Introducing techUK's new Smart Infrastructure and Systems Council

Aaron Ashby-Gittins

Capita

Bringing 15 years of experience across asset management, IoT, and smart estates, they have led the development of connected building and smart infrastructure solutions that optimise controls, automate spaces, improve energy efficiency, support net-zero objectives, strengthen security, and enable predictive maintenance. Their expertise also extends to the application of robotics and automation, using large-scale digital twin mapping to transform how assets and equipment are managed and moved across complex estates.

Alexander Bruce Holben

Fortinet

I look forward to joining the Smart Infrastructure and Systems Council’s mission of driving innovation and resilience across the UK’s critical infrastructure landscape, leveraging my experience, aptitude, attitude, industry and technical knowledge across established and emerging technologies to provide insight into practical technology implementation, risk governance, and strategic advisory, offering the Council a unique perspective on how to harness smart technologies securely, efficiently, and with real-world impact.

I’m a commercially minded security leader and strategic advisor with over 25 years’ experience guiding global organisations through complex transformation. I specialise in aligning network and security architectures with business outcomes — enabling resilience, performance and secure growth. With extensive experience in the energy sector, including major transformation work with bp, I supported operations spanning trading, exploration, renewables, retail, and EV infrastructure, alongside advisory roles across transport, manufacturing, finance, and the public sector. Partnering with senior stakeholders to shape strategy, build business cases and lead enterprise-wide change.  My work spans IT, OT and Cloud environments, with a focus on Zero Trust, segmentation and scalable design.  Known for translating technical complexity into clear direction, I bring a pragmatic, risk-based approach to decision-making and delivery, trusted to help teams deliver global outcomes in challenging situations. Currently part of the Strategic Solutions Group at Fortinet, where I focus on critical national infrastructure, helping organisations adopt secure, scalable strategies across IT and OT.

Ben Lever

Transform UK

Ben has over 20 years consulting experience, across a range of sectors including FS, retail, Public Sector, construction and utilities. His expertise lies in digital strategy, organsiation change and innovation - often navigating complex legacy environments to adopt new technologies and ways of working. More recently his attention has focused on the built environment, infrastructure and utility sectors and the specific digitalisation challenges faced, with particular interest in the strategy, cultures and skills required to adopt and apply technologies - from digital twins to automation and AI. 

Benjamin Byrne

Amentum Clean Energy

Benjamin (Ben) Byrne is a Principal Cybersecurity Consultant at Amentum with over 20 years’ experience in cyber governance, risk management and secure-by-design across critical infrastructure. He has led assurance, audit and resilience programmes in the water, nuclear and wider regulated sectors, helping organisations translate complex security and regulatory requirements into practical, evidence-based action. Ben is a Chartered Engineer (CEng), CISSP and a member of CIISec.

Heather Xiao

Horizon Zero

Heather Xiao is Founder and CEO of Horizon Zero, where she builds next-generation smart data and AI infrastructure to deliver real-world societal outcomes. She leads GlowTrack, an award-winning initiative and DBT Smart Data Challenge finalist, using cross-sector data to enable earlier identification and support for vulnerable households.

Heather is an Honorary Research Fellow at Warwick Business School and a member of the European Banking Authority’s Open Finance working group.

She previously served as Product and Operations Director and Executive Committee member at Open Banking Limited, playing a key role in shaping the UK’s open banking ecosystem, and held earlier roles at Standard Chartered focused on data-driven innovation across international markets.

Her work focuses on bridging policy, industry and technology to move from reactive systems to preventative, outcome-driven infrastructure at scale.

Liz McKillop Paley

Shoosmiths LLP

Liz McKillop Paley is a partner in Shoosmiths LLP leading the real estate Energy and Infrastructure team and has extensive experience advising on complex development, infrastructure and energy‑related property matters.

Liz specialises in the property aspects of energy, utilities and smart infrastructure projects, working with investors, developers and occupiers on assets that support digital connectivity, decarbonisation and emerging technologies. Her work frequently intersects with issues such as site assembly, grid connections, energy generation and storage, and the deployment of technology‑enabled infrastructure within the built environment.

As a member of techUK’s Smart Infrastructure and Systems Council, Liz brings a legal and real‑estate perspective to discussions on how policy, regulation and commercial structures can better support the delivery of integrated, future‑ready infrastructure across the UK. She has a particular interest in enabling collaboration between the technology, energy and property sectors to accelerate sustainable growth and innovation

Mark Ferguson

InterSystems

Mark Ferguson runs the Supply Chain and Digital Infrastructure Twin practice for InterSystems UK&I. In the digital twin infrastructure environment for healthcare and other sectors (including transport, energy, water and heat), InterSystems provides the Data Infrastructure Platform to manage complex real time data from multiple sources to support timely decision-making, cross organisation collaboration and overall data governance. With 25 years in supply chain digital transformation and business technology, Mark is driving innovation, where he helps (public and private sector) organisations orchestrate real-time data to accelerate operational performance. Mark works closely with InterSystems partners and their clients to design and implement interoperability-driven data solutions (for supply chain infrastructure, digital twins, and many other use cases) built on InterSystems’ AI enabled, high-performance, intelligent data platforms.

