Digital Futures Institute announces inaugural board members

Aston University’s The Sir Peter Rigby Digital Futures Institute has announced who will be on its new board.

The multidisciplinary research establishment was founded in February 2023 and was named after Sir Peter Rigby, one of the UK’s most respected and successful entrepreneurs and business leaders.

The 11 board members represent a wide range of industrial sectors and are joined by some from the public sector and an academic.

The board will be chaired by Daniel Cartter (pictured), director of innovation, SCC, the largest privately owned information technology group in Europe, which was founded by Sir Peter Rigby. He is joined by representatives from EA Sports, the NHS, Make UK, Domestic and General, and Honda.

The Sir Peter Rigby Digital Futures Institute was established to provide thought leadership on one of the defining trends for the 2020s, which refers to the evolution of developed economies towards Industry 4.0 and beyond.

It is led by director Professor Abdul Sadka who has grown a team of internationally leading researchers. 

The Institute will contribute to the economic regeneration of the region and will be based at 10 Woodcock Street in the heart of the Birmingham Innovation Precinct.

The building will also be the new home of Aston Business School, Aston Law School, Aston Vision Sciences and the forthcoming state-of-the-art Aston Integrated Healthcare Hub.

Professor Sadka said: “I am delighted to welcome our new board members, who will each bring diverse experience and expertise. 

“I am looking forward to them contributing to our ambition to grow research capability and capacity in the digital futures space, particularly in the areas of data and AI, digital health, and bioinformatics, gamification and digital society.” 

The board’s chair Daniel Cartter said: “I look forward to my new role of chairing the board and focusing it on strategic matters and setting high governance standards. 

“This new role will also further solidify SCC’s close relationship with Aston University. Already we have been contributing industry expertise in the areas of data analytics, cloud computing, cybersecurity and digital transformation.”

Technology entrepreneur Norbert Horvath is also on the board. He has ongoing links with Aston University’s business incubator, which is based in the new Woodcock Street building, and has played a leading role in the University’s ‘SPARK the Midlands’ programme, a preclinical healthcare and MedTech accelerator programme. 

He added: “I'm honoured to join the board of the Sir Peter Rigby Digital Futures Institute and contributing to its mission of shaping the evolution of developed economies towards what is referred to as ‘Industry 4.0’.

“It will be exciting to learn from and collaborate with such an inspiring multidisciplinary group of experts.”

The board members are:

•    Daniel Cartter, SCC.
•    Martin Wischhusen, EA Sports 
•    Norbert Horvath, technology investor 
•    Stephen Phipson, Make UK
•    Sid Singh, George Eliot Hospital 
•    David Aldulaimi, South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust
•    Vipul Chhabra, Domestic and General 
•    Ian Howell, Honda for Europe, Middle East and Africa 
•    Nils Beecken, Amazon Web Services (AWS) 
•    Nazia Iqbal, Innovate UK 
•    Professor Kate Devlin, King’s College, London.

The board will convene its first meeting in June 2025.