Katie Harries

Powerlist Category: Senior Leaders

As Chair of UKCBC, Katie is driving policy engagement that will shape the future of the industry and has played a critical role in securing the support of successive governments for the sector. A powerhouse in this space, Katie has driven the growth of Stand with Crypto in the UK, an initiative to galvanize crypto advocates and to showcase all the innovative web3 businesses that are driving use cases, jobs and growth in local communities. With SwC, Katie has brought the community together including leading ecosystem players (traditional finance players, crypto exchanges, investors, blockchain entrepreneurs) and thousands of individual advocates. This culminated in a seminal moment for the industry in Parliament on “The Best of British Blockchain Entrepreneurship” with Steven Bartlett (Dragons’ Den fame), blockchain based businesses, leading investors and CEOs of major crypto asset firms where the Investment Minister pledged the Govt’s support for this strategic industry.

Katie is a shining example of female leadership in the blockchain policy space, ensuring diverse representation in all her engagements. Through Stand with Crypto in the UK, she specifically spotlights female entrepreneurs building on the blockchain and gives them exposure to major VCs in the UK. In addition, she is focused on ensuring all regions of the UK are represented; Stand with Crypto in the UK deliberately launched in Manchester to showcase the contribution of the sector to regional growth. Katie ran a blockchain educational event for over 200 students across 10 different universities in the North of England, supported a hackathon for over 1000 students and is driving partnerships between Stand with Crypto and UK universities to support the next generation of engineering talent and the future of work. As an advocate for financial inclusion, Katie was one of the women chosen by the Department of Business to ring the London Stock Exchange bell to celebrate Financial Literacy.