Kathryn Parsons' mission to teach the world to code took a step further when the UK tech entrepreneur keynoted CeBIT Australia's opening day in Sydney.
A Londoner who took her classic degree into the advertising industry - creating tech agency Scarlett Mark - known for its Cherry Girl image for MTV - Parsons formed Decoded in 2011 with three partners and set about teaching the world to 'code in a day'. Workshops - through branches in London, New York and Singapore and 'pop ups' including Sydney, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Los Angeles - teach novices app-building basics including languages such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript... and teachers how to spread the message.
She is now a passionate advocate on a mission to spread digital enlightenment by teaching students and professionals, and explained that innovation is not a once off achievement, but rather a constant culture required to foster agile innovation methodologies.
"Accelerating learning experiences to develop an understanding of code, data, future technologies and cyber security to embrace digital transformation are at the forefront of driving the agenda for coding on the curriculum," she says.
"Creative risk needs to be viewed in a more positive environment, making technology education amazing, and empowering anyone to understand the languages behind the screen."
CeBIT Australia runs until Wednesday at Sydney Olympic Park. Details at http://www.cebit.com.au/register/
Monday's business included formal openings by NSW premier Mike Baird and Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, both of whom emphasised the value of technical innovation to the state's economy.
On the exhibition floor, more than 80 start-ups are vying for attention, showcasing innovations including apps, software, robots, cardboard goggles and business related products and services.
Among them was "the first dedicated keyboard for both square and round smartwatches", TouchOne's fast input display which has been downloaded more than 8000 times since its launch early last month.
Among others is Knokal, which exhibited at SXSW and aims to reduce road accidents caused by people using their mobile phones while driving, and teleporting app Xigrom which enables users to easily to pick up apps exactly where they left off on a second device without interruption.