Jo Johnson, brother of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former government Minister for Universities, Science and Innovation, has joined the board of Tech Nation.
Johnson is the fifth new director announced in recent weeks, following the appointment of Hussein Kanji, Annette Wilson, Eric Collins and Trecilla Lobo in a move the government-funded tech sector body said would aid economic recovery post-COVID.
He was selected, alongside the four appointments previously announced, from more than 300 candidates for the board positions.
Stephen Kelly, Chair at Tech Nation, said: “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.”
Currently, Johnson is chairman of education software and services group Tes Global and last month was appointed chairman at Access Creative, a provider of training for the creative industries.
He is a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and President’s Professorial Fellow at King’s College London.
A member of Parliament between 2010-2019, he held positions in government under three Prime Ministers, including head of the No.10 Downing Street Policy Unit and Minister of State, attending Cabinet, for Universities, Science & Innovation.
Johnson quit as an MP and minister over Brexit last year, citing an “unresolvable tension” between his family loyalty and the national interest after backing the Remain campaign.
Johnson said of his appointment: “I am delighted to be joining the Board of Tech Nation – an organisation whose sole purpose is to support the growth of these ambitious technology companies, and in turn further bolster the UK tech sector and support the wider UK economy.”
Gerard Grech, Tech Nation’s CEO, added: “As we continue our work in making the UK the best place in the world to scale a tech business, it’s crucial that we have the right board in place with the experience and know-how to deliver on our ambitious goals.
“I’m pleased to welcome Jo onto the Tech Nation board, who brings considerable and valuable experience across tech, the creative industries, academia and government.”