With just a month until Wales’ biggest tech festival returns for its second year, Wales Tech Week has today unveiled its latest keynote speakers and events for the free-to-attend virtual festival spanning the 21st – 25th June.
Joining the festival line-up is Tessa Clarke, Co-founder and CEO of the UK’s number one free sharing app, OLIO who will deliver the keynote plenary on Wednesday 23rd June, as part of the festivals focus on sustainability.
Founded in 2015, OLIO is a free app tackling the problem of food waste by connecting neighbours with each other, and volunteers with local businesses, so that surplus food can be given away, not thrown away. OLIO has grown to over 4 million users in 5 years, and its impact has been widely recognised, most notably by the United Nations who highlighted OLIO as a “beacon” for the world, and by Vivatech who awarded OLIO “Next European Unicorn”.
Delivering the keynote, Sally Meecham, CEO for Digital Public Services Wales will take to the virtual stage on Friday 25th June.
With over 15 years of experience leading senior digital transformation roles in the public, private and third sector, Meecham has delivered a number of highly successful digital inclusion programmes and is passionate and proactive about getting more inclusion and diversity into the digital, data and technology profession.
She is currently the interim CEO for the Centre for Digital Public Services in Wales, an organisation that supports the design and delivery of good, user led digital public services in Wales.
Clarke and Meecham are the latest additions to the festival line-up, joining Ciaran Martin CB, founder of GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre and NATO advisor as keynote speakers at the festival which features a range of world class speakers and experts from a diverse range of technologies, industries, and backgrounds.
Also announced this week, Sameer Rahman, Director of Insight at the Royal Mint and one of Data IQ’s Top 100 Data leaders and influencers in the UK of 2021 and 2020, will join the festival leading several sessions across the week featuring some of Wales’ biggest tech brands.
All events across Wales Tech Week are free-to-attend, with the festival having been created to provide a global platform to showcase Wales’ growing technology sector, along with bringing the global tech, business, and public sector communities together to promote the adoption of new tech and discuss key economic and world issues.
This year, the festival looks to tackle the big issues faced by technology and society in 2021, including Healthtech, the Future of Manufacturing, Agritech, Fintech and Transforming Public Services. The festival will also feature consistent threads weaving throughout the week on sustainability, netzero, diversity in technology and tripartite innovation. More information on the festival agenda can be found on the Wales Tech Week website.
Wales Tech Week has been created by non-profit organisation Technology Connected and will take place as a virtual event from the 21st – 25th June live from Wales.
Keeping the festival free to all in 2021 are Associate Partner Innovate UK, Agritech Theme Partners AberInnovation and Aberystwyth University, Smart Stage Partner Wynne Jones IP, Supporting Partners Thales UK, PwC and the Development Bank of Wales, and Global Partner GlobalWelsh
Avril Lewis MBE, managing director of Technology Connected said:
“Wales Tech Week is all about connecting people, businesses and sectors to both promote Welsh technology across the world and discover how through collaboration technology can meet the challenges we face as an economy and society.
”We’re thrilled to welcome Tessa Clarke and Sally Meecham as keynote speakers to this year’s event, alongside Ciaran Martin, who all bring unique perspectives and experiences in how technology can shape our future.
“Our aim is to make a diverse, inclusive festival with something for everyone at Wales Tech Week. With just a few weeks until we kick off 2021’s event, we’re announcing new sessions and welcoming new speakers every day, so be sure to register for your free digital pass to keep up with the latest announcements, build your festival agenda and reserve your spots at some of our ‘can’t miss’ events early.”
Wales Tech Week 2021 will run as a virtual event from 21st – 25th of June with registrations for free digital passes available now on the Wales Tech Week website.
