Phil Smith is UK & Ireland CEO of Cisco - the worldwide leader in networking for the internet.

He was appointed as the Chairman of the UK Technology Strategy Board in December 2011 and hailed as one of the nations most influential leaders in the Computer Weekly UKTech50 Awards. Phil has also been recognised by the Deputy Prime Minister and other influential figures at the Women of the Future Awards with the Mentor of the Year accolade for his personal commitment to supporting UK women of the future in schools and business.

He has a thirty year track record within the ICT industry, advising leading global organisations in the private and public sector on how to drive transformation, productivity and sustainable growth. Phil is a passionate advocate of technology and innovation to the regions business and political leaders, sitting on a number of boards including Young Enterprise, The Employers Forum for Disability, Chairman of e-Skills UK and a member of the Foundation for Science and Technology, CBI, Intellect, CriticalEye and the Council for Industry and Higher Education CIHE.