ENTREPRENEURIAL Spark has said Jim Duffy will be succeeded as chief executive of the start-up support programme by co-founder Lucy Rose-Walker next month.
Ms Walker will lead on the development of the organisation, which has opened nine incubators for early stage firms across the UK following a model developed in Glasgow.
Her brief will include encouraging more female entrepreneurs to start their own businesses.
Mr Duffy will become more involved in supporting the businesses based in the centres that Entrepreneurial Spark operates as head of its #GoDo initiative.
“Part of starting and running a business is knowing when it’s time to hand over the reins to someone else who is best placed to develop your company and adapt to the changing times ahead,” said Mr Duffy. “As a start-up guy I love starting things and getting them to a position that they can really grow, and I truly believe that Lucy-Rose is the ideal person to lead the team and take this forward.”
Ms Walker said: “Jim created something revolutionary when he started Entrepreneurial Spark and I have been privileged to be a part of that for the last four and a half years. I am delighted to become CEO of this fantastic start-up and look forward to building and refining the current model, while also developing new opportunities and focusing on the growth of the business.”
Participants get support from experienced mentors and accommodation in centres where they can learn from peers.
The programme was developed to support a wider range of firms rather than those that focus on businesses in sectors of the so-called new economy, such as technology.
The first centre opened in 2012 in a Glasgow base provided by facilities management tycoon Lord Willie Haughey. Sir Tom Hunter was also an early supporter.
Around 660 businesses have participated, creating more than 1,800 jobs in the process. Entrepreneurial Spark said 88 per cent businesses it has worked with are still trading.
It launched a programme in India last year with a local partner and plans to open four centres in England in coming months.
Ms Walker is working on initiatives which include a virtual programme that could be delivered globally.
With a degree in psychology from Glasgow university, Ms Walker was one of the inventors of the educational board game Scottish Quest.
She was a director of the Panalba social networking website.
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