
Tramshed Tech CEO Louise Harris Awarded MBE in King's Birthday Honours
Louise Harris, co-founder and CEO of Tramshed Tech, has been awarded an MBE for services to digital entrepreneurship in the King's Birthday Honours list.
The recognition celebrates Louise's exceptional contribution to Wales' technology sector and her pioneering work in supporting entrepreneurs, particularly women and underrepresented groups in tech.
Under her leadership since 2016, Tramshed Tech has evolved from a single Cardiff workspace into a tech startup hub operating locations across Wales and supporting hundreds of tech, digital, and creative businesses.
'I'm deeply honoured to receive this recognition,' said Louise. 'This award reflects not just my work, but the incredible achievements of my team and the wider Welsh tech ecosystem. From the entrepreneurs taking bold risks to build innovative businesses, to the partners and team members who've helped create the infrastructure to support them – this recognition belongs to all of us who believe Wales can be a global force in technology and innovation.'
Under Louise's leadership Tramshed Tech has delivered more than 20 business growth programmes, supporting entrepreneurs from initial ideation through to investor readiness and international expansion. The organisation's three core pillars – Spaces, Ventures, and Skills – have created a comprehensive ecosystem that aims to address the full spectrum of tech business needs.
Louise's vision extends far beyond Wales' borders through initiatives such as the Tech Export Programme and Soft-Landing Programme.
Under her leadership, Tramshed Tech has also hosted hundreds of international delegations, strengthening Wales' position on the global tech stage. As strategic partners of London Tech Week, Tramshed Tech annually showcases Welsh innovation at the UK's biggest tech event and attracts new investment to come to Wales.
Lord Mervyn Davies, chairman and main investor in Tramshed Tech and former trade and business minister, said:
'Louise exemplifies the tenacity and ambition that defines truly exceptional entrepreneurs. Her vision for Tramshed Tech and unwavering commitment to building Wales' tech ecosystem has been remarkable to witness. I've seen firsthand how Louise's leadership has transformed not just a single company, but an entire regional innovation landscape. This MBE recognition is thoroughly deserved.'
Louise launched Wales' first Female Founder Investor Readiness Programme in 2024 in partnership with British Business Bank, building on Wales' foundation where 12.1% of high turnover growth companies are female-led – the highest rate across all UK devolved nations and regions.
She has also co-created the Data Inclusivity Network in partnership with Cardiff Capital Region.
Most recently, Louise has been supporting the Invest in Women Taskforce, a government-backed initiative to create a £250 million investment pool deployed by female investors to accelerate investment into female-powered businesses across the UK.
Louise's expertise has made her a sought-after advisor across public and private sectors. She serves on the Welsh Economic Growth Advisory Group, UK Tech Cluster Group, and contributes to Pearson's AI and Innovation board, helping shape the future of personalised learning through generative AI integration.
Her leadership has secured strategic partnerships with major organisations including Barclays as their Ecosystem Partner for Wales, British Business Bank Wales, Google for Startups, Microsoft, Welsh Government, and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Beyond Tramshed Tech, Louise founded Big Learning Company, pioneering digital skills training partnerships with leading brands including LEGO Education. This expertise has been integrated into Tramshed Tech's Skills pillar, delivering work-based learning and digital upskilling programmes.
Louise has been recognised by both UK and Welsh Governments for her contributions to the tech sector and has spoken at digital and tech events worldwide, including at the British Embassy in Paris and No.10 Downing Street. She was selected as one of 15 women to front a national campaign by NatWest and Getty Images to improve representation of female entrepreneurs in media and advertising.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

South Wales Argus
7 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Monmouthshire and Torfaen could use AI Welsh translations
Councils, and other public bodies, are legally required to produce documents and provide services in Welsh. Monmouthshire County Council looked at alternatives to its current use of external translators as part of its budget setting process due to increased demand which has seen spending on translations exceed the allocated budget. Its performance and overview scrutiny committee was told total costs, to the council of providing Welsh language services, was £226,940 last year. But it wasn't clear if that figure only covered translations or also the cost of two officers after equalities and Welsh language manager Pennie Walker described the 'major costs' as translations and her salary and that of the Welsh language officer while ensuring compliance with Welsh language standards is the 'day to day responsibility of all officers'. Nia Roberts, the Welsh language officer, said closer working with neighbouring Torfaen Borough Council is currently 'the most desired option' to save on translation costs and it is already using AI, also known as artificial intelligence. Ms Roberts said Monmouthshire currently uses external translators, who may already be using AI systems, but that wouldn't produce a saving for the council as it currently pays by the word. She said AI would 'never produce 100 per cent accurate translations' and added: 'It will need to have some kind of proof reading to make sure the translation is accurate.' Rogiet Labour member Peter Strong had asked if a favoured option had emerged from the ongoing review that has also considered continuing with external translators and setting up its own in-house translation team. Ms Roberts said joining with Torfaen 'looks the more desirable' and said: 'Torfaen is similar to Monmouthshire in the type of documents to be translated.' She also said Torfaen uses technology that memorises words it has previously translated which would help with the consistency of documents. Torfaen councillors, who were presented with their annual report on how their council is complying with Welsh language standards at their June meeting, were told AI, has helped with increasing translations by 24 per cent on the previous year. Torfaen's Welsh language officer Alan Vernon-Jones cautioned: 'Everything needs to be proof read by a competent Welsh speaker.' Monmouthshire's review of translations has also given 'careful consideration' to the potential impact on small Welsh businesses, quality and timeliness, and the need to maintain full compliance with the Welsh language standards. Conservative councillor for Gobion Fawr Alistair Neill asked Ms Roberts if consideration had been given to working with other public services such as the police and NHS. The officer said Welsh language officers in public services across South East Wales have a working group to share best practice which was 'more broad than just translations.' On AI Cllr Neill, who chairs the committee, said: 'It sounds like AI doesn't speak Welsh very well. The 'tech bros' are going to have to do some more work on it.'


