Regional Spotlight on Greater Manchester, part of Digital City Festival 2023

Chris Air

Partner, Technology and data protection, DAC Beachcroft

Chris is a Partner in DACB’s Manchester office and specialises in non-contentious commercial work – with a particular focus on technology projects and data protection advisory work.  He acts for clients across a range of sectors, including suppliers delivering solutions to the NHS and other public bodies, as well as large corporates procuring such solutions (both public and private sectors).  He has undertaken successful secondments with a major IT supplier as well as the Information Commissioner’s Office. 

On the IT side, Chris advises on all types of technology arrangements, from software licensing, SaaS contracts, SLAs, software implementation projects to IT outsourcing projects.  His data protection experience ranges from drafting data sharing agreements and privacy policies, through to advising on international transfers, undertaking GDPR audits and assisting with complex data protection impact assessments.

Oliver Crich

Partner, Public Procurement, DAC Beachcroft

Oliver is a Partner in the DACB Manchester office and advises on public procurement, projects, commercial law and subsidy control.

He has over 10 years’ experience across a range of sectors, with a particular focus on health and social care. Oliver’s key clients include local and national commissioners, public sector providers, and private organisations tendering for and/or appointed to provide or deliver goods, services or works.

Oliver has particular expertise in advising on all aspects of non-contentious and contentious public procurement law. He has significant experience of leading on a range of major strategic projects that fall within the scope of the procurement regulations and that often involve complex commercial and/or contractual issues. 

Georgina Maratheftis

Associate Director | Local Public Services, techUK

Georgina is techUK’s Associate Director for Local Public Services. Georgina works with suppliers that are active or looking to break into the market as well as with councils to create the conditions for meaningful transformation. techUK regularly bring together local authorities and supplier community to horizon scan and explore how the technologies of today and tomorrow can help solve some of the most pressing problems our communities face.

Prior to techUK, Georgina worked for a public policy events company where she managed the policy briefing division and was responsible for generating new ideas for events that would add value to the public sector. Georgina worked across a number of portfolios from education, criminal justice, and health but had a particular interest in public sector transformation and technology. Georgina also led on developing relationships across central and local government.

Phil Swan

Director of Digital, Greater Manchester Combined Authority

Phil leads the digital portfolio at Greater Manchester Combined Authority and is responsible for leading the next chapter in Greater Manchester’s ambition to be recognised as a world-leading digital city region, with an ongoing commitment to taking an open, innovative and connective approach and ‘doing digital differently’. 

Other responsibilities include:

• Digital city-region growth, digital skills and inclusion and infrastructure
• ICT for the GMCA
• Positioning Greater Manchester as recognised centre for cyber and digital ethics, trust and security through resilience and economic growth

Phil's career includes ICT strategy and implementation work for Accenture, an MBA from Cambridge University, founding and exiting a SME, and leading the Tameside Council based public sector innovation partnership "iNetwork" over several years. 

Gus Tugendhat

Founder, Tussell

Gus leads Tussell, the market’s trusted source of data on UK government contracts. He discovered the power of data when he started his career in investment banking at Lazard and other banks. Then he pivoted to building data-driven businesses, first at Thomson Reuters where he was a Managing Director, and then by founding Tussell. A few years on, Tussell is a high-growth and profitable software business