Tech entrepreneur gives annual diversity lecture

Tech entrepreneur and education philanthropist Tom Ilube CBE gave the annual diversity lecture on Monday 25th November 2019 at Eversheds Sutherland, London. Named after the British Civil Rights campaigner, Dr Paul Stephenson OBE, the lecture marks the UK’s progress on equality and inclusion. The year 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, so Tom Ilube spoke about the impact of emerging technologies on society and how these new innovations can raise aspirations among the disadvantaged; the need for leadership in harnessing the potential of new technologies and the impact of the fourth industrial revolution, particularly AI. He compared the moon landings fifty years ago to his own life and career.

“Shoot for the moon when you really intend to get there,”said Tom, “what does it mean when you set an outrageous, impossible goal and how do you go about achieving it? What learning and thinking can we take from the Moon landings and apply them to the diversity arena and indeed to our own careers.”

The four insights that Tom felt that he had learnt from the Moon landings and applied to his own life and career were:

1. Change the game to one where no one has implicit advantage
2. Bold Leadership. Demonstrate strong, clear leadership.
3. Teamwork : mobilise resources to achieving this goal.
4. Timing: set a clear, ambitious time span on achieving the goal

The Diversity UK Paul Stephenson Lecture is named in honour of the social worker, Dr Paul Stephenson OBE, who, in 1963, led the boycott of the Bristol Omnibus Company for discrimination that eventually paved the way for the Race Relations Act of 1965. The lecture has previously been given by Helen Grant MP, the first black, Conservative, female member of Parliament; Lord Simon Woolley, Co-Founder & Director of Operation Black Vote (OBV); farming and food entrepreneur Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones; Tangy Morgan, Senior Advisor to the Bank of England Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and writer, sociologist, Cambridge postgraduate and Open University doctor, Elaine Sihera.

The Diversity UK Paul Stephenson Lecture is sponsored by the Ethnic Minority Foundation and Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP.

« ‹ of 60 › »

About Tom Ilube CBE

Tom Ilube CBE is a technology entrepreneur and educational philanthropist. He is Founder & CEO of London based Crossword Cybersecurity plc and a Non Executive Director of the BBC. Previously he was Managing Director of Consumer Markets at Callcredit Information Group, a UK credit reference agency. Prior to Callcredit, he founded Garlik, a venture capital-backed identity protection company. Earlier, Tom served as Chief Information Officer of Egg plc, the pioneering British internet bank. His career has included Goldman Sachs, PwC and the London Stock Exchange.

Tom is an Advisory Fellow of St Anne's College, University of Oxford and is Chair of the education charity, African Gifted Foundation and launched the African Science Academy, the first girls’ science and technology school on the continent. In 2017, Tom was named as Britain’s most influential Black person. Tom was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2018 Birthday Honours for services to Technology and Philanthropy and has received honorary Doctorates from City, University of London and University of Wolverhampton.

About the Africa Gifted Foundation

The African Science Academy in Accra, Ghana, opened in Autumn 2016. This is the first all-girls Academy specialising in Maths, Science and Technology in Africa, serving young African women with outstanding academic potential.

To donate, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/africangiftedfoundation

About the Diversity UK Paul Stephenson lecture

Diversity UK inaugurated the first Paul Stephenson lecture, given by Helen Grant MP, on in November 2016 at the Speaker’s House, House of Commons, in London. Helen spoke about race and diversity in a post-Brexit Britain. Paul spoke about his own upbringing and the boycott of the Bristol Omnibus Company that he led in 1963, protesting against its refusal to employ Black or Asian drivers or conductors. After a 60-day boycott supported by thousands of Bristolians, the company revoked its colour bar in August of that year. Although now in frail health, Paul took the time to sign copies of his ‘Memoirs of a Black Englishman’ for the 100 attendees.

In 2017, the Paul Stephenson Lecture was given by two diversity pioneers; Lord Simon Woolley, who spoke about his work on race equality and inclusion at Operation Black Vote (OBV) and Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, who talked about his career and championship of inclusive entrepreneurship, particularly in rural communities. The year 2018 marked 100 years since women got the right to vote in parliamentary elections in the UK and the lecture was given by two women pioneers; Tangy Morgan, a Senior Advisor to the Bank of England Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Elaine Sihera, writer, sociologist, Cambridge postgraduate, Open University doctor and a leading achiever in the British Black community.

About Dr Paul Stephenson OBE

Dr Paul Stephenson OBE, is a community worker, activist and long-time campaigner for civil rights for the British African-Caribbean community in Bristol, England. As a young social worker, in 1963 Stephenson led a boycott of the Bristol Omnibus Company, protesting against its refusal to employ Black or Asian drivers or conductors. After a 60-day boycott supported by thousands of Bristolians, the company revoked its colour bar in August.

In 1964 Stephenson achieved national fame when he refused to leave a public house until he was served, resulting in a trial on a charge of failing to leave a licensed premises. His campaigns were instrumental in paving the way for the first Race Relations Act, in 1965. Paul Stephenson is a Freeman of the City of Bristol and was awarded an OBE in 2009. In July 2014, Mr Stephenson was awarded an honorary degree (Doctor of Law) by the University of Bristol "for his dedication to fighting for equality and civil rights across Bristol and around the world for over 60 years". In November 2016, he was presented with the Diversity UK Lifetime Achievement Award and has its annual lecture named in his honour.