Welcoming in-person attendees

1:00 – 2:00 pm BST

Refreshments & networking

Opening Keynote

2:00 – 2:05 pm BST

SPEAKER

For the last 30 years-plus, Rich has worked with over 270 global and local businesses, each one seeking a sustainable, competitive edge – through people. Challenging and developing talent from entry-level, across organisations and into the Boardroom, he has been involved with recruitment, training, coaching and consulting. His engagements have taken him around the World as a speaker and also to provide tactical support to change initiatives – a favourite, but always challenging, ‘mission’.

Rich has personal experience of start-ups – and has appeared on television, radio and in mainstream media talking about his own business innovations. He has also been a panel expert for leadership and innovation forums.

How to create the conditions for innovations to happen

2:05 – 2:30 pm BST

SPEAKER

Neta Meir is a passionate innovator and transformer. Her experience in marketing, digital transformation and innovation, led her to her current role as Sodexo Group Innovation SVP.

In her role, Neta and her team are responsible for the acceleration of Sodexo’s innovation journey, by creating an internal and open innovation ecosystem that supports the growth and transformation of the business.

Neta is a multicultural person, born in Israel, living in London and working in Paris, speaking Hebrew, English and French.

SPEAKER

George Clark is a customer-centric Technology specialist with a passion for digital commerce, omnichannel strategies, data, and customer-centric focused growth. His strengths lie in leadership, communication, and collaboration, demonstrated by his success in building and motivating high-performing teams.

As the former Technology & Customer Experience Director at Mulberry, George has extensive experience steering the strategic direction and execution of technology initiatives, focusing on driving best-in-class luxury omnichannel transformation and growth.

Building operational resilience – How AI will impact cyber security

2:35 – 2:55 pm BST

SPEAKER

Detective Chief Superintendent Andrew Gould is a City of London police officer and the National Cybercrime Programme Lead for National Police Chiefs’ Council. He is responsible for developing the police response to cybercrime at the national, regional and local level. This includes overseeing the operational activity of Regional and Force Cybercrime Units and supporting the response to major national cyber incidents.

Andrew is also responsible for the development of an effective police capability on the Dark Web and in cryptocurrencies. He is also a Global Cybercrime Expert for Interpol. Prior to this he ran the Met Police’s Cybercrime Unit having previously worked in Counter Terrorism leading counter terrorism investigations and operations in the UK and abroad.

SPEAKER

Elisabeth has been the Chair of Edinburgh Investment Trust (EIT) PLC, a FTSE 250 listed investment trust, since July 2022, having been a non-executive director of EIT since 2019.

In December 2022 she was also appointed as a new board member of NYSE listed REIT W. P. Carey, Inc.; and just recently she has been appointed by M&G PLC as an independent Non-Executive Director with effect from 1 August 2024. She will become a member of the Audit and Risk Committees on the same date.

She has been an external member of the Audit and Risk Committee of AIIB (Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank) since April 2021 and a member of alstria AG’s Supervisory Board since May 2021.

Previously she was an external member of the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) and an external member of the Bank of England’s FMI (Financial Market Infrastructure) Board.

Leading change & transformation | Data driven innovations

3:00 – 3:30 pm BST

SPEAKER

Douglas McCormick joined Pegasus Group as CEO in June 2024 with a brief to significantly grow the business. He has a solid track record of organisational change and transformation, delivering significant value growth in the businesses he has been involved in. He has led teams of more than 1500 people and managed budgets in excess of £200m.

Douglas has fulfilled a wide range of roles in the construction and infrastructure sectors at international level. Previously Executive Chairman, Gleeds UK, he doubled the size of the UK business and multiplied profitability in the 3 years he was there.

Before that, he was Chief Executive Officer of WYG Group plc, delivering a significant increase in shareholder value. Douglas has advised on the strategic direction of global consultancies in the real estate sector, including as Chief Executive Officer of Currie & Brown’s former entity Sweett Group plc and Group Managing Director of the rail division of Atkins in the UK.

Douglas holds an MSc in Construction Management and a BSc in Quantity Surveying. He is Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Non-executive Director of the RICS Board and Chair of the RICS Global Members Committee and a Fellow and Non-Executive Director of the Institute of Collaborative Working.

SPEAKER

Lauren joined the Group IT & Technology leadership team at Howden seven years ago and is responsible for developing a cohesive digital and customer experience strategy; driven by data, delivered through technology.

Lauren is both strategic and commercially minded, with a proven track record for formulating and implementing bespoke transformation strategies that deliver measurable results across all touchpoints of the customer journey.

Her 20-year career has spanned numerous industries and sectors, including Financial Services, Oil and Gas, charities, FMCG, Hospitality and Education.

She is an advocate for creating inclusive working environments and collaborating closely with central and regional teams across the Group.

