Kathryn Parsons

Biography

Kathryn Parsons MBE is the founder and co-CEO of Decoded, a world-leading technology education company established over a decade ago with a mission to decode the digital world. Today, Decoded is the go-to educator for boards and leadership teams across the Global 2000 seeking to accelerate their understanding of business-critical emerging technologies. Its academies, bootcamps, and apprenticeships comprise one of the world’s most extensive suites of AI upskilling and reskilling programmes, offering qualifications including advanced analytics, data engineering, software development, generative AI, and executive-level data science.

Kathryn is also a guest contributor to The Sunday Times Business and the Financial Times, reporting on global technology developments. Her work explores themes such as the impact of artificial intelligence on the future of work, education, and mental health, as well as the implications of emerging technologies for national security, productivity, and economic growth. She wrote and produced a mini-series for BBC Radio examining the technology superpowers of China and Russia. As part of her work, Kathryn interviews the world’s most pre-eminent thinkers and leaders across technology, policy, and enterprise to bring cutting-edge insights on the impact of technology on society.

Kathryn also advises boards and leadership teams around the world on how to adapt to emerging technologies, focusing on the capabilities, cultures, tools, and ways of working needed to do so. In 2024, her research into the AI deployment strategies of more than thirty global organizations was featured in The Times of London, discussed at C-suite roundtables in San Francisco and London, and presented to the boards of Fortune 500 companies. The research revealed a striking gap between the pace of technological development in AI and its practical application within businesses, and some of the reasons why.

Kathryn moved from London to San Francisco in 2020, where she now lives with her husband and son. She co-chairs GBx Global, a non-profit community of British founders, executives, and investors in the Bay Area. In 2024, GBx founders and investors raised over $10 billion in investment for their enterprises and funds. Kathryn served on the board of the UK Department for Business from 2016-2020 and has been a board advisor to Number Ten Downing Street, HM Treasury, the Mayor of London, and the Royal United Services Institute. In 2014, she was awarded an MBE for Services to Education by HM Queen Elizabeth II.

Kathryn is on a mission to empower people at a time of profound technological change. Named Digital Leader of the Year by the Financial Times and one of its Top 30 Female Entrepreneurs, Kathryn has been featured by The FT, BBC, The Guardian, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Wired, Bloomberg, CNBC, GQ, and more.