Priya Lakhani
Founder and CEO of CENTURY Tech
Priya Lakhani OBE is the Founder CEO of the artificial intelligence technology company, CENTURY, which blends leading innovations in neuroscience and AI technology.
In 2008, Priya left her career as a barrister to launch a successful cooking-sauce business, which through its charitable foundation provided millions of meals and thousands of vaccinations to the underprivileged in India and Africa, and funded several schools.
She was a business advisor to the UK’s coalition government, was appointed to the UK government’s AI Council in 2019 and co-founded the Institute for Ethical AI for the education sector. In 2020 Priya was appointed as the England representative for the UK Government's national event, Unboxed, and in April 2021, Priya was appointed as Non-Executive Board Member to the UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport with specific focus on online safety and technology. Priya also holds numerous trustee and non-executive posts.
Most recently, Priya has been selected by the World Economic Forum as a Tech Pioneer in 2021 for her work at CENTURY and is the recipient of many prestigious awards including the MIT SOLVE award (2018), the national Economic Innovator of the Year by The Spectator (2019), The Mayor’s Fund Special Recognition Award (2016) and Business Entrepreneur of the Year by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2009. Priya was awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2014 and in 2020, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Coventry University’s engineering faculty.
Priya is the author of 'Inadequate: The system failing our teachers and your children' and a children's picture book and is a regular commentator on global headlines for BBC world News and BBC Radio London.
In 2008, Priya left her career as a barrister to launch a successful cooking-sauce business, which through its charitable foundation provided millions of meals and thousands of vaccinations to the underprivileged in India and Africa, and funded several schools.
She was a business advisor to the UK’s coalition government, was appointed to the UK government’s AI Council in 2019 and co-founded the Institute for Ethical AI for the education sector. In 2020 Priya was appointed as the England representative for the UK Government's national event, Unboxed, and in April 2021, Priya was appointed as Non-Executive Board Member to the UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport with specific focus on online safety and technology. Priya also holds numerous trustee and non-executive posts.
Most recently, Priya has been selected by the World Economic Forum as a Tech Pioneer in 2021 for her work at CENTURY and is the recipient of many prestigious awards including the MIT SOLVE award (2018), the national Economic Innovator of the Year by The Spectator (2019), The Mayor’s Fund Special Recognition Award (2016) and Business Entrepreneur of the Year by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2009. Priya was awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2014 and in 2020, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Coventry University’s engineering faculty.
Priya is the author of 'Inadequate: The system failing our teachers and your children' and a children's picture book and is a regular commentator on global headlines for BBC world News and BBC Radio London.