“The BIMA Hall of Fame represents the pinnacle of digital achievement in the UK. We’re delighted to welcome Sue and Saul who between them have spent more than 40 years shaping Britain’s digital landscape. We’re also pleased to share the BIMA 100 of 2018. Holly Hall, MD, BIMA
The BIMA 100 2018 also announced, celebrating the people and organisations driving Britain’s digital future – including companies such as IBM iX, Amaze, Karmarama, Mando, BBC Worldwide and Cancer Research UK.
London, 10 May 2018: The British Interactive Media Association (BIMA) today announces the latest inductees into the BIMA Hall of Fame, celebrating the digital industry’s lifetime achievers. This year’s inductees are Saul Klein OBE and Dr Sue Black OBE. They join BIMA’s long standing ‘Hall of Fame’ which includes the people whose efforts have helped shape and build Britain’s digital industry – and which includes influencers such as Jamal Edwards MBE, Stephen Fry, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Dame Martha Lane Fox, and last year’s recipients of this accolade: Dame Stephanie Shirley and Decoded founder Kathryn Parsons.
Saul Klein gained his digital grounding with Telegraph Media Group, Ogilvy and Mather and Microsoft before joining forces with his father to start The Accelerator Group, an early-stage investor in digital businesses including MOO and Tweetdeck. He co-founded Kano and Seedcamp, was the original CEO of Lovefilm (later sold to Amazon) and was part of the original executive team at Skype, later acquired by eBay.
In 2007 Saul founded the OpenCoffee Club and in 2012 was appointed to be the UK’s first tech envoy to Israel and a Technology Business Ambassador by David Cameron. He is now founding partner at LocalGlobe, a seed fund focussed on helping London’s most ambitious founders build game changing businesses.
Dr Sue Black’s route into digital was an unconventional one. She left home and school at 16, got married at 20, had three children by the age of 23 and was a single parent at 25. She took a maths access course at night school which led to her enrolling in university, gaining a degree in computing.
Over the following 20 years Sue has produced more than 40 academic publications and has a PhD in software engineering. She became Honorary Professor in the Department of Computer Science at University College London and a Senior Research Associate at Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge.
In 2001, she sent up BCSWomen, the UK’s first online network for women in tech. Most recently she set up Techmums, a social enterprise which empowers mums and their families through technology. She is also a mentor for mums at Google Campus and a UK government advisor.
BIMA has also announced its BIMA 100, recognising the key influencers and game changers who are driving Britain’s digital industry in 2018.
Nominated by the industry, the final list is decided by a panel of leading digital experts chaired by Jon Davie, Managing Director of Zone. This year BIMA has divided its 100 across 10 categories: Talent Champions, Rising Stars, Tech Trailblazers, Creative Stars, Client/Supplier Relationship Stars, CEOs and Leaders, Entrepreneurs, UX & Design Stars, Champions for Good and Industry Visionaries.
Holly Hall, MD at BIMA, said, “The BIMA Hall of Fame represents the pinnacle of digital achievement in the UK. We’re delighted to welcome Sue and Saul who between them have spent more than 40 years shaping Britain’s digital landscape. We’re also pleased to share the BIMA 100 of 2018. At a time when digital talent has never been more in demand – across a wide range of sectors – it’s vital that we showcase the great work being done, and acknowledge the people behind it, to encourage and inspire future generations to take digital even further.”
Luke Medlock, Designer, hedgehog lab (UX & Design Stars)
Keiron Rennie, Junior Planner, Ogilvy UK (Rising Stars)
John Davies, Head of Digital, Vodafone (Industry Visionaries)
Sam Booth, Founder, Just After Midnight (Entrepreneurs)
Euan Blair, Founder and CEO, WhiteHat (Talent Champions)
Gary Pretty, Technology Strategist and Microsoft MVP, Mando (Tech Trailblazer)