Four experts have been appointed to support an external review of the UK’s advanced computing capabilities, as part of plans to turn the country into a science and technology superpower.

The Future of Compute Review, launched during London Tech Week, is being led by the Professor of Information Engineering at the University of Cambridge, Professor Zoubin Ghahramani, who is a world-leading expert in the field of machine learning.

The four experts, who combine a range of expertise from research, business and finance, will form a panel to support Professor Ghahramani and explore what is needed to ensure the UK has the computing capacity needed to remain at the forefront of innovation.

The panel will oversee the evidence submitted to support the review’s findings, which will inform the government’s approach in this important area.

The panellists are:

• Professor Anne Trefethen, FREng, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Professor of Scientific Computing, University of Oxford
• Dr Graham Spittle CBE, Dean of Innovation at Edinburgh University
• Shaheen Sayed, Senior Managing Director, Accenture UK and Ireland
• Sue Daley, Director of Technology and Innovation, TechUK

Biographies

Professor Anne Trefethen FREng, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Professor of Scientific Computing, University of Oxford.

Anne Trefethen is a pro-vice-chancellor, professor of scientific computing and fellow of St Cross College at the University of Oxford. Anne joined the university in 2005 to lead the development of the Oxford e-Research Centre where she served as the director for over six years. Her research has been focused on high-performance numerical algorithms and large-scale scientific applications. She has contributed to the fields of parallel numerical algorithms, software design and engineering and most recently to energy-aware algorithms. In 2001 she became the deputy director of the UK e-Science Core Programme working with the research councils and DTI (now Innovate UK). She has spent ten years in the US at Thinking Machines Inc. and as associate director at the Theory Centre, Cornell University.

Dr Graham Spittle, CBE, Dean of Innovation at Edinburgh University

Dr Graham Spittle, CBE, was appointed chair of Health Data Research UK in 2017 having taken on the role of interim chair in July 2016. He was, until recently, IBM’s Chief Technology Officer, Europe and Vice President, Software Group. Previously he held several senior executive positions within IBM: Vice President, Software UKI (UK & Ireland); Vice President, Worldwide Integration Development; Director of the IBM Hursley Laboratory in the United Kingdom, and Director of MQ Development. In June 2008 Dr Spittle was appointed as a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to industry.

Shaheen Sayed, Senior Managing Director, Technology Lead, Accenture UK and Ireland

Shaheen is the Head of Technology for Accenture UK and Ireland, with 20 years of experience, specialising in leading complex technology and business transformations and pioneering new market technologies. Shaheen has held global technology leadership roles driving cutting edge technology solutions across a diverse range of industries including capital markets, environment and rural affairs, telecommunication and healthcare.

Shaheen is a regular guest lecturer on the LSE global masters in management programme and is recognised as an industry thought leader on inclusive business cultures and talent. She was most recently voted ‘Women of the Year’ at the Women in IT Awards, was named as one of the Top 10 most influential black and minority ethnic leaders by the Financial Times and featured in the Cranfield School of Management’s list of ‘Women to Watch’.

Sue Daley, Director of Technology and Innovation, TechUK

Sue leads techUK’s technology and innovation work including work on cloud, data protection, data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), digital ethics, digital identity and internet of things as well as emerging and transformative technologies and innovation policy. She has been recognised as one of the most influential people in UK tech by Computer Weekly’s UKtech50 Longlist and in 2021 was inducted into the Computer Weekly Most Influential Women in UK Tech Hall of Fame. A key influencer in driving forward the data agenda in the UK, Sue is co-chair of the UK government’s National Data Strategy Forum. As well as being recognised in the UK’s Big Data 100 and the Global Top 100 Data Visionaries for 2020, Sue has also been shortlisted for the Milton Keynes Women Leaders Awards and was a judge for the Loebner Prize in AI.

Wrexham became a city on Thursday 1 September after winning the prestigious status through a competition which was part of Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The honour was granted earlier this year and the official ‘Letter Patent’ confirms city status from 1 September 2022.

Wrexham now becomes the seventh city in Wales joining Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Bangor, St Davids and St Asaph. The competition to receive civic honours was last run 10 years ago to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, when St Asaph was honoured with city status.

Secretary of State for Wales, Sir Robert Buckland said:

Congratulations to Wrexham on achieving city status. The city and surrounding area already has so much to offer – it’s home to the famous Wrexham Lager Brewery, the Unesco World Heritage Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and a fantastic football club which is Wales’s oldest and one of the oldest in the world.

There is already much for Wrexham to be proud of and its future is equally exciting. I hope that the city of Wrexham continues to prosper and grow.

Councillor Mark Pritchard, Leader of Wrexham Council, said:

We have so much to celebrate in Wrexham. We have an amazing World Heritage Site, and incredible football club with incredible owners, and a rich and diverse arts and culture scene. We have strong links with our armed forces, world-class businesses and friends all over the world.

But our greatest asset is our communities, and it’s the amazing passion, character and creativity of the people who live here that make Wrexham what it is.

City status is a wonderful achievement and reflects the growing confidence and ambition we have in Wrexham. I’d like to thank everybody who supported the ambitious city status bid, from MPs and MSs, to elected councillors, and all the businesses within Wrexham and beyond.

