The CEO of an artificial intelligence agency has been appointed by a Local Enterprise Partnership in the South East of England
Thames Valley Berkshire LEP has appointed Chris Sykes, CEO of AI agency Volume, to its Skills, Education and Employment strategy group.
The group is responsible for driving the SEE agenda and providing strategic leadership that synchronises supply change for current and future generations.
Based in Wokingham and founded in 1997, Volume describes itself as an award-winning global provider of digital content, technology and innovation.
Sykes, who is chief executive and head of AI and robotics at the agency, said: “I hope to work collectively and collaboratively to push the innovation and Digital Transformation agenda.
“We need a clear set of strategies that Thames Valley-based companies, not just in tech, can buy in to and encourage their investment in programmes and initiatives that position Berkshire as a hot spot for future and emerging technologies.”
The LEP’s 2018 Skills Priority Statement published earlier this year identified key areas in which it believes investment should be prioritised in order to grow the economy, raise productivity and improve the wellbeing of residents.
Sykes added: “The sub region still has some work to do to on its positioning and the perception of Berkshire as a destination area for talent and international business.
“We’ve seen some incredible improvements in the area’s infrastructure in recent years but we need to rise up and be seen as a challenger destination to London and other competing areas. I look forward to working with the SEE Group in achieving the best we can for Thames Valley Berkshire.”