Events

Last weekAmazon Web Services(AWS) teamed up with Harvey Nash to host over 100 digital leaders to engage in a discussion focused on the frontier of autonomy. As we start to grapple with the impact of AI and robotics it feels more important than ever to dive into the topic with our community.

Our organisation Nash Squared were delighted to host a pre-launch event of the Digital Leadership Report 2023 at the House of Commons. Attended by over 120 members of parliament, government officials, business and technology leaders the event provided a brilliant opportunity to explore and discuss this years report’s key findings and insights. The event featured speeches from the following; Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, who kindly hosted the event and introduced the report. Bev White, CEO of our organisation Nash Squared, who highlighted the longevity of the report, now it’s in 25th year and the key findings and insights. Bev also commented: “Technology is increasingly affecting everything around us, and as the digital leadership report celebrates its 25th year I am delighted this event drew such a wide and diverse range of influential business leaders and parliamentarians” Paul Scully MP, Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, who referred to the report as ‘very important’ emphasising how every minister should read it. Charlotte Baldwin, CDIO, Costa part of Coca Cola Group, who gave a passionate and inspiring speech on diversity in technology to help inspire the next generation of talent. And who also highlighted the worrying gender diversity figures that this years report has found. Chi Onwurah MP, Shadow Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, shared her extensive experience within the technology sector and the need for us to listen to the report findings. The Nash Squared Digital Leadership Report In its 25th year of publication, the 2023 Nash Squared Digital Leadership Report is the world’s largest and longest running survey of senior technology decision makers. Launched in 1998 and previously called the CIO Survey, it has been an influential and respected indicator of major trends in technology and digital for over two decades. This year a survey of 2,104 technology/digital leaders globally took place between 22nd June 2023 and 18th September 2023, across 86 countries. The event was very well received and we were delighted so many influential individuals could attend and spread the Digital Leadership Report findings. We would like to extend our thanks to all who attended as well as Dame Caroline Dinenage MP for hosting. To view photographs from the event please visit our photo album.

We were delighted to host our first ever Harvey Nash Newcastle Data event, ‘Demystifying Data’, led by Consultant, Rachael Whitburn. The event was a huge success and was attended by Data Leaders from all over the North-East. We invited two guest speakers, who presented around several discussion topics for the evening, such as AI, data governance and data literacy. Our first speaker of the evening was Andrew Blance, an Innovation Consultant at a leading North-East based IT consultancy company. He is also a member of the Institute of Data Science at Durham University and holds a PHD in Data Intensive Science. Andrew explored the challenges and opportunities around AI, while highlighting the importance of responsibility and practicality in a data-driven world. He expressed how fully understanding AI today is pivotal, and emphasised the impact AI has on human resources. After Andrew’s speech, we had an interval for guests before our second speaker of the evening. The break allowed time for our guests to enjoy the complimentary food and drinks, and also discuss their thoughts on Andrew’s presentation. Following our break, Kevin Marsden, our second and final guest speaker for the evening, began his presentation. Kevin is an Information Architect at a national housing association based in Newcastle. He is at the forefront of devising their data strategy and provided practical takeaways during his presentation. During his speech, Kevin highlighted the importance of data literacy and data governance. He presented vital skills for navigating the data landscape responsibly and showcased how to properly utilise data and how it can be used effectively within an organisation. Two key takeaways for the evening: The importance of on-going learning across an organisation regarding data literacy and introducing new ways of making this happen. For example creating an academy or game to assist with this. Taking responsibility for how AI impacts sustainability. Overall, our evening at the Supernatural Café was incredible. The gorgeous venue provided an amazing ambience and great food, while our speakers drove many interesting discussions with Data Leaders from across the North-East. We would like to extend our thanks to all who attended the event and we look forward to hosting future discussions. If you are interested in getting involved in any future events, please reach out to the team based in Newcastle or directly with Rachael Whitburn.