Brigadier Caroline Woodbridge-Lewin was born and raised in Tunbridge Wells, attended Welbeck College, then RMA Sandhurst before commissioning into the Royal Corps of Signals in 1995. Early service was in Northern Ireland with 39 Brigade, Germany with 7 th Armoured Brigade and Cyprus with the SIGINT community. This was followed by a range of specialist roles at regimental duty, sub- unit command, and at staff with experience accrued in operational delivery and support, communications, information, intelligence and cyber. Senior staff appointments have included CIS capability acquisition for operational customers, strategic military liaison in Central Government and leading the Information Warfare Group and Defence Cyber Academy. Operational service includes tours of Northern Ireland, the Former Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan. She holds a bachelors engineering degree in Electronic Systems from Cranfield University and a master’s degree in information management and technology. She joins the NAD Group as Head of the Defence AI Centre having recently completed three years in command of the Defence College of Technical Training. She has two daughters who board at Monkton School in Bath, and when not playing and coaching hockey, she can be found walking her black labrador, preferably in the hills.

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.

Air Vice-Marshal Ola ‘Fash’ FASHADE was born in North London and commissioned into the Royal Air Force, after completing a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Brunel University. Following completion of his first tour as the Engineering Officer at RAF Bentley Priory on Air Defence Systems in 2000, he undertook multiple junior command appointments, as a flt lt and sqn ldr, with the Tactical Communications Wing. Here he provided communications services to deployed operating bases and operational headquarters globally. Latterly, he also commanded RAF Wyton, as a wing commander between 2014-2015, and 90 Signals Unit, as a group captain in 2022. As with most of his generation, he undertook multiple deployments to the Middle East and South Asia, whilst serving with the Tactical Communications Wing. He also deployed on the staff of 52 (Infantry) Brigade to Helmand Province, planning and executing Information Operations. Furthermore, he held command of the UK Joint Force Communications and Information Systems Group in Qatar, providing integrated communications services for all UK Forces operating in the Middle East. Latterly, he was seconded to the US 101 st Airborne Division, based in Baghdad, planning and executing multi-domain non-lethal operations. A graduate of both the UK Advanced and Higher Command and Staff courses, he has served in many staff roles. These include Headquarters Air Command, MOD Main Building (as a Military Assistant) and within UKStratCom Defence Digital, managing a £1.4Bn equipment programme on behalf of the three services. He served as the one-star ACOS J6 within the Permanent Joint Headquarters between 2022–24, where he digitalised operations and managed the provision of communications and digital services to all conventional UK deployed operations. He was appointed Director Strategy and Military Digitalisation (DSMD) in May 2025. Fash is married to Felicity, a Systems Engineer, and they have two teenage children. He has a keen interest in history, is a (semi) retired Rugby and Basketball player, and particularly enjoys winter sports and general aviation.

Luke Pollard was appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence on 6 September 2025.

He was previously Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Defence from 9 July 2024 to 6 September 2025. He was elected as the MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport in July 2024.

Col Bob Christopher MBE is a former British Army Officer with over 35 years of distinguished service, most recently serving as Assistant Head of Army Digital Services. In this role, he led an award-winning team of 180 personnel delivering business and operational applications and data analytics across Defence, managing an annual turnover of £35 million through agile DevOps methodologies.
Throughout his military career, Bob gained extensive joint and coalition experience, including embedded roles with US forces and NATO. His specialisms include managing change, soft systems engineering, and mentoring.
Bob now brings his deep understanding of military digital transformation to Intellium AI, a UK sovereign AI company delivering specialist solutions to Defence, where he leads the Land Programmes portfolio.

Katrina Mulligan is Head of National Security Partnerships at OpenAI, where she leads work with U.S. government partners on the safe and effective deployment of frontier artificial intelligence systems. She operates at the nexus of technology, policy, and national security, helping leaders understand and apply emerging AI capabilities to mission-critical challenges. Before joining OpenAI, Katrina held senior roles across government and the nonprofit sector, including at the White House, the Pentagon, the Department of Justice, and the Intelligence Community. In those positions, she managed the White House’s response to the Snowden disclosures, supported counterterrorism efforts following Benghazi and the Boston Marathon bombings, and oversaw Special Operations policy. At OpenAI, she partners with national security agencies to explore how AI can advance outcomes while reinforcing safety and governance. A frequent speaker on the implications of AI for strategy, security, and society, Katrina is committed to ensuring that these powerful technologies are developed and deployed to benefit humanity.

