Speakers

James Stanier is the CTO at Nordhealth. He is also the author of Become an Effective Software Manager, Effective Remote Work, and Become a Great Engineering Leader . He holds a Ph.D. in computer science and runs theengineeringmanager.com

Dr. Ilknur Colak is the CTO at Schneider Electric, where she leads innovation and digital transformation initiatives. With over 20 years of experience in engineering, technology development, and strategic leadership, she specializes in integrating cutting-edge solutions to enhance energy efficiency and sustainability. Dr. Colak also spearheads innovation in medium-voltage power electronics converters for data centers, EV charging, and other critical applications. She holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering and has contributed to numerous patents, publications, and industry standards. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace, she promotes equitable opportunities and inclusive cultures. Beyond her professional achievements, Dr. Colak is a high-altitude mountaineer and Seven Summits climber, exemplifying resilience and determination. Known for her forward-thinking approach, she inspires innovation and sustainability in the energy management and automation sectors worldwide.

Eirik Pettersen has been Chief Technology Officer at Secret Escapes Ltd since 2017. Previously, Eirik was a co-founder at Moonfruit, a design-led consumer website builder software-as-a-service that launched in 1999 and sold to Hibu (formerly Yell) PLC in 2012. He has also held the role of CTO of Gandi.net (domain name registrar) and sits on the board of KwizIQ (AI language learning platform) and is angel investor in Beat Fitness Games.
Eirik studied Physics at Imperial College and received his PhD from Cambridge University (Queens’).

I’m a seasoned technology executive and entrepreneur, now serving as the CTO, Start-ups and Digital Natives at Microsoft across EMEA. Passionate about catalyzing innovation and driving business outcomes, I guide disruptive start-ups and unicorns across 128 countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

In this role, I’m focused on shaping the future of technology by working closely with founders, CTOs, and CPOs to define their technology roadmaps and innovate their products and services. Leveraging the power of AI, Cloud Computing, and other cutting-edge technologies, my team and I are committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

As a seasoned team leader, I pride myself on building and scaling high-performing teams that not only exceed objectives but also create a culture of value, growth, and fun.

Sathya Nandakumar is the Chief Technology Officer at Holland & Barrett with a remit to lead the tech transformation of the business, taking them from a well-known 150- year-old retailer to a global health and wellness business with tech and data at the heart of everything they do. With over two decades of experience driving strategic digital transformation and fostering innovation within complex organisational landscapes, Sathya has a proven track record of building scalable, future-ready digital solutions and empowering high-performing engineering teams. Her expertise spans omni-channel strategy, multi-channel transformation, and the strategic leveraging of both in-house capabilities and external partnerships to deliver significant business value.

Her leadership philosophy emphasises a human-centred approach, focusing on nurturing talent and creating environments where continuous improvement and empowerment thrive. This commitment to people and purpose was notably recognised when she was a finalist for the Tech Transformation Lead of the Year by the Women in IT Awards in 2018, and nominated twice in 2024 and 2025 for the SheCanCode Female CTO of the year.

Senior engineering leader building high-performing teams that move fast and love what they do. I specialise in scaling fintech organisations (100+ engineers) through growth stages, particularly in VC/PE-backed environments where speed and execution matter most. I’ve delivered complex software and hardware systems across startups, enterprises, and public sector, always with one north star: products that users actually love.

David Kavanagh is a growth to exit technology leader who specialises in transforming high growth and private equity backed companies into scalable, resilient, high performing organisations. His career spans fintech, proptech, and e-commerce, where he has built global engineering and data functions, modernised cloud platforms, and delivered commercial outcomes that have shaped entire sectors.

David was the founding technology leader behind Purplebricks, where he built the platform, teams, and international capability that carried the company from idea to IPO and a valuation of £1.4 billion. He has since led major turnarounds and scale ups across fintech and proptech, integrating acquisitions, harmonising systems and cost structures, and reshaping culture to create clarity, momentum, and long term capability.

His recent work at Tillo has focused on data transformation, building overseas engineering hubs , advancing AI enabled engineering practices, and aligning technology investment to board level value creation.

