Joanna Shields has caused a stir by moving from Facebook to Shoreditch to take the helm of London’s Tech City. Former vice-president and managing director of Facebook EMEA, Shields will take up the post of CEO for the Tech City Investment Organisation (TCIO) in January.

Her resume includes the names of tech royalty – AOL, Facebook, Google — and will undoubtedly give the TCIO clout when developing the burgeoning tech sector in East London. The TCIO was established last April by UK Trade and Investment to expand London’s tech presence and the tech presence in London.

Shields says, “The seeds have been sown in East London for a dynamic and successful cluster: we have the infrastructure, the technology and the talent, now we need to accelerate the growth. I am looking forward to leading the Tech City Investment Organisation in the next phase of its development. With the right boost now, there is no reason why we can’t make London the number one location for tech in the world.”

The TCIO hopes to establish Shoreditch as an international hub for technology innovation and investment. Start-ups and UK-based organisations have already infiltrated the area, with the recent additions of the likes of Intel, Google and Cisco. Both the organisation and the government have said that Shields will have be more than capable of developing the UK’s tech sector and promoting Shoreditch as its hub.