A new OpenUK Board of 12 kicked up a storm yesterday as they travelled the length and breadth of the UK to meet in Fieldfisher’s London Offices to form the new Board of OpenUK with CEO, Amanda Brock and some inspirational support.
Leaders from the UK’s Open technology community collaborated in the best of Open to bring a new Vision, Purpose and Mission to Open UK.
Purpose
Develop and sustain UK leadership in Open technology.
Vision
- Open technology is the norm across UK public services, businesses and individuals.
- The UK is recognised as the leader in education and skills training in Open technology.
- Open technology forms the basis of the UK’s thriving knowledge economy.
Mission
- To lead and advocate for the use and development of Open technology and associated services while interacting with law and policy makers.
- To be a single voice for the Open industries, representing and bringing together Open in the UK.
- To build a body of expertise and experience and provide tools and resources about the Open sectors.
The new Board is made up of a number of key industry figures: Andrew Katz, Neil McGovern, Phil Weir, Dawn Foster, Ian Burgess, Laura James, John Laban, Matt Jarvis, Rob Taylor, Mike Smith, Terence Eden and former Chairman, Stuart Mackintosh and Board Adviser, Jeni Tennison, CEO of the Open Data Institute.
“We have broadened out the remit of our organisation and emerging from a chrysalis, will see the organisation metamorphosis into the first organisation globally to tackle head-on the need to bring together the Open communities in Open Source Software, Open Hardware and Open Data. If any communities understand how to collaborate it’s these three and they are doing so through OpenUK.
“We are not the UK’s first organisation for this, we are the world’s first organisation for this and are firmly placing the UK at the forefront of Open technologies, by advocating for Open in the UK and putting the UK’s Open communities in a leadership role for digital, technology and most importantly Open, globally,” said Amanda Brock, CEO at OpenUK, since December.
“As you will see from our new web site, openuk.uk, we have a range of activities engaging with an array of companies and individuals in the UK and beyond and are actively working at a variety of levels in the public sector. We aim to make the UK a world leader in Open in a post Brexit economy.”
As an industry collaboration and representation body, OpenUK gives its participants greater influence than they could ever achieve alone and interacts within these communities in the UK and on behalf of them internationally.
The word is out and the buzz around OpenUK means that Brock is already committed to 7 keynote speeches at Open events from Stockholm to Berlin, Paris to Lisbon this year.
We provide a collective voice for Open and support a wide range of initiatives and activities. This will culminate in 2020 with OpenUK Week taking place week of 8 June along side London Tech Week and with a September Dinner in the House of Commons.
The new Board had this to say:
John Laban: “Very excited to be involved in Openuk where a great new team of action focused visionaries are bringing together the “three opens” of open software, open hardware and open data to create synergies and accelerate innovation through open collaboration ……. methinks when the history books look back at the 2020’s the integration of the “three opens” will be seen as the catalyst for the Novacene!”
Phil Weir: “OpenUK provides a fantastic opportunity for an informed, practical impact on how the UK views open technology, based on a collaboration of communities and sectors. I am excited to see such a range of experience, perspectives and skillsets come together to help drive openness forward and empower its advocates across GB and Northern Ireland.”
Dawn Foster: “I am excited to be involved in OpenUK, and I look forward to fostering a more cohesive community around the intersection of open source software, open hardware, and open data across the UK.”
Ian Burgess: “Open technology will play a critical role in shaping the future, and it is exciting to be part of OpenUK at this critical time, with Brexit around the corner.”
Laura James: “I’m honoured to join such an experienced group of open industry experts on the OpenUK board. I look forward to seeing how OpenUK supports our knowledge economy, through developing and sustaining open technology.”
Matt Jarvis: “I’m honoured to serve on OpenUK’s board, alongside an extraordinarily talented group of people. Building skills and leadership in open software, hardware and data will be critical to the future of the UK technology industry”
Terence Eden: “The future of technology relies on us being radically open. I am looking forward to helping people to realise just how important open source software and hardware, open standards, and open data are.”
Stuart Mackintosh: “The OpenUK team are driving the open digital revolution through the UK – an essential foundation of digital sovereignty – these are exciting times and it is great to be a part of it.”
The board is supported by a Board Facilitator, Steve Bianchi, an Honorary QC, Iain Mitchell and Pro Bono General Counsel, Andrew Katz.
As General Counsel, Andrew Katz’s law firm Moorcrofts is providing pro bono legal advice to OpenUK and Andrew is instrumental in the OpenUK Legal and Policy Committee.
“OpenUK is one of a handful of non-US organisations to have submitted an amicus brief in the Google v Oracle litigation last week. This is one of the first steps the organisation is taking to engage globally and to be at the cutting edge of legal and policy matters across Open. Watch this space to see how OpenUK engages with the public sector and Government in the UK and beyond to make the UK the best place for Open Technologies from a legal perspective.” Said Andrew Katz.
The Board has been appointed for a one-year term to share the structure and strategy of OpenUK. The organisation will move to an elected Board in-line with true Open community principles for 2021. Steve Bianchi, whose background in technology stretches across Zalando, Improbable,
and now both Revolut and Beamery, is facilitating the Board’s work on strategy and structuring, “This is a great, diverse group for a Board. They show real potential to make change as the leaders of the UK’s Open Technologies.”
Ends
For photographs and more information, please contact: Marie Parkinson, OJI Marketing Ltd on: 07463994834 or marieparkinson@ojimarketing.co.uk
Notes
OpenUK, is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, company number 11209475. We harness the power of collaboration around open source software, data and hardware, “Open” in the UK. Collaboration is central to everything we do and we use it to bring together business, public sector and community.
