The Industrial Digitalisation Review was announced as part of the government’s Industrial Strategy on 23 January, and is tasked with finding ways the country can increase its productivity and enhance its skills.
The review is being chaired by Juergen Maier, CEO of Siemens UK & Ireland (pictured), and features senior directors from companies including Cisco, GSK, Jaguar Land Rover and the CBI. They have received backing from the newly formed Productivity Leadership Council, which was supported in the government’s Autumn Statement in November.
Nick Hurd MP, Minister of State at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), will receive the output of the review and will join the meeting, before feeding back to Greg Clark, Secretary of State for BEIS.
The team will engage with large and small businesses and academics to discover how the design, development and deployment of digital technologies can drive an increase in national productivity. Upon its completion, the review will result in a blueprint for a ‘sector deal’ for manufacturing and other industrial sectors, potentially leading to an increase in the uptake of new technology in the UK.
“Our review is about defining how the UK can best adopt radical new technologies that will boost productivity and create new high-tech jobs across manufacturing and industry,” said Maier. “It is not yet too late for the UK to take the global lead in this space, but we are in danger of falling behind if we do not take up the challenge now – so our aim is to position UK manufacturing and industry at the heart of a new global industrial revolution, much like it was 170 years ago when we first started doing business here.”
“Industry is best placed to identify what firms really need and we want them to come to us with proposals to transform and upgrade the sector,” added Hurd.
The membership of the ‘Industrial Digitalisation Review’ leadership team is:
- Phil Smith (Chairman, Cisco)
- Carolyn Fairbairn (Director General, CBI)
- David Stokes (CEO UK & Ireland, IBM)
- Roger Connor (Head of Global Manufacturing, GSK)
- Ralf Speth (CEO, JLR)
- Oliver Benzecry (Managing Director and Chairman Accenture UK),
- Professor Andy Neely (Institute for Manufacturing and Director, Cambridge University)
- Sean Redmond (CEO, Vertizan)
- Grace Gould, (Entrepreneur in Residence, Local Globe)
- Brian Holliday (Managing Director, Siemens Digital Factory UK)
- Sir Charlie Mayfield (Chairman, John Lewis – attendance and advisory only)
- Dick Elsy, (Chief Executive at High Value Manufacturing Catapult)
- Jeremy Silver (Chief Executive at Digital Catapult)
- Nick Roberts (CEO, Atkins UK & Europe)
- Nick Wright Pro VC, Newcastle University
- Adrian Gregory, CEO, ATOS UK)
