Amy De-Balsi, founder of the Leeds Digital Jobs Fair, has joined Bruntwood SciTech as Head of Innovation and Partnerships in Leeds.
She will be based at tech co-working space Platform and be focused on bolstering Leeds’ tech cluster, working in partnership with universities, professional services providers, investors and corporate tech teams in the city region to create opportunities.
As well as launching the Digital Job Fair, De-Balsi spent five years at Yorkshire Forward and also held senior positions at Sky Betting and Gaming.
She said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to help build the Leeds tech sector as part of the Bruntwood SciTech team. I’ll be working hard to provide our tech start ups with vital business support through a wide network of organisations that can accelerate their success – from academic institutions to investors and professional service providers.
“The city regions’ leaders are building the future economy around the tech industry and Platform is right at the centre of this – constantly enriching the sector with new innovators and talent.
“We’re at a point in time where there’s an opportunity to do something really big and speed is an important factor; we want to act as a catalyst, helping to reap economic benefits for the regional economy sooner rather than later.”
Phil Kemp, CEO of Bruntwood SciTech, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Amy to the Bruntwood SciTech team. We have a long-term commitment to Leeds, which is one of the cities driving the Northern Powerhouse economy forward. The tech cluster in the city is going from strength to strength and our focus is to build on this success.
The tech incubator at Platform launched in 2018 and already hosts 80 businesses. Northcoders, the UK’s leading coding bootcamp for graduate outcomes, recently launched a brand new campus at Platform to complement its existing Manchester operation.
