FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If you cannot find the answer you need, don’t hesitate to drop the team a line at
delegate.enquiries@pendragonim.com
Jake Richards MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Sentencing, Human Rights and Technology)
Jake Richards was reappointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Ministry of Justice on 22 July 2026, as the Minister for Sentencing, Human Rights and Technology.
He was previously Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sentencing, Youth Justice and International Justice in the Ministry of Justice and an Assistant Whip in the House of Commons between 7 September 2025 and 22 July 2026.
He was elected as the MP for Rother Valley in July 2024.
He was called to the bar in 2017 and practised as a barrister until his election to Parliament.
Sessions featuring Jake Richards MP:
- Fireside Chat: How can AI, data and digital innovation help tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing the justice system?
Aimee Smith
Government Chief Data Officer, UK Government
Aimee is the UK Government’s Chief Data Officer, responsible for implementing the Government-wide Data Strategy, fostering a data-driven culture, strengthening governance, and collaborating with senior stakeholders to ensure coherent, secure, and responsible use of data across government to drive effective and ethical digital services for the Public.
Aimee Smith began her career with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in 2001 as an Intelligence Analyst. By 2014, she was leading the UK’s largest Confidential Intelligence Unit, overseeing the collection and dissemination of covert intelligence for major investigations. Aimee recognised the criticality of data to effective operational decision-making and led to her driving a data transformation programme to establish the first Data Office in UK law enforcement.
She also played a pivotal role in creating and chairing the NPCC National Data & Analytics Board across the whole law enforcement sector and spearheaded the position on changes to Data Legislation and future Data Reform.
A passionate advocate for treating data as a strategic asset, Aimee emphasises investment in skilled Data Professionals to enhance accountability, transform digital public services pan-Government, and deliver better outcomes for citizens. Aimee champions improving data quality, proportionality, and accessibility, while promoting transparency and public trust.
Aimee is a married mother of two, and step mother of two more, she loves Nottingham Forest Football Club and all sports.
Sessions featuring Aimee Smith:
- The implications of data sovereignty – and how your organisation can treat data as a national asset
- Keynote address
Dr Kion Ahadi
Chief Executive, Leasehold Advisory Service
Kion Ahadi is Chief Executive of the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE), the government-sponsored body providing free expert advice on residential leasehold, commonhold and park homes across England and Wales. Since joining in early 2026, he has led LEASE’s transformation into a digital-first, insight-led public body, placing responsible AI and trusted information at the heart of how the organisation serves the public. He writes and speaks widely on technology, leadership and human-centred public services, and is the author of the forthcoming book Humanity Reimagined in the Age of AI.
Sessions featuring Dr Kion Ahadi:
- Trusted information in an AI-first world: Lessons from LEASE
Maryam Ahmed
Head of Data First, Ministry of Justice
Sessions featuring Maryam Ahmed:
- BOLD Partnership – Building evidence and connecting government systems through data linking
ANG Boon Heng
Director of the Manpower Research and Statistics Department and Chief AI & Data Officer, Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Singapore
Ang Boon Heng is Director of the Manpower Research and Statistics Department and Chief AI & Data Officer at Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM). He oversees the compilation, analysis and dissemination of Singapore’s labour market statistics, providing data-driven insights to support workforce planning and policymaking. With over 15 years of experience in labour market analysis and official statistics, he advises national bodies on workforce and employment issues.
As Chief AI & Data Officer, he leads MOM’s AI and data strategy, advancing the responsible use of AI and analytics to enhance policymaking, operations, and public service delivery. He also contributes to international discussions on labour statistics, data governance, and statistical standards through his representation of Singapore at the International Labour Organization.
Beatrice Baribeau
Assistant Chief Statistician of the Strategic Data Management, Methods and Analysis Field, Statistics Canada
In her current role, Beatrice provides executive leadership for statistical methodology, data and information management and she is the co-lead for the Agency’s AI strategy and adoption. With more than 20 years of experience in data production and integration for the purposes of official statistics, she has led major initiatives modernizing statistical methods, strengthening data governance, and advancing the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence. A statistician by training, Beatrice combines deep methodological expertise with a passion for innovation and collaborative leadership. She is an active contributor to both the Canadian and international statistical communities.
Sessions featuring Beatrice Baribeau:
- Making AI data governance work
- Fireside chat: Boosting citizen – and official – trust in AI to ensure it can be deployed at scale
Maciej Baron
Senior Engineer and Tech Lead, Torchbox
Maciej is a Senior Engineer and Tech Lead at Torchbox with more than 16 years’ experience in digital technology. He has worked with organisations including the Office for National Statistics, BBC, VisitBritain, IPPR and The King’s Trust, alongside a range of charities and public sector organisations. An experienced Wagtail developer, Maciej has a particular interest in exploring how AI can be used ethically and practically to improve digital services and provide services to those who need them.
Sessions featuring Maciej Baron:
- Trusted information in an AI-first world: Lessons from LEASE
Priya Basker
Head of Technology & Data Engineering, Ministry of Justice
Sessions featuring Priya Basker:
- BOLD Partnership – Building evidence and connecting government systems through data linking
Sue Bateman
Chief Data Officer, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, United Kingdom
Sue Bateman is Chief Data Officer for Defra group responsible for leading work in how data and information are used to support Defra’s own transformation journey. Our shared vision is to put data and information at the heart of everything we do in Defra group – maximising the rich and varied data that we hold to support our missions and outcomes – through the delivery of our Data and Information Strategic Roadmap. Sue and the CDO team lead and convene a vibrant and growing data community across Defra.
Sue is a longstanding civil servant with digital, data and strategy leadership experience at national and international levels – prior to joining Defra having been the interim Government Chief Data Officer at Central Digital and Data Office where she led on the development and delivery of the National Data Strategy and Digital and Data Roadmap.
Sessions featuring Sue Bateman:
- Building data maturity across public services
Thomas Beautyman
Deputy Director, Government Digital Service, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, United Kingdom
Thomas joined the Government Digital Service (GDS) in 2021 (which is now part of DSIT) and is responsible for transforming how Government grows capability in digital, data and cyber. This includes attracting, recruiting and building digital expertise, through to developing the many leaders in government who have specialism in other domains, but increasingly need digital and data confidence to deliver.
Thomas joined Government in 2019 from BT, where he led engineering workforce planning, apprenticeships and learning transformation. He is also a trustee at Good Things Foundation, the UK’s leading digital inclusion charity.
Sessions featuring Thomas Beautyman:
- Building and sustaining digital and data capability and talent in the public sector
- Fireside Chat
Ayub Bhayat
Director of Data and Analytics, Deputy Chief Data and Analytics Officer, NHS England, United Kingdom
Ayub Bhayat is the Director of Data and Analytics, Deputy Chief Data and Analytics Officer at NHS England and is the HSJ Digital Awards 2024, Digital Leader of the Year. Ayub has over 20 years of leading digital change across the health service.
Successfully progressing from the ground up, he started his career as an Information Analyst in 2005, and has worked in a variety of data, analytics, and software engineering type roles across the NHS ever since.
