Tech Nation taps Boris Johnson’s brother to join board
Tech Nation has hired Boris Johnson’s brother to join its board, becoming the entrepreneur body’s fifth new director in recent weeks.
Jo Johnson, who was handed a peerage in July, will become a non-executive director at the government-funded organisation.
Tech Nation chair Stephen Kelly said: “I’m pleased to welcome Jo Johnson onto the Tech Nation board.
“We have an ambitious mission ahead of us – to unlock the growth potential of 1,000 scaling tech companies, and to generate $1bn for the UK economy by March 2022 – and every intention of surpassing those goals.
“The UK’s tech scaleups are key to the productivity and health of the UK economy in the digital age, to high value job creation and high-value digital exports.”
Johnson currently serves as chairman of education software and services group Tes Global and also chairs Access Creative, which provides training for the creative industries.
Johnson has held senior government positions — including universities minister and transport minister — under three different prime ministers.
He resigned as an MP last year after falling with his brother over the government’s Brexit policy.
The appointment marks the latest efforts by Tech Nation, which represents UK startups and runs the Tech Nation visa scheme for foriegn entrepreneurs, to bolster its board.
The organisation last month said it had appointed tech industry veterans Hussein Kanji, Annette Wilson, Eric Collins and Trecilla Lobo as non-executive directors.