Tech and Innovation Summit 2024

Lord Vallance

Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation,

Lord Vallance is the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation at the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology. He is a former chair of the Natural History Museum and has been knighted twice for contributions to Science. Prior to his Ministerial role, he was the UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser from 2018 – 2023 covering events such as COP26 and was also formerly a Global President at GSK and Professor of Medicine at UCL Medical School.

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Sue Daley

Director, Technology and Innovation, techUK

No bio provided

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Ilan Gur

CEO, Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA)

Ilan Gur is the founding CEO of the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA). Ilan has forged his career managing cutting-edge research and innovation for the benefit of society. 
He previously founded Activate, a US-based non-profit which empowered scientists and engineers to bring groundbreaking research to market. Prior to this, Ilan established two science-based start-ups and served in the first generation of Programme Directors at ARPA-E. 
Ilan obtained a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley

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Spencer Lamb

Chief Commercial Officer, Kao Data

Spencer Lamb | LinkedIn

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Carl Ennis

CEO, Siemens GB & Ireland

Carl Ennis is Chief Executive Officer of Siemens for the UK and Ireland. With over 25 years’ experience with Siemens, he has held prominent management positions across the business in the UK and overseas including China where he was responsible for Power Generation Services in Asia Pacific.

An engineer & technologist, he is passionate about making digital transformation work for business, and has worked across industries helping businesses improve productivity, sustainability and resilience.

Carl started his career as an apprentice and is an advocate of the skills and diversity agendas, recognising the need for new and diverse thinking in an ever-changing world. He lends his voice to various councils advocating for the role of technology and industry in solving society’s problems. These include the Government’s Net Zero Council, the Department for International Trade’s Investment Council, German-British Chamber of Industry & Commerce and EngineeringUK.

Carl has a Doctorate from Manchester Metropolitan University, is a Chartered Engineer and Visiting Professor of Practice at Newcastle University as well as a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering & Technology. In his spare time he’s a keen cyclist, motorbiker, and loves music.

 

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Matthew Evans

Director for Markets and COO, techUK

Matthew Evans leads techUK’s Market Programme teams and is a member of the senior leadership team.

The Market Programme teams help techUK members apply innovative technology solutions across a range of sectors, including the Public Sector, Financial Services and Cyber. 

Prior to his appointment in early 2019, Matt led techUK’s Smart Infrastructure and IoT work, as well as being CEO of the Broadband Stakeholder Group. During this time he led the telecoms industry’s approach to lowering the cost of network deployment, played a key role in coordinating it’s response to Brexit and was closely involved in the development of the Government’s Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review. He also assisted in the development of the UK’s first secure by design Code of Practice aimed at consumer IoT, oversaw the publication of a paper outlining the tech sector’s view of future mobility services and drove engagement around the use of digital twins.

Matt sits on the Steering Board of the Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce, Digital Framework Task Group,  andthe advisory board for the Prospering from the Energy Revolution industrial challenge fund.

Prior to joining techUK, Matt worked in Arqiva's public policy team, across the broadcast and telecoms markets. Before that he was a researcher for an MP at Westminster.

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Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser

Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Regius Professor of Botany at the University of Cambridge,

Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser is the Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Regius Professor of Botany at the University of Cambridge.

UKRI brings together the UK’s Research Councils, Innovate UK and Research England, operating with a combined budget of more than £8bn per year.

Prior to this Ottoline Leyser was Director of the Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, an interdisciplinary institute which combines computational modelling with molecular genetics and cell biology in the control of plant growth and development.

Ottoline has a long-term interest in research culture and chaired the Nuffield Council on Bioethics project examining these issues. She has been actively engaged in work aimed at generating a more inclusive, creative and connected culture. She has also worked extensively in science policy, for example serving as Chair of the Royal Society’s Science Policy Expert Advisory Committee, Chair of the Management Committee of the University of Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy, and as a member of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology.

She is a Fellow of the Royal Society, a Member of the Leopoldina and EMBO, and an International Member of the US National Academy of Sciences. In 2017 she was appointed DBE for services to plant science, science in society and equality and diversity in science.

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Doug Loewe

CEO, Kao Data

Doug was appointed Kao Data’s CEO in January 2024 to pioneer our next phase of platform expansion across the UK and Europe. Originally hailing from Columbus, Ohio, in the United States, Doug is an accomplished, international business executive, who, for the last 35 years, has built and led numerous high performing teams and businesses within the diverse, global technology industry. Doug has previously held senior positions at a host of respected companies including Macquarie Asset Management (MAM), Virtus, Yondr, Interxion, Rackspace and CompuServe Network Services. This experience is supported by a degree in computer science from Ohio State University, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a director’s course at Harvard Business School. He also serves as a Distinguished Executive in Residence (DEIR) for the University of Chicago, and continues to engage in various mentoring, humanitarian, and philanthropic pursuits with a key focus on technology.

