Towards a UK–EU Partnership for a New Age: report launch

Julian David OBE

CEO, techUK

Julian David is the CEO of techUK, the leading technology trade association that aims to realise the positive outcomes that digital technology can achieve for People, Society, the Economy and the Planet.

He leads techUK’s 100+ strong team representing 1,100+ British based tech companies, comprising global and national champions and more than 600 SMEs and ScaleUP companies. techUK is the voice of the tech industry in the UK with 21 member led programmes covering all of tech from ‘Chips to Clicks’ and addressing 11 market sectors from Defence and Central Government, through to Health, Consumer Electronics and Financial Services.

In 2021 techUK launched TechSkills, the employer-led accreditation organisation that aims to improve the flow of talent into the digital workforce and open up access for all to high value tech jobs.

Julian represents techUK on a number of external bodies including the Digital Economy Council, the National Cyber Security Advisory Council and the Department of Business and Trade’s Strategic Trade Advisory Group. He is member of the NTA Advisory Board of DIGITALEUROPE and is a member of the Board of the Health Innovation Network the South London Academic Health Science Network.

Julian has over thirty years of experience in the technology industry. Prior to joining techUK, he had a series of leadership roles at IBM including Vice President for Small and Medium Business and Public Sector. After leaving IBM he worked as a consultant helping tech SMEs establish successful operations in the U.K. His personal interests include Football (West Ham, Balham FC and Real Madrid) and Art.

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Caroline Read

Deputy Ambassador, UK Mission to the European Union

Caroline Read is the Deputy Ambassador at the UK Mission to the EU, and took up her post in September 2023.

Prior to joining the UK Mission, Caroline was Director for British Investment Partnerships at the FCDO (job-sharing this post). Her team led on policy and programming on economic development, as well as global economic cooperation – including the UK’s relationship with the OECD. Previously, she was International Relations Director at DFID leading DFID’s work on international institutions and groupings including: UN development agencies, International Financial Institutions; and the G20/G7.

Prior to moving to DFID Caroline spent most of her career at HM Treasury, focusing on international issues.  She has also held a number of domestic policy and economic roles at HMT, including tax and spending.  Caroline has also worked in NGOs, working on private sector development in the Middle East and working in the Finance Ministries in Sierra Leonne and Liberia.

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Sabina Ciofu

International Policy and Strategy Lead, techUK

Sabina leads techUK's international policy and engagement. Based in Brussels, she manages our EU policy priorities as well as our international trade agenda.

Sabina leads techUK’s engagement with the European Union institutions, as well as the EU Member States. Outside of the EU, her work is focused on key trade partners, such as the USA and Japan, as well as key international organisations, such as the WTO and the OECD. Previously, she worked as Policy Advisor in the European Parliament for almost a decade, where she specialised in tech regulation, international trade and EU-US relations.

Sabina is the founder of the Gentlewomen’s Club, co-organiser of the Young Professionals in Digital Policy and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, where she has led several youth civic engagement and gender equality projects.

She holds an MA in War Studies from King’s College London and a BA in Classics from the University of Cambridge.

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Antony Walker

Deputy CEO, techUK

Antony Walker is deputy CEO of techUK,  which he played a lead role in launching in November 2013.

Antony is a member of the senior leadership team and has overall responsibility for techUK’s policy work. Prior to his appointment in July 2012 Antony was chief executive of the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG), the UK’s independent advisory group on broadband policy. Antony was closely involved in the development of broadband policy development in the UK since the BSG was established in 2001 and authored several major reports to government. He also led the development of the UK’s world leading Open Internet Code of Practice that addresses the issue of net neutrality in the UK. Prior to setting up the BSG, Antony spent six years working in Brussels for the American Chamber of Commerce following and writing about telecoms issues and as a consultant working on EU social affairs and environmental issues. Antony is a graduate of Aberdeen University and KU Leuven and is also a Policy Fellow Alumni of the Centre for Science and Policy at Cambridge University.

: @techUKdepceo

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Despina Spanou

Deputy Director-General, Directorate for Cybersecurity and Trust at the European Commission's DG CONNECT

Since November 2025, Despina Spanou has been Deputy Director-General in charge of the Directorate for Cybersecurity and Trust at the European Commission's DG CONNECT. She was previously Head of Cabinet to Vice-President Margaritis Schinas (2019-2024), coordinating his work on the EU Security Union alongside migration, health, skills, education and culture. Before that, as Director for Digital Society, Trust and Cybersecurity at DG CONNECT, she led the EU's cybersecurity policy and law and sat on the ENISA Management Board and the CERT-EU Steering Board.

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Mikael Isaksson

Director of EU Affairs, Saab

Mikael Isaksson is Director of EU Affairs at Saab, based in the company's EU and NATO Affairs office in Brussels. He joined Saab after earlier roles at Volvo Cars and Brunswick Group, and holds an MSc in Politics and Government in the European Union from the London School of Economics (2013 to 2014).

