Every year, the BIMA Awards celebrate the work that’s making a difference in business, culture and society, and pushing the limits of what is possible in the digital and tech sectors. On 13 September, the industry’s biggest names will be at Victoria House in London for the BIMA Awards 2018, where the keynote speech will be delivered by London’s first Chief Digital Officer, Theo Blackwell.
Appointed by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in 2017, Theo is a driving force in realising the Mayor’s ambition to make London the world’s smartest city. He has previously worked at GovTech accelerator Public Group, and was former Head of Policy and Public Affairs for the video games industry’s trade body, Ukie. Now, Theo is working to ensure that the capital’s status as a global tech hub helps transform the way public services are designed and delivered.
Key to that transformation is harnessing the combined powers of data and London’s (and the wider) digital community. He’s already shown Londoners how data can have a positive effect on their lives with the Your Commute calculator, which shows commuters how many others share their route to work each day. Now he’s launching Smarter London Together, a roadmap for making London the smartest city in the world.
In his keynote speech, Theo will explore his vision for the scheme, and the value in harnessing expertise such as that found within the BIMA community.
BIMA co-president Tarek Nseir believes Theo is precisely the right speaker at the right time. “Our members are helping their clients through digital and technological transformation – in data, VR, Ai and more – every day. As someone at the spearhead of one of the largest transformations of all, we’re excited to welcome Theo not just because of his vision for digital London, but for the impact that transformation is likely to have on our members.”
“Our goal is to always ensure our members have a voice in things that matter re driving forward digital in the UK. We are keen to establish a strong relationship with Theo and the Mayor’s office, and Theo’s participation at the BIMA awards is the start. Nat Gross, BIMA co-president
Award winners will be announced on the 13 September 2018.