Tech titans from South East included in first DSIT startup board meeting

By Giles Gwinnett

28 June 2023

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Some of the brightest tech minds in the UK, including those linked to the South East, joined other representatives for the government's first Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) startup board meeting aimed at helping the country become a science and technology superpower by 2030.

The seven inaugural non-executive members of the DSIT startup board, which met on June 26, included Ron Dennis CBE - the founding shareholder and former chairman and CEO of Woking-based McLaren Technology Group.

Also on the board is Shonnel Malani, chair of the board at Cobham and Ultra Electronics. Aerospace group Cobham is based in Christchurch, Dorset.

Other board members include Tim Peake CMG - the former European Space Agency astronaut and British Army Air Corps helicopter pilot.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said it was the first meeting of the group since its appointment in April this year and discussed a variety of topics, including the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI).

Under consideration was, for example, how the government can deploy revolutionary AI technologies in more sectors to improve productivity and unlock growth, including in public services.

Also on the agenda was exploring how the department could make better use of analysis and insight to improve its impact on both the general public and science and technology ecosystems in the UK.

The group aims to provide "over-arching strategic guidance and insight to the department as it looks to drive economic growth, create jobs, and improve the lives of every Briton by boosting the UK’s mission for science, innovation and technology", said the government.

By Giles Gwinnett

Giles Gwinnett is a writer at The Business Magazine. He has been a journalist for more than 20 years and covered a vast array of topics at a range of media settings - in print and online. After his NCTJ newspaper training, he became a reporter in Hampshire before moving to a news agency in Gloucestershire. In recent years, he has been covering the financial markets along with company news for an investor-focused web portal. His many interests include politics, energy and the environment. He lives in Dorset.