As the capital recovers, the next Mayor of London cannot ignore the tech and investor community April 23, 2021 When the candidates for the Mayoral election gathered at Here East in 2016 to speak to the capital’s technology community, no one could have predicted the extent to which Brexit and a global health pandemic would utterly transform the five years that followed. Unfortunately, since then, it seems the ambition of London’s tech sector appears [...]
London Tech Week: Let’s call time on the capital’s tech ‘not spots’ September 10, 2020 Walking through east London this summer, the beating heart of the UK’s tech ecosystem had become a ghost city, with empty streets, co-working spaces and cafes. Like most industries, the Covid-19 pandemic has driven the sector behind closed doors. Yet, bubbling below the surface is a defiant community of tech entrepreneurs that will prove absolutely [...]
The UK must close its digital skills gap — or face an unemployment crisis August 18, 2020 With the economy plunging a catastrophic 20 per cent between April and June, the magnitude of challenges facing UK industries is becoming clearer. A wave of unemployment is likely, and when the furlough scheme officially ends there is no knowing how many people employers will let go. Even with additional taxpayer bailouts, there are large [...]
The UK must show faith in the OECD, not go it alone with a digital services levy January 30, 2020 Following months of brewing trade tensions between France and the US, centred around President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to regulate big tech, headlines from last week showed a victory for an integrated approach, as France agreed to delay its digital tax. The country will postpone applying a three per cent levy on the likes of Google [...]
DEBATE: Does it make sense to ban Huawei from access to the UK 5G network? January 28, 2020 Does it make sense to ban Huawei from access to the UK 5G network? Matt Kilcoyne, deputy director of the Adam Smith Institute, says YES. Chinese state-owned enterprises are accused by our Five Eyes intelligence partners in Australia and the US of keeping extensive databases on foreign individuals. That’s everything from who you’ve rung, when [...]
Bureaucratic boroughs risk holding London back in the 5G race August 20, 2019 Despite the hype around the latest handsets and a commitment from the new cabinet to prioritise connectivity, London risks losing out on the 5G opportunity. Much has been made of the country’s struggles to keep up with international competitors in the race to deliver world-class connectivity, while our imminent departure from the EU places greater [...]
Debate: Could financial services firms be better off basing themselves outside of London? April 9, 2019 Could financial services firms be better off basing themselves outside of the capital? Yes – Andy Mielczarek is chief executive at Chetwood Financial. Being based outside of London has such a raft of incentives that it seems like a no-brainer to set up outside of the capital. The overwhelming difference is operating costs. As we’re [...]
The future is now, but we’ll miss it if we don’t solve tech’s talent crisis October 19, 2018 The time has come for us to change the narrative. Too often, company executives talk about a future where artificial intelligence will transform the employment landscape or the strategies they are developing to adapt to the fourth industrial revolution. But that time is here – and companies need to be taking action now. Read more: London's [...]
A million tech jobs? The race is on to define London’s digital future June 11, 2018 London is a city defined by numbers: 11 tube lines whisk us across the capital with ease and efficiency, 22 football stadiums attract spectators every weekend, 40,000 Ubers offer us a comfortable ride home, and 100 languages are spoken in every borough, creating the greatest melting pot in the world. The city must now strive [...]
What we want from the government’s long-awaited digital strategy February 28, 2017 The tech industry on both sides of the Atlantic has been united in opposition to restrictive immigration policies, with advocates, entrepreneurs and investors making it clear that access to talent is crucial to building a healthy technology ecosystem. But a global tech sector also requires access to home-grown talent, and a system of training and [...]
