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Are you interested in the latest developments in AI for Defence and eager to network with representatives from other AI companies and the MOD? Join us at DAIC Connect 2025, the industry engagement day hosted in partnership with the Defence AI Centre (DAIC).
The DAIC enables and accelerates ambitious, safe, and responsible AI adoption across UK Defence, working collaboratively with government, industry, academia, and allies to provide strategic advantage.
The goal of this second DAIC Connect is to foster a deeper collective understanding of the Defence AI market and associated challenges and to develop valuable connections between Defence and Industry.
The event will feature:
Additionally, the day will provide opportunities for companies to meet and brief various MOD teams and industry colleagues, both during the event and at the post-event networking drinks. Companies also have the opportunity to bring stands to showcase and discuss their products with Defence representatives and industry peers in the networking area.
Here is a short video summary of the first DAIC Connect:
Paul Lincoln CB OBE VR
Second Permanent Secretary, MOD
As Second Permanent Secretary, his responsibilities include digital transformation across Defence, security and resilience (including cyber security), space policy, science and technology, safety, Defence strategy, net assessment and challenge, trade and economic security, and strategic relationships with industry. Paul’s career has covered a broad range of roles in the MOD, the Home Office and the Cabinet Office. Prior to his return to the MOD, Paul spent time on secondment to the private sector. From 2017 to 2021 he was Director General of UK Border Force in the Home Office, with responsibility for protecting border security and overseeing immigration and customs checks. During this time, he successfully led one of the largest law enforcement organisations in the UK, delivering generational improvements to passenger processing and, with a real focus on preparations for Brexit, oversaw one of the largest and most complex EU exit programmes in government. He also led on the cross-government health measures at the border at the height of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Other senior roles at the Home Office included Director General of the Crime, Policing and Fire Group, and Acting Director General of the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism. His roles at the MOD have covered oversight for a range of operational campaigns, defence resourcing, programmes, and security policy.
Lt Gen Sir Tom Copinger-Symes KCB CBE
Deputy Commander UK Strategic Command, and Chief Disruptor Members' Advisory Board member
Tom spent his early career on operations with The Royal Green Jackets (now The Rifles) on operations in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2014 he formed and commanded 1st Intelligence Surveillance & Reconnaissance Brigade and then, as a Major General, he commanded those capabilities. In 2019 he was appointed Director Strategy and Military Digitisation at Defence Digital, accelerating Defence’s digital transformation and increasing its adoption of digital technology. In May 2022, Tom took up the post of Deputy Commander UK Strategic Command on promotion to Lieutenant General.
Charlie Forte
Chief Information Officer, MOD
Charlie has 39 years industry experience gained from leading IT globally as Deputy Group Global CIO at BP, as CEO of Global IT Services at Prudential and as Interim CIO at Thames Water. He has worked as an independent consultant helping businesses transform their ability to exploit digital technology. Charlie Forte was appointed the Chief Information Officer for the Ministry of Defence in January 2018. He is the primary advisor to the Defence Board on Information and Digital and is responsible for strategy and policy on the exploitation, operation, interoperability and protection of information and digital technology across the Ministry of Defence. This includes cyber security and resilience; the promotion of new ways of working, information technology-enabled innovation; and the delivery of effective IT services. Charlie is a member of the Defence Executive Committee and the Strategic Command Executive Committee.
Claire Fry
Director of Functional Integration, Defence Digital
Cdre Rachel Singleton MBE
Head of DAIC, MOD
Rachel Singleton joined the Royal Navy in 2002 from the Royal Naval Reserve, following a short career as a software engineer in the telecommunications sector. Her operational experience includes time onboard aircraft carriers ARK ROYAL and ILLUSTRIOUS, two short tours in Afghanistan and a tour as Weapon Engineer Officer of Type 45 destroyer HMS DARING. Her non-operational roles have spanned capability development, IT service management, cyber and Defence Engagement and she recently spent a rewarding two years leading on AI at the British Defence Staff in Washington DC, before returning to Navy Headquarters as Head of Digital Development and SRO of the Naval Strike Network programme.
Rachel has recently joined Defence Digital as Head of the DAIC and is responsible for setting the conditions for the widespread exploitation of AI within Defence, championing the appropriate and informed use of AI, ensuring the enablers are in place such as tooling, platforms and data, and sponsoring specific innovation projects, identifying crucial problem sets and developing AI models to address them.
Rachel is a graduate of Birmingham University where she studied Mathematics and Philosophy and has also undertaken an in-Service MSc in Information Systems at Cranfield University, and the Defence Academy’s Advanced Command and Staff Course alongside the associated MA in Defence Studies from Kings College London. At home Rachel is outnumbered by her husband and two sons and any spare time is spent reading, making music or hiking.