I’d also like to thank Her Majesty the Queen for granting Wrexham city status. We’ve received congratulations from supporters and friends all over the world, and this is a truly historic day.

Wrexham Council is planning a month of weekend events throughout September to celebrate Wrexham:

Saturday 3 September

• Reaffirmation of the Freedom of the Borough to the Royal Welsh – starts at Llwyn Isaf at 11am.

Saturday 10 September

• Invited guest service at St Giles Church to celebrate city status at 12pm.
• Wrexham AFC vs Maidenhead Utd FC at The Racecourse stadium at 3pm.
• Live music from The Royston Club plus guests on Llwyn Isaf from 6pm.

Saturday 17 September

• Wrexham City Fun Day – activities throughout the city centre for all the family.

Saturday 24 September

• Wrexham Feast food festival at Waterworld car park from 10am (also Sunday, September 25)
• Wrexham AFC v Torquay United at the Racecourse at 3pm.

The Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours Competition required applicants to demonstrate how their unique communities and distinct local identity meant they deserved to be awarded city status. They were also required to highlight their royal associations and cultural heritage.

Winning city status can provide a boost to local communities and open up new opportunities for people who live there, as is the case with previous winners, Perth and Preston, where residents have described how their success contributed to increased national and global standing, putting them on the international map as a place to do business.

Perth, which was granted city status in 2012 as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, has seen the local economy expand by 12% in the decade it was granted city status.

Since the programme started, MMO has already delivered a range of management measures in four offshore sites, including Dogger Bank SAC which at 12,331 sq. kilometres, is the largest MPA in England protecting seabed habitat. We also recently published a call for evidence, and sought views on MMO’s draft assessments of the impacts of bottom-towed fishing gear on a further 13 marine protected areas (MPAs) in order to identify appropriate long-term site protection.

MMO will continue to undertake full evidence-based assessments in consultation with all stakeholders to establish robust legislative measures to protect our important marine habitats. These will be based on the best available scientific evidence and will be accompanied by a thorough analysis of how such measures will affect fishing activity. We are implementing this work in a phased, risk-based manner ensuring that those MPAs that are most vulnerable to damage from fishing activities are assessed and managed first. We will also engage with all users and stakeholders, including interested environmental NGOs with whom we have established a forum to engage and update on progress. This includes Greenpeace.

Therefore, as England’s marine regulator, we are very disappointed that Greenpeace has chosen to take this action to drop boulders to form a barrier as we don’t believe it is justified or will help protect our marine environment.

It is also a requirement under the Marine and Coastal Access Act that any deposit of construction below high water is required to have a Marine Licence. Greenpeace do not hold, nor have they applied for one and as such their activity is potentially illegal.

As unlicensed activity has now taken place today (Thurs 1 Sept), MMO has launched a formal investigation in accordance with its regulatory function around marine licensing enforcement and is gathering evidence before considering its next response.

South West Deeps (East) is a large offshore marine conservation zone (MCZ) covering an area of 4,676 km2. It is located in the Western Channel and Celtic Sea where it’s closest point to land lies 190 km south-west of Cornwall. The depth of the water reaches 750m in some places and the area is home to a wide variety of important species including flatfish such as sole and plaice on the seabed surface, and species of clam, cockles and marine worms. The site also provides habitats and prey species for a range of commercial fish species, as well as marine birds and mammals.

The location is part of a third round of the MMO’s work to manage fishing in our offshore MPAs, and the MMO is currently gathering and analysing evidence to inform our management decisions for this site. Any proposed management for this site will be subject to public consultation, and all necessary fisheries management measures for all English offshore MPAs will be in place by the end of 2024.

The fishing vessels that work in these waters are predominantly French and Spanish with only two UK static netters which are vessels that deploy a static wall of netting (either trammel or gill net) in a fixed position. From available records, the type of fishing undertaken is a mix of gill netting, long lining, bottom trawling, pelagic trawling and fly seining.

Therefore, it is our view that to drop boulders in this location will have minimal impact.

The MMO remains open to discussions with Greenpeace to ensure we can achieve our joint goal of marine nature recovery. In fact, MMO met with a range of MPA stakeholders, including Greenpeace, just last week to discuss our work to manage fishing in MPAs.

To assist vessels’ safe navigation, MMO understands that there are 18 boulders in the following locations, based on communication from Greenpeace and observation by MMO officers.

The coordinates of each boulder provided by Greenpeace are:

• N 48-59.1284 W 008-46.7469

• N 48-58.9120 W 008-47.9099

• N 48-57.8316 W 008-47.3914

• N 48-57.6745 W 008-48.8258

• N 48-56.9305 W 008-47.9453

• N 48-56.7746 W 008-49.3467

• N 48-55.7351 W 008-48.7217

• N 48-55.8803 W 008-49.9904

• N 48-55.0817 W 008-49.1273

• N 48-54.9064 W 008-50.8714

• N 48-54.2681 W 008-49.7659

• N 48-54.0387 W 008-51.2680

• N 48-53.2421 W 008-50.4760

• N 48-53.1244 W 008-51.8232

• N 48-52.2789 W 008-51.3377

• N 48-52.1629 W 008-52.6250

• N 48-50.8866 W 008-53.5042

• N 48-51.1433 W 008-51.9922