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Tom Adeyoola is a technology entrepreneur passionate about disruptive technology for societal and climate good. He was CEO and Founder of acquired apparel technology scale-up Metail (2008-2019).
He is currently a cofounder of nonprofits Extend Ventures, which aims to diversify access to finance for underrepresented founders through data and research, and the cross-school alumni Capital Angel Network. He also serves as Non-Exec Director for zero carbon monitoring consultancy Verco and environmental behavioural change start-up ‘Do Nation’ and previously served on the board of the revolutionary women’s personal wellness scale-up Elvie. In addition, he is an active angel investor, chair of mindfulness app Spoke, governor of his former school St. Paul’s and sits on various advisory boards, including last year the London Mayor’s Business Advisory Board. In 2022 he also co-authored a policy review of the Startup Funding Ecosystem for the shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves as part of a panel chaired by Lord Jim O’Neill.
Panel 2 – The 'scale-up problem': financing UK innovation Tuesday @ 11:50 AM
Panel 1 - Governing AI: How can policy keep pace in a fast-moving sector? Tuesday @ 10:00 AM
Felicity is the Executive Director of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI).
The CDEI leads the Government’s work to enable trustworthy innovation using data and AI, and is part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Felicity’s role is to lead the CDEI’s multidisciplinary team of specialists and its overall strategy to deliver, test and refine trustworthy approaches to data and AI governance, working in partnership with public sector and industry bodies.
Before CDEI, she was the CBI Director of Innovation and Digital, leading the organisation’s policy work to create the conditions that enable businesses to come up with new ideas, invest in research and development (R&D) and adopt new technologies. At CBI, Felicity also worked on technology adoption, public spending on R&D, and labour markets.
Felicity’s background is in economic policy, with a focus on business growth.
Panel 1 - Governing AI: How can policy keep pace in a fast-moving sector? Tuesday @ 10:00 AM
Panel 5 – Building the UK’s digital economy: a better approach to digital adoption Tuesday @ 4:00 PM
Kate Davies is Public Policy Director at Ofcom, supporting Ofcom’s work across the communications and media sectors, and engaging with policy makers across the UK. Kate also oversees Ofcom’s work in the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum. Previously Kate was Director of Strategy and Policy at Ofcom for 3 years. Prior to joining Ofcom Kate worked in a range of roles in HM Treasury, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the third sector.
Panel 3 – Digital regulatory cooperation – balancing regulation and innovation Tuesday @ 1:30 PM
George leads IPPR’s work on UK economic policy and is based in the Westminster office.
George’s interests include industrial strategy; R&D, science, and innovation policy; and sustainability and climate change. He is an experienced media spokesman and contributor having appeared in national and international media including BBC News, Sky News, Channel 4 News, CNBC, Times Radio and Bloomberg, and has written for outlets including the New Statesman and Project Syndicate.
Before joining IPPR, George was the head of industrial strategy and policy engagement at the UCL Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose, working closely with institute founder Prof Mariana Mazzucato, and UCL Public Policy. He was the secretariat of the UCL Commission on Mission Oriented Innovation and Industrial Strategy (MOISS) and the UCL Green Innovation Policy Commission. George joined UCL in 2018 from the cross-party think tank Policy Connect having previously worked in industrial, technology, manufacturing and innovation policy.
George holds a PhD in physics from Imperial College London in novel photovoltaic technologies, and previously worked as a research scientist at the National Physical Laboratory.
Panel 5 – Building the UK’s digital economy: a better approach to digital adoption Tuesday @ 4:00 PM
Laura is techUK’s Head of Programme for Technology and Innovation.
She supports the application and expansion of emerging technologies across business, including Geospatial Data, Quantum Computing, AR/VR/XR and Edge technologies.
Before joining techUK, Laura worked internationally in London, Singapore and across the United States as a conference researcher and producer covering enterprise adoption of emerging technologies. This included being part of the strategic team at London Tech Week.
Laura has a degree in History (BA Hons) from Durham University, focussing on regional social history. Outside of work she loves reading, travelling and supporting rugby team St. Helens, where she is from.