Adrian Saxton is a trusted advisor to HMG on data and AI, with over 20 years of experience spanning military service, government, and the private sector. His career has been defined not by deploying technology but by leading the operational transformation required to make technology deliver impact. Adrian began his career in the Royal Signals before serving at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He has since held senior roles at AWE and Deloitte, where he led security and data transformation programmes across critical national infrastructure, nuclear, and national security sectors, including serving as CTO of the Cyber Programme at AWE and leading a workstream supporting the creation of the National COVID Testing Platform, a programme that demonstrated what is possible when technology adoption and operational change happen in lockstep under extreme pressure. Adrian now works at Actica, where he leads the Data Service Line, which includes our AI Advisory service. Adrian has had recent and direct involvement in large-scale data projects within the MOD including the recent Palantir migration, where the real challenge was not the platform but redesigning how hundreds of analysts, data feeds, and operational workflows came together without disrupting live operations. This is the kind of work that illustrates the panel's core question: the technology existed, but impact required fundamentally rethinking how people worked with it. His experience on both sides of the table, as a government practitioner and as an industry advisor, gives him a practical and informed view on what must change to maintain strategic advantage in an era defined by the pace of AI adoption. 

Dan Tadross is the Head of Public Sector at Scale AI, a dual use technology company that builds the infrastructure for the most ambitious artificial intelligence projects in the world. In this role, Dan oversees all aspects of Scale’s support to the U.S. public sector.

Prior to Scale, Dan served 12 years on Active Duty in the Marine Corps where he was a founding member of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), a precursor to the Pentagon’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office. At the JAIC, Dan established the Joint Warfighting National Mission Initiative and led project Gargoyle, which focused on deploying Computer Vision for enhancing force protection.

Prior to the JAIC, Major Tadross, an Air Traffic Control Officer, was hand selected as a member of the Secretary of the Navy’s Innovation Advisory Council, where he conducted independent research at the MITRE Corporation on integrating AI into Aviation Command and Control. His previous tours included Marine Air Tactical Command Squadron 18 in Okinawa, Japan where he served as the Senior Air Coordinator and supported exercises in South Korea, the Philippines, and Australia. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Old Dominion University and a Masters in Technology Management from Georgetown University.

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.

Commodore Marcus Hember commissioned in 1996 and has served mostly at sea in the front line, from Offshore Patrol Vessels to aircraft carriers, as a navigator and then a Principle Warfare Officer specialising in Communications and Electronic Warfare. He has commanded five ships: HMS SEVERN, HMS CLYDE, the Type 45 destroyers HMS DIAMOND and HMS DARING, and the Amphibious Flagship HMS ALBION as Task Group Commander in the High North and Baltic. Ashore he has led training, operational planning, and crisis response in the MOD. A passionate sailor, he champions opportunities for serving sailors, marines, and their families to get afloat.

David Haslam commissioned into The Corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) in 1998. Regimental Duties included deployments on Op PALATINE (Bosnia), Op TELIC (Iraq) in 2003 & 2005 and Op HERRICK (Afghanistan) in 2013. He has commanded a REME Battalion and was the first Commander of the UK National Support Element (Eastern Europe) in 2022. At staff, he has been a Platoon Commander Instructor at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, before tours in MOD Main Building in both the Capability and Operations Directorate. In 2010, as a Major, he was appointed as the Equerry to HRH The Prince Philip. His remaining staff tours have been operationally focussed on the Eastern Europe theatre of operations in the Permanent Joint HQ, the Land Operations Command as the Russia and Wider Europe Operations Team Leader. In addition, as part of the Army Strategy branch, he wrote the Army’s strategy for continued support to Ukraine. He has recently returned from a 14-month operational deployment in Eastern Europe. He is now Assistant Head ASGARD DECIDE in the Army HQ.

Lucinda Kirk leads Nominal’s UK and European defence and government-facing work, where she focuses on building partnerships with government customers and partners across the region. Nominal is a dual-use software company building a data platform for complex, mission-critical hardware systems, enabling teams to better capture, analyse, and act on operational and test data.

Prior to joining Nominal, Lucinda was an early employee at Anduril Industries in the United Kingdom, where she led business development and go-to-market efforts for the company’s unmanned aerial systems across the UK and Europe. In this role she worked closely with the UK Ministry of Defence and allied partners, helping shape strategy and deliver capabilities in complex and operationally critical environments. She holds a degree from the University of Oxford.

Andy Stanford-Clark is an innovation leader in IBM Research, and led IBM’s technical team for the Mayflower Autonomous Ship project. He is an IBM Distinguished Engineer, a Master Inventor with more than 40 patents, co-creator of MQTT, and leads IBM’s Quantum Ambassador team in the UK. He is widely recognized for his pioneering work in the area of home automation and the Internet of Things and is a prominent advocate for using technology to make everyday life more efficient and sustainable. Andy is based at IBM’s Hursley Park laboratories near Winchester. He is an Honorary Professor at the University of East Anglia, a Visiting Professor at the University of Newcastle, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southampton, and a Fellow of the British Computer Society.

