“The point of digital twins is to enable us to make better decisions that lead to better outcomes for people and nature. It is therefore important that the Digital Twin Hub is community driven, with input from people who will be using and benefitting from them. The setting up of the Digital Twin Hub Community Council is an important step for capturing that voice. I am looking forward to working with my Co-Chair, the Council and the Community to ensure that the Hub continues to support our needs as we work together towards a National Digital Twin.”
Melissa Zanocco, Infrastructure Client Group
Our primary aim at the DT (Digital Twin) Hub is to ensure the community is a vibrant, member-owned, resource-rich idea space, and in 2021 we took a number of steps to boost community engagement and conversation both inside and outside the web platform. One of these steps was to start a community led council.
In November, we issued a call for members to form the new DT Hub Community Council. The call attracted a fantastic 70 responses, and we were truly encouraged by the application statements and words of support we received. Such was the enthusiasm that by December we had finalised our first 12 Community Council members and formed a large Community Champions network.
The council will take an important advisory role in the future direction of the DT Hub. With their diverse skillsets and knowledge across industries and nations, both the council member and champions’ groups will be the eyes and ears of the community – giving it a strong voice as we develop our shared vision of an ecosystem of connected digital twins.
The first Community Council meeting took place on 25 January 2022, sparking many discussions on ways to come together to further engagement opportunities for the wider membership.
We are also delighted to announce that the council has appointed its co-chairs: Ali Nicholl from Iotics and Melissa Zanocco from the Infrastructure Client Group.
Ali Nicholl said:
“I am excited to part of the DT Hub’s Community Council and look forward to working with the council and the diverse community it represents. The DT Hub isn’t in the business of seeking consensus on a single point of view, a single application or a single standard. Instead, we see a community developing approaches where cooperation between twins, individuals, organisations and sectors can deliver the platforms for human flourishing that societies globally so desperately need. It’s in that spirt of cooperation that we have co-chairs and I can’t wait to work together to support the community in achieving our shared vision.”
Ali and Melissa’s fellow council members, with digital twin/digital transformation experience spanning strategy, systems, standards to people development, are Peter Burnett, Network Rail; John Erkoyuncu, Cranfield University; Polly Hudson, UCL/Alan Turing Institute; Paul May, John Lewis Partnership; Laura Mills, KPMG; Dan Rossiter, BSI (British Standards Institution) Group; Timothy Ståhle, Akademiska Hus (Sweden); Glenn Worrall, Bentley Systems UK; Amanda Wyzenbeek, Mott MacDonald (Australia); and Jamie Young, Wates.
We welcome the new DT Hub Community Council and our Community Champions and look forward to updating members on their progress in the coming months.
You can find out more about the Council Members and contact the team via the Community Council page.
Why not join the Community Champions network to share your ideas for the DT Hub community?
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