Panel 4 – How can quantum and next generation compute supercharge ambitions to make the UK a science and tech superpower? Tuesday @ 2:20 PM
Panel 5 – Building the UK’s digital economy: a better approach to digital adoption Tuesday @ 4:00 PM
Chairing the session is Katherine, techUK’s Head of Data Analytics, AI and Digital ID. Prior to techUK, Katherine worked as a Policy Advisor at the Government Digital Service (GDS) supporting the digital transformation of UK Government. Whilst working at the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) Katherine led AMRC’s policy work on patient data, consent and opt-out. Katherine has a BSc degree in Biology from the University of Nottingham.
Panel 1 - Governing AI: How can policy keep pace in a fast-moving sector? Tuesday @ 10:00 AM
Darren Jones is Member of Parliament for Bristol North West. He was first elected at the 2017 General Election and re-elected in 2019 with an increased majority. Darren was chair of Labour Digital and became Chair of the Business and Trade Select Committee in May 2020 until September 2023 when he was appointed Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury by Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer.
Born in Bristol, Darren went to University in Plymouth studying Human Bioscience. He read Law at the University of West of England (UWE) before becoming a solicitor specialising in technology law.
Panel 5 – Building the UK’s digital economy: a better approach to digital adoption Tuesday @ 4:00 PM
Chi Onwurah is the Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central, and has been an MP continuously since 6 May 2010. She currently undertakes the role of Shadow Minister (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy).
Panel 2 – The 'scale-up problem': financing UK innovation Tuesday @ 11:50 AM
Lucy is the Labour and Cooperative MP for Manchester Central and Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture Media and Sport. She was delighted to take on the brief, with art, culture and sport all bringing joy and meaning to daily life, and bringing our nation together. Lucy leads on how digital, culture, media, sport and the creative economy can boost prosperity across our regions and nations, create good secure jobs everywhere, and how the Department can help make people proud of the places they live, and make places liveable.
Previously, she was Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, and Shadow Minister for Business and Consumers on Keir Starmer’s frontbench. Following the 2019 General election, Lucy was one of the Commissioners on the Labour Together Review into the 2019 General election which set Labour on a path back to power.
Lucy was elected in a by-election on November 15th 2012, becoming the first female Labour MP to represent a Manchester constituency and has campaigned on a range of issues through her time in Parliament, including on online safety, the cladding and building safety crisis, and education. Before entering Parliament Lucy worked for NESTA – the innovation agency for social good, helping to secure investment into Manchester.
In conversation with: Lucy Powell MP, Shadow Secretary of State for DCMS Tuesday @ 3:30 PM
Panel 2 – The 'scale-up problem': financing UK innovation Tuesday @ 11:50 AM
As Associate Director for Policy Neil leads on techUK's public policy work in the UK. In this role he regularly engages with UK and Devolved Government Ministers, senior civil servants and members of the UK’s Parliaments aiming to make the UK the best place to start, scale and develop a tech business.
Neil joined techUK in 2019 to lead on techUK’s input into the UK-EU Brexit trade deal negotiations and economic policy. Alongside his role leading techUK's public policy work Neil also acts as a spokesperson for techUK often appearing in the media and providing evidence to a range of Parliamentary committees.
In 2023 Neil was listed by the Politico newspaper as one of the '20 people who matter in UK tech' and has regularly been cited as a key industry figure shaping UK tech policy.
Panel 2 – The 'scale-up problem': financing UK innovation Tuesday @ 11:50 AM
Panel 3 – Digital regulatory cooperation – balancing regulation and innovation Tuesday @ 1:30 PM
Professor Katherine Royse joined the Hartree Centre as Director in April 2022. The Hartree Centre’s mission is to enable UK industry to adopt advanced digital technologies such as supercomputing, data science, AI and quantum computing for enhanced productivity, smarter innovation and economic growth.
