Think of Cambridge, think of grand universities, cyclists, gridlock, punting. In the real estate world, these stereotypical views of the city expand further into issues around the provision of housing for all, infrastructure and, of course, that the city is the UK capital of life sciences. But there’s so much more to this city than just life sciences.
For decades it has been a hub of technological innovation. Acorn Computers began its life in Cambridge in 1978, Raspberry Pi in 2021 and Darktrace – the cybersecurity firm that last year listed on the London stock exchange with a £1.7bn valuation – was set up in the city 2013. Amazon, Google, Apple and some of the coolest games developers such as Jagex and Frontier Developments call the city home. It was also recently named as the best place in the UK for women seeking jobs in the tech industry, with more jobs and higher average salaries than Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol and Leeds.
In this EG Cities podcast we will look at what tech has done for development of the city, the growth opportunities for the sector, what Cambridge is doing to retain and grow talent, plus the unique role this sector may be able to play in creating a more equal workplace.
Speakers
Wei Meng, head of innovation, director of operations, TusPark Cambridge
Meng is the head of innovation and director of operations at TusPark UK, Cambridge. TusPark Cambridge serves high technology companies through its facilities and networks.
James Parton, managing director, the Bradfield Centre
Parton has spent more than 20 years working in both start-up and corporate environments. As Twilio’s first international hire, he built and ran its European operation from inception to IPO. Prior to that Parton worked at Telefonica and O2 in product development and innovation roles, creating two software developer programs and launching over 30 mobile data services. An active contributor to the wider tech community, he mentors and advises start-ups, and has sat on the board of two not-for-profit trade organisations – The Application Developers Alliance and the Mobile Entertainment Forum.
Claire Ruskin, executive director, Cambridge Network
Ruskin joined Cambridge Network in March 2009 as a part-time secondment from her role at PA Consulting Group. The Cambridge Network is an organisation dedicated to linking like-minded people from business and academia to each other and to the global high technology industry for the benefit of the Cambridge region. She has long been part of the Cambridge Phenomenon, starting in chip design and delivering technical product developments from Cambridge for a range of clients around the world.
Prior to her current role, she was a board director of Cambridge Consultants and Arthur D Little, before moving to PA Consulting Group to combine management consulting with continued technical developments. Ruskin helped form start-ups including CSR and Alphamosaic, of which she was a non-executive Director. She is also a chartered engineer and fellow of the IET.
Mark Taylor, director, Savills
Taylor has more than 30 years’ experience in the real estate sector, working with both North American corporations and UK landlords as a specialist in occupational office markets. He joined Savills in February 2022 from Colliers where he led the South East office agency team.
Chair: Tim Burke, deputy editor, EG
Burke joined EG as deputy editor in July 2019, before which he was property editor at Financial News a Dow Jones publication. Earlier in his career he wrote for and edited magazines covering capital markets and businesses across developed and emerging economies, including titles at The Economist Group and Thomson Reuters.
Series Partner:
Do you want to engage directly with your clients and gain new business?
Partnering with an EG event will provide you with a unique opportunity to raise your company profile and create greater awareness of your brand.
Our packages can be tailored to ensure you will meet and influence the people who are going to ensure the growth of your business now and in the future.
With a clear understanding of your overall marketing strategy, we will work in partnership with you to develop a bespoke marketing solution to meet your objectives.
We will ensure that you enjoy all the benefits of association with the right event, targeted at the right delegates, with a promotional package that underpins your marketing strategy.