BIOGRAPHY
Kathryn Parsons is Founder and co-CEO of Decoded, a technology education company founded with a mission to demystify the digital world.
Their work teaching code, data and cyber skills has reached over half a million people in 85+ cities worldwide. Today Decoded is the go-to for leaders looking to rapidly transform the digital capability and culture of their businesses. Global clients include Unilever, Nike, HSBC, Burberry, Citi and MasterCard.
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 a credit card and mission to teach anyone 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.
Kathryn campaigned for coding as mandatory on the UK National Curriculum. It was successfully introduced in 2014, making the UK one of the first countries in the world to do so. It means that by 2025, a generation will leave school for whom computational thinking is the norm. She received an MBE in the Queen’s Honours in 2015 for Services to Education.
Kathryn Parsons has also advised the UK government as a non-executive on the board of The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (2017-2020); a member of the Number 10 Downing Street Technology, Media & Telco Advisory Board under Theresa May and David Cameron (2010-2019); and a member of the Mayor of London Business Advisory Board under Sadiq Khan and Boris Johnson (2008-2020).
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.
Her keynote “The Education Revolution” is addressed to leaders in business and government to embrace a new approach to learning which is adaptive, personalised and, most importantly, lifelong. 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.
Kathryn Parsons also speaks to founders, scale-ups and boards on a wide range of topics such as how to “Claim Your Digital Vote”, encouraging women to embrace technology, “Data Scientists for Boards”, and “The £27 Start-Up” – how early stage founders can supercharge their PR.
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