It has been a while coming, but last
week the SCL moved into a new home. The team are now settling in to our
first standalone office in Paintworks, the entrepreneurial heart of Bristol.
Thanks to the continued support of the
SCL membership and the skillful leadership of Chief Executive Caroline Gould
and the team, SCL is entering an exciting new phase. The new office provides
additional workspace to allow us to expand our workforce when the time is right
and to give partners, freelancers and, of course, our members a creative space
to work on SCL business and projects.
In this light, the move reflects a
step up in our ambitions. When the trustees need to brainstorm, SCL HQ will be
the perfect place to do it. When the team plan new events, they can accommodate
extra hands if necessary. It is also ideally placed to reach out to the local
business tech community.
I’m certain, and I’m sure my fellow
Trustees agree, that this change of scene should herald a new dynamic within
the team and the Society as a whole, fostering an even greater sense of
community as we now have our own heartland.
Remarkably Caroline has managed the
move without any discernible slackening in SCL activities, a couple of which
exemplify our intention to reach out and work with others in the sector.
Firstly, our Data Protection Hackathon
is set for 16 June at the University of Law’s Moorgate Campus. We’ll be
inviting teams to join in to create a GDPR Toolkit for SMEs and we are
delighted that the ICO will be partnering with us and that Elizabeth Denham,
the Information Commissioner, will be there to present the prizes at
the end of the day. For participants, it will be a great opportunity to put all
that hard-earned GDPR expertise to use for a greater good.
To follow that, at our Annual Conference
on 27 September one of the highlights of the day will be what promises to be a
fascinating discussion between our President, Professor Richard Susskind, and
Lord Briggs who, as you all know, is the judge leading the charge to online courts.
These partnerships and connections
mean a great deal to the Society and, as I said in my last post, they are a
core part of our strategy for the next five years as they allow us to make the
most of our own efforts.
With our networks growing and a permanent HQ now
established, we are well placed to thrive as we head to our 50th birthday.
*I offer my apologies to Curtis Mayfield
