Digital heavyweights join the lineup for major festival
BIG names in the digital sector are coming together for Leeds Digital Festival, a five-day event starting on Monday 25 April.
Key speakers will be representatives from the BBC, Buzzfeed, Spotify, Shazam, Samsung, and Microsoft, with fintech, funding for digital businesses, coding, data and startups all on the agenda.
Closer to home, digital entrepreneur (and Maserati 100 ranked) Steve Wainwright of Futurelabs, David Ross of Callcredit, as well as representatives from aql, Whitecap Consulting, KPMG (who are hosting a funding for tech round table on Monday 25), Dotforge and DLA Piper will be getting involved.
Festival director Stuart Clarke, who has helped organise the events in 27 venues around the city from Headrow House to Belgrave Music Hall and Leeds Dock, said: “The Leeds Digital Festival will be a week long celebration of the talented individuals and the innovative organisations we have in the city.
“We have a fantastic lineup of events with something for everyone, whether you’re interested in coding, startups, data, health or FinTech.
David Ross, chief technology officer at Callcredit Information Group, and chief data officer Mark Davison are hosting events during the week on the growth of the digital economy.
“The £64m dollar question is what are people doing with data,” said Mr Ross.
“Consumers are unaware they provide this data and it is used on their behalf. While we at Callcredit are a broker of that data, the consumer themselves is the owner of that data.
“We can help people to understand how you can improve credit rating, protect identity, and how they can use that data as an asset to get better services and offerings. This is when it becomes not just a digital identity, but a digital economy.”
With 170 people signed up so far, one of the biggest events of the week will be the showcase of FinTech North in collaboration with Whitecap Consulting, rebuildingsociety, aql and White Label Crowdfunding.
The full day event at aql’s Salem Chapel space will have keynote speakers from fintech and financial services firms as well as Dr Adam Beaumont of aql, Richard Carter chief executive of Nostrum Group and Dan Rajkumar founder & MD if Leeds-based FinTech innovator rebuildingsociety.
Julian Wells, director of Whitecap Consulting said:”FinTech is driving global change through banking and financial services and sits firmly on the agenda of every bank CEO. It also offers huge opportunity to the many digital and technology innovators in the world. It’s fantastic to bring FinTech to Leeds via the event and it promises to be a fascinating day”
Have a look at the lineup for the Leeds Digital Festival, which is capped off with the music festival from Live at Leeds on Saturday 30 April, here.
