Tom Newby is the Head of the UK Office for Quantum Technologies in the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. 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.

Chris O'Brien is Chief Technology Officer at Advania UK, with more than 25 years in technology, including a decade in leadership roles. He shapes the company's technology strategy, leads much of its AI and automation work, and oversees Fresh, its Microsoft 365-based digital workplace product. He began his career as a hands-on technologist, writing code, managing development teams and leading cloud solution delivery. Microsoft has recognised him as a Most Valuable Professional for 18 consecutive years. He speaks regularly at industry events and writes on LinkedIn and at sharepointnutsandbolts.com.

Meredith Odgers is Programme Director, Digital Learning at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), where she leads its portfolio of online certificate courses for professionals. She had a long private-sector career in global strategy and marketing leadership roles across Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and the UK, mainly in financial services and with fintech, regtech and paytech start-ups, and led global marketing for a Boston-based corporate microlearning start-up. Before joining CISL she completed its Business Sustainability Management certification.

James is CEO at Quantum Motion, where he is responsible for defining an IP, technical and commercial strategy for the business, developing silicon-based qubit architectures which are compatible with standard CMOS fabrication. James has over a decade of experience delivering products from early stage concepts through R&D programmes; developing, protecting and commercialising new semiconductor technologies, in particular during his time at Japanese electronics company Sharp.

Jack Perschke is Co-founder and CEO of Great Wave AI and has been involved with the company since its formation in 2021. He brings around 20 years of experience in technology consulting, and the network he built during that career helped the company secure its foundation clients. He now leads Great Wave AI's drive to scale and industrialise its work.

Claire is an AI & technology strategy consultant who specialises in value management and people-centric AI. As an advocate for Women in Tech Claire is a regular speaker at industry and parliamentary events on issues relating to Responsible AI and AI's impact on diversity & inclusion.

Simon has been in the tech and digital infrastructure industry for over two decades. He is currently Strategic Advisor to the University of Cambridge research computing department. Before this he was SVP at Nscale where he helped grow the company valuation to over $30B in under two years. Previous to that he worked for the UK Government as an advisor across the digital infrastructure landscape helping to drive innovation growth across the UK. He started his career at Reuters Plc now part of the London Stock Exchange Group.

Zahra is an award-winning AI & Frontier Tech Expert, Portfolio Board Director & Advisor, Investor, Entrepreneur, Media Commentator, Charity Leader, Speaker, and Writer with extensive experience across technology, finance, and social impact sectors. She serves on multiple boards driving innovation, responsible AI adoption, and strategic transformation.

Phil Smith CBE is Chair of Skills England, bringing extensive leadership in technology, innovation and skills development.

Former Cisco UK & Ireland CEO and Chairman, he also chaired Innovate UK and led key skills initiatives, including The Tech Partnership and the Digital Skills Council.

Awarded a CBE in 2019 for services to technology and skills, Phil has worked to bridge industry and education. His appointment as Skills England Chair in 2025 reflects his commitment to shaping the UK's workforce for future economic needs.

Dr Joseph Spencer is a leading expert in quantum technologies, with over a decade of experience exploring their applications in defence and national security. His work spans quantum sensing, computing and communications, with a particular focus on translating emerging technologies into operational capabilities through systems engineering, integration and strategic planning. As Founder and Director of IoniQ Consulting, he advises government, industry and academia on technology development, defence applications and innovation strategy.

Richard is co-head of Deloitte's AI Assurance practice. In industry he leads the design, ownership and operation of complex analytical systems and the model and data controls that underpin them. In professional services he has provided independent challenge, oversight and assurance of critical analytical systems and datasets, helping clients strengthen governance, reduce operational and model risk, and meet regulatory expectations.

James Teo is a Professor of Neurology at Cleveland Clinic London and King's College Hospital with a clinical practice based in stroke, neurorehabilitation, general neurology, brain injury, and clinical informatics. He has led AI technology deployments in the UK public health sector and one of first sites to deploy radiology AI systems for hyperacute stroke. He holds a number of senior advisory positions in the NHS as a member of multiple working groups for NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority and for the Health Research Authority on the use of confidential patient data. He is Chief Medical Officer for the London Medical Imaging and AI Centre and co-founder of CogStack AI.

Dr Maria Violaris is a quantum physicist and prize-winning science communicator, with a PhD in the foundations of quantum information from the University of Oxford. She works on quantum error correction research and technical content creation at quantum computing company Oxford Quantum Circuits. Alongside this, she runs a YouTube channel and the Quantum Foundations Podcast; writes for publications such as Physics World; and researches fundamental aspects of quantum physics. She pioneered the approach of using quantum thought experiments for quantum computing education, through publications, workshops and creating the Quantum Paradoxes video series while at IBM Quantum.

Dr Jess Wade is an Assistant Professor in Functional Materials in the Department of Materials at Imperial College London, where she is also a Royal Society University Research Fellow. Her research explores new materials for optoelectronic, spintronic and quantum devices, with a focus on chiral molecular materials. She was previously an Imperial College Research Fellow in SPIN-Lab and a postdoctoral researcher developing chiral systems for circularly polarised OLEDs and photodetectors. Her PhD focused on organic photovoltaics. Committed to improving diversity in science, she has written Wikipedia biographies of women and scientists of colour every day since 2018.

Dr Mike Walker is a Senior Advisor to Frontier Economics and a Professor in Practice at the Durham University Business School. Until the end of 2025 he was the Chief Economic Advisor at the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and was heavily involved in the work of the CMA's digital regulation team, the Digital Markets Unit. He has published extensively, including on the correct approach to the potential regulation of AI.

Dr Ilana Wisby is a quantum physicist and deep tech entrepreneur. As founding CEO of Oxford Quantum Circuits for six and a half years, she grew the company from an academic project to about 135 people across three countries, raising $100m. She is now Entrepreneur in Residence at Cambridge Innovation Capital and at the National Physical Laboratory, where she also sits on the science advisory board, and Chair of SpinOr, a University of Manchester superconducting quantum spinout. She advises investors and governments on deep tech, and has spoken at MWC, Web Summit and London Tech Week.