Simon is the Head of Cyber and Business Services for Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI). Within his current role, Simon is responsible for the Police Digital Security Centre (PDSC) and the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC), helping Small and Medium-sized businesses reduce their vulnerability to cyber crime and fraud. Prior to PCPI, Simon held a number of senior management positions across Government, including the Home Office where he established the National Police Air Service. He also worked as an Advisor to Abu Dhabi Police and the Ministry of Interior in the United Arab Emirates.

Stephen is Head of Office for the Small Business Crown Representative. He plays a key role in closely supporting the Crown Representative’s work to drive up Government’s spend with SMEs and make SMEs aware of the opportunities to sell to government.

Stephen has worked in government’s commercial function for 18 years. Before his current role he led work on prompt payment policy and headed the Cabinet Office’s “mystery shopper” procurement investigation team.

Beckie is a reporter for Civil Service World, PublicTechnology’s sister title. She writes news and features on government policy and the work of departments and agencies. Previously she has reported for a number of specialist titles covering science policy, research and higher education.

Prof. Simon Saunders is Director of Emerging and Online Technology for Ofcom, the UK’s independent regulator for communications services. He is also a Visiting Professor at King’s College London and Trustee of the charity Music for All. In 2019 he organised the world’s first 5G music lesson on behalf of Music for All, working with King’s College London. Simon is a specialist in the technology of communications, with a technical and commercial background derived from senior appointments in both industry (including Google, Motorola and Philips) and academia (University of Surrey, Trinity College Dublin). As Head of Connectivity Partnerships for EMEA at Google (2015-20), he worked with operators globally on enhancing wireless connectivity via a range of advanced technology initiatives, combining wireless networks, artificial intelligence and network virtualisation. As co-founder and Director of Technology for independent wireless strategy advisory firm Real Wireless (2006-15), he was responsible for overall technical capability and direction, providing independent wireless expertise and advice to operators, regulators, technology and law firms and wireless users. He founded the Small Cell Forum (formerly Femto Forum), and chaired this industry association from 2007-12, growing membership to 150 companies and working with 3GPP to create the first standards for small cells. He is an author of over 150 articles, books and book chapters, including a popular textbook on antennas and propagation. He has acted as a consultant to companies including BAA, BBC, Cisco, O2, Ofcom, BT, ntl, Mitsubishi,Virgin Media, TalkTalk, Inmarsat and British Land. He was CTO of Red-M and CEO of Cellular Design Services Ltd and has acted as an expert witness in legal proceedings in England and the US. Simon speaks and chairs a wide range of international conferences and training courses and has invented over 15 patented wireless technologies. He has served on technical advisory boards of several companies, was Visiting Professor to the University of Surrey, member of the industrial advisory board at University College London, Adjunct Professor at Trinity College Dublin, and a member of the Ofcom Spectrum Advisory Board from 2007-14.

Tracey Jessup is Chief Digital and Information Office of the UK Parliament. Tracey is focussed on how Parliament, as a customer and partner, can work more effectively with the Parliamentary Digital Service to deliver digital services in a better and more cohesive way. As well as being CDIO, Tracey sits on the management boards of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. She transitioned to this strategically focused role in October 2020 and was previously Chief Information Officer and Managing Director of the Parliamentary Digital Service. A joint department of both Houses of Parliament, the Digital Service is responsible for the strategic direction of Parliament’s digital offering, transforming ways in which citizens can connect with Parliament including building a new website for Parliament, the delivery and management of parliamentary digital platforms, and providing technology services to Members and staff in Westminster and throughout the UK. Before joining the Digital Service, Tracey was a House of Commons Clerk working in the Committee Office, Public Bill Office, Overseas Office and finally the Table Office in the Department of Chamber and Committee Services (DCCS). Tracey was also Private Secretary to the Clerk of the House and Chief Executive for three years, working with House of Commons Board members on the delivery of the House of Commons’ strategic priorities. 

Randhir is a Councillor for Upper Stoke Ward, Coventry City Council. She is Vice-Chair of the Planning Committee and was formerly on the Licensing and Regulatory Committee. She also works at Coventry Business School and has an interest in different models of service delivery and business transformation. Randhir is also Vice-Chair of the Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre, a trustee of Coventry Relate and on the boards of other local charities.

