techUK will be organising its first-ever members' delegation to Ukraine (Lviv and Kyiv), due to take place between Thursday, 25 September, and Tuesday, 30 September 2025. The delegation will centre around IT Arena Conference, which takes place in Lviv, Western Ukraine, from the 26-28 September. This will be followed be meetings in Kyiv with the Ukrainian Government.
What you get:
To be part of key meetings with senior Ukrainian Government stakeholders (Ministry of Strategic Industries, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Digital Transformation etc), at the Ministerial level, as well as meetings with organisations such as Brave1, IT Lviv Cluster, IT Ukraine, the Ukrainian Start-Up Fund, and more.
To find business partners on the ground through tailored networking events.
Travel from Poland into and out of Ukraine, as well as travel from Kyiv and Lviv.
A pre-departure briefing by the Embassy of Ukraine to the United Kingdom.
IT Arena Conference
IT Arena Conference is Ukraine’s and Eastern Europe’s largest tech event, bringing together thousands of global industry leaders, investors, and startups. The event includes multiple stages focusing on business, technology, products, and startups as well as workshops, investor-startup meetings, high-level networking and Expo zones –with a focus on innovation, including defence tech. The conference is a leading platform to explore technologies, business strategies, and product innovations with industry experts, entrepreneurs, and government representatives.
Why Ukraine?
The tech sector is Ukraine’s largest exporter of services, contributing $12.7 billion to the national economy in 2023 and is continuing to grow through the support of over 2,100 IT companies, around 2,000 startups, and over 340,000 skilled professionals.
Despite wartime challenges, the industry has shown strong resilience: startup valuations have tripled since 2020, and Ukrainian startups generate five times more revenue per invested dollar than their US counterparts.
Ukrainian Defence Tech Innovation
Ukraine's Defence Tech sector continues to expand rapidly, fuelled by strong government support and international partnerships. This growth drives investment in advanced technologies such as drones, AI-enabled systems, electronic warfare, and cybersecurity, positioning Ukraine as a leading hub for innovative and scalable defence solutions.
Initiatives such as UK-Ukraine TechBridge and Code.UA, alongside the UK-Ukraine Digital Trade Agreement signed in September 2024, are actively connecting Ukrainian and British tech businesses, talent, startups, and investors. These efforts streamline market access, unlock new investment opportunities, and strengthen collaboration, creating a thriving environment for sustained growth and innovation between both countries.
You would need to cover the cost of:
Conference Tickets (techUK to provide a discount code to reduce the ticket price)
Travel Insurance (techUK to provide guidance on providers)
Flights to Poland
Accommodation when in Lviv and Kyiv (techUK to provide discount codes for hotels)
Subsistence costs
Attendees must be either C-Suite, Director, or a Commercial/Policy Representative chiefly responsible for Ukraine.
techUK will be charging a participation fee of ~£500 which will cover the cost of included travel as well as further organisational costs.
We are currently taking expressions of interest for the delegation. Please click book now and fill out the form if you are interested in joining.
Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade, techUK
Daniel Clarke
Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade, techUK
Dan joined techUK as a Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade in March 2023.
Before techUK, Dan worked for data and consulting company GlobalData as an analyst of tech and geopolitics. He has also worked in public affairs, political polling, and has written freelance for the New Statesman and Investment Monitor.
Dan has a degree in MSc International Public Policy from University College London, and a BA Geography degree from the University of Sussex.
Outside of work, Dan is a big fan of football, cooking, going to see live music, and reading about international affairs.
Chief Operating Officer & Director of Markets, techUK
Matthew Evans
Chief Operating Officer & Director of Markets, techUK
Matt Evans is techUK's Chief Operating Officer and leads our Market Programme teams.
The Market Programme teams help techUK members apply innovative technology solutions across a range of sectors, including the Public Sector, Telecoms, Climate, Financial Services and Cyber. Matt also leads our Nations and Regions work.
Prior to his appointment in early 2019, Matt led techUK’s Smart Infrastructure and IoT work, as well as being CEO of the Broadband Stakeholder Group (now Digital Connectivity Forum). During this time he led the telecoms industry’s approach to lowering the cost of network deployment, played a key role in coordinating it’s response to Brexit and was closely involved in the development of the Government’s Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review. He also assisted in the development of the UK’s first secure by design Code of Practice aimed at consumer IoT, oversaw the publication of a paper outlining the tech sector’s view of future mobility services and drove engagement around the use of digital twins.