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Helen Ewles

Head of Innovation, Analysis and Public Affairs, Royal Academy of Engineering

Helen has worked on research and innovation policy in the UK for nearly a decade. She is currently the Head of Innovation, Analysis and Public affairs at the Royal Academy of Engineering, where she works with engineers from industry and academia to produce, evidence-based and timely policy advice to inform the environment needed for UK engineering research and innovation to thrive. She has completed two secondments in the civil service, most recently on science and technology strategy in the Cabinet Office. Before moving into policy, she enjoyed working in academia as a molecular microbiologist.

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Wenmiao Yu

Co-founder and Director of Business Development, Quantum Dice

Wenmiao Yu is an entrepreneur focused on translating scientific innovation into marketable products. She is co-founder and Director of Business Development at Quantum Dice, a venture-backed Oxford University spin-out enabling encryption through a self-certifying Quantum Random Number Generator. Her responsibilities include fundraising and leading quantum technology market creation.
After reading Chemistry at the University of Oxford and co-founding Quantum Dice, Wenmiao was awarded an Enterprise Fellowship at the Quantum Technology Enterprise Centre in Bristol (the youngest across all cohorts). In 2023 Wenmiao was selected for the Forbes U30 list. She strongly believes in the power of communities, crucial to growing nascent industries such as quantum technologies, and she always wants to hear from like-minded individuals across all disciplines.

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Tom Newby

Head of the UK Office for Quantum Technologies, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Tom Newby is the Head of the UK Office for Quantum Technologies in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Tom has worked on technology policy and strategy in various roles in the centre of government and Ofcom, the communications regulator. Before his current role he was Head of Spending Strategy in HM Treasury where he delivered the 2021 spending review.

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Laura Foster

Associate Director - Technology and Innovation, techUK

No bio provided

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Piers Clinton-Tarestad

Partner, EY

Piers is a Partner at EY and has spent most of the last 25 years working with organisations to address technology risks including areas such as cyber, reporting and risk assurance. He has a focus on emerging technologies and has been integral in establishing a number of EY’s key quantum technology related collaborations in areas such as QKD, PQC and Quantum assisted Machine Learning  as well as partnering with organisations such as the NQCC and the University of Oxford to explore how quantum technologies can be commercialised responsibly and he serves on a number of advisory boards in this area. He is a Bsc, FCA, MBA, CISSP and currently pursuing an Msc focused on Quantum Technologies and their applications – in the rest of his spare time he enjoys relaxing with his wife, 2 children and somewhat goofy dog.

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Robert Lamb

Chief Research and Technology Officer for Electronics Division, Leonardo

Robert is the Chief Research and Technology Officer for Electronics Division at Leonardo. He began his research career in 1986 at MOD investigating optical phase conjugation in high power solid state lasers. In 1996 he initiated research into single photon counting lidar for remote sensing.

In 1999 he won a three-year MOD research fellowship to investigate the use of ultrashort pulse supercontiuum lasers for remote sensing with atmospheric filamentation, during which, he transferred to QinetiQ and was appointed a QinetiQ Fellow in 2006. He moved to Selex (now Leonardo) to head its Future Systems Group and was subsequently appointed CTO for EO systems where he led applied research in novel laser techniques, lidar, photonics, computational image processing, additive manufacturing and quantum technology. He has established close collaborations with academia, especially in quantum sensing and neuromorphic processing, supporting several PhD students and linking academic research to Leonardo’s development programmes.

In 2021 he was appointed CRTO to oversee emerging and strategic academic research for Leonardo, linking it to government strategies for semiconductors, quantum technologies and navigation & timing. He has now initiated research into the use of quantum information processing for sensor network optimisation and integrated photonics for beam switching, modulation, optical data processing and free space optical communications.

Robert is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, an Honorary Professor of Physics at Heriot-Watt University and the UK industry representative on NATO’s Sensors and Electronics Technology Panel. He was recently appointed VP(Business) at the Institute of Physics and continues to promote the importance of physics R&D to the UK economy. 
 

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Rory Daniels

Senior Programme Manager for Emerging Technologies, techUK

No bio provided

: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorydaniels28/

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Edward Cole

CEO, KATLAS Technology

Edward is unlocking industrial productivity by harnessing data with collaborative software, drawing on 25 years of expertise in building and deploying online financial and risk management platforms.

KATLAS Technology Limited (part of the IFIN Global Group)

Our Vision: We unite talent and technology across borders to democratise the digital marketplace. By sharing control and ownership, we can tackle global challenges more effectively.

Our Mission: to create a powerful ecosystem on which start-ups can incubate and scale-ups can integrate - for UK & India to revolutionise health productivity through collaborative software solutions.

