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Ben Tongue, Greener Digital & Digital Net Zero Lead, NHS England
Ben is leading the NHS England Transformation Directorate's digital sustainability, net zero and climate resilience agendas. Chartered environmentalist and MIEMA working across the NHS to drive sustainability and climate resilience through digital development. Broad experience across a wide range of award winning sustainability and environmental projects. PGCert in innovation, enterprise and circular economy.
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Iain O'Neil, EPR Transformation Director, NHS East Midlands
Iain is an independent digital health and transformation consultant with extensive experience leading large-scale digital programmes across the NHS, wider public and private sector. He has worked at NHS England (NHSE), NHSX, and the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC), shaping national strategy, policy implementation, and leading digital transformation. Previously, he played a key role in the launch of the NHS App, ensuring its integration with GP systems (EMIS and TPP) and supporting GP practices to enable patient record access. Now, he helps NHS trusts navigate complex digital transitions, ensuring they not only procure the right technologies but also build internal capability to sustain long-term improvements. Currently, he is supporting the East Midlands Acute Provider Collaborative (EMAP), where six NHS hospital trusts are working together to implement the Nervecentre Electronic Patient Record (EPR). His focus is identifying areas where it makes sense to 'do things once' and ensuring this remains a clinically-led transformation, not just a technical deployment, while equipping staff across the collaborative with the skills to sustain and evolve the system beyond initial implementation.
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Jonathan Pownall, Senior Digital Specialist, National Audit Office
Jonathan has over 20 years’ experience of assessing digital and technology programmes in the central government sector, including the management of associated technology risk. He is a contributing author to numerous NAO reports including Digital transformation in the NHS, The challenges in implementing digital change and Digital transformation in government as well as the NAO good practice insight guides on Cloud Services and Cyber and information security. Prior to joining the NAO he held an assurance role with one of the leading international accountancy and advisory firms.
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Karl Hoods, Group Chief Digital & Information Officer, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology and Department for Energy Security & Net Zero
Karl is an experienced Chief Information Officer (CIO) and has worked in the private, public and third sectors. He is currently the Group Chief Digital and Information Officer for DESNZ and DSIT where he is responsible for the delivery of core services, digital transformation, innovation, knowledge management and shared services. Prior to joining BEIS Karl was CIO for Save the Children where he was responsible for the delivery of technology and digital services to support humanitarian, policy, advocacy, and fundraising activities. He has also held business technology leadership roles with web and sports media startups and led major change programmes for publishing leading publishers. His career in startups fostered his interest in how emerging technology can be applied to business problems. Outside of work Karl is interested in education and sits on the boards of the Harris Federation, Bournemouth University, the Safe & Trusted AI Centre for Doctoral Training and King’s College London’s Department for Informatics Industry Advisory Board.
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Martin Wallbridge, Chief Operating Officer, Hillingdon Council
Matthew is a digital transformation leader with over two decades of experience across local government and the private sector. In Hillingdon, he developed the council's first digital strategy, which has been referenced by the government as being the first public sector body to deliver voice automation and AI at scale. A strong advocate for data as a strategic asset, Matthew is passionate about using AI and analytics to drive efficiency and innovation in government services, to make a real difference to people's lives.
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Michelle Carter, Head of Digital Customer Experience, Norfolk County Council
Having a background in customer service and business process design, both in senior operational and business changes roles in the private and public sector, Michelle is passionate about putting the customer front and centre and providing the best possible experience for our residents. Currently Head of Digital Customer Experience at Norfolk County Council, she is responsible for the council’s digital customer offer and currently delivering a programme to transform our customer experience technologies.
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Owen Powell, ICT Director, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Owen Powell is an experienced CIO and has worked at senior levels in the public sector for over 30 years. Owen is interested in the critical success factors behind successful implement of digital initiatives, especially leadership, engagement and human factors.
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Rick Martire, Director and GM Sovereign Services – UK, Rackspace Technology
Rick leads technology strategy, engineering, consulting, and architecture. With a passion for innovation and a deep technical background, Rick drives the development of secure, compliant, and sovereign cloud solutions tailored to the UK public sector and regulated industries. Rick played a key role in launching Rackspace UK Sovereign Services, ensuring data, support and infrastructure remain within UK borders. His work aligns with national security standards set by the UK National Cyber Security Centre and NHS England, providing cost-effective, scalable, and fully sovereign cloud solutions. A thought leader in sovereign cloud services, Rick has authored industry articles and contributed to discussions on data security, regulatory compliance, and digital sovereignty.
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Rob McCarthy, CEO and founder, GOSS
Rob McCarthy is the CEO of GOSS Interactive, digital transformation specialist and supplier to over 70 UK public sector organisations. Rob has successfully managed the growth of GOSS over the past 25+ years and is responsible for the strategic direction, company profitability, and future growth of GOSS.
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Sam Smith, Director of Socitm Inspire, Socitm
Sam is a former President of Socitm and now the Director of the Socitm Institute. In that role she leads the delivery of services including Artificial Intelligence, procurement, social value, policy, research, data, learning & development, and benchmarking. Before joining Socitm Sam spent 27 years in local government IT & Digital Services culminating in Service Director for a shared IT service working across two Councils in the East of England. Managing shared services of different types and sizes has been a feature of her professional life and has given her an incredibly rich view of local government in England. Throughout her career she has been keen to share experiences and collaborate across the public sector. Socitm has given her the opportunity to do this at regional and national levels.
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Stephen Koch, Executive Director of Systems Engineering, Product & Platforms, NHS England
Stephen is an experienced technology manager practiced in running large software development organisations providing software development and application support. He has domain experience in healthcare, retail and investment banking including two patents. Strong management, architecture and delivery skills, extensive project management experience in delivering complex in-house shared software services in technologies including distributed grid computing, cloud, data warehouses and high performance and high availability services.
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Theo Blackwell, Chief Digital Officer for London, Greater London Authority (on secondment to GDS)
Appointed in 2017 as London’s first Chief Digital Officer, Theo leads on London-wide digital transformation, data and smart city initiatives at City Hall. His role involves strategic leadership on the digital transformation agenda for London’s public services, across the GLA group and the wider public sector. Convening on behalf of the Mayor across London local government to support the take-up of innovative, technology, and data-led approaches to service delivery and public engagement. Developing and promoting partnership between the public, private and community sectors to enable and support the development of new public service-oriented technology and innovation.
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