Passionate about using data to drive decision making, he works alongside clinicians, operational teams and leaders to transform patients’ outcomes through his work. This has included building the data infrastructure for the Covid-19 Vaccinations programme, being responsible for the largest non-clinical procurement in NHS history – the £330m Federated Data Platform – and now driving efforts to develop a Single Patient Record, owned by the patient and shared across the NHS system.
Sessions featuring Ayub Bhayat:
- Building a vocabulary and infrastructure for data sharing across public services
Phillip Bland
Global Government Advisor, Qualtrics
Phillip leads Public Sector strategy for Qualtrics across Asia, Pacific, Japan and Canada. Phillip is passionate about citizen experience and the way Public Sector can serve its customers and employees. As one of the first certified XM professionals in the world, his role at Qualtrics supports the Public Sector XM community by providing thought leadership and working with Government Customers and Qualtrics teams to deliver innovative outcomes to citizens. Phillip held a number of senior leadership roles in New South Wales Government. In that time he established a whole-of-government experience management team, delivered foundational citizen research panels, voice of customer programs and real-time insights initiatives. Phillip led Service Design and customer insights on bushfire recovery programs, Covid-19 support services, identity recovery for homelessness, inclusive design for non-digital and remote communities, small business optimisation and post pandemic reskilling. As a transformation manager and implementation lead, he delivered over 50 contact centre implementations including new teams and lines of businesses as well as delivering best practice training programs on customer excellence and frontline customer leadership.
Sessions featuring Phillip Bland:
- Building and sustaining digital and data capability and talent in the public sector
- Measuring citizen satisfaction with public services
Charlie Boundy
Chief Data Officer, Companies House, United Kingdom
Charlie is a senior data leader with extensive leadership experience turning data into a sustainable resource in a number of large enterprises. He draws on best practice experience from retail, utilities, telcos, insurance and government – most recently as the Head of Advanced Analytics at the Department for Work and Pensions.
He joined Companies House as Chief Data Officer in July 2023 with knowledge across the full range of data disciplines including strategy, advanced analytics, engineering and governance. This includes data protection, data quality and even open data as well as applying data for counter fraud, customer experience and operational performance.
Michaela Breilmann
Head of Suffolk Office of Data & Analytics, Suffolk County Council
Sessions featuring Michaela Breilmann:
- BOLD Partnership – From Insight to Impact: Using Data to Transform Public Services
Jenny Brooker
Chief Data Architect, Government Digital Service, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, United Kingdom
With a background as a software engineer Jenny started out writing code for submarines, but quickly found a love of all things data. Moving from building large scale data systems to leading the development of new data products at Ordnance Survey, delivering innovative new data and analytics solutions in the Utilities industry and driven data adoption and strategy at The Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Now focusing on enabling data sharing across government in her role as Chief Data Architect, Jennifer has seen first-hand the benefits that sharing and linking datasets can bring, and what happens when you put the data in the hands of the people who need it.
Richard Browne
Chief Data and AI Officer, Digital, Technology and Security Directorate, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, United Kingdom
Tina Clapham CBE
Director Trusted Data & Technology (TDT) Directorate, Chief Data Officer Group, UK Health Security Agency
Sessions featuring Tina Clapham CBE:
- Building a more resilient and cyber secure state with AI
Kevin Cunnington
Expert Advisor for Global Government Forum, and former Director General of the UK Government Digital Service
Kevin was Director General of the International Government Service and Digital Envoy for the UK from August 2019, until April 2021. Prior to that, he was the Director General of the Government Digital Service from August 2016 to July 2019. Kevin left the UK Civil Service in April 2021.
Kevin has led a variety of large scale, and global, digital transformation programmes. He spent his early career in programming and IT consultancy. More recently he was the Global Head of Online for Vodafone Group and Business Transformation Group Director General at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Kevin now advises Global Government Forum, and leads the Global Government Digital Leaders’ Study.
Marco Daglio
Head, Observatory of Public Sector Innovation, OECD
Marco Daglio is a Senior Advisor in the OECD’s Governance Indicators and Performance Division, where he leads efforts to help governments harness innovation, digital transformation, and data-driven approaches to improve public sector performance and address complex policy challenges.
Previously, Marco served as Head of the OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI), leading international work on public sector innovation and supporting governments in developing new approaches to policy design, service delivery, and governance. He also contributed to establishing the OECD’s Digital Government Practice and led digital government country reviews in a range of OECD member and partner countries. Throughout his career, Marco has advised governments on public sector reform, conducted technical assessments of public management systems, and supported governance modernization initiatives across OECD and non-OECD countries.
Elias David
Head of UK&I, ElevenLabs
With a career spanning two decades at the forefront of the Voice and API industries, Elias has witnessed voice technologies evolve from a basic connectivity layer to the channel that will power the Agentic revolution. Having held leadership roles with several Mobile Operators followed by roles at Twilio and Salesforce. Elias bridges the gap between legacy technical infrastructure and the future of customer engagement . Elias recently joined ElevenLabs to lead the UKI GTM Team and spearhead the mission of empowering brands to deliver on the promise of incredible customer experience.
Dr. Gurpinder Dhillon
Head of Data and AI, Senzing
Dr. Gurpinder Dhillon is the Head of Data and AI at Senzing, a company pioneering real-time entity resolution for AI, data management, analytics, and compliance. With two decades of experience spanning data strategy, governance, and intelligent systems, Gurpinder has led enterprise-scale transformation efforts in both startups and Fortune 500s.
He is known for translating complex data challenges into trusted, scalable architectures—especially in regulated industries like financial services, public safety, and government. At Senzing, he is focused on growing a global ecosystem of partners and embedding entity resolution into the foundation of next-generation AI and GenAI solutions.
A published author, frequent keynote speaker, and former global head of data at Dun & Bradstreet, Gurpinder blends strategic vision with deep operational insight to help organizations unlock value from clean, resolved identity data.
Sessions featuring Dr. Gurpinder Dhillon:
- One Citizen, Twelve Records: The Problem Underneath Joined-Up Services
Phil Disbury
Commercial Director, Hippo
Phil is an experienced and innovative purchasing and supply professional with backgrounds both in buying for and supplying to Government. In his last civil service role, Phil was responsible for HMRC’s £800m per annum IT/Digital Applications spend, took a leading role in the £9.6bn multi-year Technology Sourcing Programmes, and developed and delivered the commercial programme for the £6bn DALAS framework. In private sector roles, Phil has primarily helped small and medium-sized enterprises to grow and mature their Government portfolios, achieving high double-digit percentage revenue increases at both Hippo Digital and Tecknuovo.
Sessions featuring Phil Disbury:
- Improving data sharing across the public sector – and making it happen
- Building a vocabulary and infrastructure for data sharing across public services
Holly Ellis
Director for UK Public Sector Technology, AWS
Holly leads the UKGI (UK, Germany, and International Organisations) Public Sector Technology team, which covers all industries within the Public Sector, from Education, Healthcare, Not for Profit, to Central Government departments. Holly leads Solution Architects within each of these industries, additionally leading a team of Security Specialists.
Holly has worked in the Technology industry for over two decades, leading large teams to deliver technology transformation directly from within government (having previously worked in Local Government, the Home Office, Government Digital Service, and Department for International Trade), and on behalf of public sector customers from within the private sector.
