On Wednesday Communitech revealed who will be headlining its annual tech event, True North, for 2020.
Carole Cadwalladr, the investigative journalist who reported on the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal in 2018, will be the keynote speaker. Coming into its third year, Communitech recently announced a rebrand for the event, calling it True North Festival – ‘festival’ being a trend among other tech conferences.
“This rebranding more accurately reflects the collaborative efforts of Communitech and the community.”
Previously, listed as two separate events, a ticketed conference and a free community festival, Communitech has decided to bring both under the same umbrella. “This rebranding more accurately reflects the collaborative efforts of Communitech and the community partners who are working behind the scenes to make True North bigger, and better, than ever before,” said outgoing CEO Iain Klugman.
Along with the rebrand, True North is also set to move venues, offering events at various locations. Now a week long and taking place from June 1 to 7, Communitech will host a number of conversational summits on a variety of topics including, corporate innovation, startup and scale-up strategies, the future of work, data and advanced technologies, and tech for good. Keynote speeches are set to take place on June 3 along with the announcement of the $1 million Leaders Prize winner.
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Cadwalladr, who is a Pulitzer-nominated reporter, will share her story of reporting on Cambridge Analytica. Cadwalladr is currently a reporter for Britsh publications The Observer and The Guardian. Her keynote speech is in line with True North’s ongoing inclusion of ‘tech for good.’
“As we continue conversations around tech for good, it is critical for all of us to examine the implications of the technology that our community is working so hard to develop,” said Saj Jamal, vice president of marketing and events at Communitech. “Carole Cadwalladr has dedicated much of her career to ensuring that big tech is held accountable in the public sphere and we are thrilled to have her share her story at True North. She may not have friends on Facebook, but she has many admirers in Canada.”