CreateFuture, the digital consultancy, previously known as xDesign, has recruited Colin McLellan as its new Chief Financial Officer.
McLellan 7 years at Skyscanner, with spells as Interim CEO in Japan and most recently CFO. He was also involved in its £1.4bn sale to Ctrip in 2016.
His role at Edinburgh’s CreateFuture will be to “drive financial strategy and fuel growth.”
“The culture at CreateFuture immediately resonated with me – supportive, professional, and collaborative. I’m particularly excited about the opportunities in the public sector, where CreateFuture is well-placed to deliver meaningful digital transformation and operational improvements,” he said.
“For me, it’s not just about scaling the business but about creating a great place to work and enabling clients to achieve their growth goals. As organisations grow, the challenge is balancing structure with agility to ensure continued innovation and efficiency. At Skyscanner, we focused on empowering teams with clear accountability, the right tools, and alignment with the company’s vision. I aim to bring that same approach to CreateFuture, ensuring we maintain our agility and entrepreneurial mindset while delivering exceptional value.”
He has succeeded Scott Robertson, who is retiring after serving as CFO since 2020. During his time at the company, he saw it expand from a team of 40 to over 500 staff.
“Scott’s dedication and leadership as CFO were pivotal in navigating the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and managing the rapid growth CreateFuture has experienced since. We are grateful for his contributions and wish him all the best in his third retirement. We are equally excited to welcome Colin, whose wealth of experience in scaling organisations and driving financial strategy makes him an outstanding addition to our leadership team,” said CreateFuture Founder and CEO, Euan Andrews.
“Colin’s track record at Skyscanner – and beyond – demonstrates his ability to align financial operations with ambitious growth goals. There, he played a key role in putting bold strategies in place and delivering hyperscale growth, helping the company to secure its acquisition for £1.4bn in 2016 and achieve ‘unicorn’ status. Colin’s insight and leadership will be instrumental as we expand into new sectors and support our clients, helping them to create tomorrow, together, today.”
