Why This Group Exists
As AI becomes embedded in decisions, systems, and services across sectors, there is a real risk of reinforcing structural inequalities unless we act deliberately. From hiring tools and credit assessments to healthcare pathways and content platforms, too many systems are being deployed without sufficient scrutiny of who they serve, what assumptions they make, or whose voices are missing.
This group was created to change that.
It brings together senior leaders from across the UKAI network who are driving practical action on inclusion, accountability, and representation in AI. Members are not only advocating for change, but they are also shaping how inclusive design, governance, and leadership actually happen in practice. They are influencing procurement, contributing to internal playbooks, advising on industry standards, and bringing lived experience into technical and strategic decisions.
This is not a support group. It is a strategic working group built to surface challenges, identify gaps, co-develop practical tools, and ensure equity is reflected in how AI is built and adopted across the UK.
Working Group Members
Zahra Shah
Zahra brings sharp strategic insight and deep technical expertise to her role as Chair. An award-winning AI and frontier tech advisor, Zahra has spent her career at the intersection of innovation, finance, and social impact. She is widely recognised for her leadership across sectors, serving as a board member, investor, and speaker committed to making emerging technologies more inclusive, accountable, and transformative.
Before stepping into her portfolio career, Zahra spent over a decade at Accenture, where she led major transformation projects for global investment banks including Credit Suisse, UBS, HSBC, and Lloyds. Her work has spanned AI-driven FinTech and RegTech innovation, with a particular focus on solutions that address regulatory complexity and compliance challenges.
As Chair, Zahra brings not only deep industry knowledge, but also a personal commitment to shifting how power, voice, and opportunity are distributed in tech. She is passionate about supporting members to move from conversation to action and ensuring the group’s work reflects both real delivery and real change.
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/zahra-shah/
Claire Roberts
Claire has worked as a senior technology leader for 25 years, shaping IT & AI strategy for big brands, and leading major transformative change across Mergers & Acquisitions, ERP, Financial Regulatory Reform, and AI Engineering & Technology. As Ex-Senior Director of Value, Transformation & Change for Arm, Claire has a strong pedigree in connecting technology with business value, and driving strategic enterprise-wide change agendas focussed on sustainable business growth.
Deeply committed to workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion, Claire has successfully led multiple global programmes aimed at fostering creativity & innovation by embedding and maturing DE&I thinking.
As Co-founder of Full Fathom Five, Claire now partners with organisations to develop strategic, business-led AI roadmaps grounded firmly in ethics, people-centric principles, and measurable value creation. She is also a speaker/guest lecturer on AI Ethics and the emerging leadership skills in the era of AI, and has authored training programmes designed to equip leaders with the skills needed to design & deliver effective AI strategy & transformation programmes.
Sumathi Menon
Sumathi Menon is the founder of Mave Social AI. She makes AI accessible for individuals and organisations through practical workshops, strategy sessions and hands-on demos. In addition she enables individuals and organisations get started with AI through consulting and building automations by finding their efficiency sweet spot.
Her work focuses on inclusive, responsible AI adoption and empowering non-traditional learners, especially as the regional lead of Women Defining AI she strives to move women and non-binary individuals from simply using AI to actively building with it.
She is a regular panelist and podcast guest on AI strategy, its responsible & ethical use and bias mitigation. She is a member of Conscious advertising Network and is Vice Chair for Citizens Advice Wandsworth Trustee board.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/sumathimenon
Cecilia Jastrzembska
Cecilia Jastrzembska is a UK Government Senior Policy Advisor at Director level with a decade of experience in Parliament and the Civil Service leading directorates of up to 120 staff, as well as a freelance political journalist writing on intersectional feminism, AI and international relations (published 20x+), LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/ceciliaeve, experienced Editor-In-Chief and an award winning public speaker (250+ engagements completed to date.) Consultant for AI Potential and nominee for Cog X’s Outstanding Tech Regulation Award for paper on mitigating gender & racial algorithmic bias.
Cecilia is also a longstanding advocate on gender equality, specialising in policy, campaigns and event organisation on ending male violence against women. A campaign Cecilia spearheaded, Break The Silence/End The Violence was backed by European Parliament and during her Presidency of YEM. they received the Campaign Champions Award, and Cecilia was nominated for the UN Women Grassroots Campaigner of the Year Award.
Elected roles and listings:
Chair, EU-UK Stronger Together Network (125 member organisations)
Chair, Fabian International Policy Network
PickStar
LassWho
50:50 Parliament Ambassador. Former roles include Vice Chair of the Young Fabians, overseeing 7,000 members through 13 networks, a founder and coach of a public speaking business and President of Young European Movement
- Email:
- [email protected]
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/ceciliaeve
Alyna Butt
Alyna Butt is a creative leader and entrepreneur with a proven track record at the intersection of design, technology, and AI-driven innovation. With over a decade of experience across global industries, she is recognized for her ability to distill complexity into intuitive, human-centered solutions that drive meaningful impact.
