The latest Tyto Tech 500 Power List has named the most influential individuals in the tech sectors of the UK, Germany and France.
Published by European PR agency Tyto, the fifth annual ranking is billed as the only objective data-driven influence study into Europe’s technology sector.
BusinessCloud and TechBlast editor Jonathan Symcox ranked 77th in the UK list, which also shows the increasing influence of GreenTech and government officials on the sector.
With the COP26 climate change conference having recently come to a close, the presence of GreenTech influencers increased for the second year in a row, reflecting growing public concern about the environment.
The number of GreenTech influencers in this year’s ranking grew by 160% in the UK: just 15 GreenTech influencers made it onto the list in 2020; this year, there are 39 in the UK Top 500 ranking. In fact, the GreenTech category is now the fourth largest among the 17 technology sectors we analysed. The top 5 sectors in the UK list are: General (36%), FinTech (12.2%), ConsumerTech (8.2%), GreenTech (7.8%) and HealthTech (5.2%).
This year’s list is also notable for the rise of BioTech and HealthTech influencers, reflecting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the deployment of vaccines across the country. The number of BioTech influencers has grown by 33% and the volume of HealthTech influencers has increased by 8.3%. In 2021, one in 10 influencers in the Top 500 list across the UK, Germany and France belongs to one of these two sectors.
Meanwhile, the number of influencers with a governmental background also increased by 31.5% compared to last year. Cabinet ministers such as Michael Gove, Rishi Sunak and Alok Sharma appeared in the UK top 10, as did other prominent government officials such as Professor Chris Whitty (England’s chief medical officer).
Unfortunately, women’s influence within UK tech appears low: just 24.2% of the UK influencers in the overall pan-European top 500 are female. However, the UK does have the highest proportion of women in this top 500 list, female influencers are 19.2% of all the influencers in Germany and just 11.1% of all the most influential individuals in France.
The top 10 UK influencers for 2021 are:
- Richard Branson (Founder of Virgin)
- Stephen Fry (Actor and tech evangelist)
- Simon Calder (Travel journalist at The Independent)
- Nick Beighton (Former CEO of ASOS)
- Alok Sharma (President for COP26 and Minister of State at the Cabinet Office)
- Chris Whitty (Chief Medical Officer for England)
- Ryan Browne (Tech reporter at CNBC)
- Rishi Sunak (Chancellor of the Exchequer)
- Michael Gove (Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities)
- Kate Bingham (Managing partner at SV Health Investors)
Zoë Clark, senior partner and head of media and influence at Tyto, commented: “It’s clear from this year’s ranking how pivotal tech is to addressing and solving some of the world’s biggest challenges.
“It’s been heartening to chart the rise of GreenTech since the category first appeared in our analysis in 2019. Sustainability continues to grow in importance, culminating in this year’s landmark COP26 conference and reflected by the high placement of COP26 President Alok Sharma in our Top 10.
“What’s also interesting is the link between influence and relevance. The growth of health- and bio-tech, and the high ranking of individuals who’ve been so instrumental in navigating us through the pandemic, shows the extent to which relevance plays a role in us deciding who we deem to be influential.
“One area of concern is the low representation and prominence of influential women in the UK, as less than a quarter of top UK influencers are women. This reflects the wider gender imbalance in the technology sector, something we are seeking to help address through the Tyto Foundation and our work with the Tech Talent Charter.”
The Tyto Tech 500 Power List was created by assessing an individual’s traditional earned media and online influence.
To download the full Tech 500 report or to see the UK Tech 50, please visit: https://tytopr.com/tyto-tech-500-power-list-2021/