CodeBase has announced a strategic leadership transition aimed at strengthening the tech ecosystem builder’s position as a powerhouse for founder support, with co-founder and CEO Stephen Coleman OBE, who has been in the role for a decade, moving to Group Chair of CodeBase and Chief Strategy Officer Jon Hope stepping up to support as Interim CEO. Also, former Skyscanner leader and Current Health executive Richard Lennox has joined the CodeBase Board and steps in as Interim COO to support the transition.
Stephen Coleman took up the CEO role in 2016, overseeing and guiding CodeBase’s growth and evolution over the last ten years, from an Edinburgh startup hub to a global tech ecosystem platform. CodeBase now operates across Scotland, the UK, and internationally, delivering programmes for the Scottish Government, UK Government, European Union, and other strategic partners. This work includes Techscaler, the Scottish Government’s programme that supports over 1,500 startups and scaleups, and CodeClan, the digital skills programme that focuses on software engineering and agentic AI. In his new role, Coleman will work closely with fellow co-founder and Executive Vice Chair Steven Drost on strategic growth opportunities.
Jon Hope joined CodeBase from Barclays in 2022, having spent almost twenty years with the global bank. At Barclays, he co-founded Barclays Eagle Labs, the innovation and entrepreneurship network designed to support startups, scaleups, and entrepreneurs, establishing over 30 locations across the UK.
Richard Lennox joins CodeBase following stints at two of Scotland’s most successful tech companies, creating over $2 billion in exit valuations. As a senior director at Skyscanner, Lennox helped to scale the company, while accelerating growth from under 50 people to over 900 across 11 offices worldwide. Skyscanner was acquired by Ctrip for £1.4 billion in 2016. Joining Current Health as COO in 2019, Lennox guided the growth of the enterprise care-at-home platform in the lead-up to the acquisition by Best Buy for $400 million in 2021, one of the largest ever European healthtech exits.
Stephen Coleman, Co-founder and Group Chair of CodeBase, said: “We’re at an inflection point for CodeBase, and these leadership changes are part of our overall evolution into a powerhouse for founder support across every growth stage. With Jon’s ecosystem-building expertise and Richard’s proven scaleup track record leading our fantastic team, and with the support of Gillian Docherty and the CodeBase Board, we’re supercharging our ability to help founders navigate from early stage to global scale. This next phase of CodeBase is about impact, focused support for founders, creating more success stories, and becoming a true launchpad for world-changing companies.”
Gillian Docherty, CodeBase’s Non-executive Chair, said: “Stephen has been a big part of CodeBase’s DNA and has led the business over a ten-year span that included the challenging times of COVID-19 pandemic, and we’re extremely pleased that he will remain integral to CodeBase’s leadership going forward.”
“Jon’s track record and commitment to CodeBase since joining has been stellar, and is a perfect fit for the interim CEO role to support this organisation-wide evolution. And in Richard Lennox, at a juncture where CodeBase intensifies its focus on helping our brightest startups to scale across the globe, we have an incredible appointee to the Board and Interim COO role. Jon and Richard will lead CodeBase through this transitional period, guiding the business into its next phase of evolution.”
CodeBase will now embark on a search for a new CEO for the post-transition phase, with further related announcements expected later in the year. Gillian Docherty added: “We have a strong leadership team in place who know the business inside out and are locked in on strategic priorities, and the view of the Board is that it is important to take the necessary time to ensure the right appointment for CodeBase’s long-term success.”