Professor Ajay Chakravarthy is the Chief AI Officer at Thales UK and a Visiting Professor at the University of Sheffield, where he earned his Masters and PhD in Computer Science. A Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology, Ajay brings over two decades of experience in AI, spanning academia, government and industry. His roles include Chief Scientific and Technology Officer for Counter Terrorism Policing and Chief Scientist of the Artificial Intelligence Lab at DSTL. Ajay also served as a Senior Civil Servant at the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, where he was Director of Digital, Data and Technology.

Sam is one of Anthropic's research leads. He was one of the company's earliest employees and has been involved in the development of Claude from the start, through to Anthropic's latest frontier models.

Dr Duncan Hodges is UK CTO for Emerging Technologies, Academic & SME Partnerships at Leonardo, leading and accelerating the flow of cutting-edge research into programmes and products. With Leonardo UK investing around £500 million in R&D last year, he focuses on turning ideas from universities and SMEs into deployable capability and competitive advantage.

Before joining Leonardo, Duncan spent 15+ years in UK academia at the Universities of Oxford, Bath and Cranfield, delivering research for Defence, security and national resilience customers. He has also served in roles across the UK Ministry of Defence and the wider Civil Service, ensuring innovation translates into real-world impact for those who need it most.

Working alongside Form1 Partners, he leads Leonardo’s SME partnering programme, strengthening the UK supply chain and connecting founders and investors into the government–industry–academia innovation “triple helix” to drive sustainable, long- term growth

Ben Fawcett, the Head of Defence at Advai, is a leading expert in AI assurance and security, specialising in the evaluation of AI models for high-stakes, national security environments. Drawing on nearly 14 years of experience as a Royal Navy Commissioned Officer, he bridges the gap between frontline operational requirements and cutting-edge machine learning.

At Advai, Ben leads the development of the AI Model Arena in partnership with the UK’s Defence AI Centre (DAIC), establishing new benchmarks for AI robustness and reliability.

Mia Gair is an AI Assurance lead in Defence. She has led the design and deployment of the DAIC AI Assurance offering for MOD, deploying a comprehensive offering from AI risk governance to AI test and evaluation in operationally critical environments. Mia has shaped national and international AI assurance strategy, including contributions across UK Government, NATO and AUKUS. Drawing on industry best practice, Mia is a co-author and researcher in Responsible AI in practice at the Open University’s Centre for Protecting Women Online.

Lindsay is the Chief Executive Officer of Mind Foundry, a UK-sovereign AI and data analytics company delivering trusted capabilities for defence and national security, with a focus on sensing, information fusion, and situational awareness.

Lindsay is a qualified lawyer with a strong interest in the regulation, assurance, and ethical deployment of AI in high-stakes operational environments, ensuring that trust, human-centricity, and accountability remain central.

Earlier in her career, Lindsay worked at The Sunday Times Fast Track, collaborating with founders, management teams, and blue-chip sponsors to analyse the UK’s fastest-growing private companies, focusing on business strategies and the key drivers of scale and value. She then joined Penningtons Manches Cooper’s VC team, advising university spinouts and high-growth companies on funding, investment and exits, before being seconded to the UK government’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) to help establish its legal and compliance frameworks. At ARIA, she enabled investment in high-risk, high-reward technologies and shaped policy on funding for dual-use technologies.

A seasoned IT executive with 30 years of experience in the software industry, leading sales engineering and product teams, John has worked in large corporate and startup organisations, recently he held CPO for a Cyber Identity startup and CTO for Northern Europe at Citrix. John currently leads the CrowdStrike Sales Engineering team for Northern Europe and is responsible for technical engagement across the CrowdStrike customer base in the region.

Dr Katie Yates is the Head of Data Science & Machine Learning at Raytheon UK, leading the Artificial Intelligence Research Group. Katie has been at Raytheon for 5 years as a machine learning specialist and technical lead. She has technical expertise in many areas of AI including generative AI, natural language processing and computer vision, specialising in ethical and explainable AI. Katie has a mathematics degree and PhD in unsupervised learning for high-dimensional and complex data, and has previously worked as a data scientist in Formula One.

Stuart is a highly experienced senior leader within Defence, with more than 24 years of service spanning national security, ministerial decision-making, and digital transformation. His extensive background has enabled him to contribute effectively across multiple strategic areas within the organisation.

He has assumed the interim position of Defence Chief Data and AI Officer, bringing his considerable expertise to this pivotal role. In this capacity, Stuart is responsible for guiding Defence’s approach to Data and Artificial Intelligence.

Stuart previously served as Deputy Director, Policy & Performance Management in Defence Digital. Here, he played a key role in shaping both strategy and delivery governance, reinforcing enterprise risk and performance management, and ensuring Defence Digital’s input to the Government’s Strategic Defence Review was successfully delivered.

His earlier roles include Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Defence and Chief of Staff to the Chief Digital and Information Officer. In these positions, Stuart supported major digital programmes and led teams in delivering results rapidly within demanding, high-pressure environments.