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Rowan Emslie

Chief Communications Officer, Center for Future Generations (CFG)

He is is the CCO of the Center for Future Generations, a think-and-do tank focused on helping policymakers anticipate and govern rapid technological change. Prior to joining CFG, he led European communications efforts for Clean Air Task Force, a science-based climate advocacy organisation, and helped shape their rapid expansion beyond the United States.

Previously, he worked as a digital public affairs specialist at Edelman in Brussels where he built a team to provide creative, strategic and analytic support for organisations looking to expand their influence via digital means. His clients ranged from UN agencies to multinational corporations to regional NGOs. Rowan began his career by working in journalism and in human rights in East Africa and was involved in startups in Berlin and Nairobi before moving into European Affairs work.

 

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Sofía Trénor Michelena

VP of EU Affairs, Nscale

Sofía Trénor Michelena is VP of EU Affairs at Nscale, one of Europe's fastest-growing AI infrastructure companies. In this role, she leads government affairs across the EU, shaping the company's position on AI and cloud computing policy. She brings over 20 years of experience working at the heart of the tech industry. Before Nscale, she spent eight years at Amazon Web Services directing EU public policy, driving cloud regulation, content moderation and trade. Prior to AWS, Sofía held senior legal and business affairs roles at media companies, including Sony Pictures, Discovery Communications and Warner Music. She is a qualified lawyer and holds a Master's degree in Intellectual Property and New Technologies.

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Joshua Privett

Head of Digital and Emerging Technologies, UK Mission to the European Union

Joshua Privett is Head of Digital and Emerging Technologies at the UK Mission to the European Union. He leads the Mission's engagement with the Commission, Parliament and member states across the EU's digital and technology agenda, spanning artificial intelligence, data, cloud, connectivity and emerging technologies, and works to advance UK interests and UK-EU cooperation in these areas. He joined the Mission from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, where he was Head of Policy and Strategy in the Telecoms Diversification Unit, leading work on Open RAN and telecoms supply chain resilience.

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Darren Ennis

Group Director of EU Affairs, Vodafone

Darren Ennis leads Vodafone's Brussels office and EU affairs function, engaging with EU institutions and NATO on connectivity, digital infrastructure, and the regulatory environment for the telecoms sector. He also serves as a Board Director of Vodafone's operations in Belgium, Bulgaria, and Georgia, and as a Board Director of Satellite Connect Europe, a Vodafone-AST SpaceMobile joint venture for direct-to-device satellite connectivity. He brings an unusually broad background: seven years as an EU Correspondent at Reuters, followed by a personal appointment as Strategic Communications and Media Adviser to EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, playing a central role in establishing the European External Action Service and coordinating EU communications during the Arab Spring.

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Pascal Kerneis

Managing Director, European Services Forum - ESF

Mr Kerneis is an expert in international trade in services. He was appointed Managing Director of ESF (European Services Forum) in 1999.  He achieved his Ph.D. in European Law in 1990 in France. He was Legal Expert in the European Commission in Brussels from 1988 to 1990, and then worked for the European Banking Federation, as International Affairs Adviser.

ESF is the voice of the European services industry in the international trade and investment negotiations, representing €3 Trillion of trade in 2025. ESF provides input to negotiators on the business priorities in multilateral, plurilateral and bilateral trade negotiations.

Pascal Kerneis is a regular speaker on trade in services and investment conferences and author of articles on trade in services and investment, and on digital trade related issues in various publications. He is active member of the Commission DG Trade Contact Group and of many EU FTAs Domestic Advisory Groups.

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Benjamin Ledwon

Head of Government Affairs for EU and Germany, Amadeus

Benjamin Ledwon, University of Exeter and LSE alumni, masters in competition law from Brussels School of Competition, former professional experience in the European Parliament, Bitkom and Deutsche Telekom. Currently, Amadeus head of industry affairs for EU and Germany.

 

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Robert Trotter

Counsellor, Economic Affairs, UK Mission to the European Union

Robert Trotter is Counsellor for Economic Affairs at the UK Mission to the European Union, the UK's diplomatic mission to the EU institutions in Brussels. In this role he leads the UK's engagement with the Commission, Parliament and member states on macroeconomic policy, financial services and the broader UK-EU economic relationship, and represents the UK across a range of economic and financial fora

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Antony Walker

Deputy CEO, techUK

Antony Walker is deputy CEO of techUK,  which he played a lead role in launching in November 2013.

Antony is a member of the senior leadership team and has overall responsibility for techUK’s policy work. Prior to his appointment in July 2012 Antony was chief executive of the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG), the UK’s independent advisory group on broadband policy. Antony was closely involved in the development of broadband policy development in the UK since the BSG was established in 2001 and authored several major reports to government. He also led the development of the UK’s world leading Open Internet Code of Practice that addresses the issue of net neutrality in the UK. Prior to setting up the BSG, Antony spent six years working in Brussels for the American Chamber of Commerce following and writing about telecoms issues and as a consultant working on EU social affairs and environmental issues. Antony is a graduate of Aberdeen University and KU Leuven and is also a Policy Fellow Alumni of the Centre for Science and Policy at Cambridge University.

: @techUKdepceo

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