Phil assumed the post of Interim Executive Director, of Defence Digital, Service Delivery and Operations in May 2019. He is responsible for delivery, operation and cyber defence of the MoD’s core information capabilities. Prior to joining the Ministry of Defence, Phil gained 24 years industry experience from leading IT across the UK and Europe as Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Lloyds Banking Group (Insurance division), as EMEA CIO and Change Director at Prudential UK and as Interim Transformation Director at ATOS. He has an extensive background in IT particularly in the fields of Geographical Information Systems, Database technology and Applications Development. He

has worked as an IT Programme Director, Chief Operating Officer (Application Development and maintenance) and held various Programme Director roles including the biggest Data Integration programme undertaken in the UK to date. More recently he has focused upon Transforming businesses through the exploitation of the latest technologies (especially Artificial Intelligence) to build internal capability, enable sustainable and lasting value from both IT and business operations. He has significant experience in leading business innovation, driving business change programs, leading extensive teams, and designing and leading IT delivery at very large scale in complex, multi-stakeholder business environments, especially through Fin-Tech. Phil lives in a small town between Brecon and Swansea (with far too many consonants to inflict on people) with his wife Carys, daughter Catrin, son Carwyn, and two dogs – Meg and Trixie. Phil enjoys all sports particularly football, but is also a keen and active walker, that said his life-long passion is Fly-Fishing - particularly at night for sea-trout (an acquired taste). He remains an optimistic supporter and season ticket holder of Swansea City Football club – the curse that keeps on giving at the moment…

Ross joined the Scottish Government in 2000, initially in agriculture, moving to Digital Communications in 2007 working on the intranet and website, latterly as Website Manager for gov.scot. Ross moved to the Cloud First Programme within Digital Directorate as Product Manager in 2018. The Cloud First Programme’s main aim is to promote cloud & support public organisations to move to the cloud. Ross also has a leading role within the Cloud Community which has been established across the public sector in Scotland.

Carla is a Senior Director of Government Affairs at Palo Alto Networks, where she is responsible for driving the company’s public policy agenda in the UK and Ireland on a broad range of issues, including cyber security, privacy and wider technology policy.

Prior to joining Palo Alto Networks, Carla was a Director of Government Affairs at Symantec for several years, leading the company’s public policy agenda in the UK and representing the company before governments, trade associations, think tanks and HM Government-industry boards. Before Symantec, Carla was a Director at techUK, the UK trade association for the technology industry, establishing and then leading its Cyber Security Programme. Carla has significant experience of developing policy positions on specific cyber related issues, informing the development of government policy and building successful relationships with senior government officials, Ministers and MPs.

Carla started her career in Government in the Department for Health, Department for Transport and the Home Office and held a variety of different roles, ranging from facilitating procurement contracts to shaping the development of mental health legislation and ensuring the smooth passage of the Bill through Parliament.

Sian is the Chief Data Officer at DIT. During her time in the department, she has led teams that have:

• established the departments data infrastructure; 
• developed a departmental data platform that provides access to data and tools for analysis; 
• delivered data components of the work to establish the UK tariff at the end of transition period; and
• improved the departments Customer Relationship Management platform improving functionality and data quality. 

Before joining DIT in February 2019 Sian worked at the Food Standards Agency in various roles including Social Research, Governance and Ethics and leading the Data, Information Governance and Security team. She led on projects such as predicting norovirus from Twitter data and piloting a blockchain tool to make better use of data about cows at slaughter. Sian started her career in industry following a PhD and Post Doc in Biochemistry.

Phil is a senior sales professional with over 20 years’ experience in both the Public & Private Sectors, spanning High Technology, Cloud, SaaS and Professional Services. Most recently he’s worked in partnership with Oracle to deliver one of its largest European government cloud programs; aimed at delivering class-leading transformation across the public sector and supporting the UK government cloud first strategy.

Jacqui is one of the 100 most powerful UK entrepreneurs, awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science in recognition of her international web science work. One of the 250 Founders of Tech City in December 2016 she pivoted her company FlyingBinary to meet the challenge of Brexit and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) with spectacular results. She was recognised as one of the 100 Global Leaders in 2019, Top Ten Global IoT innovators, and is an independent industry analyst for IoT. One of 4 IoT leaders advising the European Commission on their Citizen strategy for smart cities. One of the UK’s most influential Women in Tech, most influential web science researcher in 2019, 34 IoT Influencers on Twitter, 20 global entrepreneurs to watch, a UK Smart City leader. 

Shortlisted for a Cyber Security industry award based she was invited to speak in Davos on the future of the Cyber Security Industry. Globally recognised as a Smart City Tzar, and a strategic Advisor to the UK Government, Cities lead on Digital Built, Principal UK Expert lead for BSI international team for Smart Cities and AI.

She created CyberSafe to share the secrets of her Brexit success plan with entrepreneurs via a unique membership offering. CyberSafe launches in 2020 now the UK has exited from the European Union and will give entrepreneurs resources to meet the challenges of Transition and the IIoT based on a proven Brexit success plan.