I am an executive leader in Data and Information Technology, with background in Financial and Software Services sectors across Europe and the Americas, in FTSE100-size organisations. I have had extensive experience in managing global teams, including near-shore and off-shore locations. I am also a non-executive board member and advisor to public sector (financial), education, and FinTech businesses. My current focus is on improving Digital and Data functional expertise, sustainability and management of emerging risks within organisations and society. I am particularly active in raising awareness of societal and environmental impact due to rapid digitisation and data growth.

I am a driven individual and I like fostering positive team ethos and safe environment for high performance and continuous learning. As a thought leader, I’ve published articles at Forbes Technology Council and active speaker on Data and Analytics strategy and sustainability, observability (DataOps, FinOps), and Enterprise Agility at global events.

As a strategic advisor and CTO, I help companies achieve their business goals and overcome their technical challenges. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, including 14 years in leadership roles, I have a wealth of knowledge and skills in software development, agile methodologies, cloud applications, AI/ML, and mobile technologies.

I have worked with global brands such as BP, VISA, TfL, Maserati, and Unilever on technical strategy and go-to-market planning, and led multiple start-ups from concept to acquisition. I have also successfully rescued companies that were struggling with tech strategy, engineering processes, and architecture. I am passionate about technology and its impact on society, and I enjoy writing, speaking, and podcasting about it.

Neeha Curtis is Chief of Corporate Affairs at Lyric, a global AI-first healthcare technology leader. She brings extensive experience in technology strategy, communications, and digital transformation. She previously served as VP of Engineering Strategy at Encora, working with technology leaders to develop value narratives, and scenario planning to align technology investments with business outcomes. As Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Jugo, an immersive communications platform, she led strategic positioning and category creation. She teaches Mass Communications at Syracuse University’s graduate school, focusing on AI Ethics, Media Economics, and Data Privacy.

A System Software Engineer having overall 10 years of extensive experience in developing state-of-the-art software with Java programming language. Result oriented, highly motivated, smart and hungry to learn new technologies, methodologies, strategies and looking forward for new challenges.

I lead and scale the engineering function at Xceptor, a SaaS business delivering a data automation platform to tier-1 and tier-2 investment banks in capital markets. The platform operates across cloud and on-premise environments and supports highly regulated, mission-critical workflows. I set engineering strategy as a member of the executive team, and translate business objectives into scalable, sustainable delivery. I lead Enterprise AI Enablement across the organisation, setting operating rhythm (community & hackathons) and guardrails that turn AI from ad-hoc experimentation into repeatable, secure value.

As a leader in Cloudflare’s Solution Engineering organisation, Andy Kennedy is focused on supporting a team of engineering talent to assist clients in building a better internet experience for their organisation. Based in London, UK, current technical interests are related to the topics of Confidential Computing, data engineering and cloud architecture. With over 29 years in the industry, prior to joining Cloudflare in 2023, Andy has formerly held roles at Microsoft, Google, Zscaler, VMware, Juniper Networks, Goldman Sachs and IBM.

Georgie Steele is the Co-Founder and CTO of Maiven, a climate tech startup building AI systems that make complex regulation actionable at scale. She raised £1.5 million in pre-seed funding within two weeks. Two months later the Maiven MVP was built: a platform that combines retrieval-augmented generation, proprietary scoring, and expert-in-the-loop feedback to deliver explainable and auditable guidance for enterprise customers.

An award-winning engineer recognised by Forbes 30 Under 30, Georgie has led high-impact teams across McLaren, Tractable, and Sylvera. At Tractable, her proof-of-concept for a global insurer helped secure enterprise adoption and contributed to the company’s unicorn valuation. At Sylvera, she scaled backend platforms by more than tenfold while leading multiple engineering teams. Alongside her technical leadership, Georgie is a committed advocate for diversity and inclusion in tech – she has mentored over 100 underrepresented technologists, advises on inclusive hiring practices, and represented UN Women UK at the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women. She now speaks on scaling teams and infrastructure without compromising on safety or speed, building trustworthy AI, and inclusive leadership.

Craig Smiley is Chief Product Officer at Plandek, leading product strategy, engineering, and platform evolution. He brings over 20 years of experience leading product and technology transformations across regulated and high-growth organisations, including leadership roles at Worldpay, Bottomline, and Equiniti. Craig partners closely with executive teams to improve product delivery and align technology execution with business outcomes.