 

Heidi Edwards is the Assistant Head of AI Skills and Talent Lead within the Ministry of Defence, bringing over 26 years of experience in the UK Government. With a background in Cloud, Architecture and Artificial Intelligence. Heidi's career has included roles in multiple government organisations, focusing on digital transformation and capability-building initiatives.

Heidi’s career has been centred on technology and innovation in cloud computing and now AI, emphasising the importance of learning to drive digital innovation to transform careers. She leads learning initiatives designed to enhance the organisation's capabilities through strategic development.

She has introduced the 'Amazon’s Cloudupfor Her programme,' the first of its kind for the UK Civil Service. Additionally, she has developed the UK Civil Service ‘TechHer’ Microsoft programme, which trained over 10,000 women across government last year.

In her work in technology and innovation, Heidi Edwards has focused on inclusivity and strategic leadership. She supports initiatives that promote diversity and empower underrepresented groups, influencing approaches to technology within the UK Government.

Heidi is an award-winning capability lead, and Learning and Performance Institute finalist, 2024.

Claire Fry was appointed Director Functional Integration for the Ministry of Defence Digital Function in February 2021. Her role providing leadership across the Digital function which is Pan Defence. This includes being the Digital Head of Profession and leading the People agenda across the Digital Function. Her aim is to drive functional impact, working closely with the Chief Information Officer (CIO) community across Defence to ensure cohesion and integration of Digital. Amongst other things her key responsibilities include the £4.6bn Portfolio Digital spend, the Digital governance that reports into the Defence Board and is leading the Digital Skills for Defence Programme, working across Defence and industry to develop ground-breaking Digital skills uplift. Starting off in the private sector, Claire has now worked in Defence for over 20 years, primarily in Digital roles, including working as a Head of CIO in a TLB (setting the Information strategy, driving IT efficiency and delivering business value), leading Digital Programmes and as the IT Head of Profession being responsible for setting up the first Digital Apprenticeship and Graduate programmes and for the professional development of up to 14000 Digital Professionals. She has driven Portfolio development of up to £26Bn and is grounded in ITIL based processes such as Configuration Management, Business Change and driving value from Technology in the business. As a Certified Management Consultant (CMC), running the internal consultancy team for Defence the team was awarded the Institute of Business Consultancy (IBC) premier practice status, delivering business process engineering, organisational development, and team building.

Wes Green leads Invisible Technologies’ expansion into the public sector, bringing more than 25 years of experience in business development, strategy, and technology leadership. A former Air Force Officer, Wes has held senior roles at BAE Systems, Microsoft Federal, and SandboxAQ, where he drove digital transformation in highly regulated and classified environments. He has a strong track record of scaling operations, building high-performing teams, and securing strategic deals ranging from $1M to $10B across U.S. and international public sector markets. Wes specializes in leveraging automation and AI to streamline complex workflows, enhance transparency, and improve mission outcomes for government organizations.

Harry is the founder and CEO of Augur Initiative. Having spent six years developing systems focused on increasing safety and security within public spaces he created Augur. A company who's mission is focused on securing critical infrastructure and large scale civilian spaces from external threats.

Brigadier Nick Mackenzie was commissioned into The King’s Own Royal Border Regiment (one of the antecedent regiments of The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment) in 1998. He has served at Regimental Duty in both the Armoured and Light Infantry role in Catterick, Warminster, Canada, Germany and Cyprus. He has served on operations in Northern Ireland as a Company Operations Officer and as a Company Commander with the 3 rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment on Op HERRICK 11. As a staff officer, he has served with 1 (UK) Armoured Division as the SO3 Operations, this included a tour of Iraq on Op TELIC 7 and 8. On promotion to Major in 2006 he was employed in a post which saw him deliver Urgent Operational Requirements to Iraq and Afghanistan. After sub-unit command he was posted to The Army Directorate for Operations and Contingencies; as the lead SO2 for overseas operations. He also spent time as the Chief Instructor at the Infantry Battle School in Brecon. On promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, he was appointed as the SO1 Current Operations in Headquarters 3rd (UK) Division. He commanded the Army Training Regiment (Winchester) from Sep 16 to Apr 19, after which he spent time as short period as SO1 Training Operations in HQ ARITC. In Aug 19, he was promoted to Colonel and assumed the role of Assistant Director Recruiting in HQ ARITC. In Apr 23, he was appointed as Assistant Head Personnel Strategy, in the Army HQ. In Jul 25, on promotion to Brigadier, he assumed the role of Head of Talent, Skills, Learning and Development in the Defence People Team. Brigadier Mackenzie is a keen triathlete, cyclist and runner (he has qualified to represent GB at triathlon in 2026, he completed the Marathon des Sables in 2022 and Ironman Wales in 2024). He is also Chair of the Army Cycling Union. He is married to Lucy, and has two (grown up) children. With practice he speaks fluent German and reasonably good French. He also enjoys spending time with his family at their holiday home in the Outer Hebrides.