Prior to her current role, Kate was the Chief Digital Officer at the British Geological Survey. Her 24 year career at BGS has taken her from traditional field mapping to a focus on the development of novel digital techniques to gain insight and added value from BGS data assets. In 2017, she was recognised by the PraxisUnico Research Council UK Impact Awards for her novel approach to innovation and commercialisation of geoscience information. In 2021, she was awarded a Digital Leaders 100 award as local national champion in recognition of her leadership in digital transformation in the Midlands.
Panel 4 – How can quantum and next generation compute supercharge ambitions to make the UK a science and tech superpower? Tuesday @ 2:20 PM
Paul Scully was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy) at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 7 February 2023. He is also Minister for London, having been appointed on 13 February 2020.
He was previously:
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from 27 October 2022 to 7 February 2023
Minister of State at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities between 7 July 2022 and 27 October 2022
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from 13 February 2020 to July 2022.
He was elected the Conservative MP for Sutton and Cheam on 7 May 2015
:
@scullyp
In conversation with: Paul Scully MP, Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy Tuesday @ 11:15 AM
As Microsoft’s vice chair and president, Brad Smith leads a team of more than 1,900 business, legal and corporate affairs professionals located in 54 countries and operating in more than 120 nations. He plays a key role in spearheading the company’s work on critical issues involving the intersection of technology and society, including cybersecurity, privacy, artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability, human rights, immigration and philanthropy. In his recent bestselling book, coauthored with Microsoft’s Carol Ann Browne, Tools and Weapons: The Promise and the Peril of the Digital Age, Smith urges the tech sector to assume more responsibility and calls for governments to move faster to address the challenges that new technologies are creating. In his new podcast by the same name, Smith and his guests expand on the themes in the book, exploring potential solutions to the digital issues shaping the world today. The New York Times has called Smith “a de facto ambassador for the technology industry at large” and The Australian Financial Review has described him as “one of the technology industry’s most respected figures.” He has testified numerous times before the U.S. Congress and other governments on these key policy issues.
Smith joined Microsoft in 1993, first spending three years in Paris leading the legal and corporate affairs team in Europe. In 2002, he was named Microsoft’s general counsel and spent the following decade leading work to resolve the company’s antitrust controversies with governments around the world and companies across the tech sector. Over the past decade, Smith has spearheaded the company’s work to advance privacy protection for Microsoft customers and the rights of DREAMers and other immigrants, including bringing multiple lawsuits against the U.S. government on these issues.
Prior to joining Microsoft, Smith was an associate and then partner at the law firm of Covington and Burling, where he is still remembered as the first attorney in the long history of the firm to insist (in 1986) on having a personal computer on his desk as a condition for accepting a job offer. In addition to his work at Microsoft, Smith is active in several civic organizations and in the broader technology industry. He has served on the Netflix board of directors since 2015 and chairs the board of directors of both Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) and the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship program.
Sponsor keynote Tuesday @ 11:35 AM
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.
Welcome and Introduction Tuesday @ 9:30 AM
Launch of “A UK Tech Plan: How the next Government can use technology to build a better Britain" Tuesday @ 9:45 AM
In conversation with: Paul Scully MP, Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy Tuesday @ 11:15 AM
In conversation with: Lucy Powell MP, Shadow Secretary of State for DCMS Tuesday @ 3:30 PM
Closing Remarks Tuesday @ 4:50 PM
Hollie Whittles is the National Policy Skills champion for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). She is also is an award winning TEDx speaker, author and Director of two digital companies – Purple Frog Systems and FraggleWorks. Spending more than 7000 hours speaking to audiences across the UK and internationally, she has helped hundreds of businesses to digitally transform.
In 2023, Hollie was nominated as a finalist in 2 categories of the Digital Women awards being held in October. In 2021, she was awarded in the UK Spotlight Awards for her work in the UK Business Technology Community by CompTIA. In 2020, she was named as one of the top 40 Women in Tech by Digital Women and won the national WomanWho awards in the business networking category. She was presented with a certificate from the British Computer Society for her work in the UK digital industry in 2018. In 2014, Hollie was voted one of the Top 50 Women in Tech by PCR Online and was Woman of the Year finalist.
Panel 5 – Building the UK’s digital economy: a better approach to digital adoption Tuesday @ 4:00 PM