Founder of Instil Software, a respected software engineering firm based in Belfast. Have spent the past 20 years running and growing the business, but recently stepped back into the CTO role to re-focus on my main passion – software, technology, emerging trends and delivering extraordinary impact for our customers.

Alex Shegda is a global technology and strategy leader with over 25 years of experience driving digital transformation. As Chief Technology Officer at ELEKS, he helps organisations leverage innovative technologies to gain competitive advantage, optimise operations, and succeed in rapidly evolving markets.

Based in Los Angeles, Alex specialises in enterprise strategy, business model transformation, and scalable technology solutions. Throughout his career, he has delivered measurable impact by aligning technology initiatives with business goals.

Alex holds an MBA from IE Business School and is a visiting strategy professor at UCU Business School.

Yiğit Darçın is the Director of Engineering at Trendyol, the largest e-commerce company in the region, leading data and core technology organizations of over 800 engineers. With more than 20 years of experience in technology leadership and two successful startup exits, he focuses on creating products that solve real problems, overcoming complex scaling challenges, and building happy, productive, and results-oriented teams. Yiğit combines deep technical insight with a passion for innovation, culture, and execution—helping organizations move faster, deliver value sustainably, and turn technology into a true competitive advantage.

Tavier Taylor is a Transformation Architect who helps global organisations navigate the cultural complexities of technology and AI implementation. With leadership experience across the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, she brings a unique ability to identify the cultural gaps others miss. Her work with organisations like the Chartered Management Institute and Weichai Group has earned her a reputation as a problem-solver who delivers results. A strong advocate for inclusive AI, Tavier combines technical expertise with lived experience to drive responsible implementation, influence through PMO leadership, and build trust-led transformation and feedback cultures.

Jon is an Engineering Director at Moneybox, a UK-based savings and investment app with over 1.5m customers. He was part of the founding team at Moneybox and has been a driving force behind the company’s technology, including leading the design and build of their bespoke investment platform, Sycamore. This makes Moneybox one of a small number of vertically integrated investment companies in the UK.

Jon is a big proponent of Platform as a Service technologies such as Azure and Cloudflare, which Moneybox has leveraged to move quickly, building features their users love without having to worry about infrastructural concerns such as scaling, hardening or maintenance.

Additionally, Jon is a shape up practitioner and led the rollout of the methodology across Moneybox, after finding it a much needed breath of fresh air. He enjoys using the methodology, as well as other techniques, to create truly empowered engineering teams.

With over 25 years of experience as a technology leader and key innovator, I specialize in driving efficiency and innovation in software development at Forte Group. My expertise spans IT/leadership consulting, leading software organizations of various sizes, spearheading product management initiatives, and building QA and test automation teams, all aimed at delivering predictable quality and value.

As a technology executive at Forte Group, I focus on providing innovative and efficient software development outsourcing solutions. My extensive hands-on experience across all phases of the software development life cycle allows me to introduce cutting-edge tools and technologies without disrupting existing workflows. I excel in designing and implementing robust software delivery frameworks, leveraging the latest methodologies to optimize performance and ensure predictable delivery with quality.

Award-winning engineering leader, TEDx speaker, and author of Amazon bestselling career guide “You Belong in Tech”. I started coding at 8 and have since led teams across consulting, health tech, AI innovation, and media; including cross-functional leadership of over 33 engineering teams as Director of Product and Engineering at Europe’s largest news media provider, Axel Springer. As a confident technical speaker and high-energy leader, I bring both the motivation and credibility to drive technical teams forward, while also serving as a confident and trusted representative for organisations in high-stakes external settings, from executive stakeholders and clients to public audiences.

A CIO 100 award-winning Chief Technology Officer with a proven track record of driving digital transformation and operational excellence across the financial services, gambling, and retail sectors. I excel at translating high-level technology strategy and vision into tangible, data-driven results, leveraging a deep technical foundation forged over 14 years of blue-chip architecture consulting.

I am passionate about leading product-focused agile teams, empowering them to build scalable, high-performing, and customer-centric cloud-based solutions. My hands-on approach allows me to dig deep into data to drive better decision-making, ensuring that every technological investment directly supports business goals and enhances the customer experience.