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.

Bal is a Senior Manager within Human Capital Defence having recently come from the Public Sector.

She has extensive experience of working across Security and Defence. Bal specialises in Workforce Planning and People Analytics.

Dina is a Deputy Director in the MOD and has led the Software, Data, AI and Cloud Services category in Defence Digital Commercial since 2019. She oversees around £2bn annually across Cyber, Crypt Key, Cloud, Intelligence, Software, AI and Foundry portfolios. With 19 years of Commercial and Procurement experience across public and private sectors, she joined the MOD from Worldpay. Known for innovation and digital transformation, she builds and motivates high‑performing teams. Dina also created and leads the Commercial X programme, focused on simplifying how the MOD procures digital, technology and innovation services.

Nick Bray CBE is VANTIQ’s Global VP for Defence, Security and Public Safety / European BD. He joined VANTIQ in 2023 from PwC’s Aerospace & Defence division. Previously, Nick served as a NED for a UK drone company, advised a major technology provider on cyber operations and worked for a Cambridge-based digital twin company specializing in global atmospheric modelling. Nick’s distinguished military background includes commanding the RAF’s 6,000-strong specialist ground combat forces, senior roles in NATO and leadership of UK MOD’s International Division.

Nick Burks leads Pega’s work with the UK Ministry of Defence and has extensive experience working with complex public sector organisations on the practical adoption of enterprise technology. Nick focuses on how workflow automation and artificial intelligence can be applied responsibly at scale, with particular emphasis on operationalising AI, governance, and collaboration across units. Nick regularly advises senior stakeholders on building sustainable AI ecosystems that combine people, process and technology rather than isolated solutions. He has a strong interest in how industry and government can work together to accelerate outcomes, manage risk and ensure AI delivers measurable value beyond experimentation and simple chat bots.

Jack is Co-Founder and CEO of Great Wave AI - the UK’s sovereign GenAI agent orchestration platform. The platform delivers the governance, monitoring, and vendor-agnostic flexibility needed to deploy AI safely at scale and in high-trust environments.

With his two co-founders, Jack has grown Great Wave AI from concept to ?1m ARR, supporting organisations including the UK Ministry of Defence, The Insolvency Service, Warwickshire Police, and TalkTalk.

He began his career as an infantry officer before spending 20 years as a senior technology consultant at leading firms.

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 is the Head of Research & Experimentation for the UK Defence AI Centre. 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.

Dr. Mark Maybury is Vice President, Commercialization, Technology & Strategic Innovation for Lockheed Martin, responsible for leading efforts to commercialize dual-use products and services across the corporation. Dr. Maybury’s prior roles include first Chief Technology Officer for Stanley Black & Decker, Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force, Chief Technology and Chief Security Officer at MITRE, and Director of the National Cybersecurity FFRDC. He serves on boards and advises LMEvolve, Forward Edge ASIC, Astris AI, Advanced Cyber Security Center, Halo.Energy, and Nano surfaces.

His prior board service includes the Defense Science Board, Object Management Group, Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, Intelligence Science Board, and Homeland Security S&T Advisory Committee. Dr. Maybury is a Fellow of both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.

Alex Kehoe is Founder and CEO of Vizgard, a UK defence technology SME developing sovereign visual AI for camera-enabled platforms. He founded the company in 2021 to enhance autonomy across legacy and next-generation defence systems, leading its growth through UK Government programmes and venture backing. A former Royal Navy submariner with intrapreneurial experience in EU defence primes, he focuses on deploying AI that reduces operator burden and addresses evolving threats. He is a champion for UK defence SMEs and a founding member of SCEPTRE, a UK SME-led consortium delivering a modular sovereign C2 software stack for UK MOD, enabling integrated command and control at pace.

Rob is BAE Systems’ Group Technology Director, part of the Chief Technology & Information Officer organisation. This role involves ensuring the effective use of technology across the company, looking to increase collaboration to achieve our future business growth aspirations. Much of the work of Rob’s team is around improving the use of autonomous systems, both within physical assets and command and control systems, as well as improving the ability to combine assets and intelligence across domains to improve decision advantage. Rob also seeks to promote the software defined work that BAE Systems does across high-end exquisite military hardware and newer attritable assets.

