The Tech Talent Charter, in collaboration with The University of Gloucestershire, The National Cyber Security Centre (a part of GCHQ) and The Institute of Coding (IOC), are delighted to invite you to our first Gloucestershire Regional event.

Get a Business Edge with Diversity

Location: Cotswold Area Civil Service Sports Association (CACSSA), Cheltenham

The Tech Talent Charter is committed to action and solutions; to connecting the dots rather than reinventing the wheel. We create and share best practice for recruiting and retaining diverse talent and bring companies together to find solutions for the sector.

The Event

Are you working to drive business growth through diversity? Would you like the chance to hear from others in the space share what works and to learn what is happening to help drive diversity in the Gloucestershire area?  If you've struggled in the past to increase the diversity in your teams through recruitment or to retain diverse talent in tech roles, this is the event for you!

This event will focus on practical solutions. This is deliberately not a Friday event - we want you to go back to work and use what you've learnt the very next day.

You will leave with a toolkit of ideas and strategies, connections with others working in this space in the Gloucestershire area and with a clearer sense of how you can move the dial on diversity and inclusion in your own organisation and/or support your clients in their own diversity and inclusion strategies.

Timings

09:30 Registration, coffee and networking

10:00 Welcome

10:05 Panel discussion - Finding and retaining diverse tech talent

10:30 Mapping diversity and inclusion in Gloucestershire. Share and learn about programmes & initiatives you can tap into to help drive diversity and inclusion

11:00 Best Practice Hackathon - Work in groups to share and learn what you can do to improve how you support the recruitment and retention of diverse teams and how retraining and upskilling programmes can support this

12:00 Wrap up and next steps

12:15-12:30 Photocall and depart

Please note that a photographer will be present and active throughout the event and organisers and participants will be using social media throughout the event. Images captured will have minimal privacy impact. If you would prefer not to be included in event footage, on social media/press, please contact us at hello@techtalentcharter.co.uk

Event Powered By

Speakers

Baroness Rennie Fritchie, Chancellor of University of Gloucestershire

Rennie Fritchie is currently Chancellor of the University of Gloucestershire and Chair of the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales. A previous Chair of Nominet and the Web Science Initiative. She has been active in working for equality and women’s development since the mid 1970’s Baroness Fritchie has remained steadfast in her activities to make a positive difference. She has been a Regulator and Ombudsman, Chaired many Boards in both public and private sectors and is an Independent Peer in the House of Lords.

Debbie Forster MBE – CEO, Tech Talent Charter

Debbie is a recognised figure in the areas of diversity, tech, innovation and education, and is CEO for the Tech Talent Charter, an award-winning industry collective which aims to deliver greater gender diversity in the UK tech workforce. Debbie was awarded an MBE in January 2017 for services to Digital Technology and Tech Development and Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) named her Woman of the Year for 2016.  Debbie has also been named on Computer Weekly’s list of “25 Most Influential Women in UK IT” for the last 6 years and on their“50 Most Influential People in UK IT for 2018., their “definitive list of the real movers and shakers in UK IT - the CIOs, industry executives, public servants and business leaders driving the creation of a high-tech economy.”

Michael Vermeersch, Digital Inclusion Lead, Microsoft

As Digital Inclusion Lead and Digital Advisor within Microsoft Services UK, Michael envisions and drives digital transformation, enabling our customers and their customers to achieve more via inclusive solutions. Michael brings Digital Transformation via his passion for Diversity & Inclusion. His Digital Inclusion focus enables customers across industry sectors to benefit from wider and better customer and supplier engagement, increased productivity and appealing innovations. Michael also chairs the UK Accessibility Employee Resource Group at Microsoft.

Mike Spain, Founder and Chair, Cyber Neurodiversity Group

Mike Spain is founder and chair of NeuroCyberUK, Non-Executive Director for Cyber Exchange and leads the Cyber Academy for SNC-Lavalin’s Atkins business. He is an innovation and growth specialist and neurodiversity advocate in the cyber sector and is passionate about working to enable growth of the UK cyber sector and the development of an accessible, inclusive and sustainable UK cyber ecosystem. 

Dr Nick Moore, Director of Library, Technology and Information Service - University of Gloucestershire

Nick is Director of Library, Technology and Information Service.  Nick is responsible for delivering a seamless learning support service to students and staff at the University.  The LTI service is centred in the library and provides a range of online and face-to-face services including an at-desk library help service, a virtual learning environment and sector demonstrators of how to use data to support individual learner journeys.  Prior to working in Higher Education, Nick spent nearly 20 years working in government IT, leading infrastructure delivery projects and services.

Lexie Papaspyrou, Diversity & Inclusion and Tech Talent Consultant

Lexie Papaspyrou is a consultant on Diversity & Inclusion and Tech Talent. She has worked for companies including Apple, General Assembly and Sparta Global on programs spanning coding bootcamps for career changers, internal technical training initiatives and graduate schemes, hiring for diversity and mentoring and coaching. She is an organiser for diversity non-profit Codebar, a panellist and conference speaker on D&I, a mentor for the Cherie Blair Women in Business Foundation, and in 2018 led Sparta Global to win Female Graduate Employer of the year at the Women in Tech Awards.

FAQs

What are my transport/parking options for getting to and from the event? A Google Map of the CACSSA venue can be found here. There is lots of free parking available at CACSSA.

How can I contact the organiser with any questions? Please email hello@techtalentcharter.co.uk

Will vegetarian/gluten-free options be available? Yes. Please advise when booking.

I require an adjustment in order to attend, who should I contact? Please contact hello@techtalentcharter.co.uk or contact Anna Hannis directly on 07546123071