Holly specialises in technology strategy, including GenAI, digital, data and technology organisation leadership, including early career talent, and engages with customers on Amazon’s Culture of Innovation.
Sessions featuring Holly Ellis:
- Unlocking AI to deliver government priorities
Tim Faber
Director (Programme) of the Dutch Government Data Strategy, Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, The Netherlands
Tim Faber is the director (programme) of the Dutch Government Data Strategy at the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. He led the development of the Dutch Government Data Strategy and now oversees the implementation. The strategy aims to ensure that the possibilities of data are used to better support citizens and businesses. Working across ministries, agencies and regional governments, Tim advances data governance, interoperability and maturity while embedding public values across government. His role reflects the strategic use of data to improve policymaking, strengthen public services and deliver societal impact in a multi-stakeholder environment.
Sessions featuring Tim Faber:
- Improving data sharing across the public sector – and making it happen
- Building a vocabulary and infrastructure for data sharing across public services
Pippa Fernandes
Deputy Director, Strategy, Incubator for AI (i.AI), United Kingdom
Sessions featuring Pippa Fernandes:
- Making AI work: Moving from pilots to practice
Paul Francis
Chief Data Officer, Department for Work and Pensions, United Kingdom
Biography to be added shortly.
Nigel Garner
Chief Technology & AI Officer, Nimble Approach, part of SCC Group
Nigel is results-driven CTO with over 20 years of experience leading technology and product strategy in high-growth organisations. Currently, Nigel is Chief Technology & AI Officer for Nimble Approach, an SCC Business.
Sessions featuring Nigel Garner:
- Making AI work: Moving from pilots to practice
Ravi Gogna
Head of Data Strategy and Transformation, Home Office
Ravi is the Home Office’s Head of Data Strategy and Transformation, and leads a team that is driving the improvement of the Home Office’s data and analytics capabilities across the whole department. Working closely with all parts of the department, his team is developing and implementing a departmental data and analytics strategy, as well as running a highly-regarded data literacy service. Ravi joined the Civil Service following a career in data analytics consultancy at BAE Systems, where he delivered complex data analytics solutions to counter fraud, support law enforcement and protect the border.
Christopher Griffin
Chief Architect National Armaments Directorate Group, Ministry of Defence, United Kingdom
Christopher Griffin is a Chief Architect within the UK Ministry of Defence’s National Armaments Director Group, where he provides strategic leadership for the architecture, governance and evolution of complex digital, data and information capabilities supporting Defence operations and Enterprise services.
With over fifteen years of experience spanning engineering, operational delivery, service management, enterprise architecture, data exploitation and digital transformation, Chris has worked across land, maritime, air and joint environments, delivering technology capabilities that support both deployed operations and enterprise-scale organisations.
His expertise includes enterprise architecture, data governance, information management, digital transformation and technology design and assurance. Throughout his career, he has championed the use of data as a strategic asset, helping organisations establish governance frameworks, architectural standards and operating models that enable secure data sharing, exploitation and evidence-based decision making. His work has focused on creating the conditions for operational data advantage by ensuring information is trusted, accessible, interoperable and actionable across complex organisational boundaries.
Chris has led the design and assurance of large-scale information systems and digital services, bringing together technology, data, security and business stakeholders to deliver sustainable transformation. He is particularly interested in the challenges of balancing innovation, governance and operational effectiveness, and in helping organisations unlock greater value from their data through modern architectures, effective stewardship and proportionate governance.
A graduate of the Advanced Command and Staff Course, Chris holds a Master’s degree in Defence Studies and is a Chartered Manager. He is a regular contributor to strategic discussions on digital transformation, enterprise architecture, data governance and the future use of information and AI-enabled capabilities across government.
Toby Hayward-Goulding
Deputy Chief Data Officer, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, United Kingdom
Toby heads up the Data function at the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ), where he is responsible for the department’s data models and architectures, governance and strategy and runs the analytical platform. Toby is leading a step-change in DESNZ to make the department more data-driven in its operations, grant delivery, performance reporting and policy-making. Before joining DESNZ, Toby worked at the Ministry of Justice where he created and led the Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) programme, an innovative data linking programme run jointly between MoJ, DHSC, MHCLG and the Welsh Govt. which has joined up government data from across departments to tackle cross-cutting policy challenges like substance misuse, homelessness and reoffending. Toby is interested in how disparate data sources can be brought together, breaking down organisational boundaries, to answer questions and generate new insight.
Sessions featuring Toby Hayward-Goulding:
- Building a vocabulary and infrastructure for data sharing across public services
Joe Hearnshaw
Head of AI, UK Sovereign Transformation Service, Accenture
Joe is Head of AI within Accenture’s UK Sovereign Transformation Services and leads AI adoption and transformation across Central Government. A Chartered IT Professional and published author in the knowledge graph domain, his experience spans Government, Defence, Energy, AgriTech, Life Sciences and Local Government. Joe has led multi-million-pound transformation programmes and large-scale AI delivery across Government, taking solutions from experimentation into secure, sovereign production and advising C-suite leaders and senior policymakers on responsible AI. Alongside his technology career, Joe has held executive responsibility in local government, giving him first-hand experience of the financial, operational and political realities of public-sector decision-making. His focus is on scaling AI safely to deliver measurable operational and public outcomes.
Richard Henderson
Assistant Deputy Minister and Corporate Chief Information Officer, Government of Alberta, Canada
Richard Henderson is Assistant Deputy Minister and Corporate Chief Information Officer for the Government of Alberta, where he leads enterprise technology strategy, digital transformation, and IT operations across one of Canada’s largest and most complex public sector environments. In this role, he is responsible for enabling secure, reliable, and scalable digital services that support government programs and improve service delivery for Albertans.
Prior to joining the Government of Alberta, Richard served as Chief Information Security Officer for Alberta Health Services, overseeing cybersecurity strategy and operations for one of the largest integrated healthcare environments in the world. His leadership experience spans enterprise technology modernization, cybersecurity operations, digital resilience, and large-scale public sector transformation.
Richard is a strong advocate for practical and responsible AI adoption within government. Under Alberta’s leadership, the province is emerging as the national leader in AI enablement across the public service, advancing the use of artificial intelligence to improve operational efficiency, support evidence-based decision-making, strengthen cybersecurity capabilities, and enhance citizen services at scale. His work emphasizes the responsible integration of emerging technologies while maintaining public trust, security, and transparency.
A recognized technology leader, Richard frequently speaks on topics including digital government, AI adoption, cyber resilience, and public sector innovation. He is committed to building high-performing teams, fostering cross-jurisdictional collaboration, and helping shape the future of modern public service delivery in Canada.
Sessions featuring Richard Henderson:
- Building a more resilient and cyber secure state with AI
- Making AI work: Moving from pilots to practice
Ed Hiley
Technology Director, Hippo
Ed is an expert in engineering and digital transformation in the public and private sector. His experience spans across various roles where he has been instrumental in driving projects that integrate innovative technologies with strategic business goals. Ed’s approach is grounded in practicality, focusing on creating sustainable solutions that address real-world challenges. Ed’s expertise allows him to navigate complex digital landscapes and lead teams in dynamic environments, where he emphasises collaboration and adaptability. As a speaker, Ed offers valuable insights drawn from his hands-on experience, providing audiences with a pragmatic and grounded perspective on technology’s role in business and society.