Brig Jaimie Roylance OBE
Chief Technical Officer, Royal Navy
Jaimie Roylance grew up and was educated in Somerset in the West of England. After graduating from Cambridge University with a degree in Natural Sciences in 1993, he was commissioned into the Royal Marines and completed Young Officer training at the Commando Training Centre in 1995. His early career included command of an infantry platoon of the Parachute Regiment, and qualification as an Arctic Warfare instructor. Following specialisation as a helicopter pilot, he undertook multiple flying tours with the UK’s Commando Helicopter Force. He was an AH- 1W Cobra pilot and Squadron Operations Officer with the United States Marines Corps, a two-year tour which included deployment with a US MEU into Iraq in early 2003. He has been a Squadron XO and Senior Pilot and has commanded both 846 and 847 Naval Air Squadrons. For nearly nine months he was the commander of the UK’s Joint Aviation Group (TF Jaguar) in Helmand, Afghanistan. Staff appointments have included tours in HQ Joint Helicopter Command, Army HQ, Navy HQ, HQ Strategic Command, and in the Ministry of Defence (3rd Floor). He was the Assistant Head Capability Delivery in the Air Manoeuvre Capability Directorate in 2014-16, the MOD’s Defence Attaché to Indonesia and East Timor in 2017-18, and an Assistant Head in the Directorate of Joint Warfare in 2019-2021. He was a member of the Royal College of Defence Studies 2021/22, and in July 2022 he took up the role of the Royal Navy’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The CTO role has entailed close oversight of the activities of one of the RN’s most busy innovation hubs, the Office of the CTO (OCTO). In October 2024, the RN decided to merge OCTO with a sister organisation, NavyX, to form a new organisation to be known as the Disruptive Capabilities and Technologies Office (DCTO). This organisation has a remit to help accelerate the RN’s adoption of autonomy and AI, whilst also delivering prototype development projects of close interest to sailors and marines at the front line of operations. Jaimie enjoys keeping tolerably fit, re-discovering history, and attempting to understand and anticipate the impact of emergent technology. He spends the spare time which remains walking his dog, travelling and eating, and dreaming about his next motorcycle. He has three children and a long-suffering partner.
Brig Richard Byfield MBE
Head Digital & Data Officer and Principal AI Officer, British Army
Brigadier Rich Byfield was commissioned into the Royal Corps of Signals in 1994 and has spent the majority of his career delivering communications to Army formations as well as MOD specialist roles. He was attached to The Cabinet Office for COVID-19 planning and promoted to Colonel in 2020, assuming the dual role of Deputy Commander 1(UK) Signal Brigade / ACOS G6 in HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. He then moved to be Chief of Staff to the Army Chief Information Officer and was selected for promotion to Brigadier that same year. Brigadier Byfield assumed his current appointment in October 2024 as the Army Head Digital and Data Officer, Principle AI Officer, and SRO for three Programmes (Defence Learning & Management Capability, Enhanced C2 Spearhead, and Army Estate Wide Internet Access).
Gp Capt Ed Whitechurch
Assistant Head Integration - Air Capability Strategy, Royal Air Force
Group Captain Ed Whitechurch is a Fast Jet Weapons Systems Officer, whose service has spanned both Air to Air and Air to Ground roles on three front line aircraft types (Tornado F3, Tornado GR4 and an F15E exchange with the USAF), with staff experience in operations (UK Permanent Joint Headquarters) and management of Defence (Air Staff Strategy Team) and command experience on a UK Main Operating Base as Officer Commanding Operations Support Wing at RAF Waddington. On promotion to Group Captain in August 2023 he assumed the role of Assistant Head Integration within Air Capability Strategy, working on areas including C2, Artificial Intelligence and Electromagnetic Warfare.
Prof Steven Meers
Fellow at DSTL, MOD
Professor Meers is a Fellow at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) specialising in application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to Defence and Security challenges. He is the Technical Strategy Leader for Dstl’s AI & Data Science Capability and the Head of Research & Experimentation in the UK’s Defence AI Centre. He is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Southampton where he is focussed on responsible and trustworthy adoption of AI. He provides advice at the highest levels within the Ministry of Defence regarding the opportunities and threats presented by artificial intelligence and machine learning and how the UK can responsibly & safely adopt these technologies to strengthen Defence and National Security.
Dina Kakaras
Head of Commercial X, MOD
Dina has been Head of the Software and Cloud Services category in Defence Digital Commercial since 2019. She has supported delivery to key areas such as Cyber, Crypt Key, Intelligence, Software enterprise agreements, Cloud and hosting services and the Foundry team through a strong category focus. She joined the MOD from Worldpay, the UK’s largest payments processing company and has worked in procurement and supply chain roles within financial services throughout her career. Dina now leads the Commercial X programme alongside her Software and Hosting role. She is committed to simplifying the way MOD procures digital, innovation and technology products and services through the pan-MOD CommercialX function.