Dr Sheldon joined the MoD as part of the Defence Engineering and Science Group Fast Track Stream, following a sponsored degree in Chemistry at Edinburgh University in 1993 and a PhD in Organic Chemistry at Oxford University in 1996. His initial appointments were in the MoD Procurement Executive, MoD Centre and the Defence Engineering and Research Agency (DERA). These were followed by a 2- year project management post at the Defence Procurement Agency, leading the tri- service Dismounted Close Combat Trainer Project. Promoted in 2001, he subsequently joined the Defence Fixed Networks (DFN) Integrated Project Team (IPT) at the Defence Communications Services Agency (DCSA) based in Corsham. Initially he was responsible for the provision of mobility and overseas fixed telephony services, however he latterly led a team to renegotiate and extend the length of the £1.5Bn Defence Fixed Telecommunication Services (DFTS) programme.

In April 2004 he moved to become the Assistant Director with lead responsibility for implementing the DCSA change programme, where he shaped and programme managed the delivery of significant improvements in the effectiveness and efficiency of Defence Communication and IT services.

Following promotion in 2006, Dr Sheldon moved to the Defence Logistics Organisation, to establish and lead the Defence Logistics Performance Management Programme (DLPM). This hugely successful initiative was subsequently rolled out across all in-service Defence equipment over an 18 month period, enabling Front Line Commands to better manage Logistic risks associated with military operations. His next move was to the Defence Equipment & Support Performance Delivery Improvement (PDI) team, where he worked directly to the DE&S Chief Operating Officer and was responsible for leading comprehensive reviews of challenged equipment projects – objectively identifying their problems and working with the relevant delivery teams to resolve them. In April 2009, the PDI joined the new DE&S Programmes and Technology Group (PTG), where Dr Sheldon’s role was widened to include providing assistance and assurance to DE&S delivery teams on project and technology management.

In August 2010, Dr Sheldon became the Head of Cost Assurance and Analysis Service (CAAS) team, which provides cost forecasting, estimating and certification services for the MoD. He successfully led the modernisation and growth of the CAAS team as a key component of the Defence Acquisition Reform Programme (DARP). He directly supported the Chief of Defence Materiel in establishing an affordable Defence Equipment Programme and several key commercial negotiations, such as the way ahead for UK surface warship construction that concluded in November 2013. Building on his experiences as the Head of CAAS, he next led the establishment of the new Defence Equipment & Support Project Controls function, playing a critical role in enabling DE&S Transformation – the function became operational in April 2017 and now includes over 1500 staff supporting all elements of DE&S delivery. In April 2018, Dr Sheldon became the Head of Submarine Production responsible for the delivery of the Astute Boats 4-7 from build into service. This Category A Programme, has a team of 120 across 3 sites, with accountability for some £11.2 billion in capability acquisition. After 28 months in role, he was advanced again to become the Director of Submarine Acquisition, responsible for the acquisition of all Royal Navy submarines including the Astute, Dreadnought and SSN AUKUS programmes.

In April 2024, Dr Sheldon became the 2* Chief Delivery Officer at Dstl. The role supports the Chief Executive to ensure the delivery of the complex portfolio of defence and security work, and to coordinate and manage the work across the Dstl Science & Technology (S&T) delivery units. He is also responsible for; implementing a successful single front door for S&T stakeholders to task Dstl, triage and prioritisation of stakeholder demand to deliver highest impact S&T, developing and stewarding S&T capability working with Chief Technical Officer and ensuring a sustainable portfolio balance, aligned to our principles. He is married to Kate and currently lives in north Bristol, where he enjoys cycling, good food, wine and looking after his children, Toby and Emily.

Rupert Pearce is the UK’s National Armaments Director (NAD) and a member of the Defence Board, as a 4*/Permanent Secretary grade civil servant.

With over 40 years of experience, Rupert has built a distinguished career across law, technology, telecommunications, energy, and venture capital, excelling as a CEO, chairman, and venture partner with a proven ability to drive growth, innovation, and transformation in global, high-growth industries.

From 2012 to 2021, Rupert was CEO of Inmarsat plc, a FTSE 100 leader in mobile satellite communications. During his tenure, he launched 6 satellites, developed the pioneering Global Xpress broadband network, and established market-leading business units in aviation, maritime, defence, and government sectors. He also led Inmarsat’s transition to private ownership in one of the largest take-private deals on the London Stock Exchange.

Rupert began his career as a corporate lawyer, becoming an equity partner at Linklaters, where he specialised in corporate finance, M&A, and private equity. He has also advised technology companies and venture capital firms as a chairman and venture partner.

An Oxford graduate with a First-Class degree in Modern History, Rupert is a published author and has contributed to numerous government and industry initiatives, reflecting his commitment to leadership and innovation.

Audrey Herblin-Stoop joined Mistral AI in February 2024 and serves as its Senior Vice President Global Public Affairs and Communication. Prior to this role, she was Director of Public Affairs and External Communications for the Betclic group from January 2022, following her tenure as Head of Public Policy for France and Russia at Twitter for 7 years (2015-2022). She began her career at the French Business Confederation (MEDEF) in 2008 as Public Affairs Deputy Director, before joining TBWA\Corporate in 2012 as Account Director, where she led the public affairs division.

