Womens ICT Lunch, Brussels

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Created on Wednesday, 5 October 2011

Yesterday I spent the day in Brussels visiting Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the Commission and lead on the entire digital agenda. I like Neelie enormously and am delighted with the way she has embraced our work at Race Online 2012. She is a total believer in the power of making sure everyone, particularly the most vulnerable people, are able to get online.

Neelie had called together a large group of MEPs to talk about technology in Europe with a special focus on how to encourage more women to enter the sector. I gave the keynote speech about my own experiences from my first job at spectrum strategy consultants to lastminute.com to becoming digital champ. The assembled group gobbled up their salmon starters and glugged back wine while I was talking but I think it was well received. After me Cheryl from Greenlight for girls (http://www.greenlightforgirls.org/) spoke briefly about her charity that mentors young women who are interested in becoming technical professionals.

There was then a good debate about the issues at which nearly all the assembled MEPs wanted to speak - it was agreed that education (at any age) is so fundamental in changing opinions about technology and it was also agreed that the tech sector is not helped by the language used - often focusing on programming skills when the talent needed is much broader.

I came away reinvigorated by my day, despite the endless Eurozone headlines - it is extraordinary to see a representative from Bulgaria next to one from Holland next to one from France - all trying to work together on common causes. I was also very pleased that it was proposed each member state should appoint its own digital champion to focus on issues in the sector - crucially how to encourage more use of the internet. Perhaps digital champions will be one export from the UK Govt that the EU embraces!