Sessions featuring Ed Hiley:
- Improving data sharing across the public sector – and making it happen
Matthew Hills
GTM Lead - Government and Public Sector UKI, ElevenLabs
Matthew is the GTM Lead for Government and Public Sector UKI at ElevenLabs, focused on supporting public sector organisations with AI voice technology initiatives across the region. Prior to joining ElevenLabs, Matthew spent several years at Asana and DeepL, working with enterprise and public sector organisations, including Central and Local Government and the NHS, helping teams improve communication, collaboration, and operational efficiency through technology.
Passionate about the role of AI in transforming citizen engagement and accessibility, Matthew works closely with organisations exploring how voice technology can improve service delivery and user experience at scale. He is particularly interested in practical, responsible AI adoption within government and regulated industries.
Sessions featuring Matthew Hills:
- Using AI to create seamless joined-up public services
Joseph Hoffman
Lead, Government Transformation Implementation Unit, Government of Jamaica Services Database, Jamaica
Joseph Hoffman leads the GSD team in Jamaica. He has over 30 years of government experience, holding senior roles in education and training, economic policy, trade, social services, labour, and intergovernmental relations. Since 1984, he has led and advised on large-scale public sector reform, research and higher education initiatives globally, collaborating with policymakers, universities, think tanks, businesses, and civil society groups.
Dan James
Cabinet Secretary's AI Adviser for the Civil Service, United Kingdom
Sessions featuring Dan James:
- Using AI to create seamless joined-up public services
Fiona James
Chief Data Officer and Director, Data Products, Services and Governance, Office for National Statistics, United Kingdom
Fiona is Chief Data Officer and Director of Data Growth and Operations at the Office for National Statistics. She is an experienced digital, data, technology and policy expert with a deep understanding of the delivery challenges faced by public sector organisations.
She has a track record in leadership through complexity, projects and people in both a policy and service delivery context.
Fiona joined the Civil Service in 2006 as a generalist Fast Streamer at the Department for Transport, where she held policy, strategy and operational roles across aviation, roads and maritime.
She spent four years working on exiting the European Union, leading transport and digital, data and technology readiness at the Cabinet Office, before moving to the Crown Prosecution Service as a digital technology leader, helping to transform criminal justice during the pandemic.
Fiona is married to Will, and they have three sons.
Sessions featuring Fiona James:
- Making AI data governance work
- How to properly value data in government
Shehroze Junejo
Chief Data and Analytics Officer, UK Government Investments, United Kingdom
Shehroze joined UKGI in September 2021 and currently serves as the organisation’s first Chief Data Officer. In this capacity Shehroze is responsible for overseeing the analytical work undertaken by UKGI and identifying opportunities to unlock efficiencies across the organisation by leveraging data and insights. In addition, Shehroze is responsible for leading the Portfolio Analysis & Engagement team within the Financial Instruments and Transactions Advisory Group (FInTAG). As part of this he has led work to aggregate contingent liability data from across government and drive data-driven decision making to improve risk management.
Prior to joining UKGI, Shehroze lead an analytical unit within the Infrastructure and Projects Authority to bring together government’s £650bn National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline, advise on the delivery of major government projects and programmes as well as inform decision making around fiscal events.
Hlynur Karlsson
Chief Data Officer, Digital Iceland, Iceland
Hlynur Bjarki Karlsson is Chief Data Officer at Digital Iceland, where he is responsible for the Icelandic government’s data strategy, developing stronger data governance and shared data infrastructure across the public sector. A key part of his role is improving interoperability between institutions, making it easier to exchange data securely and use it more effectively in public services and decision-making.
He has more than 20 years of experience in technology and data, including roles at CCP Games, Sainsbury’s and JBT Marel. His background covers software development, data engineering, analytics and engineering management. He holds a BSc in Computer Science and an Executive MBA from Reykjavík University.
Sessions featuring Hlynur Karlsson:
- Building data maturity across public services
Hattie Kennedy
Chief Data Officer, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, United Kingdom
Dr. Shruti Kohli
Deputy Director, Data Strategy, Innovations & AI, Government Digital Service, United Kingdom
Shruti Kohli is a senior leader in data strategy at the Office of the Chief Data Officer (Government Digital Service), Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), where she drives national efforts on data policy and legislation for data sharing, innovation readiness, algorithmic transparency, and ethical data use. With over 25 years of experience across public and private sectors, Shruti brings deep expertise in technology, transformation, and strategic delivery. She has previously led the Data & AI Innovation Lab, delivering pioneering work in complex areas such as generative AI, privacy-enhancing technologies, data pods, unstructured data, and more. Her leadership has enabled cross-government collaboration and responsible innovation, helping shape a future-ready data ecosystem. Shruti has a strong technical academic foundation and is widely recognised for her systems thinking, inclusive leadership, and ability to translate technical complexity into actionable strategy. She is passionate about using data to improve public outcomes and strengthen the UK’s global position in AI and innovation.
Michal Kubáň
Head of Data Sharing Unit, Digital and Information Agency, Czechia
Michal Kubáň is Head of the Data Sharing Unit at the Digital and Information Agency of the Czech Republic, where he leads national policy on data governance and data sharing. He and his team developed the Strategy for Data Management in Public Administration (2024–2030) and he leads the Czech Open Data Task Force. His current priorities include transforming the Czech National Open Data Portal and implementing the Act on Data Governance and Controlled Access to Data in the Czech Republic.
Michal has worked in public sector data since 2013. From 2021 to 2025, he served as a Seconded National Expert at the European Commission, contributing to key EU data legislation, including the Open Data Directive, Data Governance Act, and Data Act. He is also a member of the OECD Expert Group on Open Government Data.
He holds an MA in History from Palacký University Olomouc and an MA in Euroculture from the University of Groningen.
Samantha Laskey
Interim Director of Data, Metropolitan Police Service, United Kingdom
After spending over 30 years in policing, Samantha has developed a deep appreciation for the role that trusted information and quality data play in effective decision-making. That belief continues to drive her passion for building better data services across policing.
Samantha is currently the Interim Director of Data at the Metropolitan Police Service, leading the data capabilities and services that support operational policing across London. She is passionate about using data to improve decision-making, strengthen accountability and build public trust.
As Deputy Director of Data, Samantha led the publication of the MPS Open Data Strategy, making the Metropolitan Police the first force in the UK to publish an open data strategy. She also played a key role in delivering an organisation-wide Data Capability Assessment Framework, helping to strengthen assurance and improve data maturity across the organisation.
Prior to joining the Data Directorate, Samantha held a number of senior leadership roles within Counter Terrorism Policing, including Head of Strategy, Planning and Performance at Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters and leadership positions within SO15 Counter Terrorism Command, working alongside senior policing leaders, government departments and partners on national security priorities.
