Success for inaugural Tech Leaders Summit in the South West

Over 100 tech leaders and stakeholders from across the region came together in Taunton yesterday for the inaugural Tech Leaders Summit, hosted by Tech South West.

Sponsored by Somerset Council in association with Microsoft, the event brought the region’s tech community together for workshops and knowledge-sharing across five tracks: AI, Founders, Talent, Innovation and Funding.

Keynote talks were delivered by Richard Potter, Director of Digital Strategy at Microsoft, and Cathrine Armour, Chief Reporting Officer at UN Principles for Responsible Investment.

Discussion topics at the event included alternative talent pipelines for companies, tech ethics and how to implement AI into business processes, team leadership, scaling a business successfully, how to improve diversity in the sector, tech and sustainability, and the shifting funding landscape for South West tech businesses. 

The Track sponsors were A2Z Cloud and Zoho, RSM, KING, Somerset Innovation Exchange and Microsoft.

Dan Pritchard, co-founder of Tech South West, said: “Wow! Bringing the sector together in one place really shows how vibrant the ecosystem is in the South West. So many ideas, perspectives, inspirational leaders, and good people doing good things. From inspiring the next generation to providing innovative healthcare solutions, driving the sustainability revolution, creating great career opportunities, attracting funding to the region and upskilling teams - tech is at the heart of so much that makes the South West a great place to live and work.

“Tech South West is committed to supporting the sector to thrive and we expect the Tech Leaders Summit to be a huge part of that going forward, providing annual learning opportunities and networking for tech organisations across the region to collaborate.”

Learn more about Tech South West at https://www.techsouthwest.co.uk/