Ivanka Trump's CES appearance draws backlash

US president’s daughter's keynote speech draws backlash for her lack of tech experience

Ivanka Trump's appearance as a keynote speaker at trade show CES was blasted by industry figures because of her lack of tech qualifications.

Trump acts as an adviser on job creation and economic growth to her father, US president Donald Trump. Her keynote addressed the issue of "the path to the future of work" and Trump's thoughts on how technology will create jobs and enable the next generation of workers.

Many used social media to slam the decision to have Trump take a coveted speaking spot at the event when there were other women "more qualified" to speak.

Brianna Wu, a games developer who is running for Congress in the US, said on Twitter that Trump has "no background" to talk about tech.

"There are thousands of qualified women working at major companies who could deliver a keynote," she tweeted.

"There are thousands of women engineering the products at CES who could deliver a keynote. There are dozens of important women journalists who could deliver a keynote. Ivanka is not one of us."

CES, a major consumer electronics tradeshow, has been criticised in the past over diversity issues, including its scantily clad "booth babes" and consecutive years where it had no women among its keynote speakers.

Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association which organises the trade show, defended the decision to have Trump speak at the tech event.

"There's a lot of focus on jobs of the future, and certainly the keynote that I'll be doing with Ivanka Trump will be focusing on... how industry is working with government on this very important issue," he told the BBC days before his onstage interview with her at CES.

During her keynote at the event, Trump spoke about investments in science and technology, as well as new training initiatives - supported by the chief execs of Apple and IBM - to provide alternative career routes that do not require a university degree.

"People need to be thinking about investing in their workforce so that they can enable those people to do their same job using different equipment tomorrow," she told attendees.

Carolina Milanesi, a writer at Forbes magazine, criticised Trump for not considering whether or not she was the best woman to speak at the tech conference.

"The reason for my upset is rooted in the fact that there are many more women who are in tech and are entrepreneurs who could run circles around Trump on how technology will impact the future of work," she wrote.

"Women in tech, and more generally women in business, should seek and take more opportunities, ask for what they deserve, but most of all, they should open doors to others when they have the chance to do so.

"I don't think I am unfair in believing that Trump did not stop and think if she was the best woman for the job before accepting the invitation from the CTA."