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Dr Vicki Williams

Policy and Partnerships (Creative Technologies), CoSTAR Foresight Lab

Dr Victoria (Vicki) Williams is a Policy and Partnerships Manager with the CoSTAR Foresight Lab; the lab is part of the UKRI CoSTAR Network and has been established to shape future tech-driven R&D and innovation across the creative industries. Vicki leads on the delivery of policy engagement and outputs, working with lab researchers to transform robust data, evidence and trends into concrete policy recommendations. She previously worked at the Digital Catapult, leading policy and research initiatives across creative tech, AI, immersive and the metaverse. She also holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham (2021) exploring embodiment and storytelling in immersive technologies and virtual environments

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Cami Rincon

Senior Researcher, Ada Lovelace Institute

Cami Rincon is a Senior Researcher at the Ada Lovelace Institute. Cami leads Ada's research exploring Immersive Technologies, which seeks to demystify essential terms and concepts, and the perceived benefits, harms, and risks that regulators and policymakers should consider to ensure the protection of communities impacted by immersive tech.

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Kanishka Narayan MP

MP, Vale of Glamorgan

Kanishka is the Labour MP for the Vale of Glamorgan, after a career in senior government and private sector roles.

In government, Kanishka advised ministers on domestic public policy, as Senior Adviser at the Cabinet Office and as Expert Adviser to Britain’s Environment Secretary. He also advised the Labour Party frontbench as Head of Tech Policy.

In business, Kanishka advised and invested in climate and fintech start-ups across Europe and the US, and previously advised FTSE boards, sovereign finance ministries and start-up founders at Lazard.

Kanishka grew up and lives in South Wales, studied at Oxford and Stanford universities, and is passionate about social mobility and social justice. He ran a national campaign to help British high streets during the national COVID-19 lockdown and has published national research on helping households in severe debt. 

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Tory Frame

Senior Advisor, DSIT

Tory is a senior advisor to DSIT. She worked with Matt Clifford on this action plan and now works with businesses on AI adoption and compute. She had a 27 year-career in the commercial sector (Partner at Bain in US/ Asia/ Europe; ran Barry’s Bootcamp internationally; on the Exec of Diageo responsible for Strategy, M&A and Ventures) before she did her AI PhD.

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Sukhvinder Aujla

Principal Enterprise Architect, Workday

Sukhvinder is a Customer-Facing Enterprise Architect at Workday. Passionate about the ethical application of AI, Sukhvinder helps organisations leverage technology to drive business transformation. With a strong background in software development and design, he has led numerous successful projects, optimising processes and improving user experiences. As a Solution Consultant, Sukhvinder partners with clients across industries to implement innovative solutions that align with their strategic goals.

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Gareth Workman

Chief AI Officer, Kainos

Gareth Workman is Chief AI Officer of Kainos, a LSE-listed Digital Services consultancy and Workday partner. Gareth leads the AI strategy for Kainos, working across the business to define goals for success and to harness the benefits of AI for our internal teams, customers and partners. Gareth has over 18 years of experience at Kainos in several technical positions including Principal Architect, CIO and Cloud Practice Director. 

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Sue Daley

Director, Technology and Innovation, techUK

No bio provided

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Andrew Strait

Associate Director, Ada Lovelace Institute

Andrew is an Associate Director at the Ada Lovelace Institute and is responsible for Ada’s work addressing emerging technology and industry practice.

Andrew has spent the last decade working at the intersection of technology, law and society. Prior to joining Ada, he was an Ethics & Policy Researcher DeepMind, where he managed internal AI ethics initiatives and oversaw the company’s network of external partnerships. Previously, he worked as a Legal Operations Specialist at Google where he developed and implemented platform moderation policies on areas such as data protection, hate speech, terrorist content and child safety.

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Eva Ignatuschtschenko

Head of Semiconductors, Department of Science Innovation and Technology

No bio provided

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Dr Andy Sellars

Operations Director, Silicon Catalyst

No bio provided

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Peter Stephens

Director of Government Partnerships, UK, Arm

Peter Stephens leads Government Partnerships for Arm, where he acts as the interface between Arm and the UK government, supporting on key themes, including education, ecosystem growth, trade, tech policy, cyber security and Artificial Intelligence. Peter is an experienced civil servant and international policy advisor. In previous roles within the UK government, Peter advised Ministers and the offices of Prime Ministers on the creation of Delivery Units at the heart of government. From 2018-22, he led the 'Secure by Design' initiative, developing the world's first legislation for the cyber security of the IoT, and was a knowledge partner to the G20 and UNIGF on cyber security and capacity building. 

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Dr Drew Nelson, OBE

Chairman, All Party Parliamentary Group on Semiconductors Advisory Board

Dr Nelson was educated at the University of Sheffield, where he obtained an Honours Degree (1^st Class) in Electronic Engineering and subsequently a PhD in Semiconductor Technology.

