The UK's burgeoning IT industry has been given a major boost with the news that Joanna Shields is to move from her position within the Facebook group to head London's new technology hub. It is expected that the appointment of Ms Shields will instigate a change to the government's priorities for the development of the sector, which is increasingly important to the economy.
The appointment of Ms Shields, 50, as Chief Executive of Tech City will be confirmed in January, which is her official start date. Already, however, the decision has prompted speculation as to what changes she will instigate. One of the biggest suspicions is that she will hand even more responsibility to a marketing department which will be charged with the potentially difficult task of encouraging more foreign investment to the site in east London.
Her appointment is seen as a defining moment for the IT industry in the UK, which has often struggled to compete with the likes of Silicon Valley and other such ventures. However, with the support of Prime Minister David Cameron behind her, there is every hope that Ms Shields will lead a mini revolution in the UK.
Much of the faith placed in Ms Shields is based on her outstanding track record, having helped to initiate positive change at Bebo, Google and AOL prior to joining Facebook. However, the general consensus is that this is her most arduous task yet and it will, therefore, be interesting to see whether she can match this success in London.
"The seeds have been sown in East London for a dynamic and successful cluster (of tech businesses)," Ms Shields commented. "We have the infrastructure, the technology and the talent. Now we need to accelerate the growth. I am looking forward to leading the Tech City Investment Organisation in the next phase of its development. With the right boost now, there is no reason why we can’t make London the number one location for tech in the world."
Will the UK really be able to compete with the likes of Silicon Valley, however? Surely, the government needs to do more to embrace innovation in order to achieve this ambition?