Mark Gardiner

Valcon Group UK Limited

Mark Gardiner is a senior leader in the technology consulting space, with a strong track record of building client relationships, winning and delivering multi-million pound programmes, and advising board-level and senior management teams across technology, data and transformation. He has extensive experience working with transport, infrastructure and regulated utility clients across the North of England, alongside connecting clients to the wider expertise available across the Valcon Group in Europe. Mark brings a strong understanding of the challenges, opportunities and emerging trends shaping the energy, utilities and transport sectors.

Mike Smith

Siemens PLC

Mike Smith is Head of Future Markets at Siemens Smart Infrastructure UK & Ireland, working across energy systems, digital infrastructure, and public policy. His role focuses on how emerging technologies and market frameworks — including AI in the energy system, smart grids and flexibility, industrial electrification, and digital standards — can shape the future direction of UK infrastructure.

Mike works closely with government stakeholders, regulators, and industry partners to align policy, technology and market development, shaping commercial strategy, investment signals and routes to market in support of long‑term system transformation.

Richard Hampshire

CGI IT UK Ltd

Rich Hampshire is CGI UK’s lead for Digital Utilities. Rich has over 35 years’ experience in the utilities sector. His focus is the role of “digitalisation” in delivering a just energy transition and accelerating climate action. Rich is active in the leadership of a number of industry associations and advisory boards. A professional engineer by background, he has spent his career working with organisations to implement transformational change. Outside work, Rich is passionate about sport and coaches rugby. Fortunately, those activities involve his kids!

Sam Mathew

Microsoft

Sean Ellis

Amazon Web Services

Sean is the Power & Utilities industry leader for the AWS Energy & Utilities Professional Services team.  Sean has 25+ years of experience working across the Power & Utilities industry value chain including all types of power generation, transmission & distribution networks, electricity & gas supply as well as energy policy & regulation.

Sean has been with AWS for over 3 years and has currently works with global utilities organisations on their digital transformation initiatives, driving business outcomes leveraging cloud and Gen AI technologies.

Previous roles include: IT Leader, Asset Management & Operations, Thames Water; Head of Transformation & Programme Director, EDF Energy; Managing Consultant, PA Consulting; Director, Capgemini Invent; Managing Partner, Energy & Utilities, DXC Technology

Steve Kenny

Atos

Steve’s career has been built on developing strong relationships based on trust, leading by example and taking accountability for everything he does. Steve has spent a considerable amount of his working career within the Transport sector which has given him an accelerated understanding of the wider complexities and Smart Infrastructure estates, coupled with the dominance of working within the Critical National infrastructure area.

Starting out his career downunder in Sydney, Steve has spent a proportion of his career working abroad and increasingly bringing together cross border opportunities and creativity. Now with over 35 years in the industry, he is a well respected figure in key industries. He has forged a reputation for solving challenging situations in the wider Transport sector and more recently as UKI Growth Director for the Private Sector, Steve is bringing together multi-industry challenges together to drive new growth and deliver the ambitions of our clients.

Steven Steer

Zuhlke Engineering

Steven Steer works for a Swiss data and digitalisation engineering consultancy, Zuhlke, and he was formally Ofgem’s inaugural Head of Data.  Steven’s contributions to digitalisation include:

• overseeing the Energy Data Taskforce on behalf of Ofgem;
• authoring government’s first energy digitalisation strategy and action plan;
• establishing Ofgem's regulatory environment for treating energy data as 'presumed open’ by creating the 'Data Best Practice' regulation and;
• designing the Energy Digitalisation Taskforce proposal for establishing architecture governance across energy sector digitalisation.

Steven provides data and AI innovation services to many economic sectors but has a focus on the energy sector.  He has worked in academia producing research findings, in government creating policy and by delivering data and analytics services working directly in energy companies.  He has a PhD in fundamental nuclear physics and is a former member of the University of Cambridge Energy Policy Research Group.  His academic career includes 70+ credited publications, these have earned him an academic h-index of 29. 

Sumit Singh

Fujitsu

Tim Hare

DNV

Tim is currently responsible for sales and business development across DNV’s Energy Systems business in the UK and Ireland. Leading a sales team that includes key account managers, market area managers and sales enablement, delivering results for our business. Tim has a strong technical background, with experience in all project lifecycle phases; progressing from a craft apprentice to senior management, and with experience working in upstream and downstream oil and gas, defence and the steel industries. He has the ability to understand and interpret complex problems, combining commercial acumen, curiosity and creativity. Tim has a proven diverse background which has contributed to strengths in consultancy and informed decision-making.

Tim is driven by DNV’s purpose, to safeguard life, property and the environment, empowering customers and their stakeholders with facts and reliable insights, so that critical decisions can be made with confidence. DNV provides an independent, trustworthy view, that ensures risks are managed successfully throughout business and energy transitions.