Glyn has over 20 years of experience in delivery software projects and leading technology teams in the UK and Europe.
He brings deep knowledge of a range of technology stacks, cloud solutions, and distributed team performance strategies to his work; diverse tech companies that build leading-edge products routinely tap him to be an engineering advisor, interim CTO consultant, and mentor.
He is an active member of CTO Craft, founder of CTO Portugal and podcast host.

Seasoned Solution Architect, IT Project Manager, Analyst with 15 years of industry expertise, having delivered over 50 successful projects for leading financial institutions, alongside a few unsuccessful ones. Possesses extensive knowledge of financial market, real estate, start-ups and the world of AI, backed by practical experience. Leading transformational and strategic initiatives, where senior stakeholders management, vendors management and technology play a critical role. Skilled in cloud computing, ML/AI with python, systems design and integration.

Head of Engineering at hedgehog lab, where I’ve spent the past eight years leading and supporting a multi-disciplinary team of developers and digital engineers. My leadership style is rooted in servant and authentic leadership, built on empathy, accountability, empowerment and integrity. I believe the best results come from creating an environment where people feel trusted, supported, and encouraged to take ownership of their work. Throughout my career, I’ve guided teams in delivering thoughtful, user-focused solutions for organisations of all sizes and have always maintained a focus on collaboration, craft and continuous growth.

Greg Detre is CTO at Mindstone, where his team has shipped 400,000 lines of AI-written code in three months — with no human code review. A computational neuroscientist by training (Princeton PhD, reading minds with brain scanners and machine learning), he co-founded Memrise, now TIME’s #2 EdTech company with 70 million users, and built the award-winning data & analytics team at Channel 4 (DataIQ 2019). He’s spent 20 years building with AI — from brain scanners to language-learning chatbots to the AI-native engineering practices he’ll share in this workshop. He writes at makingdatamistakes.com.

It’s the early 2000s, and companies are pouring money into digital transformation. A couple of years after graduating, I found myself in the technology department of an Investment Bank. I didn’t know back then, but this experience would put me on a journey that would redefine how businesses access top tech talent. I ended up in financial services product development, digital and organisational transformation for almost 15 years. During this time I learned that more than anything else, the key to success was people – bringing together talented people to collaborate and achieve great things. I had used a wide range of outsourcing, insourcing and talent acquisition services with very mixed results. Then a few years ago I’m having a casual conversation with my friend and co-founder Viktoras. Remote working and distributed teams are on the rise with the backdrop of a global shortage of tech talent, and Lithuania’s Fintech presence is booming. This vision quickly becomes Architus. Today, we’re a pioneering tech staffing company that’s disrupting the industry by tapping into rich overseas talent pools in amazing places like Lithuania.

As co-author of the award-winning book Team Topologies and CEO at Conflux and Team Topologies, my frameworks have been adopted by companies worldwide to transform how they deliver value. Recognised by Book Authority as one of the “Best Product Management Books of All Time,” Team Topologies has become a reference point for leaders looking to scale with clarity, reduce friction and improve flow.

Drawing on Team Topologies, Adapt Together™ and related practices, I partner with executives and teams to achieve a sustainable fast flow of value, true business agility and holistic innovation. This approach integrates organisational design, platform thinking and humane leadership, demonstrating that business performance and human wellbeing are not mutually exclusive but mutually reinforcing.

Hands-on technical leader with over 12 years of experience at Lantern.ai, a data platform for private markets.

Will is a senior technology & operations leader, specialising in digital transformation, leading cross-functional delivery functions, and growing early stage businesses. He has over 17 years of global experience built on digital delivery expertise, operating models, developing talent, and helping businesses shape and deliver technology-enabled business transformations.

Alice helps ambitious leaders turn high-stakes conversations into their competitive edge. As co-founder of The Power House and co-creator of Smart Conflict®, she has coached 1000s of leaders and their teams across at household names like BBC Studios and Google.

Hywel is the CTO-turned-Founder at Skiller Whale. He wrote his first program in C aged 9. After graduating with an MEng from Cambridge, he dropped out of his PhD programme to co-found his first start-up. Today, Hywel is Skiller Whale’s Co-Founder, he runs a dinner club for CTOs, a podcast for tech leaders called ‘Primarily Context-Based’, and is designing and building his own 8-bit computer for playing Pong. In his 15+ tech leadership career, he’s been building and scaling start-ups. With Skiller Whale, he is drawing on that experience to solve the biggest problem he faced as a CTO: learning for engineering teams.

