Kathryn Parsons

Kathryn Parsons is the Founder and co-CEO of Decoded, a technology education company founded with the mission to demystify the digital world. She co-founded Decoded in 2011, driven by a personal desire to make coding and digital skills accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or experience.

Under her leadership, Decoded has educated over a million professionals and leaders across more than 100 cities worldwide on coding, data, AI, and cybersecurity skills. The company has become integral for leaders aiming to transform the digital capability and culture of their organizations, with global clients including Unilever, Nike, HSBC, Burberry, Citi, and MasterCard.

Parsons studied a variety of languages at Downing College, Cambridge, including French, Italian, Mandarin, Japanese, Latin, and Ancient Greek, reinforcing her view of coding as a critical language of the future. Her advocacy for digital education led to the successful inclusion of coding into the UK National Curriculum in 2014, a pioneering achievement for which she was awarded an MBE for Services to Education in 2015.

She is also a regular columnist for the Sunday Times, where she discusses the impacts and developments in technologies such as artificial intelligence, chatbots, blockchain, and cryptocurrencies. As a keynote speaker, Parsons addresses topics such as "Digital Transformation" and the implications of artificial intelligence on business and society. She motivates audiences worldwide to adopt a mindset of lifelong learning and continuous digital skill acquisition, helping bridge the gap between tech-savvy individuals and those less familiar with digital technologies.