Bermuda should have the goal of ensuring that technologies developed on the island benefit its citizens, a global expert told delegates at the Bermuda Tech Summit.

Sandra Ro is the chief executive of the Global Blockchain Business Council, a Swiss non-profit with more than 500 members.

Following on from comments made by fellow panellists, she said the idea of companies in Bermuda working together to connect to the world “is fantastic”.

However, Ms Ro added: “What I’d also like to hope and wish for the next five years, is that whatever technologies grow up here have the ability to integrate the community here and so that every Bermudian can say that ‘tech has impacted me in a positive way’.

“And to me that should be a goal that should be baked in as a society, because if there’s not positive impact, whether it’s more convenient, or cheaper, or you’ve removed frictions, you’ve made life easier, then what are we doing?”

She added: “That’s the challenge I have now is to ask every community, where we go around the world, how are these technologies actually going to benefit the average citizen?

“And are we actually being more inclusive or being less inclusive?”

Ms Ro was speaking on the panel Building the Foundations of the Future, where she was joined by Tim Degraye, cofounder and co-CEO, Hed Unity; Stafford Lowe, cofounder and partner, Your Partners; Hugo Rogers, chief executive, Base Financial Ltd; and Stan Stalnaker, founding director and chief strategy officer, Hub Culture.

The panel was moderated by Michael Branco, founder and chairman of Celeste Ventures.