Louise van Haarst is a sought-after executive coach, courageous communication specialist, author, and co-founder of The Powerhouse, a global leadership development business on a mission to unlock human and organizational potential and to create leaders and teams who can manage conflict well.
A former merger and restructure consultant, Louise spent 20 years driving transformational change in the voluntary and international NGO worlds, often navigating strategic emergencies, complex cultures and thorny performance challenges.

Louise qualified in Executive Coaching & Behaviour Change at Henley Business School and is now resident coach at some of the most dynamic businesses in the Europe. She works with individuals and teams at all levels of seniority in a wide range of sectors, including consulting, technology, financial services, fashion and luxury, as well as coaching and mentoring in the start-up and venture capital spaces where rapid growth, volatility and variable management capability can be significant factors.

Former software engineer turned CTO with 20+ years building and leading technology teams, from pre-seed startups to scale-ups like Monzo and big tech including UK-based teams within Amazon and Meta.

Melinda Seckington is a consultant, trainer and coach, working with engineering teams and leaders to improve their communication, management and collaboration skills. She previously was an engineering manager at companies such as the Wikimedia Foundation and FutureLearn, where she focused on creating great internal engineering cultures. She’s an international conference speaker and has spoken at over 50 conferences, covering topics from good management practices to becoming a better speaker.

I studied psychology in the mid-90s with no idea what to do next, so I fell into IT consulting. After a bootcamp in Dallas, I was ‘technified’ and spent a decade travelling around Europe on big banking projects, wearing many hats and quietly hiding my psychology degree.When Agile began to take off, I was drawn to its people-focused approach. I started running workshops, exploring how teams collaborate, and getting curious about ways to break down silos and build shared understanding. That curiosity led me into the Agile and BDD community, where I shared ideas, designed training, and eventually created OOPSI, a collaborative framework for tackling complex problems.

In 2011, I founded my own business to help organisations develop agility and build high-performing teams. I’m motivated by seeing people come alive when their strengths are recognised. In 2023, I completed a postgraduate certificate in the Psychology of Kindness and Wellbeing at Work from the University of Sussex, deepening my commitment to evidence-based practices that help people flourish. And I’m also quite silly.

Developer / Security Advocate …. Don’t ask that means because I also have no idea.
Grew up in the Circus in New Zealand (true story). Now I mostly make videos talking to myself and rambling about security. Host for The Secure Disclosure and Bad Dependencies podcasts. Passionately believe New Zealand has the best coffee.

A technology leader with strong commercial and business expertise with over 25 years of international technology consulting. Experience in organic organisational growth leading to IPO, as well as in scale-up organisations. Extensive experience with Agile software development process and working with offshore teams. Renee has supported many clients in their transition to becoming digital businesses.

She holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, and received the Thiokol Award for Excellence in Engineering and Design for her Senior Design Project. She won Woman of the Year at the 2021 Women in Tech Excellence awards. She has been a finalist for Women in the City Future Leaders Award and has worked in North America, Europe, India, China, Hong Kong and Singapore. Renee’s a passionate advocate for inclusivity.

Iain Bishop is a technology leader and former CTO with over 20 years of experience leading the development of new products and the re-platforming of complex, mission-critical systems. He has built, scaled, and transformed engineering organisations across private equity–backed, venture-backed, and publicly listed companies, supporting international expansion, organisational change, and high-value exits in the £50m–£500m range.

He is Founder and CEO of Damilah, a UK-based software services business working with a highly skilled nearshore engineering team in North Macedonia, recognised for their expertise in applying AI across the software delivery lifecycle — from design and development to testing, operations, and optimisation.

Drawing on his background as a long-standing CTO, Iain focuses on how engineering leaders can responsibly integrate AI into software delivery by combining human judgment, effective governance, and emerging agentic systems. At CTO Craft Con, he brings a practical, leadership-led perspective on how teams, delivery models, and culture must evolve for an era of agentic, human-centred engineering.

