London Tech Week, Europe’s most influential tech event, will this year unpick the impact of the technology ecosystem on age, health, education, security, the future of work and the socio-economic inclusion of women, BAME and under-represented groups.
The event, taking place between Sept 1st-11th, hopes to drive conversations and change that will shape the future of the sector across the world and features keynote speakers from Government, Tech and Science.
London Tech Week, will also bring together the most inspiring and celebrated minds from healthcare systems and digital health industries to ignite meaningful discussion and debate on the most pressing topics in global health.
Tech powerhouses
Top of the bill are tech powerhouses Eric Schmidt, former CEO & Charmain of Google and Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter. Matt Hancock MP, the Secretary of State for Health and Caroline Dinenage MP Minister of State for Digital and Culture, will also be speaking at the virtual event.
Even musician, composer and tech enthusiast Nile Rodgers, Co-Founder & Chairman of We are Family Foundation will be attending and leading the discussions on diversity and inclusion. Alongside him will be Presenter, Actress and Activist Jameela Jamil.
Signs of recovery
Despite the pandemic and subsequent recession, the UK tech sector remains strong and continues to play a key part in driving the economy. Against a backdrop of job losses in many sectors, the digital tech sector is starting to show signs of recovery and companies have gained confidence in the last few weeks, as demonstrated by a sharp uptick in jobs advertised online.
Janet Coyle, Managing Director for Business, London & Partners, said: “The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the fundamental role that technology plays in society today and the role it must continue to play as we face the new normal.
“London and the UK are home to an array of tech businesses that are driving innovation and change and London Tech Week is an excellent opportunity to convene the global tech community to address some of our most pressing challenges and drive forward conversations. We look forward to welcoming a global audience to join us and shape the future of the tech sector.”
Digital economy
London Tech Week hopes to reveal the extent to which tech companies have returned to hiring in recent weeks. The event will show tech now employs 2.93 million people and that five cities outside London now have more than a fifth of their workforce employed in the digital tech economy.
Celebrating tech is more important now than ever, says Gerry Grimstone, Minister for Investment: “Tech is playing an ever-increasing role in all sectors, demonstrated in the UK’s great tech story, where opportunities for investors and UK businesses looking to export in sectors like healthcare, finance and education continue to grow. We want this to continue. As we strike trade deals around the world, we will work with trading partners to set global standards and create cutting-edge provisions in key policy areas like AI, data and digital to make it easier for businesses to trade.
“The next two weeks are a real celebration of all that London and the whole of the UK has to offer and I look forward to seeing how the many events, discussions and meetings become commercial opportunities at home and abroad for tech firms in the UK.”
