Opportunity: Take your tech expertise into the boardroom
Digital Trustees and UKBT Institute are partnering to develop a new programme for Black professionals working across business, digital, data, design, AI and technology. The programme will help participants understand how charity boards operate, recognise the value their existing experience can bring at board level, and explore opportunities to become trustees or board advisers. Digital […]
Black News 
Digital Trustees and UKBT Institute are partnering to develop a new programme for Black professionals working across business, digital, data, design, AI and technology.
The programme will help participants understand how charity boards operate, recognise the value their existing experience can bring at board level, and explore opportunities to become trustees or board advisers.
Digital Trustees is a programme run by Third Sector Lab. In 2025, it helped place 179 technology professionals on charity boards across the UK.
Expressions of interest are now open for a fully funded cohort planned for late 2026 or early 2027.
Bringing new expertise and perspectives into the boardroom
The UKBT Institute was created to spark new discoveries, innovation, creativity and ideas that deliver meaningful value across the UK.
We recognise that innovation cannot be driven by technology professionals alone. It requires collaboration between technologists, academics, business leaders, professionals and communities. That is why we describe the UKBT Institute as a townhouse for innovation: a shared space where people from different disciplines can exchange knowledge, test ideas and build practical solutions together.
Our partnership with Digital Trustees extends this mission into the boardroom.
Charities are making increasingly important decisions about data, AI, cyber security, digital services, technology investment and organisational change. They need people around the table who understand these issues, can ask the right questions and bring perspectives grounded in both professional expertise and lived experience.
Representation matters in the boardroom—and your experience can make a difference.
What you’ll gain
You’ll join a cohort of Black technology professionals interested in using their skills for social impact while developing their leadership and governance experience.
Through the programme, you will:
- Learn how charity boards and trusteeship work
- Understand how your existing skills translate into board-level contribution
- Build confidence in strategic decision-making and governance
- Learn alongside professionals from across the UKBT Institute community
- Connect with people from different disciplines and professional backgrounds
- Be carefully matched with trustee and board adviser opportunities
- Receive support from Digital Trustees as you take your next steps
You do not need previous board experience.
If you work in digital, data, design, AI, cyber security, product, software, technology or another related field, we want to hear from you.
Don’t underestimate what you already bring
Dr Gelareh Holbrook joined the Women Do Boards x Digital Trustees cohort while working in business intelligence. The programme helped her recognise the board-level value of the experience she had already developed and supported her into a board-shadowing opportunity with Perthshire Women’s Aid.
“Don’t wait until you think you know everything or feel completely ready. Don’t underestimate what you already bring.”
Dr Gelareh Holbrook
Express your interest
The first Digital Trustees x UKBT Institute cohort is planned for late 2026 or early 2027.
The programme will be free for participants, with sponsors currently being sought to fund the cohort fully.
Register your interest now, and we’ll let you know when formal applications open.
The form closes at midnight on Thursday 1 October 2026.
Digital Trustees is a programme run by Third Sector Lab. UK Black Tech is the community partner for this cohort.