Victoria McCormack is a leadership culture specialist shaping how organisations and communities lead in today’s world. She created Leading Without a Title, empowering individuals and teams to take ownership, lead from any level, and cultivate cultures rooted in connection, courage, and curiosity. As a Community Advocate, she collaborates with volunteers across Ireland to run social events that combat isolation for remote workers, turning leadership into a lived experience. Through JVM Consultancy and her radio show The People Effect, Victoria highlights changemakers and not-for-profits, demonstrating how shared, human, and adaptive leadership can create lasting impact.

Chris Parsons is a tech founder and AI systems expert. He helps leaders plan AI rollouts, and works with teams to get the most out of AI that works now. As former CTO at Gower Street (scaling 7 to 50 people) and co-founder at Cherrypick (500K+ installs), he’s built multiple production AI systems with full evaluation frameworks and helped hundreds of people to significantly increase their productivity with AI.

Natalie McCormack is a leadership and learning specialist with over a decade in global tech companies, helping organisations and individuals unlock their potential through creativity, experiential learning, and human-centred approaches. She co-created Leading Without a Title, empowering people to lead from any level and cultivate cultures rooted in curiosity, collaboration, and courage. As a Community Advocate in the night-time economy, Natalie champions initiatives that strengthen local connections and support communities. Through JVM Consultancy, she demonstrates how shared, practical, and human leadership can turn ideas into action and create meaningful impact across teams and society.

As a former tech lead turned mindful leadership coach and consultant, Emese helps leaders cut through complexity and transform information overload into actionable wisdom. With over 20 years of experience in tech leadership, former VP in the fashion tech world (yes, bra sizing and sneaker wars included), and a certified yoga instructor, Emese now shares insights as founder of Namaste & Cabernet. She brings deep technical expertise and a healthy dose of self-awareness. She provides a unique blend of coaching, mentoring, consulting, and mindfulness — empowering leaders and their teams to navigate challenges, embrace complexity and diversity, and turn chaos into actionable clarity.

Matthew Bellringer MBCS MBPsS is a neurodiversity and innovation specialist. They work with:

• Neurodivergent professionals, entrepreneurs and executives
• Organisations which want to support neurodiverse innovation
• Organisations delivering innovative digitally-enabled services to a neurodiverse audience

Matthew specialises in supporting work that addresses problems from a unique perspective, co-production, and regenerative working practices. Alongside their private practice, Matthew is Chair and Co-founder of NeurodiverseIT, a group for neurodivergent IT professionals within BCS, the Chartered Institute of IT, and the organiser and founder of the Curious Being community.

Ceri is an interactions specialist, chaologist and trainee neuroscientist, helping senior technical teams work together more effectively. With a background in teaching, she’s here to make evidence-based research accessible and useful to STEM professionals. As a qualified coach and a certified agile practitioner with a decade of hands-on experience, Ceri finds joy in shifting perspective and turning assumptions on their heads, as well as reading everything in front of her (because ADHD). Tea in hand, Ceri works alongside leaders and teams globally and is continually delighted to bring calm to chaos in workplaces and speak with audiences worldwide, mostly about the beautiful intermingling of behavioural science, adaptability and hope.

Tom Howlett is Product Director for Code Quality at Sonar. Tom has been building software products for startups and scaleups since the 90s.

His deep commitment to Code Quality began while establishing agile software engineering practices in the early 2000s. Since then, his focus has been on empowering development teams to remain productive throughout the entire lifespan of a codebase.

I’m a tech journalist. Through writing, marketing, and live event hosting, panel hosting and podcast hosting, I help to share the stories where culture, business, technology and the developer experience collide.

I’ve been a working writer since 2003. The last few years have been all about how orgs are trying to increase developer productivity, via platform engineering and generative AI.

Right now I’m “translating” the value of/analyzing the impact of generative AI / genAI, cloud native infrastructure and mindset, developer productivity / platform engineering and measuring it all, tech layoffs and tech recruitment, open source communities, developer experience / DevRel / developer advocacy, SRE / site reliability engineering, progressive delivery, tech ethics, diversity and inclusion, accessibility, DevOps and agile company culture. I am a strong flexible work, a11y, and DEIB advocate.

A funny af working mom, consummate networker and question asker, I’m delighted that my various projects allow me to work from anywhere and to learn and teach new things every day.