A Tale of Tech City

The books have arrived! So exiting to see the fruit of almost a year's research, starting with my dissertation and continuing with the good folks of Centre for London, notably my co-authors Dr Max Nathan of LSE and Rob Whitehead, CfL's Deputy Director. You won't get to read it before Monday, when we launch the report with fanfare - alongside Deputy Mayor Kit Malthouse, Hackney Mayor Jules Pipe, Wired Editor-at-large and the PM's Tech City Ambassador Ben Hammersley, and entrepreneurs including Matt Biddulph, who coined the term Silicon Roundabout, and Sarah Wood from Unruly. Copies of this beautiful book will be available for free download at http://www.centreforlondon.co.uk/

Place East London

I had been sucking honey and gargling salt since Saturday, when I lost my voice almost entirely, and it worked. Fortunately my voice held out for my Tale of Tech City talk at the Place East London conference in Old Stratford Town. I kept most of my powder dry for the July 2 launch of the Centre for London project I have been working on, but still there was plenty to say.

The brief was what could Tech City mean for East London jobs? I said our in-depth analysis shows the much-hyped cluster is larger than anyone had previously thought, but the entrepreneurs within it are less diverse than London SMEs or British digital economy firms. To open access to a wide group requires rethinking the entrepreneurship culture, making financing easier for people without contacts to rich people, encouraging skills training and networking in local populations, and a more female-friendly environment (a theme from my undergraduate anthropology degree).

I came after Sir Robin Wales who spoke about Newham's great efforts - and success - about getting local people into jobs with some of the new employers (not least Westfield) coming to town. GLA Chief of Staff Sir Edward Lister told how the £9-24 billion cost of the Olympic Games will be the "least expensive of the projects" planned to upgrade infrastructure in East London.Newly annointed London Legacy Development Corporation Chief Daniel Moylan closed the event vowing that the park would not become a "shard of prosperity" - like Canary Wharf.

Thanks to the wonderful Jackie Sadek and Ross Sturley for organising a wonderful event.

Africa's Contribution to the Green Economy

Glad to see the Financial Times Special Report on Africa and the Green Economy appear as global leaders meet in Rio. I was very happy to work with Cameroon on telling the story of their oft-overlooked contribution and potential (see pps 1,4&5).

Having been to Rio relatively recently, and liking fish and sculptures, I hope some leaders had time to take in this piece of art, made from discarded plastic bottles........

Invest in France

Delighted to say I will be working for the Invest in France inward investment agency as editor of their quarterly magazine. Watch this space for the next edition.....

Individual Responsibility and Drinking

I am delighted to be taking part in the second stage of the Demos research project Under the Influence, looking at individual responsibility and drinking. I'll be speaking to families up and down the country to assess how programmes aimed at improving parenting and tackling parental alcohol abuse impact positively on children’s wellbeing and behaviour.

It chimes with my first novel, Twisted Ladder, which examines addiction and the family gene and is being represented by US agents Dystel & Goderich.

Centre for London @ Digital Shoreditch

Fantastic presentation by Centre for London Deputy Director Ron Whitehead on our Tech City research project at the Digital Shoreditch festival. Such a pleasure to talk with such an engaged community.