TechSPARK is officially launching the SHIFT Speaker Database at the Bristol Technology Festival, designed to highlight the diverse tech & digital public speakers in the South West.
You can now apply to be included in the SHIFT Speaker Database! Simply complete this form to submit your application.
The South West has a thriving tech and digital sector with a track record of holding invaluable events for our community to connect with one another.
Whilst our sector holds hundreds of events a year, these events, unfortunately, don’t represent the diversity of the region. This is something we can’t afford to ignore as our sector grows alongside the need for diverse talent; the significance of representation has been proven to be a great source of inspiration to those wanting to join the tech and digital sector.
Highlighting underrepresented public speakers
We hope the SHIFT Speaker Database will become a key resource for event and conference planners, providing expert speakers in topics including but not limited to:
- Cyber security
- Project management
- Web development
- Intellectual property
The SHIFT Speaker Database aims to highlight the diversity of tech and digital public speakers in the South West, as well as offer support for those new to the sector and region. Our focus is on facilitating platforms for underrepresented voices in tech and digital, in particular:
- Those from the LGBT+ community,
- Women, trans and non-binary individuals
- Those of Black and Asin heritage
- Neurodivergent and disabled individuals
Zara Nanu, CEO & Founder of Gapsquare, the people analytics software company addressing the skills gap, said: “The lack of diversity at events, senior roles and boardrooms merely shows one part of underrepresentation in the tech sector. “There are so many talented unrepresented voices in the industry who have the potential to make the Bristol & Bath tech sector even better, so we’re really happy to support SHIFT to celebrate diverse voices in our region.”

Shona Wright
Shona covers all things editorial at TechSPARK. She publishes news articles, interviews and features about our fantastic tech and digital ecosystem, working with startups and scaleups to spread the word about the cool things they're up to.
She also oversees TechSPARK's social media, sharing the latest updates on everything from investment news to green tech meetups and inspirational stories.