Alongside her operational and strategic expertise, Samantha is known for her empathetic leadership style. She is passionate about creating environments where people feel supported, valued and empowered to succeed, and believes the best outcomes are achieved when individuals are trusted to grow and realise their potential.
She remains passionate about the role of data in enabling more transparent, effective and accountable public services.
Vesa Lipponen
Chief Information Officer, Ministry of Finance, Finland
Vesa Lipponen is the Chief Information Officer at the Finnish Ministry of Finance, where he leads ICT governance and digital transformation across ten central government agencies.
With more than 15 years of experience in public sector digitalisation, Vesa has played a key role in designing and delivering government-wide transformation programmes. His background in social sciences informs his strong focus on ethics, public value, and the evolving role of government in the digital era.
In his current role, he oversees ICT governance for major public institutions, including the Finnish Tax Administration, Customs, Statistics Finland, the State Treasury, and the VATT Institute for Economic Research. He has worked across all levels of government and has extensive experience in public administration, policymaking, and the national budget process.
Vesa is currently leading work on two major national reforms: the transformation of Finland’s gambling system and the digitalisation of state aid processes.
He is particularly interested in how artificial intelligence can strengthen public sector productivity, improve services, and support better government decision-making.
Sessions featuring Vesa Lipponen:
- Measuring citizen satisfaction with public services
Toby Livesey
Head of Cyber Operations, Cyber Coordination Centre, United Kingdom
Sessions featuring Toby Livesey:
- Building a more resilient and cyber secure state with AI
Jonathan Macdonald
Director, AI Strategy, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Canada
Jonathan is an executive in the Responsible Data and AI team at the Office of the Chief Information Officer at Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) leading the GC policy and strategy files for AI. Recently, he led the development and launch of the AI Strategy for the Canadian Federal Public Service, the first Canadian AI Register, and the latest review of the Directive on Automated Decision-Making. Prior to this work he was responsible for setting government policy direction for protecting personal information. At TBS, he has championed data ethics through key pan-government digital projects and led the development of new digital-focused privacy tools. Prior to working at TBS, he worked at Fisheries and Oceans Canada where he began his public service career in the privacy and data ethics space and gradually took on various leadership roles in the IM/IT domain.
Sessions featuring Jonathan Macdonald:
- Using AI to create seamless joined-up public services
Laurence Mallows
Digital Transformation Lead, Leasehold Advisory Service
Laurence Mallows is the Digital Transformation Lead at the Leasehold Advisory Service. Since joining in 2023 he has led the transformation of LEASE into an AI and digital AI first organisation. He has 11 years’ experience in transformation, product management and AI in central Government and LEASE.
Sessions featuring Laurence Mallows:
- Trusted information in an AI-first world: Lessons from LEASE
Lindsay Mason
Deputy Director for Data, Information Governance and Skills, Ministry of Defence, United Kingdom
Lindsay Mason is a senior government leader specialising in data, AI and digital transformation across complex, operationally critical organisations. She currently serves as Deputy Director for Data, Information Governance and Skills at the UK Ministry of Defence and has also held the role of Interim UK Government Chief Data Officer. Her work focuses on helping organisations strengthen how they govern, share and use data to improve decision-making, drive transformation and deliver better outcomes.
With experience spanning data strategy, governance, information management, workforce capability and large-scale organisational change, Lindsay has led programmes that bring together policy, technology and operational communities around common goals. She is particularly interested in the practical adoption of data and AI, helping organisations create the leadership, culture and skills needed to realise value while maintaining trust, accountability and effective governance.
Yatin Mahandru
Vice President and Head of UK Public Sector, Cognizant
Yatin is a thought leader and advisor with 40 years of experience in the public and private sectors supporting the delivery of complex, large-scale transformational programmes in the UK and globally. A member of the UK leadership team, in his role, Yatin sets and executes the growth strategy with a focus on how and where advances in technology can be beneficial to citizen services while delivering through empowered teams. He is certified coach, mediator and board-level advisor with an interest in developing future leaders and supporting boards in developing inclusive growth strategies.
Sessions featuring Yatin Mahandru:
- Unlocking AI to deliver government priorities
Ally McAlpine
Chief Statistician, Scottish Government, United Kingdom
Ally McAlpine is the Scottish Government’s Chief Statistician. He has overall responsibility for the coordination and implementation of professional standards that help maintain trustworthiness in the use of data, its quality, and that deliver improved outcomes for people in Scotland.
Ally is currently leading statisticians and analysts in Scotland through a ‘Modernising our Statistics’ programme, which aims to improve the way data is accessed, analysed and integrated across the public sector in Scotland. He is also targeting innovative ways for statistics to be produced and published.
Ally is also co-director of ADR Scotland and a member of the ADR UK Leadership Committee, which aims to use data that is collected for better research and improve people’s lives through supporting Government to make the right decisions.
Ally led the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, which is the Scottish Government’s official tool for identifying deprived areas across Scotland, which won many awards in 2017 for its innovative ways in connecting these statistics to communities and improved its use in the general public.
Sessions featuring Ally McAlpine:
- Measuring citizen satisfaction with public services
Simon McLellan
Head of Data, Met Office, United Kingdom and Co-ordinator for Unified Data Policy Implementation, World Meteorological Organisation
Simon has over 30 years of experience in various roles at the Met Office, including data management, governance and policy; leadership and strategic planning; data collaboration across national organisations; and international data sharing. He has worked on several significant initiatives with a focus on sharing geospatial data between government organisations and across international boundaries. Simon currently works with senior stakeholders across Government to drive the use, usefulness and usability of Met Office weather and climate data delivering impact, benefit and value through data-driven and data-guided decision making. He also leads the implementation of the international data exchange policy between the 193 Member States of the World Meteorological Organisation, a specialised agency of the United Nations.
Sessions featuring Simon McLellan:
- How to properly value data in government
Sarah Merriam
Innovation and Implementation Lead, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
Sessions featuring Sarah Merriam:
- BOLD Partnership – From Insight to Impact: Using Data to Transform Public Services
Saleyah Miah
Head of Prevention Workstream, Ministry of Justice
Sessions featuring Saleyah Miah:
- BOLD Partnership – From Insight to Impact: Using Data to Transform Public Services
James Mitton
Chief AI Officer, His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), United Kingdom
James Mitton is HMRC’s Chief AI Officer, leading the organisation’s approach to artificial intelligence as a central pillar of its Transformation Roadmap. He is responsible for driving the adoption of AI at scale to deliver faster, smarter services for customers and colleagues, while safeguarding the integrity of the tax and customs system.
In this role, James is focused on embedding AI at the heart of service design, advancing innovative use cases across compliance, customer experience, and operations, and ensuring AI is deployed responsibly and securely. He works in partnership with colleagues across government and industry to accelerate innovation and deliver tangible public value.
Prior to this, James served as Director General for HMRC’s Enterprise Transformation Group, where he led large-scale transformation programmes to modernise services, improve operational efficiency, and enhance digital capabilities.
James joined HMRC in 2022 as Director of Benefits and Credits Operations, leading key initiatives to improve customer experience and compliance. Before joining the Civil Service, he held senior roles across retail, financial services, telecoms and utilities, building extensive expertise in strategy, digital transformation, and organisational change.
