Leading figures from the world of technology have signed up to help support and promote London Technology Week 2015, which will take place from 15-21 June.
The new group of London Technology Week Ambassadors will help broadcast the success of the capital’s booming tech sector through supporting and promoting the series of events, which will bring tens of thousands of tech entrepreneurs, investors and developers to the city.
The group includes Mind Candy founder Michael Acton Smith, Brightbridge Ventures CEO Dan Cobley, Lastminute.com founder Martha Lane Fox, London Stock Exchange Group CEO Xavier Rolet, and WPP Group CEO Sir Martin Sorrell, to name just a few.
Featuring major global brands, including sponsors Bloomberg, Accenture, Stack Exchange and Goldman Sachs, as well as home-grown London-based tech companies such as Funding Circle and Blippar, London Technology Week will showcase the city’s role as the digital hub of Europe.
Events taking place range from new start-ups showcasing their products to presentations featuring the world’s most important tech companies, including the flagship Interop London 2015 trade show at the ExCeL Centre from June 16-18. Around 60 events have already been confirmed as part of the week.
Dan Cobley, CEO of Brightbridge Ventures, said: “Hundreds of events. Thousands of entrepreneurs. One great city. London Tech Week shows why the UK’s capital city is the very best place in Europe to start a new tech business. Nowhere else comes close.”
Gordon Innes, Chief Executive of London & Partners – the Mayor’s promotional company for London – said: “London’s position as the tech capital of Europe is attracting global attention, as companies here are creating more life-changing products and attracting more funding than ever before. London Technology Week showcases our tech expertise to the world, and I am delighted that so many industry leaders are on board, helping us to put on what is sure to be an amazing series of events across the city.”
Adrian Newton, Group Director for Aviation & Technology at UBM EMEA, said: “After last year’s inaugural London Technology Week it has been fantastic to see such enthusiasm for the 2015 edition. Already we’re seeing a great range of events listed, including our own global brands Black Hat and Interop, which are both coming to London to take advantage of the buzz surrounding this European festival of tech events. The support we’ve received from the tech community is exemplified in the ambassadors line-up and I for one am very much looking forward to seeing the themes of talent and diversity in the tech space come to the fore.”
The London Technology Week Arena within Interop London will feature keynote speakers from the UK and the wider global tech industry, who will share their insights and experiences on this rapidly moving sector.
Speakers on Tuesday 16th June include Accenture’s Arabel Bailey, Croydon Tech City co-founder Sarah Luxford, and Jacqueline de Rojas of Citrix debating how to encourage more women into tech.
On Wednesday 17th June Lord Wei of Shoreditch will present ‘Techlash and what we need to do to avoid it’ and Stuart Cochran, CTO of Huddle and Eileen Burbidge, partner at Passion Capital, will discuss what investment and funding is needed to speed up the transition from start-up to scale-up in the UK, while speakers on Thursday 18th include Box’s David Quantrell and Joel Spolsky, CEO of Stack Exchange.
The range of venues hosting events during London Technology Week is wide-ranging. Large-scale and high-profile venues such as ExCeL London, Canada House, The Ritz and The Shard are set to host events. Tech co-working spaces are one again well represented too, with events already confirmed to take place at Central Working, Rainmaking Loft and The Trampery.
For more information about London Technology Week 2015 and an up-to-date list of events, visit www.LondonTechnologyWeek.co.uk. Press accreditation can be applied for at http://londontechnologyweek.co.uk/apply-london-technology-week-press-accreditation/.
London Technology Week is organised by UBM EMEA, in association with London & Partners – the Mayor’s official organisation for London, ExCeL London and Tech London Advocates. Tech City UK and techUK have also joined the steering group as strategic partners.
London hosted its first technology week in 2014, with the event being hailed as a huge success. Tens of thousands of people from countries around the world attended events in the week, which comprised more than 200 independently run events and involved speakers including the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson; Chairman of Sequoia Capital, Sir Michael Moritz, and Simon Breakwell, co-founder of Expedia.