As Founder & CEO of WeUno Technologies, Alyna leads with a vision to harness AI for purpose-driven innovation—building products that not only advance businesses but also create positive change. She has earned a reputation as a boundary-breaker, blending creativity with emerging technologies to reimagine how organizations connect, communicate, and grow.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/alynabutt
Beth Curtis-Clarke
Beth brings 20 years of experience at the intersection of Customer Experience, data-led storytelling, and artificial intelligence. Known for her ability to make the complex simple, Beth has earned a solid reputation for translating cutting-edge AI and technology into meaningful business outcomes.
Simply put, Beth is passionate about using AI to solve real life problems.
Her career spans Enterprise Retail, SaaS technology, and AI for Good—with a particular focus on healthcare innovation. She’s led ambitious change programmes across some of the most challenging industries, consistently turning big ideas into tangible, measurable results.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/bcurtisclarke
Beth Wells
Beth Wells is the Innovation Manager at Weightmans LLP, bringing over eight years of experience in the legal sector, seven of which have been dedicated to driving innovation and transformation. With a background in STEM and a forward-thinking approach to technology, Beth leads initiatives that enhance service design, streamline processes, and improve client outcomes.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/bethrosewells
Maninder Paul
Growth Marketing Specialist with deep expertise in AI-driven marketing for tech sector. With a career spanning global brands, she helps businesses cut through the noise and drive real impact with AI-powered marketing strategies.
A Diversity and Inclusion Champion and Google Mentor, Maninder is passionate about helping women and the next generation thrive in AI and technology.
As a Women Defining AI (WDAI) Community leader, she champions inclusive AI adoption, ensuring more female voices shape the future of technology.
She is a regular panelist covering topics of AI, Marketing, Strategy, Inclusion etc. and is 2025 Bloom Impact Award winner.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/maninderpaul
How the Group Works
The group meets quarterly for structured, in-person working sessions, supplemented by regular virtual sessions, peer exchanges, and content reviews.
Members contribute to UKAI’s wider programme by:
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Shaping roundtable topics and discussion guides
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Participating in fireside conversations and dinners
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Co-authoring outputs and contributing to cross-group insights
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Feeding into UKAI’s national policy response and strategic positioning on inclusive AI
What the Group Delivers
The group drives a purposeful stream of activity across the year, designed to support members in leading real change inside their organisations and across the wider ecosystem. Every part of the programme is built to be practical, collaborative, and grounded in lived experience.
Members take part in:
Focused roundtables
that address critical issues such as inclusive model development, internal governance, vendor accountability, and representation in product, policy, and procurement decisions. These sessions are designed for open exchange and shared learning under the Chatham House Rule.
Candid fireside conversations
with influential voices across government, industry, research, and society. These discussions create space to speak plainly about what is working, what is missing, and how to drive more meaningful progress on equity in AI.
Collaborative tools and frameworks
co-developed by members, from bias audit approaches and inclusive recruitment checklists to procurement guidance and internal impact metrics. These outputs are shaped by what members need to drive change in practice.
Strategic engagement across UKAI
ensuring that inclusion and equity are not siloed but embedded in wider policy discussions, sector roundtables, and working group outputs across the network.
Every activity is grounded in what members are doing on the ground. This is a working group focused on delivery, giving members a trusted space to compare approaches, pressure-test thinking, and contribute to the tools and conversations that shape AI adoption across the UK.
What the Group Is Working On
This year’s programme is shaped directly by what members are trying to deliver inside their organisations. The focus is on real outcomes that embed inclusion into the systems, structures, and decisions where it matters most. Current areas of work include:
- Making equity part of day-to-day product and engineering decisions, not just policy statements
- Developing inclusive leadership models and practical approaches to team design, recruitment, and retention
- Building internal AI playbooks that integrate fairness, representation, and accountability into core development workflows
- Creating procurement and vendor evaluation frameworks that include equity, ethical assurance, and social impact criteria
- Aligning inclusive AI efforts with broader organisational governance, risk, and performance objectives
- Surfacing and supporting underrepresented talent across the AI and data lifecycle, from early careers to senior leadership
Outputs include practical guidance notes, internal templates, shared case studies, strategic briefings, and inputs into UKAI’s wider policy work. All content is co-developed with members and focused on action, not theory.
How to Get Involved
The group is open to UKAI members actively driving inclusive AI in their organisations. If you are building better systems, shaping equitable teams, or working to embed accountability into AI delivery, we would love to involve you.
To request membership or nominate a colleague, contact Stephen Moore, Director of Membership and Engagement.