Sessions featuring James Mitton:
- Making AI work: Moving from pilots to practice
Professor Mark Mon-Williams
Chair, Cognitive Psychology, the University of Leeds and Professor of Psychology, Bradford Institute of Health Research and Professor of Vision Science, The Norwegian Centre for Vision
Professor Mark Mon-Williams (MMW) is Chair in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Leeds, Professor of Psychology at Bradford Institute of Health Research, Professor of Vision Science at The Norwegian Centre for Vision, and a Fellow of The Alan Turing Institute (the UK’s National data analytics and AI Centre).
He is Deputy Chair of the Department for Education’s Science Advisory Council and part of the Ministry of Justice’s ‘preventative analytics’ academic taskforce.
MMW is Director of the Wolfson Centre for Applied Health Research, Impact Director for Medicine and Health at Leeds, Executive Member of the Born in Bradford (BiB) longitudinal birth cohort programme, Child Health Outcome Research At Leeds (CHORAL), and the N8’s Child of The North partnership.
He isa Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and leads the BiB Centre of Applied Education Research and NHS Yorkshire Applied Research Collaboration ‘Data Analytics, AI and Visualisation’ group.
His research is funded by UKRI councils including the ESRC (e.g., Vulnerabilities and Policing Futures centre). He led the ‘Healthy Learning’ theme within the UK’s ‘ActEarly’ Prevention Research Programme and a team investigating the interactions between environmental and genetic risk factors for physical and mental health multimorbidity within the Medical Research Council LINC programme.
MMW is a Founder Member of the Priestley Academy Trust (a multiple academy trust that includes the first school known to provide free meals to children and measure the impact on children’s health).
Professor Mark Mon-Williams
Professor Mark Mon-Williams (MMW) is Chair in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Leeds, Professor of Psychology at Bradford Institute of Health Research, Professor of Vision Science at The Norwegian Centre for Vision, and a Fellow of The Alan Turing Institute (the UK’s National data analytics and AI Centre).
He is Deputy Chair of the Department for Education’s Science Advisory Council and part of the Ministry of Justice’s ‘preventative analytics’ academic taskforce.
MMW is Director of the Wolfson Centre for Applied Health Research, Impact Director for Medicine and Health at Leeds, Executive Member of the Born in Bradford (BiB) longitudinal birth cohort programme, Child Health Outcome Research At Leeds (CHORAL), and the N8’s Child of The North partnership.
He isa Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and leads the BiB Centre of Applied Education Research and NHS Yorkshire Applied Research Collaboration ‘Data Analytics, AI and Visualisation’ group.
His research is funded by UKRI councils including the ESRC (e.g., Vulnerabilities and Policing Futures centre). He led the ‘Healthy Learning’ theme within the UK’s ‘ActEarly’ Prevention Research Programme and a team investigating the interactions between environmental and genetic risk factors for physical and mental health multimorbidity within the Medical Research Council LINC programme.
MMW is a Founder Member of the Priestley Academy Trust (a multiple academy trust that includes the first school known to provide free meals to children and measure the impact on children’s health).
Sessions featuring Professor Mark Mon-Williams:
- BOLD Partnership – From Cradle to Adulthood: Insights Through Data
Su Morgan
Head of Digital & Technology OPG, Ministry of Justice, United Kingdom
Su has led the digital transformation of the Office of the Public Guardian over the past six years. Under her leadership, Su and her team have successfully retired legacy technology systems and pioneered Policy-centred design as a foundation for digital-first thinking. This approach has shaped OPG’s strategic direction and ensured that the Powers of Attorney Act (2023) was aligned with modern digital services, improving support to some of society’s most vulnerable individuals.
Prior to this, Su held a variety of technical roles across both the Public and Private sector working on high profile projects including AsiaPac broadcast services for London 2012 and the delivery of the Apprenticeship Exemplar for GOV.UK.
Sessions featuring Su Morgan:
- Building a vocabulary and infrastructure for data sharing across public services
Jenny Murray
Product Manager, Citizen Event Analytics (Data & AI), DWP Digital, United Kingdom
Jenny Murray is a Product Manager at DWP Digital, where she leads the development of data products that improve understanding of customer experiences across public services. She was responsible for the vision and delivery of Citizen Event Analytics, a pioneering data product that provides a near real-time, end-to-end view of customer journeys, enabling teams to identify and address service challenges more effectively.
With a career spanning product management, performance analytics, and business analysis, Jenny has worked across a range of DWP services, including Working Age, Bereavement and Care, and Identity and Trust. Before joining government, she held digital and data roles in marketing, financial services, and eCommerce, bringing a broad perspective on using data to drive meaningful outcomes.
Sessions featuring Jenny Murray:
- Measuring citizen satisfaction with public services
Dr. Iliya Peter Nickelt
Chief Data Scientist, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany
Iliya Nickelt is the Chief Data Scientist at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
In 2022, he set up BMZ’s data lab. Together with an interdisciplinary team of data scientists, he develops AI applications, infrastructure, visualizations and other tools for modern, data-driven policymaking. In addition to engaging with international data-policy work, for example through cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme, the lab is focused on large language model applications for structured and unstructured data.
Iliya Nickelt holds a PhD in astrophysics and worked on cloud precursors and on standards for internationally federated databases. In the late 1990s he was also active within the Internet self-regulatory organization “ICANN”.
Sessions featuring Dr. Iliya Peter Nickelt:
- How to properly value data in government
Lord Gus O’Donnell
Former Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, United Kingdom
Gus O’Donnell served Prime Ministers Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron as Cabinet Secretary and Head of Civil Service from 2005 to 2011. He stood down from this position at the end of 2011 and was appointed to the House of Lords in January 2012. He played a leading role in the preparations for the 2010 election, which eventually resulted in the formation of the UK’s first coalition government since the Second World War. He was awarded the CB, KCB and GCB for his services to government.
Prior to his role as Cabinet Secretary, Lord O’Donnell served as Permanent Secretary of the UK Treasury from 2002 -2005 and as Press Secretary to Prime Minister John Major from 1990-1994 .
From 1997-98, he was the UK Executive Director on the boards of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Lord O’Donnell spent most of his career with HM Treasury. In 1999 he was appointed Managing Director of Macroeconomic Policy and International Finance and was responsible for fiscal policy, international development, and European Union Economic and Monetary Union. During this period, he oversaw the production of the ‘five tests’ analysis for whether the UK should join the Euro.
He studied Economics at Warwick University and then Nuffield College, Oxford, before lecturing in political economy at the University of Glasgow. He has honorary doctorates from Warwick and Glasgow Universities.
Sessions featuring Lord Gus O’Donnell:
- Unlocking AI to deliver government priorities
Kat Olausson
Head of Data, Analysis and Insight, North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, United Kingdom
Kat Olausson is Head of Data, Analysis and Insight at the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority. She leads the development of data, evidence and analytical approaches that support regional decision making, investment and economic transformation.
Her work focuses on the opportunities devolution creates to use data more strategically, from connecting evidence across policy areas to developing new ways of understanding places, outcomes and the impact of public investment. She is particularly interested in how local and regional governments can build stronger analytical capability to improve policymaking and public value.
