Tech for D&Iversity 2022 was held at the Here East/Plexal innovation campus and brought together experts in the tech sector to discuss the progression of diversity and inclusion in the industry and to investigate what the UK needs to do to push forward as a global-leading tech community.
Hosted by Russ Shaw CBE, founder of Tech London Advocates & Global Tech Advocates, and Oli Barrett MBE, the event included video messages from the Mayor of London and the Secretary of State for DCMS, and was watched by a 1000+ audience of virtual and in-person attendees.
The continued lack of diversity in UK tech was confirmed by an advocate survey conducted prior to the event which helped frame the discussion of the day. The figures revealed nearly two thirds (62%) of respondents stated that women are a minority in their senior leadership teams.
Russ Shaw, summarised his hopes for the event in his opening remarks:
“We want to demonstrate the practical work and effective strategies being implemented to create a more diverse tech sector”
In their video addresses, Secretary of State Nadine Dorries and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan expressed their support for the event and reinforced their desire to push the UK tech industry to be as diverse and successful as possible.
The speaker line-up on the day featured founders, entrepreneurs, investors and grassroots activists that are doing key work in improving diversity and inclusion in the sector. Panel discussions focussed on topics such as ‘Shifting the Needle in Corporate Environments’, ‘Experiences across the Global Ecosystem’, ‘Investing in Diversity’ and many more.
All attendees also received a copy of the Tech for D&Iversity 2022 report that explored the issues in more depth, outlined the findings from the survey and included more detail on the new TLA mentoring programme – a new initiative to bring more young and inclusive voices into the tech sector.
In his closing remarks, Russ gave thanks to all the advocates that made the event such a success and that are helping to progress diversity and inclusion in the UK tech industry “I hope you feel a renewed sense of optimism and determination. Let’s keep working together to drive meaningful change with respect to diversity and inclusion”.