Andrew is Head of Defence at Faculty AI. Faculty is one of the UK's most successful AI companies, with a strong focus on AI safety work. It was recently acquired by Accenture. Its defence work is focused on human-centred operation AI solutions for military problems. He has also held a number of senior public sector roles, including as a founding team member of the British Business Bank and working at the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Brigadier Jaimie Fraser Roylance OBE RM is the Royal Navy’s Chief Technology Officer and Head of its Disruptive Capabilities & Technologies Office (DCTO). Educated in Somerset and a Cambridge Natural Sciences graduate, he commissioned into the Royal Marines in 1995. His career spans aviation, operational deployments with UK and US forces, and command of multiple Naval Air Squadrons, including leading the UK Joint Aviation Group in Afghanistan. He has held senior staff roles across Defence and overseas, and since 2022 has been driving technological innovation for the Royal Navy. His interests include history, technology, skiing, the outdoors, and motorcycling.

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).

John leads the EMEA Office of the CTO team for Google Cloud engaging on emerging themes like AI and Google Distributed Cloud. Blending engineering and customer engagement is an important part of the role. John works within a diverse team drawn from multiple backgrounds and skill sets to ensure synergies of various perspectives working together comes to the fore. John also supports a number of STEM projects that are aimed at enhancing participation overall but particularly from a wider range of backgrounds. John is also very proud of being an ambassador for the British Dyslexia Association. John began his technology career nearly 32 years ago, working on early AI and even distributed ledger technologies that were deployed to great impact in private and public sector environments. His expertise across many roles within Oracle and now Google in sustainability and data technologies have led to him being a renowned industry speaker, author and commentator on technical and business innovation issues.

Mr. Cameron Stanley is the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer (CDAO) for the Department of War (DoW). In this role, he leads the acceleration of DoW’s adoption of data, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) to generate decision advantage.

Most recently, Mr. Stanley served as National Security Transformation Lead for Amazon Web Services. Prior to this appointment, he served as Chief Data Officer of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security from 2022-2024, where he oversaw policy development and implementation across the full spectrum of the Defense Intelligence and Security Enterprise. From 2021-2022, he was Chief of the Algorithmic Warfare Cross Functional Team, also known as Project Maven. The initiative was the data and AI pathfinder program tasked with enabling improved warfighter outcomes through the development, deployment, and sustainment of rapidly fielded AI algorithms and data driven solutions.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Stanley has amassed broad leadership experience in some of the Department’s most challenging science and technology initiatives, each with a focus on the rapid development and delivery of capabilities directly to warfighters. Leadership roles include Senior Science and Technology Advisor to the Command, USSOUTHCOM; Senior JIEDDO Representative to the United Kingdom; and Chief of the JIEDDO Technology Strategy Division.

Air Vice-Marshal Mark Ridgway grew up in North London and joined the Royal Air Force in 1999, commissioning as an Intelligence Officer.  His staff tours to date have included in the Permanent Joint Headquarters, in the Air Warfare Centre, in 11 Group at Air Command, in the United States Central Command and in various professional roles across the RAF, Joint, Defence and international organisations. He has also had the privilege of commanding in single Service, Joint, panDefence, and multi-national entities. Mark has further deployed multiple times to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the wider Middle East. Following a tour as Commander of the National Centre for Geospatial Intelligence, he became Director Defence Futures on promotion to Air Vice-Marshal in October 2024. This post subsequently evolved from July 2025 to be Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff, Futures & Force Design. Mark is a graduate of the UK Advanced and Higher Command and Staff Courses and an alumnus of the Windsor Leadership Trust. Academically, Mark holds a Bachelor’s degree in Politics from the University of Nottingham and three Master’s degrees in: Terrorism Studies from the University of St Andrews; Defence Studies from Kings College, London; and Leadership and Management from the University of Portsmouth. The latter was conducted under a Chief of the Air Staff's Fellowship and focused on leadership of military and civil servant analysts. He subsequently completed a Doctorate in Business Administration under a further CAS Fellowship, studying empowerment and mission command in the Information Age military.  Mark is a strong advocate of lifelong learning, diverse perspectives and empowered innovation. In his spare time he enjoys running, reading and piano playing. 

Blythe Crawford CBE is Director of Grail at Tiberius Aerospace, where he leads the development of the company’s platform to accelerate defence capability delivery and strengthen industrial collaboration. As Commandant of the Air and Space Warfare Centre, he drove radical transformation of capability development in support of Ukraine. He is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford Changing Character of Warfare Centre and works with the Alan Turing Institute on advancing the application of data and AI to national security and defence.

