Some of the brightest, most innovative and forward-thinking minds in the world of IT will descend on Cork City on May 9 for the eighth instalment of Tech Summit, hosted by it@cork, and held at Cork City Hall.
Every year hundreds of attendees from all over Europe convene at the event to be enlightened, informed and enabled by world class speakers and business leaders.
As the South West region leads the country in terms of ICT sector growth, it@cork say the popularity of Cork and its environs as a place to do business looks set to soar on the back of major investment in the city, providing much sought after office space for new and existing businesses, as well as hundreds of new residential spaces for workers coming to the region.
Speaking at the launch, Caroline O’Driscoll, Chairperson of it@cork, and Partner at Deloitte: “The region is primed for growth, Tech companies are coming here in their droves, and those already here are growing significantly. Since the beginning of the year alone we have seen Clearstream Global Securities Services Limited take up to 70,000 square feet of the first block of the €90million Navigation Square Development, and US cyber security company Forcepoint take up joint occupation of a €30million South Mall office development.
“Given the performance of the IT sector here over the last 5 years, and the developments that have come on stream since, the next 5 years look set to be even busier in terms of growing the region as a hub for ICT companies, both indigenous and global. Overseas technology companies in the region currently employ 17,000+ people, and we believe this could double in the next 10 years.
“To hold the Tech Summit here on an annual basis makes sense because we have such a strong background in the sector, with each year building on the success of the preceding one.
“This year’s Summit will explore a myriad of topics and themes, opportunities and challenges within the Tech sector. Attendees can use the event to prepare for the Tech future in which we will live and work, and can benefit from take-home practical advice that they can apply today in the workplace.”
it@cork, which represents over 200 companies in the ICT sector in the region, have announced an impressive line-up for speakers for the event – including:
Robert McArdle, Director, Trend Micro: Robert leads Trend Micro’s ‘Forward Looking Threat’ research team, where he is involved in analysing the latest Cybercrime threats, specialising in researching the future threat landscape, Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and coordinating investigations with international law enforcement
Dr Andrea C. Johnson, Director of Global Business Systems at Workhuman: the world’s fastest-growing integrated Social Recognition® and continuous performance management platform
Bill Boorman, King of Social Recruiting, MD of Recruiting Daily: Bill Boorman is recognised internationally as a subject expert and speaker in the area of future of work, talent management and talent tech.
John Riordan Director of Support for Shopify: John leads a variety of different customer support teams for Shopify, including groups in Ireland, Lithuania, Sweden, Canada and the Philippines.
Sean Sheehan, CEO, Wisetek: Wisetek, a global provider of end-to-end IT asset disposition services operating from bases in Ireland (Cork and Dublin), USA (Massachusetts and Texas) and Thailand (Laem Chabang)
Constantly Evolving
Speaking at the launch, Anthony O’Callaghan, it@cork, and Senior Director at Flex: “We are constantly evolving in terms of our awareness of the impact that Tech has on our daily experience and the ways in which it can be used to transform so many spheres of public and private life. As we continue to adapt our personal and collective habits and patterns to a greater degree as a result of emergent technologies, there is an onus upon the sector to discuss and question where Tech is taking us and what impact it can have, both in its benefits and challenges on our lives. We at Tech Summit want to question and explore where the future of Tech lies. Tech Summit 2019 is an unmissable event for those wanting to solve the real business challenges of today and prepare for the transformational forces that are coming.”
Themes that will be explored at the event include:
Cyber
Some say we are living in an era of cyber insecurity more than cyber-security. The costs of cyber-crime, ransomware attacks and data breaches are only going in one direction – up! It’s no longer a questions of “if” but “when” you or your organisation will come face-to-face with these real threats.
Talent
With the Irish economy on target for 7.5% full year growth in 2019 and approaching levels of full employment, business’s ability to scale and attract/retain top talent is a major challenge. With advancements in Robotics and AI, and the challenges around infrastructure and accommodation, our talent needs and demands are changing. Through this theme we explore ways in which we can become more creative in solving these challenges together.
Diversity
“I’m not different from you, I’m different like you” Embracing diversity is a strategic business imperative and creating an inclusive culture are not just words on a page, it takes real action to yield real rewards.
The Circular Economy – 50m tonnes of electronic waste is produced each year with 1/5 of it being disposed of correctly. Are you disposing of your end-of-life equipment in a compliant and ethically responsible way, with full traceability? You have both legal and social obligations here.
The Event
This year, Tech Summit will see more technologies and more delegates than ever travel from all over the country to listen to best-in-class speakers, get up close and personal with new technologies and network with industry peers.
Ms O’Driscoll explained: “We’re opening up the format even further this year, with the introduction of interactive panels from our keynote speakers as well as ‘deep-dive’ workshop sessions throughout the day, which will tackle areas such as cyber-crime, e-waste and the circular economy, GDPR, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and human resource challenges. We’re also introducing our ‘Skill Hub’ area for 2019, which will host Q&A sessions on all things Tech, from collaborative working, to communication, training and management.”
Mr O’Callaghan spoke of the success the event has experienced to date: “Through the platform we’ve built here at Tech Summit, we’ve really shown where Cork is at in terms of its capacity, capability and strengths as an important Tech hub, both in an Irish and international context. The Summit brings such an impressive line-up to the city each year, in terms of both its speakers, and the top talent it attracts, and I’m continually in awe of how the it@cork goes from strength to strength with Tech Summit year on year.”