Prior to joining the North East MSA, Kat held senior data and insight roles in the private sector. With experience spanning both sectors, she is passionate about turning data into actionable insight and ensuring evidence plays a central role in shaping decisions.
Ust Oldfield
Chief Data Officer, Advancing Analytics
Ust Oldfield is Chief Data Officer at Advancing Analytics and an international speaker on data strategy, governance and AI. With 15 years in regulated environments, including public sector earlier in his career and, more recently, financial services, insurance and fintech, he helps leaders work out where their data stands today, what good looks like, and what to build first. His focus is data that people trust, can find and use, which takes governance and people as much as platforms. Ust is a Databricks Champion and regularly speaks and writes on pragmatic ways to move organisations from fragmented information to data that supports decisions and AI.
Sessions featuring Ust Oldfield:
- Building data maturity across public services
Matteo Ragni
Senior Analyst, Ministry of Justice
Sessions featuring Matteo Ragni:
- BOLD Partnership – Building evidence and connecting government systems through data linking
Hugo Rayne
Head of Europe, ElevenLabs
Hugo Rayne is the Head of Europe at ElevenLabs, leading go-to-market strategy and large-scale deployments of voice AI across enterprise, media and technology organisations. He works at the intersection of AI innovation and commercial execution, helping companies turn cutting-edge voice technology into real business impact.
Sessions featuring Hugo Rayne:
- Keynote address
Lauren Sager Weinstein
Chief Data Officer, Transport for London, United Kingdom
Lauren Sager Weinstein is TfL’s Chief Data Officer, working to bring value from TfL’s vast array of data–delivering data products and services, and helping Londoners journey across our network. Lauren created TfL’s data function formally in 2012 , having worked in TfL since 2002 in the areas of strategy, business planning, and technology development.
As Chief Data Officer, she heads TfL’s Data and Analytics department, which is a team of data scientists, data software developers and analytics translators who provide data tools for TfL to understand customer travel behaviour, and analytic tools to operate and plan London’s transport network.
Originally from Washington, DC, USA, she has degrees from Princeton University and from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, who awarded Lauren the 2019 Alumni Award for Digital Innovation. Lauren was named the 2017 UK Chief Data Officer of the year by the CDO Club, and was honoured to be included in The Female Lead’s 20 role models in Data & Technology 2017. She’s also made an appearance on the DataIQ100 List for several years.
Dr. Daniel Smith
Director, Data and AI, Accenture
Dan Smith is Director of Data & AI in Accenture’s UK Sovereign Transformation Services and leads its Sovereign Advisory team, developing Accenture’s UK supplier sovereignty assessment framework. A former University of Southampton Research Fellow who worked with ODI founders Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Sir Nigel Shadbolt, he has 20 years’ experience delivering large-scale data programmes and helps government and defence organisations build a Sovereign Data Layer for their most critical data.
Sessions featuring Dr. Daniel Smith:
- The implications of data sovereignty – and how your organisation can treat data as a national asset
David Smith
Head of Technology, Northern Europe, SAS
Dave Smith has been working in the analytics and data management space for over 35 years, the majority of which has been spent working for SAS. He has worked in many sectors including pharmaceuticals, academia, banking, insurance, retail, manufacturing, and government. He now leads a team of architects and technology specialists across Northern Europe who ensure that SAS meets customers’ needs and is designed to deliver incremental value.
Mati Staniszewski
Co-Founder and CEO, ElevenLabs
Mati Staniszewski is the Co-Founder and CEO of ElevenLabs, the AI research and product company building audio tools for businesses, developers, and creators. The company’s two platforms span creative work for speech, music, and sound generation, and a platform for voice agents that listen, talk, and act. Before founding ElevenLabs, Mati worked at Palantir as a Deployment Strategist with Fortune 500 companies and governments, and at BlackRock, where he helped launch the Aladdin Wealth platform.
Tiffany St James
Chief AI Officer, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, United Kingdom
Tiffany St James is Chief AI Officer at Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the UK’s first public sector regional CAIO. An award‑winning AI and digital strategist and leadership psychologist, she brings over twenty years’ experience across central and local government, global organisations, and the private sector.
Tiffany has delivered AI and digital programmes to over 70 local authorities and authored the UK’s first State of the Nation report on AI in Adult Social Care. Her career includes launching Directgov, DATA.GOV.UK, serving as the UK Government’s first Head of Public Participation, leading Digital Gold Command for Digital Comms for Grenfell. She has recently been voted in the Top 100 Govermment AI Pioneers globally.
Sessions featuring Tiffany St James:
- Using AI to create seamless joined-up public services
Phil Swan
Director for Government Digital Enablement, Government Digital Service, United Kingdom
Phil Swan recently joined the Government Digital Service (GDS) as Director responsible for GDS Local, Service Standards, Inclusive Digital Design and Digital Workforce & Capability. He moved into the role after over eight successful years at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), where he led the delivery of the Greater Manchester Digital Blueprint and drove major progress in digital inclusion, skills, infrastructure, and public‑service transformation.
Caroline Tudor
Families & Intergenerational Harm Lead, Ministry of Justice
Sessions featuring Caroline Tudor:
- BOLD Partnership – Building evidence and connecting government systems through data linking
Véronique Van Vlasselaer
Head of AI & Data Science EMEA Public Sector, SAS
Veronique leads the AI & Data Science practice for Public Sector across EMEA at SAS and is a passionate advocate for turning data into real-world impact. She helps government organizations envision and prepare for an AI‑driven future, leverage AI & data science for smarter and more transparent decisioning, and unlock the true value hidden in their data.
Before joining SAS, Véronique earned her PhD in Business Economics at KU Leuven (Belgium), in the Department of Information Management and Decision Sciences under Prof. Bart Baesens. Her doctoral research focused on developing advanced data science frameworks for fraud detection, work that continues to shape her expertise today.
She is also co‑author of Fraud Analytics Using Descriptive, Predictive, and Social Network Techniques: A Guide to Data Science for Fraud Detection, a widely recognized reference in the field.
Sessions featuring Véronique Van Vlasselaer:
- Making AI data governance work
Anna Watt
Head of Data, West Midlands Combined Authority, United Kingdom
Anna is Head of Data for the West Midlands Combined Authority. She leads a multi-disciplinary team providing data ingestion, cloud hosting, analytics through to research outputs and is responsible for maturing the Combined Authority’s data culture. She uses her system thinking approach to synthesise value from an usual range of experience across IT, transport planning, private and public sector experience.
Mike Waters
Chief Technology Officer, West Midlands Combined Authority, United Kingdom
Mike Waters is Chief Technology & Insight Officer at the West Midlands Combined Authority, leading technology, digital and data across corporate, transport and economic priorities. An experienced board-level executive, he is passionate about applying technology, data and evidence to complex system-level challenges, driving digital transformation, innovation and better outcomes for communities. Alongside his executive role, he serves as a Non-Executive Director and Independent Governor, bringing a strong focus on governance, risk, organisational capability and sustainable impact.