Hugh is a Chartered Engineer and Project Professional who joined the UK MOD in 1998 as a fresh faced student at the acclaimed Engineering Training Centre in Malvern. Since then, Hugh has been involved a variety of engineering, programme delivery, commercial, and policy roles across government, industry and charity – notably spending 5 years from 2016 leading teams to deliver technology and international aspects of the UK’s next Fighter Jet (aka Tempest/Global Combat Air Programme). Alongside this role, he completed a Masters in Major Programme Management at Oxford and his ‘Beneficial Inefficiency’ dissertation examined success factors for collaborative international projects. Before joining the UK MOD Defence AI Centre as ‘second in the door’ in 2022, Hugh was seconded for 11 months to design and implement the Cabinet Office COVID 19 Task Force Delivery Unit - learning a lot about the heart of UK government and the amazing things that can be achieved at pace through collaboration. He recently completed an AI fellowship at Imperial College, sponsoring independent research into Defence Sovereignty considerations.

Brandie is a catalyst, mentor, guest lecturer, trustee, non-executive director, advisory board member, and CEO - all while being a twin mom!In early 2021, Brandie joined the NHS as Chief Executive Officer in Primary Care, demonstrating that leadership skills are transferrable across sectors. Prior to this, she was the Managing Director at Marco Pierre White Restaurants, drawing on over 20 years of experience in consumer service delivery across hospitality, retail, and aviation. Brandie previously held senior leadership roles at British Airways, Tesco, Whitbread, Travelodge, and Hilton Hotels, where she started as a graduate trainee and worked her way up.Brandie is a true trailblazer - the first female MD at MPW Restaurants and currently the only Black female NHS primary care super-partnership CEO. As of 2020, she was the first Black female MD within branded restaurant groups in the UK. Brandie has been recognised as one of the top 15 BAME high flyers in the travel and tourism industry, and was a finalist at the Black British Business Awards for Senior Leader in the Consumer and Luxury sector. Voted as one of the top 50 listening leaders, and a finalist at the National Diversity Awards for positive role model and gender diversity, Brandie demonstrates her commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion everyday.Most recently, Brandie authored a book titled "The Sector Agnostic Leadership Playbook: Pivoting In Heels".

Phil Siveter is an advocate for the power of technology to positively impact lives and improve society, but has a firm belief that it is people, when able to perform at their best, who are the true agents of change and progress.  Following a four-year tenure as CEO for Nokia in the UK & Ireland, Phil was appointed as Chief Executive of Thales UK in October 2024.  Directly employing 7,000 people UK-wide and contributing around £2bn to the country’s GDP, Thales in the UK provides safety and security infrastructure and sovereign capability to sectors as diverse as defence, banking and aerospace. Its varied projects range from delivering air defence capabilities that nations rely on to deter aggression, to the digital identity and security that underpins our connected world. Phil brings over 20 years of leadership experience in the technology industry to the Thales Group and, prior to his roles in Nokia, he worked at Ciena and BT, where he held numerous operational roles. Phil has particularly strong experience of Defence and Public Sector & Enterprise markets and in delivering critical services.  Phil has recently been appointed to the Defence Industry Joint Council (DIJC) as co-chair of the Skills and Training Working Group.  He has also joined the board of the French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain Phil is a keen advocate of the social enterprise model and has been an advisor to Social Enterprise Berkshire and to the Beyond Boyle Foundation, which aims to transform lives through the power of cooking.  Phil is born and bred in Reading and lives in the local area with his wife and children. 

I blame Lego. Not for everything. They probably had nothing to do with my inability to play tennis. And they would undoubtedly mount a robust defence against any involvement in the madness that combines chocolate and orange. Either that or they're more devious than they let on... They are, however, firmly to blame for my passion for product design, construction and, inevitably, deconstruction. This passion has led to 30+ years of creating award-winning software solutions, delivering innovative world-firsts, and executing complex organisational transformations. It has also led to a first-principles, design-led approach to problem solving that has been successfully applied to both in-house and commercial applications, and across multiple sectors/functions including Consumer Electronics, Mobile Telephony, Finance, Global Banking & Markets, Risk, Anti-Financial Crime and Collateral Management.

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.

Brigadier Dennis RM commissioned into the Royal Marines in September 1997. His service has seen deployments across the globe from the High North to the Far East including multiple tours of Afghanistan. Specialising in Communications, IT and Cyber he has operated at Tactical, Operational and Strategic levels whether Commanding all Communications and IT across Helmand, Afghanistan, procuring capability in Defence Digital or advising in the MOD HQ at the Strategic level. In March 2025, Brigadier Dennis RM was appointed as Assistant Chief of Staff J6 in the Permanent Joint Headquarters overseeing Communications, IT and Cyber support to all UK, Joint Operations globally. He is also driving modernisation across the Operational Headquarters with extensive use of Data feeds, automation and AI. Outside of the day job, he is the Assistant Commandant General Royal Marines for Regimental Business, overseeing RM Cadets, President of RM sport and a trustee of the Royal Marines Charity.