to working closely with Mark on this."
Mr Logan said: "I am looking forward to building upon my existing role with the Scottish Government, working in partnership with our business community to boost entrepreneurialism across the economy.
"There are so many innovative, creative enterprises across Scotland, and part of the task ahead is to provide the best-possible environment in which they can thrive. A still-greater opportunity is to free the untapped entrepreneurial potential of our people, and to ensure that every citizen has equal access to that opportunity."