Marcel Gordon
VP Product, Helsing
Marcel joined Helsing from Shift Technology in Paris, where he established the
product team. Before that, he spent 10 years building B2B and B2C products at
Google in Zurich, London and Paris. Marcel felt compelled to join Helsing as soon as
he learnt about the mission: he's a humanist and passionate about liberal democratic
values. Marcel studied Computer Science and Law at the University of Wollongong,
and holds a Master's degree from Cambridge University.
Shefali Sharma
Co-founder & Director, Oxford Dynamics
Shefali Sharma, Co-founder & Director at Oxford Dynamics, spearheads the development of novel and pioneering tech in the Defence and government sector. Shefali was selected as both Royal Academy of Engineering Promising SME Leader and a Global Young Innovator by Innovate UK as one of the few entrepreneurs (under 30) solving global challenges with their ground-breaking ideas. Shefali co-founded Oxford Dynamics to bring her creativity, passion and cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence and robotics to solving challenging customer problems.
Alistair Garfoot
Director of Intelligence Architecture, Mind Foundry
Alistair Garfoot is Mind Foundry’s Director of Intelligence Architecture where he designs applications of AI technology to drive operational impact across verticals. Alistair studied dynamic optimisation of high dimensional risk at the Oxford Machine Learning Research Group with Mind Foundry co-founder Professor Stephen Roberts. With expertise across AI state-of-the-art and operational problem identification, Alistair accelerates the realisation of AI-driven impact at the enterprise scale.
Nick Bray CBE
Global Defence and Security,
Vantiq
Nick Bray is the Vice President of Global Defense and Security at Vantiq, where he leverages over three decades of military expertise to drive innovative solutions in defense technology. Joining Vantiq in March 2023 from PwC, Nick has a distinguished background, having served 33 years in the Royal Air Force (RAF). His notable roles included commanding the RAF's specialist ground combat and security forces and serving as the Director of International Policy and Plans for the UK Ministry of Defence. After retiring from active service in 2017, he continued to contribute as a Reservist in the RAF's innovation organization, gaining valuable insights into defense advancements. Prior to Vantiq, Nick held key positions in defense innovation and cybersecurity, where he successfully introduced cutting-edge technologies to enhance national security. His contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards, including being named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his leadership in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Nick holds master's degrees in Military Strategy and Technology from King's College London and International Relations and Diplomacy from the London School of Economics.
Dr Mark Daniell
CTO Prototype Warfare and Disruptive Technology, Leonardo UK
Mark has 25 years’ experience in the defence industry, primarily in the field of military sensor systems.
As the CTO for Prototype Warfare and Disruptive Technology for Leonardo in the UK, Mark is responsible for developing strategic relationships with key customers to understand their problem-areas and, from that, identify opportunities for the development of novel capabilities. From this, Mark develops areas of the Leonardo UK Applied Research Programme to drive these opportunities towards demonstrable entities. In his previous role, Mark was responsible for developing and maintaining the ML/AI technology strategy for Leonardo Electronics UK.
David Sully
CEO and Co-founder, Advai
David Sully is the CEO and co-founder of Advai, a UK-based leader in AI safety and security. With over a decade of experience in Defence and Security within the UK Government, David brings a deep understanding of national security challenges to Advai's purpose. Since its establishment in 2020, Advai has become a trusted partner to UK Defence, Security, and Industry, delivering cutting-edge AI assurance capabilities. The company ensures that advanced AI systems meet the highest standards of safety, reliability, and operational readiness, supporting the secure deployment of technology critical to national and strategic interests.
Dr Mark Chattington
Technical Director - Research, Technology & Solution Innovation, Thales UK
Mark is an Engineer, Human Factors Expert and Psychologist and with 20 years’ experience in providing consultancy, research and development support across a number of engineering disciplines. He is currently the Thales UK Technical Director for R&T – this involves all defence and civilian applications across Thales Group and leading a multi-disciplinary team of engineers. He is best known for developing innovative solutions and problem solving, often in developing research and development areas or challenging environments – particularly in the area of user testing and trials and has turned this experience to the challenge of users engaging and getting value from AI.
Steve Burgess
Advisory - Digital and Analytics Lead, UK Public Sector
Heidi Edwards
Assistant Head of AI Skills and Talent Lead, MOD
Name withheld
Director of Technology, NCSC
Robin Riley
Head of AI Capability, DAIC
Robin Riley has had a diverse career across MOD and wider Government at the interface between science, technology, strategy, delivery, and operations. Robin began his career in MOD's experimental weapons division and has a track record as an innovator and disruptor, including numerous 'firsts' in the adoption of AI, digital, hackathons and more. Robin has expertise in a range of defence-related technologies and has served as an advisor to Ministers on complex and high-profile issues. He specialises in cohering and leading teams with a mix of technical expertise. Robin currently leads the UK's central pathfinding effort to harness AI at scale and pace for Defence, as Head of AI Capability in the Defence AI Centre.
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