EDINBURGH, Scotland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 2, 2025--
Digital transformation firm Zudu doubled headcount to 23 in 2024 and is on track for significant double-digit revenue growth to around £3.5 million in 2025 (2024: £2.1m) while targeting £10 million by 2027, driven by surging demand for AI-enabled solutions.
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Zudu specialises in building scalable software platforms and enabling organisations to unlock value from AI - a fast emerging growth area across its UK and international client base. Zudu’s client list includes Asahi, Weir, NHS, Havas, Wood, Scotrail, Portman Asset Management, and the Scottish Government.
Founded by CEO James Buchan in 2014, Zudu marked its 10th anniversary last year, and has recently appointed Paul Duffy as Managing Director, with Duffy joining from ClearSky Logic. Zudu has also promoted Laura McTurk to Operations Director and Angus Turner to Commercial Director. Former Whitespace Managing Director Iain Valentine has also been brought on as a strategic adviser.
CEO James Buchan said: “We’re on a mission to redefine digital transformation and support our clients around AI enablement, while being one of the fastest and smartest digital delivery companies around. Importantly, we always talk about staying ‘relentlessly human’ in a digital world. We have some amazing clients, more in the pipeline, and we plan to get to the £10m revenue figure over the next few years. We’re excited to get Paul on board to lead the team, and pleased that Laura and Angus are now in place in the leadership team.”
Zudu’s new Managing Director Paul Duffy added: “Inheriting incredibly talented tech and leadership teams is an absolute privilege. For years now, I’ve been speaking with business leaders all over the UK who are AI curious; there is a shortage of experts in our space, and we feel it’s time to support business growth and AI enablement in a series of sectors. The skills and knowledge the Zudu team has built up through working on hundreds of projects puts us in a strong position to advise, support and engage with our customers.”
“I am excited to work alongside James, Iain and the rest of the team to help lead a new strategy during our next phase of growth. Scotland has a strong tradition of world-class software delivery companies, and we want to add to that tradition.”
Commenting on the advance of AI and its implementation, Buchan said: “AI is no longer a buzzword - it’s becoming the operating system for modern business. The challenge isn’t just adopting AI tools, it’s integrating them meaningfully into organisations. That’s where Zudu comes in, by bridging the gap between innovation and execution, and ensuring our clients can harness AI responsibly, at scale, and in a way that keeps people at the heart of technology.”
Buchan also led the Zudu team that developed ePass, licensing software designed for regulators, which secured a Scottish Government contract to deliver the national tobacco & vape register and funeral services register following participation in last year’s CivTech accelerator programme. Buchan has since spun ePass out of Zudu into a standalone limited company.
For further information: https://zudu.co.uk/
Left to right are James Buchan, Laura McTurk, Iain Valentine, Angus Turner, and Paul Duffy of Zudu
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy troops to quell persistent protests against the federal officers sent to Minneapolis to enforce his administration's massive immigration crackdown.
The threat comes a day after a man was shot and wounded by an immigration officer who had been attacked with a shovel and broom handle. That shooting further heightened the fear and anger that has radiated across the city since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Good in the head.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the rarely used federal law to deploy the U.S. military or federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement, over the objections of state governors.
“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump said in social media post.
Presidents have indeed invoked the Insurrection Act more than two dozen times, most recently in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush to end unrest in Los Angeles. In that instance, local authorities had asked for the assistance.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison responded to Trump's post by saying he would challenge any deployment in court. He's already suing to try to stop the surge by the Department of Homeland Security, which says it has made more than 2,000 arrests in the state since early December. ICE is a DHS agency.
In Minneapolis, smoke filled the streets Wednesday night near the site of the latest shooting as federal officers wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas into a small crowd. Protesters responded by throwing rocks and shooting fireworks.
Demonstrations have become common in Minneapolis since Good was fatally shot on Jan. 7. Agents who have yanked people from their cars and homes have been confronted by angry bystanders demanding they leave.
“This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in and at the same time we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.
Frey said the federal force — five times the size of the city’s 600-officer police force — has “invaded” Minneapolis, and that residents are scared and angry.
Homeland Security said in a statement that federal law enforcement officers on Wednesday stopped a driver from Venezuela who is in the U.S. illegally. The person drove off then crashed into a parked car before fleeing on foot, DHS said.
Officers caught up, then two other people arrived and the three started attacking the officer, according to DHS.
“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” DHS said. The confrontation took place about 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) from where Good was killed.
Police chief Brian O’Hara said the shot man was being treated for a non-life-threatening injury. The two others are in custody, DHS said. O’Hara's account of what happened largely echoed that of Homeland Security.
Earlier Wednesday, Gov. Tim Walz described Minnesota said what's happening in the state “defies belief.”
“Let’s be very, very clear: this long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement,” he said. “Instead, it’s a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.”
Jonathan Ross, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who killed Good, suffered internal bleeding to his torso during the encounter, a Homeland Security official told The Associated Press.
The official spoke to AP on condition of anonymity in order to discuss Ross’ medical condition. The official did not provide details about the severity of the injuries, and the agency did not respond to questions about the bleeding, how he suffered the injury, when it was diagnosed or his medical treatment.
Good was killed after three ICE officers surrounded her SUV on a snowy street near her home. Bystander video shows one officer ordering Good to open the door and grabbing the handle. As the vehicle begins to move forward, Ross, standing in front, raises his weapon and fires at least three shots at close range. He steps back as the SUV advances and turns.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said Ross was struck by the vehicle and that Good was using her SUV as a weapon — a self-defense claim that has been criticized by Minnesota officials.
Chris Madel, an attorney for Ross, declined to comment.
Good’s family has hired the same law firm that represented George Floyd’s family in a $27 million settlement with Minneapolis. Floyd, who was Black, died after a white police officer pinned his neck to the ground 2020.
Madhani reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press reporters Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Julie Watson in San Diego; Rebecca Santana in Washington; Ed White in Detroit and Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis contributed.
A protester holds an umbrella as sparks fly from a flash bang deployed by law enforcement on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Monica Travis shares an embrace while visiting a makeshift memorial for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A protester yells in front of law enforcement after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Protesters shout at law enforcement officers after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Law enforcement officers stand amid tear gas at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