Prior to joining techUK, Matt worked in Arqiva's public policy team, across the broadcast and telecoms markets. Before that he was a researcher for an MP at Westminster.
Tess joined techUK as an Policy and Public Affairs Team Assistant in November of 2024. In this role, she supports areas such as administration, member communications and media content.
Before joining the Team, she gained experience working as an Intern in both campaign support for MPs and Councilors during the 2024 Local and General Election, and working for the Casimir Pulaski Foundation on defence and international secuirty. She has worked for multiple charities, on issues such as the climate crisis, educational inequality and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). In 2023, Tess obtained her Bachelors of Arts in Politics and International Relations from the University of Nottingham.
techUK International Policy and Trade Programme activities
techUK supports members with their international trade plans and aspirations. We help members to understand market opportunities, tackle market access barriers, and build partnerships in their target market. Visit the programme page here.
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Our members develop strong networks, build meaningful partnerships and grow their businesses as we all work together to create a thriving environment where industry, government and stakeholders come together to realise the positive outcomes tech can deliver.
Sabina Ciofu is Associate Director – International, running the International Policy and Trade Programme at techUK.
Based in Brussels, she leads our EU policy and engagement. She is also our lead on international trade policy, with a focus on digital trade chapter in FTAs, regulatory cooperation as well as broader engagement with the G7, G20, WTO and OECD.
As a transatlanticist at heart, Sabina is a GMF Marshall Memorial fellow and issue-lead on the EU-US Trade and Technology Council, within DigitalEurope.
Previously, she worked as Policy Advisor to a Member of the European Parliament for almost a decade, where she specialised in tech regulation, international trade and EU-US relations.
Sabina loves building communities and bringing people together. She is the founder of the Gentlewomen’s Club and co-organiser of the Young Professionals in Digital Policy. Previously, as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, she led several youth civic engagement and gender equality projects.
She sits on the Advisory Board of the University College London European Institute, Café Transatlantique, a network of women in transatlantic technology policy and The Nine, Brussels’ first members-only club designed for women.
Sabina holds an MA in War Studies from King’s College London and a BA in Classics from the University of Cambridge.
Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade, techUK
Daniel Clarke
Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade, techUK
Dan joined techUK as a Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade in March 2023.
Before techUK, Dan worked for data and consulting company GlobalData as an analyst of tech and geopolitics. He has also worked in public affairs, political polling, and has written freelance for the New Statesman and Investment Monitor.
Dan has a degree in MSc International Public Policy from University College London, and a BA Geography degree from the University of Sussex.
Outside of work, Dan is a big fan of football, cooking, going to see live music, and reading about international affairs.
Theo joined techUK in 2024 as EU Policy Manager. Based in Brussels, he works on our EU policy and engagement.
Theo is an experienced policy adviser who has helped connect EU and non-EU decision makers.
Prior to techUK, Theo worked at the EU delegation to Australia, the Israeli trade mission to the EU, and the City of London Corporation’s Brussels office. In his role, Theo ensures that techUK members are well-informed about EU policy, its origins, and its implications, while also facilitating valuable input to Brussels-based decision-makers.
Theo holds and LLM in International and European law, and an MA in European Studies, both from the University of Amsterdam.
Lewis' programmes cover a range of policy areas within Market Access (international trade regulation, sanctions and export controls, technical standards and product compliance, supply chains) and Consumer Tech (media and broadcast policy, consumer electronics, and connected home technology).
Prior to joining techUK, Lewis worked in government affairs and policy roles for international trade associations in Southeast Asia including the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce and the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia.
He holds an undergraduate degree in Social and Political Sciences from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in Public Policy & Management from SOAS University of London.
Tess joined techUK as an Policy and Public Affairs Team Assistant in November of 2024. In this role, she supports areas such as administration, member communications and media content.
Before joining the Team, she gained experience working as an Intern in both campaign support for MPs and Councilors during the 2024 Local and General Election, and working for the Casimir Pulaski Foundation on defence and international secuirty. She has worked for multiple charities, on issues such as the climate crisis, educational inequality and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). In 2023, Tess obtained her Bachelors of Arts in Politics and International Relations from the University of Nottingham.
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