UKtech50 2023: Help us find the most influential people in UK IT

Computer Weekly has launched its 13th annual UKtech50, our search for a definitive list of the movers and shakers in UK technology. We want to recognise the CIOs, industry executives, public servants and business leaders who are driving forward the digital agenda in the UK economy. 

This year, Computer Weekly is once again partnering with Nash Squared, and together, our aim is to identify the 50 most influential leaders in UK IT. Whoever comes top of the list will be the person who, in the opinion of our expert judging panel and a reader vote, holds the most influence over the future of the UK tech sector in the next 12 months – and hence the future of IT professionals across the country.  

Last year, the 12th annual UKtech50 saw Lindy Cameron crowned the winner. As the CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), Cameron has faced several cyber incidents head-on, leading the centre through a series of challenges.

Since Cameron took over at the NCSC, a series of incidents, from the continuing Covid pandemic to SolarWinds, from Colonial Pipeline Kaseya during the spring and summer of 2021 to Log4Shell last Christmas, and since February 2022, to Russia’s war on Ukraine, has elevated cyber in the minds of not just organisational leadership and security professionals, who have been tested in their approaches to risk and crisis management, but the wider public, too.

“I think in some ways you have to take advantage of the fact that people want to have that conversation and use it to try to shape the debate,” she told Computer Weekly in her winner’s interview. “One of the great things about that drama is that people will be sitting there thinking: what would I do if that happened to me? Of course it’s a drama, so it will be dramatised, but I think getting that conversation going really matters.”

Who will follow in Cameron’s footsteps to feature in this year’s top 50? There will be plenty of candidates from every UK sector. With the government aiming to position itself at the forefront of global innovation, will a digital leader from Whitehall come out on top? As businesses continue to use digital technology to give them an edge over competitors, will a CIO with game-changing IT strategies come to the fore? Or as startups grow across the country, is this the time to recognise a technology entrepreneur?

This is where we need your help. If you would like to nominate anyone you feel deserves recognition as one of the 50 most influential people in UK IT, simply complete the form below and submit your suggested individual. Nominations must be received by 28 April 2023 to be eligible for the 2023 list. The winner will be announced in June.