Martin Waudby
Chief Data Officer, London Borough of Camden, United Kingdom
Martin is Chief Data Officer at the London Borough of Camden, where he has been for about a year. A big focus is ensuring its data capabilities will enable more preventative and early intervention public service.
Martin has over 25 years’ experience in digital, data and technology roles, evenly spread between public and private sector. His experience spans start-ups, multinational organisations and four central government organisations. Most of that experience covers large transformative agendas. He’s a champion of accessible services, learning and development, and Innovation
He has a particular fascination with the ethics and governance of data and AI, and the role they can bring to rewiring public service to deliver better outcomes for communities. He has an MSc in Data Science where he developed an interest in the security and robustness of AI.
Sessions featuring Martin Waudby:
- Building data maturity across public services
Liz Whitefield
Former UK Civil Servant
With a career spanning 30 years across public sector delivery and digital transformation Liz was one of the founding members of Hippo who has supported growth in clients from day one. Liz is passionate about helping to build long-term delivery partnerships with clients, sharing in the outcomes they want to achieve and supporting all our hippos in achieving their potential.
Zach Whitman
Chief Data Scientist & Chief AI Officer, GSA, United States of America
Zach Whitman is the Chief Data Scientist and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO) at the General Services Administration (GSA), where he supports the Data Analytics Center of Excellence (CoE) team, and leads cloud migration, data architecture modernization, change management, data and analytics, data management, technology procurement, and strategy formation modernization efforts at external federal agencies.
As GSA’s inaugural Chief AI Officer, Zach is responsible for maintaining awareness of GSA’s artificial intelligence activities, establishing processes to measure and evaluate AI performance, establish and chair AI oversight governing bodies, lead the development of GSA’s AI inventory and other reporting, among many other responsibilities. He played a pivotal role in standing up GSA’s AI Directive.
Zach has over a decade of experience in research and data analysis and has released several research publications. Before joining GSA, Zach served as the Chief Data Officer at the U.S. Census Bureau for over seven years. During his tenure, he worked to make data as accessible as possible and to build trust in data analytics across the US.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geology from Colgate University and a Doctorate in Hazard and Disaster Management from the University of Canterbury.
Sessions featuring Zach Whitman:
- Building data maturity across public services
Peder Wiese
Chief Technology Officer, Statens IT, Denmark and President, European association of public sector ICT service providers (EURITAS), Denmark
- Master’s Degree in Computer Science from University of Copenhagen
- 30+ years Business CIO-positions in both private and public sector
- 2017 .. Danish Agency for Governmental IT Services; CTO; Senior Advisor
- 2019 .. European Association of Public IT Service Providers (Euritas) – President since 2025
Sessions featuring Peder Wiese:
- The implications of data sovereignty – and how your organisation can treat data as a national asset
- Fireside chat: Boosting citizen – and official – trust in AI to ensure it can be deployed at scale
Katherine Williamson
Chief Data Officer, Department for Transport, United Kingdom
Michael Wilkinson
Lead Security Architect, Adaptive Security Programme, Department for Work and Pensions, United Kingdom
Mike Wilkinson, Lead Security Architect for DWP Adaptive Security Programme, responsible for providing security oversight for the Departments Adaptive Security Programme to ensure that the programme delivers consistent and Secure by Default outcomes. This is all done under a Risk driven approach and includes regular engagement with both senior internal stakeholders and external suppliers. Providing security oversight for the multiple work-streams within the programme. Ensuring services are aligned with DWP Standards and Policies, NIST and CIS controls to underpin a modern adaptive approach to support the DWP Business Strategy. Previous positions at DWP include Risk & Assurance, Innovation and managing the day-to-day operations of Application, Maintenance Support services with third party suppliers.
Prior to DWP, Mike spent over 15 years in Financial Services primarily focused on Credit Cards, Chip & PIN and personal loans.
Sessions featuring Michael Wilkinson:
- Building a more resilient and cyber secure state with AI
Kiran Chahal
Applied Innovation Lead, Cabinet Office, United Kingdom
I’m an Applied Innovation Lead in the Cabinet Office and part of a dynamic, multi-disciplinary team responsible for creating Assist; a bespoke AI tool for government communicators. My remit includes working closely with cross-government stakeholders to drive innovation across government communications. Prior to working in the Cabinet Office, I was Senior Campaign Manager at the Department for Work and Pensions where I led strategy, research, insight and evaluation for national welfare and labour market campaigns.
My previous roles in government include secondments with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Press team during the outbreak of the Ukraine invasion, and as Strategic Communications Lead on AI Adoption in the Public Sector in the Cabinet Secretary’s Office. Before joining the Civil Service, I spent five years at Cision, where I provided Communications Strategy, Insight and Evaluation consultancy to consumer, financial, government and NFP clients.
Alongside my work to embed innovation, I’m a member of the Civil Service Race Forum and passionate about diversity and inclusion. For example, how to ensure campaign imagery is diverse without being tokenistic, how to create a culture of innovation and how to innovate incrementally.
Sessions featuring Kiran Chahal:
- Welcome
Siobhan Benita
Event Moderator, Global Government Forum
Siobhan was a senior civil servant in the UK with more than 15 years’ Whitehall experience. She worked in many of major delivery departments, including Transport, Environment, Health and Local Government. She also had senior roles at the heart of government in the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury, including supporting the then Cabinet Secretary, Lord O’Donnell, to lead work on civil service reform and strategy. Siobhan left to run as an independent candidate in the Mayor of London election. She subsequently joined her alma mater, Warwick University, as Chief Strategy Officer of Warwick in London and Co-Director of the Warwick Policy Lab.
Andrew Besford
Non-executive Director, Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
Andrew Besford works across large private sector organisations and complex public systems, helping them use technology and data to modernise services and deliver change.
He authored the Global Government Forum report, “A fresh mandate for digital leadership in the NHS”, which identifies what needs to change to meet the UK government’s digital ambitions for the NHS.
He served as a senior civil servant at the Department for Work and Pensions and at the Cabinet Office’s Government Digital Service, where he led the creation of the 2017 UK Government Transformation Strategy. Andrew is a non-executive director in the NHS and chairs the digital committee at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust.
Shelina Hargrove
Deputy Director for GOV.UK AI and Chat, Government Digital Service, United Kingdom
Shelina Hargrove is Deputy Director for GOV.UK AI and Chat at the Government Digital Service. She joined GDS in November 2025 from her previous role as Deputy Director for Prisons Digital at the Ministry of Justice.
Shelina’s career has spanned roles across digital and policy in central government within Education, Transport, Business, Defence, Justice and the Home Office. Before joining the Civil Service, Shelina worked in local government and the private sector.
Sarah Wray
Research Editor, Global Government Forum
Sarah has over 15 years’ experience as a journalist with a specialism in the public sector and topics such as digitalisation and climate action.
Sarah is GGF’s research editor, where she leads research projects that work to indentify best practice from government leaders around the world, and to understand the skills and priorities of civil servants.
Sarah was formerly the editor of Cities Today and Smart Cities World, as well as a specialist video-based publication in the aerospace sector. She has also written for publications including Smart Cities Dive, Mobile Europe, Mobile World Live and Computer Weekly.