BIOGRAPHY
Kathryn is founder and CEO of Decoded, a world-leader in technology education. Decoded’s leadership workshops, technology immersions and skills bootcamps have educated over half a million people in code, data, AI and cyber literacy and skills over the past decade. Her clients span the Global 2000 and policymakers in Washington and Whitehall.
Kathryn is on a mission to put the knowledge, tools and skills of the future in people’s hands, so that they can thrive in an increasingly technology driven world. Described as an “economic force”, in addition to founding her business, Kathryn successfully campaigned for coding to be added to the UK National Curriculum in 2014, making it one of the first countries to do so. Millions of children have subsequently been introduced to computational thinking in the classroom. As a result, Kathryn was awarded an MBE for Services to Education from The Queen.
Kathryn has sat on the boards of The UK Department for Business, Number Ten Downing Street, His Majesty’s Treasury, The London Mayor and Royal United Services Institute advising policymakers in Washington and Whitehall on the future of work and decoding emerging technologies such as AI.
Kathryn reports on the innovations and news in technology from Silicon Valley for media including The Times of London and Financial Times.
For more information about Kathryn Parson’s speaking topics, availability and fees, contact VBQ Speakers founding agent Leo von Bülow-Quirk at leo@vbqspeakers.com.
KATHRYN PARSONS: KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Kathryn has delivered 500+ keynotes and talks to audiences of up to 2,000 people across the world.
Driven by a personal desire to learn and to remove the fear, jargon and cliches which made technology impenetrable, Kathryn Parsons founded the business in 2011 with merely a credit card and mission to teach anyone to Code in a Day. Kathryn’s passion for languages started at a young age, learning French, Italian, Mandarin, Japanese and ultimately Latin and Ancient Greek at Downing College, Cambridge. For her code is just another language, the language of the future, and one she believes anyone can learn.
Today, as we witness the disruptive impact of technology on traditional economies and social systems, the so-called “Fourth Industrial Revolution”, Kathryn Parsons is calling upon us to launch an “Education Revolution”, one which is adaptive, expansive, and lifelong to ensure that the great benefits of technology flow to all of us.
Her keynotes are designed to educate and inspire. Kathryn Parsons believes that transformation of skills and culture is possible at any age or stage of a career or business. Sharing cutting-edge case studies from across her work and the world of education, government and business, she shows how technology is for everyone and why we must all give ourselves the permission to learn.
Testimonials
“You have inspired our community, and have helped make the festival an unforgettable experience.” —- Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival
“Kathryn was great. She was a pleasure to work with and everyone thought she was fantastic.” —- Leading global software company