SPEAKER

Pallavi Kumar – Head of Change Management, Group Data & Analytics @ DANSKE BANK

GenAI & Cognitive AI applications in different industries

3:45 – 4:25 pm BST

SPEAKER

Professor Rosalyn Moran is the CEO and Co-Founder of Stanhope AI, a deep-tech start-up based in London and a Professor of Computational Neuroscience at King’s College London.

Rosalyn’s research on human brain function has spanned a twenty-year career at the intersection of cognition, neurobiology and AI algorithms – focused on the Free Energy principle of brain function.

She was deputy director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence at King’s College London and has held faculty positions at Virginia Tech, The University of Bristol and UCL.

SPEAKER

Christopher Kenna is Founder of BA Diversity Media Inc and Cultural Intelligence // DECA Diversity Media Consultancy, a Startups.co.uk top 100 company for 3 consecutive years (2019,2020,2021), and connects brands with diverse audiences globally, through Insights, Media and Creative.

Christopher is a director at UK Conscious Advertising Network (CAN) and US country lead for (CAN), and as a mixed race, out gay father – he is a strong advocate for diversity and representations within media and advertising. He is also on the advisory boards for WFA, London Met Police and the V&A Museums.

An award-winning entrepreneur having received the Innovator of the Year Award at the second annual Ex-Forces in Business Awards, been in the British LGBT Awards top 10 3x times (2020, 2022 & 2023), named on EMPower’s 100 Ethnic Minority Executives 2020 and OUTstanding top 100 LGBT Executives and recently in the top 20 of the Top 100 Marketing Influencers in the Technology for Marketing Index 2023!

CHAIR

Janet is Senior Independent Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee at AIM listed EnSilica, Chair of the Board at two UK technology startups, Quantum Dice and Machine Discovery, and Independent NED at the Aerospace Technology Institute.

She is also a member of the UK government’s Semiconductor Advisory Panel.

She mentors women engineers across careers stages through to C suite.

How should boards consider AI adoption

4:30 – 5:20 pm BST

SPEAKER

Alla is an experienced Independent Non-Executive Director and Committee Chair with extensive international background in business leadership across regulated financial services, and expertise in global markets spanning a broad spectrum of products, asset classes and jurisdictions.

Currently she is an iNED on the Boards of Willis Limited, WTW Group’s biggest regulated subsidiary in Corporate Risk Advisory and Insurance Broking, where she is also Chair of Enterprise Risk Management Committee, and Mitsui Bussan Commodities, where she is Chair of Risk and Audit Committees and Whistleblowing Champion.

She has long-standing engagements with technology focused Gauss Ventures venture capital fund, and with Parkinson’s UK charity.

Additionally, Alla has been an avid war relief volunteer and refugee resettlement activist during the war in her native Ukraine.

SPEAKER

Zahra is an AI & Frontier Tech Expert, Entrepreneur, Advisor, NED, Investor & Speaker who serves on several boards.

She serves as a Board Advisor at NexaQuanta (AI & Gen AI consultancy) & a partner of IBM Watsonx (responsible AI platform for enterprises). She also serves on the Technology Advisory Panel at the ICO, as a Senior Board Advisor & Investment Committee Member at TeamUp Ventures (VC), and as the Co-Founder & Investor (& former NED) at Seers (privacy platform).

She has a background in Management Consultancy at Accenture within Financial Services – Capital Markets. She helped global Investment Banking clients on strategic projects using AI-based FinTech & RegTech solutions to ensure regulatory compliance.

She serves as a Trustee (& former CEO) of the BPF & Chair/ President of OPEN London. She co-chaired TIE London Women & chaired a Europe-wide founders initiative as a Google alumnus.

She has an MSc. ADMIS & an MBA (Essentials Certification) both from the LSE. She obtained the FT NED Diploma. She gained 6 AI & Gen AI certifications from IBM.

SPEAKER

Elisabeth has been the Chair of Edinburgh Investment Trust (EIT) PLC, a FTSE 250 listed investment trust, since July 2022, having been a non-executive director of EIT since 2019.

In December 2022 she was also appointed as a new board member of NYSE listed REIT W. P. Carey, Inc.; and just recently she has been appointed by M&G PLC (FTSE 100) as an independent Non-Executive Director with effect from 1 August 2024. She will become a member of the Audit and Risk Committees on the same date.

She has been an external member of the Audit and Risk Committee of AIIB (Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank) since April 2021 and a member of alstria AG’s Supervisory Board since May 2021.

Previously she was an external member of the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) and an external member of the Bank of England’s FMI (Financial Market Infrastructure) Board.

Drinks reception & networking

5:20 – 7:00 pm BST

Join us for some awesome wine/beer/soft drinks/kombucha