Join the Rt Hon Harriet Harman KC MP, Former Minister for Women and Equality; Claire Thorne, CEO Tech She Can, and Ashleigh Ainsley, Co-Founder Colourintech, for this essential panel discussion on diversity in tech. This event is chaired by Resham Kotecha, ODI’s Global Head of Policy.
As technology shapes every part of our society - from how we work and learn, to how we access healthcare and justice - the question of who builds it has never mattered more.
This event will explore Diversity in Tech not just in terms of the workforce, but in the data, design, and decision-making that sit at the heart of modern systems.
When data isn’t representative, when algorithms mirror our inequalities, or when accountability is missing, technology can entrench bias rather than challenge it. So how do we change that?
Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on how to build systems that deliver fairer, more trustworthy outcomes - from improving data quality and governance, to creating stronger safeguards and routes to redress when things go wrong.
Whether you work in policy, technology, or social impact, this conversation will offer powerful insights into how we make innovation work for everyone.
Speakers:
Rt Hon Harriet Harman KC MP – Former Minister for Women and Equality, long-time champion for fairness and inclusion.
Claire Thorne – CEO, Tech She Can
Claire is Adviser and Venture Partner at Deep Science Ventures, a venture creator building deeptech companies - with a portfolio of more than 50 companies, worth over half a billion dollars. There, Claire has co-founded a global PhD in invention, chaired roundtables at 10 Downing Street, and hosts events bringing the research, policy and venture communities together.
She is also co-Chief Executive Officer of a 'tech for good' scale-up, Tech She Can - an industry-backed social mobility charity (established 2021) tackling the UK's tech skills gap at source; to date, inspiring and educating +1M children globally to pursue and access technology careers. Claire created the UK’s first Inclusive AI Summit for schools, launched in 2025 with Accenture, the Minister for AI, OpenAI and Nvidia.
Ashleigh Ainsley - Co-Founder Colourintech
Ashleigh is co-founder of Colorintech a non-profit aiming to improve access, awareness, and opportunities for ethnic minorities to enter the tech industry. They run of of Europe's largest event for Technologists, BTF and work with a number of the world's leading tech companies to run programs to enable students and working professionals to access career opportunities. Having raised over millions of pounds for philanthropy, Ashleigh counts the likes of Meta, Google, Apple, Netflix and Bloomberg as some of his Business partners.
Ashleigh started his early career in strategy at Google before moving to London start-up Qubit, corporate KPMG, and then consultancy. He has worked on a number of engagements for the UK government at Downing Street, the World Economic Forum, and a number of the world's biggest organizations on a range of strategy areas.
Ashleigh has been featured in a number of media outlets for his works including Forbes 30u30, The Financial Times, and the BBC 1Xtra's rising stars, and was named by Politico as one of the most influential people UK tech in 2023. In 2025 he was awarded an MBE for services to Technology.
Chair: Resham Kotecha, ODI’s Global Head of Policy.
Resham Kotecha is Global Head of Policy at the ODI where she leads public policy work, along with efforts to work with governments to improve data ecosystems and data policy. Prior to working at the ODI, she worked as the Head of Policy at Wise, a FTSE listed FinTech company, leading policy work across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Resham has been a policy specialist for over a decade, working as a Director at UK Anti-Doping, as an economic adviser to an MP and Minister, and as a researcher to a Baroness.Resham was appointed by the Cabinet Office to be a Social Mobility Commissioner, holding the Government to account on social mobility issues and shaping the Commission's strategy. She serves as Head of Engagement for Women2Win, an organisation working to get more women elected to Parliament.
Resham serves as a Trustee of the Fawcett Society, the UK's leading charity campaigning for gender equality, and a Board member at the John Smith Centre, working to promote the positive case for politics and public service.
Resham has written for The Times, the Centre for Policy Studies and Huffington Post and regularly speaks at policy conferences.She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Cambridge University and has been recognised as a ‘Global Shaper’ by the World Economic Forum for political work in trying to achieve a more representative Parliament.