Cambrian News
11 hours ago
- Cambrian News
Machynlleth cider producer goes head-to-head in new business competition TV show
He makes ciders made from fruit grown in Dyfi Valley orchards using wild yeast and local honey, and he dreams of opening a Welsh cider taproom: 'We have a unique product - not many people produce fine ciders in Wales, and most certainly no one is producing the kind of sparkling cider that we are.'


Business News Wales
16 hours ago
- Business News Wales
Tramshed Tech CEO Louise Harris Awarded MBE in King's Birthday Honours
Louise Harris, co-founder and CEO of Tramshed Tech, has been awarded an MBE for services to digital entrepreneurship in the King's Birthday Honours list. The recognition celebrates Louise's exceptional contribution to Wales' technology sector and her pioneering work in supporting entrepreneurs, particularly women and underrepresented groups in tech. Under her leadership since 2016, Tramshed Tech has evolved from a single Cardiff workspace into a tech startup hub operating locations across Wales and supporting hundreds of tech, digital, and creative businesses. 'I'm deeply honoured to receive this recognition,' said Louise. 'This award reflects not just my work, but the incredible achievements of my team and the wider Welsh tech ecosystem. From the entrepreneurs taking bold risks to build innovative businesses, to the partners and team members who've helped create the infrastructure to support them – this recognition belongs to all of us who believe Wales can be a global force in technology and innovation.' Under Louise's leadership Tramshed Tech has delivered more than 20 business growth programmes, supporting entrepreneurs from initial ideation through to investor readiness and international expansion. The organisation's three core pillars – Spaces, Ventures, and Skills – have created a comprehensive ecosystem that aims to address the full spectrum of tech business needs. Louise's vision extends far beyond Wales' borders through initiatives such as the Tech Export Programme and Soft-Landing Programme. Under her leadership, Tramshed Tech has also hosted hundreds of international delegations, strengthening Wales' position on the global tech stage. As strategic partners of London Tech Week, Tramshed Tech annually showcases Welsh innovation at the UK's biggest tech event and attracts new investment to come to Wales. Lord Mervyn Davies, chairman and main investor in Tramshed Tech and former trade and business minister, said: 'Louise exemplifies the tenacity and ambition that defines truly exceptional entrepreneurs. Her vision for Tramshed Tech and unwavering commitment to building Wales' tech ecosystem has been remarkable to witness. I've seen firsthand how Louise's leadership has transformed not just a single company, but an entire regional innovation landscape. This MBE recognition is thoroughly deserved.' Louise launched Wales' first Female Founder Investor Readiness Programme in 2024 in partnership with British Business Bank, building on Wales' foundation where 12.1% of high turnover growth companies are female-led – the highest rate across all UK devolved nations and regions. She has also co-created the Data Inclusivity Network in partnership with Cardiff Capital Region. Most recently, Louise has been supporting the Invest in Women Taskforce, a government-backed initiative to create a £250 million investment pool deployed by female investors to accelerate investment into female-powered businesses across the UK. Louise's expertise has made her a sought-after advisor across public and private sectors. She serves on the Welsh Economic Growth Advisory Group, UK Tech Cluster Group, and contributes to Pearson's AI and Innovation board, helping shape the future of personalised learning through generative AI integration. Her leadership has secured strategic partnerships with major organisations including Barclays as their Ecosystem Partner for Wales, British Business Bank Wales, Google for Startups, Microsoft, Welsh Government, and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Beyond Tramshed Tech, Louise founded Big Learning Company, pioneering digital skills training partnerships with leading brands including LEGO Education. This expertise has been integrated into Tramshed Tech's Skills pillar, delivering work-based learning and digital upskilling programmes. Louise has been recognised by both UK and Welsh Governments for her contributions to the tech sector and has spoken at digital and tech events worldwide, including at the British Embassy in Paris and No.10 Downing Street. She was selected as one of 15 women to front a national campaign by NatWest and Getty Images to improve representation of female entrepreneurs in media and advertising.