TechWM appoints CEO as founder steps into new role

An organisation dedicated to boosting the West Midlands' tech industry has appointed a new chief executive.

TechWM founder Yiannis Maos is stepping down from the role to become chief strategy and innovation officer.

He will be succeeded by cybersecurity expert Andy Hague, who takes over as CEO in April.

Mr Maos will remain on the organisation's board.

TechWM was launched in 2019 since when it has helped businesses raise more than £100 million and inspired thousands of people to get into the tech sector.

It runs the annual Birmingham Tech Week festival every October and advises on regional tech policy, making recommendations and creating partnerships between the public, private and academic sectors.

“Having hosted our sixth Birmingham Tech Week in October, the largest to date, it feels right to scale TechWM,” Mr Maos said.

"It's been an amazing journey, starting with a simple desire to make the tech ecosystem more accessible and evolving into a strategic force for growth.

"I'm proud of our journey, from 5,000 attendees at our first Tech Week to recent recognition from giants like IBM and a visit from the Secretary of State. This fuels our ambition to reach a £100 billion tech sector by 2030.

"As we transition, our focus will be strategy, innovation and preserving our agile spirit. We'll continue creating opportunities for local talent, ensuring they don't need to move to London.

"This is about building a thriving, collaborative community, recognising our collective strength is key to unlocking the West Midlands' tech potential."

Mr Hague is a tech entrepreneur and board member with more than 20 years of experience in leading teams.

His specialties are cybersecurity and investment funding and he founded Berkshire-based cybersecurity firm Cyberfort Group.

Pictured: TechWM chairman Jason Sahota, new chief executive Andy Hague and founder Yiannis Maos