A personal update from Sarah, posted 9 July 2026.
Hi everyone,
I hope you’re all doing well.
I wanted to share some personal news about the Glasgow Azure User Group and, more importantly, what it means for the future of our community.
After a lot of thought, I’ve decided to step back from running the Glasgow Azure User Group at the end of this year — and I’m delighted to announce that Alyn Peden will be taking over as organiser.
Back in 2017, I was hearing more and more about cloud computing and wanted to learn more. At the time, the only Azure user group I could find was in London — so I decided to start one here in Glasgow. I never imagined where that decision would lead.
Over the past nine years, the group has grown into an amazing community. We’ve welcomed hundreds of attendees, hosted fantastic speakers from across the UK and beyond, learned together, shared experiences, and built friendships along the way. Watching people develop their careers, land new jobs, become speakers themselves, and help others has been one of the most rewarding parts of running the group.
To everyone who has attended an event, presented a session, sponsored us, volunteered, or simply supported the community by turning up after work to learn something new — thank you. The Glasgow Azure User Group has always been a community effort, and you’ve all helped make it what it is today.
I’d also like to thank Gregor for his support as co-organiser over the years. Community groups don’t run themselves, and having someone to help behind the scenes, share ideas, and support events has made a real difference.
Plans for the rest of 2026
The good news is that the Glasgow Azure User Group is not coming to an end.
Our September and December events are already planned, and I’ll continue organising and hosting both of them alongside Alyn, before handing things over fully from 2027 onwards.
Say hello to Alyn
Alyn is the Technical Director and Co-Founder of Auxilium IT Consultancy, based here in Scotland. With 20 years of industry experience across sectors like government, finance, health, and insurance, Alyn specialises in End User Compute, Security, and Managed Service Provider (MSP) services. Outside of work, you’ll usually find Alyn on a golf course or out for a run.
Alyn has been a familiar face at our events, and shares the same passion for bringing people together and helping others learn about Azure and the cloud. I couldn’t be happier to be passing things on to safe hands.
You can connect with Alyn on LinkedIn.
Over the coming months, I’ll be working closely with Alyn to document everything we do behind the scenes, make introductions to our sponsors and speakers, and make sure the handover is as smooth as possible.
Looking ahead
The Glasgow Azure User Group has always been bigger than any one person. My hope is that it continues to grow, inspire people, and provide a welcoming place for anyone interested in Azure and cloud technologies for many years to come.
Thank you again for being part of this incredible community. I hope to see many of you at our September and December events.
Sarah