Hull’s flagship Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI) has announced the appointment of a group of senior business leaders to guide the next chapter for the heart of the region’s tech community.
The new Strategic Advisory Board will shape the future strategy of the city’s digital hub, which for over a decade has connected ambitious tech start-ups and entrepreneurs with major businesses and opportunities to grow and thrive.
The Strategic Advisory Board is made up of senior business figures who will bring their collective expertise and experience to guide the tech incubator into a new era.
To mark 10 years of C4DI, the tech hub underwent a major makeover last year, which saw the addition of enhanced facilities including a business lounge, new open-plan communal and breakout spaces, and a podcast studio.
Since completing the transformation, C4DI has seen coworking memberships rise from 25 to 57, an increase of almost 130 per cent in just over a year. As well as the coworking space, the building is home to 97 people working across 29 offices.
As the flagship building of the @TheDock tech campus, in Hull’s Fruit Market urban village, C4DI is the focal point for the region’s tech community, supporting a thriving network of digital innovators, entrepreneurs and forward-thinking businesses.
C4DI’s Strategic Advisory Board members are:
- Sean Royce (Chair), Founder and Non-Executive Director, C4DI
- Linsey Brown, Director, C4DI
- Chris Crookham, Finance Director, Wykeland Group
- Anita Pace, Managing Director, Pace Communications
- Nasim Sharf, Partner, Wilkin Chapman Rollits
- Ric Thompson, Senior Vice President (Health and Care), OneAdvanced
- Shaun Watts, Founder and Chairman, Chameleon Business Interiors
The Strategic Advisory Board has already met twice and has begun work on devising C4DI’s new five-year strategy.
At the heart of that strategy is C4DI’s role in connecting businesses to drive growth, alongside a focus on education and skills, both on retaining the region’s top tech talent and attracting young people to an industry which provides a breadth of career opportunities.
C4DI’s Strategic Advisory Board is chaired by Sean Royce, who was among the founders of the tech hub and is also a Non-Executive Director of Vertual, a world leading provider of virtual reality training for radiotherapy professionals, which is based in the @TheDock tech campus.
Previously, Sean was CEO of the high-growth rural broadband provider Quickline Communications and, prior to that, Managing Director of KCOM, the largest tech business headquartered in the Hull and Humber region.
Mr Royce said: “C4DI exists to turn talent and big ideas into businesses, jobs and a stronger local economy. We support ambitious high-growth tech businesses and connect established companies such as GXO and Nestlé with the expertise to innovate and become more competitive.
“Our new Academy completes that circle. It will inspire young people to become tomorrow’s innovators, entrepreneurs and skilled workforce, with opportunities to build their futures here.
“That combination makes C4DI distinctive among UK tech hubs. Our ambition is to be a driving force for the Humber economy, turning ideas into thriving businesses, great jobs and a region where talent stays and grows.”
For more than a decade, C4DI has played a leading role in the stimulation and growth of the Humber region’s tech and digital sectors.
C4DI has provided a space for tech experts, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to work together to solve real-world challenges and explore new opportunities, providing businesses with access to technology and expertise to stay ahead in a rapidly-evolving digital landscape.
Recent successes include the launch of Humber Tech Fest, held during Humber Business Week in June, which saw C4DI open its doors to more than 300 people and 30 exhibitors for a showcase of the region’s thriving tech sector.
C4DI also recently launched its own Academy, an educational initiative which delivers hands-on sessions to young people, aged from seven up to 24, to introduce them to opportunities in digital technology and entrepreneurship.
C4DI Director Linsey Brown said: “Our ethos has always been driven by two main objectives – to connect start-ups and entrepreneurs with major businesses and vice versa, and to develop a skills pipeline for our region’s tech sector.
“Our new Strategic Advisory Board will enable us to lean on the expertise and experience of business leaders with vast experience and relevant skills to evolve the support we provide to C4DI members and the region’s business community.
“It brings togethers leaders from a variety of sectors, with different industry experiences, and we’re confident it will be hugely beneficial for our community moving forwards.”
To find out more about C4DI and the tech community it supports, go to www.c4di.co.uk/news