How to take part in Digital Leaders Week
April 2019
Our 7th Digital Leaders 100 is now announced reflecting much of the fantastic work going on across the UK’s sectors. It’s a celebration of those leading change, but who are not perhaps household names yet.
As a member of the Digital Leaders team we excuse ourselves from the judging process leaving our 20 judges to do the shortlisting of the 600+ down to 100. It’s no easy task they told me this year with some very robust discussions about who makes the final ten in each of the ten categories. I both like being apart from the process, giving me “plausible deniability” if I ever meet a nominee who feels they should have made the list and at the same time I have to cross my fingers that each list is full of exciting new nominees yet undiscovered, but pulled up and into view by our amazing 95,000 members.
The DL100 2019 list has not disappointed. In fact I am blown away.
In a month when Wired magazine has reintroduced us to 10 people who have been household names and at the heart of the UK’s digital transformation, I am pleased to report that none of them made the 2019 list. Instead the list looks ahead to the next ten years highlighting amazing young talent, diversity across all sectors we could only hope for 10 years ago and introduces us to the very latest heroes of new areas around emerging technology and innovation including this year in health.
Our two individuals categories, Digital Leader and Young Digital Leader has 20 names from five UK regions including Scotland and Northern Ireland. Those tracking diversity will be pleased to know our 20 judges chose a well balanced list with 11 women and 9 men of whom five are from BAME communities. Bear in mind that there are no diversity categories in the DL100.
The remaining 80 places in the list are taken up by organisations. Over 500 public sector, SMEs and charities vied together for these 80 places and it is a credit to them all that they have been selected. They represent all 12 UK regions with the largest representations outside of London and the South East being from Scotland, Yorkshire and the North West this year #notjustLondon
There are two new categories this year, AI Innovation of the Year and Health Innovation. The 20 finalists in these two categories are taking the opportunities of emerging technology and using them to change health outcomes, diagnose cancers, support adult social care and revolutionise the personalisation of learning – to name but a few.
It’s a great list. Please take the time to look at it and please vote for your favourites to help us make the DL100 Awards celebrate the best in each category as chosen by you and our judges. Finally our thanks to the Digital Leaders community for nominating again this year and huge congratulations again to all 600 of you nominated for this year’s list. We salute you.