Geography: Europe

  • Shahd Asfour

  • Sabrina Steele

    I am passionate about navigating and influencing digital policy as I think it offers an interesting mix of existing and new policies. For example, I enjoy how it offers the opportunity to build evidence and create novel solutions or apply existing legislation/regulations where they work in a similar sector.

    I currently work as a senior associate at Inline Policy, providing policy and regulatory analysis and political strategy for innovative tech businesses across the tech sector. I previously worked at the ICO where I led on data protection and generative AI, engaging with and influencing some of the largest tech firms. Prior to this, I worked at DSIT on various digital related policy areas including the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill.

  • Safyah Akhtar

    As Head of Paid Media, Safyah leads the department with a sharp focus on delivering performance-driven outcomes for our clients. With over 10 years of international experience across e-commerce, EdTech, FinTech, and non-profit sectors, she is passionate about building media strategies that maximise ROI, scale impact, and drive sustainable growth.

    Safyah brings deep expertise in paid media strategy, advanced audience targeting, and AI-driven performance marketing. She has led high-performing global teams and managed multi-million-pound budgets, with a proven track record of elevating campaign effectiveness through data-led insights, continuous optimisation, and rigorous performance measurement.

    A committed thought leader in the paid media space, Safyah closely tracks emerging trends in AI, attribution modelling, customer journey analytics, and platform innovations to ensure that her strategies are not only effective today but also future-ready.

    Outside of work, she enjoys travelling, exploring new cuisines, learning languages, and spending quality time with her children.

  • Safyah Akhtar Malik

    Digital Marketer with over 10 years experience, managing
    monthly budgets ranging from £5000 up to £2.1M, leading
    high performing teams and driving organisational vision.
    Data-driven approach with a laser focus on ROI.

    Providing cross-functional strategic direction, with
    winning digital marketing strategies and applying subject
    expertise across e-commerce, EdTech, FinTech sectors as
    well as spearheading non-profit growth.
    Self-motivated, worked remote and hybrid, in local and
    international teams. British and Canadian.

  • Saba Shaukat

    Saba Shaukat is a pioneering international business and technology executive with over 25 years of experience. She specialises in leveraging frontier technologies to drive transformative change and has a deep expertise in transitioning FTSE 250 companies into the next wave of growth and profitability.

    Currently, Saba is creating an AI Agency and heads Engagement and Innovation at the Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE), a joint venture between the Home Office and QinetiQ on AI, data analytics, deep fakes, economic crime and emerging technology. She helps the Government in accelerating digital transformation initiatives to drive disruptive innovation and implement policies to enhance security, national resilience, and UK prosperity.

    Previously, Saba was the Group Director of Technical Capability and Innovation at QinetiQ plc, where she led a team of top scientists and engineers. She focused on frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous systems, cyber technologies, immersive augmented reality, human-machine teaming, advanced materials, quantum computing, lasers, and human behaviour.

    Throughout her career, Saba has driven transformational technologies resulting in over £1 billion in new revenue. She has extensive international experience in strategy and commercial development and has held several board positions as a Non-Executive Director and Trustee. She recently became a Board Fellow at the world-wide renowned Royal College of Art(RCA), the leading school in innovation design engineering with the capability to tackle complex challenges faced by society and the planet.

    Saba’s career also includes significant roles at Capita, BT, Vodafone, Deloitte Consulting, and PwC, where she contributed to global market entry strategies, business turnarounds, and new technology ventures for both enterprise and consumer sectors.

    An alumna of Harvard University’s Kennedy School for Executive Leadership Training and the London Business School with an MBA, Saba is a thought leader and board advisor. As a former regional board member of The Prince’s Trust, she has inspired young people from disadvantaged communities to win national entrepreneurial awards.

    Saba is also a contributor to the bestselling book, The Power of Purpose. She is dedicated to embracing disruptive ideas and advancing skills, science, and technology for societal good amid rapid technological change.

    In her spare time, Saba is an avid sailor, traveller, and explorer of new science and technological innovations for the 21st century.

  • Sabine Jacques

    I explore the intersection of copyright, freedom of expression, cultural diversity, and artificial intelligence. My research and teaching are driven by a passion for understanding how intellectual property law shapes creative industries, technology, and society.

    I am currently looking into licensing models for Generative AI, working on a code of practice on responsible AI and investigating data flows.

  • Ruvimbo Samanga

    Ruvimbo Samanga is an award-winning African space policy analyst recognised by the International Astronautical Federation, the International Institute of Space Law, and the St. Gallen Symposium.

    With expertise in space law, technology policy, and sustainable development, she has contributed to global initiatives in governance, advocacy, and education, pioneering inclusive frameworks that amplify African leadership in the space sector.

  • Nuala Polo

    Nuala Polo is the UK Public Policy Lead at the Ada Lovelace Institute. Nuala is responsible for developing and delivering Ada’s policy and engagement strategy on the governance and regulation of AI in the UK.

    Before joining Ada, Nuala worked as the AI Assurance Lead in the UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), and was the UK Delegate for the OECD Working Party on AI Governance. Before this, she worked as a Senior Research Impact Officer, disseminating research from Horizon 2020 / Horizon Europe projects, with a focus on the ethical development of emerging technologies, including AI. Nuala holds an MSc Cognition in Science & Society from the University of Edinburgh.

  • Pollyanna Tassell

    I have spent the last 5 years leading the legal functions in high growth scaling two-sided marketplaces, specifically Checkatrade and Carwow, both of whom exist to make it easier to make high value transactions (new roofs, new cars) in industries which traditionally carry low levels of trust. I have a passionate interest in using tech to enable a better consumer experience.

    I also lobbied for the DMCCA to be passed from a digital markets perspective, to ensure that the markets start-up and scale-up companies found themselves in were fair and enabled innovation.

    As an in-house lawyer, my job previously revolved around contract reviews, but now the regulatory landscape is rapidly changing, with new regulations around Consumer Protection, AI, Data, Digital Markets etc, my role now is to keep my business in front of those changes and make they are implemented for the benefit of the company I work for and the businesses and consumers we serve. As a result, I have have been happily thrust into the world of policy, so I can capitalise on the opportunities provided by being in the right conversations at the right time.

  • Ri Chakraborty