Martha Lane Fox

Martha Lane Fox is a British entrepreneur, digital leader and crossbench peer whose expertise spans technology innovation, public service and responsible AI deployment. She co-founded lastminute.com in 1998, building one of Europe's first major e-commerce successes and selling it in 2005 for £577 million, then served as the UK's Digital Champion from 2009 to 2013, helping to create the Government Digital Service and GOV.UK. As a member of the House of Lords since 2013, she has chaired committees on Covid-19's long-term impact and national security strategy, recently completed her tenure as Chancellor of the Open University, and currently chairs the London AI and Jobs Taskforce for the Mayor of London. Her sessions equip leaders with practical strategies for navigating AI-driven transformation, demonstrating how accessible technology is collapsing the cost of initiative and empowering organisations to foster inclusive innovation whilst building digital literacy across all sectors of the economy.

When Martha Lane Fox co-founded lastminute.com with Brent Hoberman in 1998, she helped build one of Europe's first major e-commerce successes, taking the company public in 2000 and selling it in 2005 for £577 million. At just 30 years old, she became one of Britain's most prominent internet entrepreneurs, navigating the dotcom boom and bust whilst expanding the business across France, Germany and Sweden. That early experience of building technology at scale, despite never writing a line of code herself, laid the foundation for a career spanning entrepreneurship, public service and digital leadership. She also co-founded Lucky Voice, bringing tech-enabled karaoke to consumers, and established Antigone, her own grant-giving foundation supporting criminal justice, health and education charities.

Her expertise in digital transformation led to her appointment as the UK's Digital Champion from 2009 to 2013, where she helped create the Government Digital Service and GOV.UK whilst driving digital inclusion nationwide. Appointed a crossbench peer in the House of Lords in 2013, she has chaired the committee on Covid-19's long-term impact and served on the national security strategy committee. She has recently completed her tenure as President of the British Chambers of Commerce and Chancellor of the Open University, roles that saw her champion digital skills and accessible education across the UK. Her board experience ranges from startups to global brands including British Airways, Chanel, WeTransfer and Multiverse, and she currently chairs the London AI and Jobs Taskforce for the Mayor of London, working alongside trade union leaders and AI specialists to promote responsible artificial intelligence as part of the city's growth plan. She founded Dot Everyone, an initiative that ran from 2015 to 2020 fighting for a fairer internet and responsible technology, and supports organisations including Just for Kids Law, Camfed, AbilityNet and I Am the Code.

Martha equips leaders and organisations with practical insights on digital transformation, entrepreneurship and harnessing technology responsibly to drive innovation and inclusive growth. Her sessions explore how the cost of initiative is collapsing in an age of accessible AI tools, empowering audiences to understand how technology can create opportunity rather than replace it. She demonstrates how digital literacy must extend across all sectors of the economy, drawing on her experience of building businesses, shaping public policy and advising governments on service delivery. Audiences leave with actionable strategies for navigating technological change, fostering inclusive innovation and building organisations that thrive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape where the price of trying has never been lower.