From 1981 to 1988 he worked at British Telecom Research Labs, leading a group which pioneered the technology of high speed semiconductor lasers for fibre optic communications, now the fundamental backbone of the entire Internet. 

In 1988 Dr Nelson co-founded IQE and held the role of Chief Executive Officer from 1996-2021. He led a management buy-out in 1996 and listed IQE on the LSE in 2000, growing the to become the world’s leading supplier of compound semiconductor wafers, with a global manufacturing presence in Europe, North America and Asia and revenues of over $200m. He has raised over £250m in growth capital and led IQE to become the UK’s first hard tech Unicorn  in July 2017.

Dr Nelson has been actively involved in many Government and Industry Advisory Groups, has published over 130 papers and articles, made over 200 conference presentations and is the author of several patents. From 2000-2005, Dr Nelson served as Board Member of WDA, and was the Founder Chairman of the Welsh Electronics Forum, now Technology Connected. He also served as the UK representative of the European High Level Group for Key Enabling Technologies (HLG-KET) which determined the policy for what is now the EU CHIPS Act.

In 2015, Dr Nelson led the creation of CS Connected, the world’s first Compound Semiconductor Cluster in South Wales, which now employs over 2500 highly skilled engineers. As part of building the CS Cluster, he also led the rescue of Newport Wafer Fab from closure in 2017, saving over 500 jobs directly. In recognition of his achievements, Dr Nelson has received multiple awards including the OBE for services to the Electronics Industry in the Queen’s Birthday Honours (2001), Silver Medal from Royal Academy of Engineering (2006), Lifetime achievement awards from UK Semiconductor Industry (2007), European Electronics Industry (2013), the Katherine Burr Blodgett Gold Medal from the Institute of Physics (2019), and the Menelaus Medal (2020)  from the Learned Society of Wales.

Dr Nelson is currently Chairman of the Advisory Board for the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Semiconductors and is an active Angel Investor in several UK deeptech early stage companies.

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Laura Foster

Associate Director - Technology and Innovation, techUK

No bio provided

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Rory Daniels

Senior Programme Manager for Emerging Technologies, techUK

No bio provided

: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorydaniels28/

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Steve MacLaren

Chief Operating Officer, The National Robotarium

Steve has been Chief Operating Officer of The National Robotarium since April 2022. He is responsible for the successful operation of the facility, including its digital capabilities and technologies, financial management, supply chains and procurement. He oversees the centre’s extensive portfolio of industry projects and manages the Project Management and Operations teams. Steve is also responsible for ensuring the successful delivery and reporting of The National Robotarium's key objectives in relation to its status as a Data-Driven Innovation hub, alongside other executive leaders from partner hubs at The University of Edinburgh. 

Steve started his career in the Royal Navy as a Helicopter Engineer, before serving on a number of operational units, where he developed an interest in mathematics and computer science. This led to a number of data-oriented roles during his service and, after leaving the forces, took up a variety of aircraft service delivery roles within aeronautical company Leonardo.

He has extensive experience in managing complex multi-million pound support contracts, engineering management, digital enterprise, tools and transformation, and financial reporting.

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James Humphreys

Head of Engineering, Ocado Technology

James Humphreys leads the international software and ML development team responsible for Ocado’s On Grid Robotic Pick (OGRP).

Early in his career, James joined Ocado and wrote the route optimisation and pathing system and helped build up Ocado’s earliest advanced algorithm teams and capabilities, including in robotics.

Later at BP in Canary Wharf, James’s department built out a series of optimisation engines, such as a system to optimise BP’s global fleet of LNG vessels.

In his spare time, James helped write the core what3words algorithms, later joining as CTO to build up the company to its present strength.

James was then drawn back to Ocado by the challenge of OGRP, driving it from prototype to running ML systems in production at scale.

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David Hewitt

Executive Director, IBM UK & Ireland

David leads IBM’s automation technology business in UK & Ireland, working with some of the world’s largest brands to deploy IT automation technologies from cloud cost management to enterprise API platforms. David has held several previous executive positions in IBM, including successfully leading the growth of IBM's Cybersecurity consulting business, and hybrid cloud platform business.

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Agnes Wamagui

Knowledge Transfer Manager - Robotics, Innovate UK Business Connect

Working as a Knowledge Transfer Manager, Agnes’ focus is to help companies identify how they could use robots to improve their business processes and increase the awareness of digital technologies. Where innovation is required, she supports by providing valuable connections, expertise, funding, and investment opportunities. With a background in Computer Science, programming and working with, she uses her applied knowledge of robotics in the robotics and AI industry. She has helped to develop the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Landscape map, which serves as a platform for Robotics and AI organisations to be featured and to showcase their technologies, projects and test facilities, whilst offering the possibility to collaborate and interact with other organisations.

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