Geography: Global

  • Kate Hayward

    As the UK Managing Director of Xero, Kate Hayward is at the forefront of a technology-driven revolution in small business finance. Her leadership is dedicated to harnessing the power of Xero’s cloud finance platform to redefine how small firms operate, spearheading an AI-powered shift designed to eliminate hours of administrative burden.

    Kate consistently champions the critical role of digital transformation in empowering businesses to thrive. She has been instrumental in enabling compliance with HMRC’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) initiative, leveraging Xero’s robust, cloud-based architecture to simplify what could have been a complex transition. This technological foundation provides real-time financial visibility, seamless bank reconciliation, and automated invoicing, ensuring businesses can manage payments with unprecedented ease and speed.

    Her deep understanding of technology’s practical impact fuels her advocacy. Kate actively addresses the “SME fallacy,” recognising that technology adoption and support must be tailored to the diverse needs of small businesses. She is deeply invested in tackling critical issues such as the digital divide and the need for enhanced financial literacy, extending her efforts to give these vital groups a stronger voice in government and industry discussions, notably through her involvement with initiatives like the Maple Review with Small Business Britain.

    Kate’s worldview is uniquely shaped by her personal and professional journey. Having grown up with a father who ran his own small business, she possesses an innate understanding of the entrepreneurial spirit and its inherent challenges. This lived experience, combined with her rigorous accounting qualifications and strategic roles prior to Xero, provides a robust foundation for her tech-driven, empathetic approach. She sees technology, particularly AI-powered innovations, as the key to freeing entrepreneurs to focus on their core passions, fostering growth and resilience. Through initiatives like the “Small and Mighty Enterprise Programme,” Kate is driving tangible support, demonstrating Xero’s commitment to building a more vibrant and financially robust small business ecosystem across the UK.

  • Kathleen McGrath

    Kathleen McGrath holds the position of Privacy and Data Policy Manager for the Centre for Information Policy Leadership in London. Her work focuses on a range of privacy and data related issues such as in Artificial Intelligence, protecting minors online and data governance. Before joining CIPL, Kathleen worked in Knowledge Management at a silver circle law firm in their data protection and cyber security team where Lovells where she was responsible for conducting long term research, in-depth global horizon scanning and discrete research tasks for lawyers across the world. She produced numerous articles for publications such as the Institute of Privacy Professionals, Privacy Laws and Business and others in global data policy, including UK data protection laws, artificial intelligence, cyber security, and international digital cooperation. She has also previously worked in-house in data protection compliance for large organizations in the auditing industry as well as in the financial industry, where she was responsible for creating accountability processes to ensure the business complied with data protection laws.

  • Kat Sommer

    Kat Sommer is the Group Head of Government Affairs & Analyst Relations at global cyber security company NCC Group. In this role, she leads the company’s political engagement, and government relations, educating policymakers on cyber security realities and shaping a conducive operating environment for cyber security professionals. She also oversees NCC Group’s analyst relations engagement, acting as an interpreter between technical, policy, and analyst communities. She has represented NCC Group in international discussions such as the Pall Mall Process, on the keynote stage at industry conferences like Infosecurity, and in parliamentary committee meetings. She also regularly contributes to industry discussions, including NCC Group’s Cyber Policy Radar webinars and sector events, providing insights into evolving cyber regulations.

  • Julie Dawson

    Julie Dawson leads regulatory and government relations for Yoti digital age & identity platform, developing policy approaches for fraud prevention and safeguarding and liaising with national and sectoral trust frameworks, in conjunction with Yoti’s internal and external ethics boards. Julie is an authority in digital identity policy and governance, is CoChair of the Age Verification Providers Association and represents Yoti at fora including techUK Growth Council & Digital Identity working group, the Association of Digital Verification Professionals, WeProtect Global Alliance and the Online Safety Tech Industry Alliance . Yoti has a team of over 400 people, is headquartered in London and counts over 15 million instals of the Yoti app and over 800 million age checks.

  • Justyna Lisinska

    I am a tech policy consultant with experience at the intersection of emerging technologies, innovation, and government. Over the years, I have led on high-level policy events, eg roundtables with MPs, and House of Commons receptions, policy labs helping to shape conversations on critical technology issues.
    My career spans academia, government, and think tanks. I earned a PhD in Web Science from the University of Southampton, during which I worked as a Policy Associate, contributing to evidence-based policy development. I also completed a secondment at the Cabinet Office, gaining firsthand experience in government policy-making. Previously, I served as a Policy Analyst at a leading technology think tank in Washington, D.C., and as a Policy Research Fellow at King’s College London, where I developed the UK’s largest academic programme on autonomous systems.
    I have specialised expertise across both hardware and software, focusing on emerging technology challenges, for example, including AI, autonomous vehicles, semiconductors, and issues around fake news and misinformation.

  • Karley Chadwick

    With seven years of dedicated experience in the T&S domain, I have cultivated a multifaceted understanding of online harms. My career in T&S began as a Researcher in Hate Speech and Extremism, focussed on European markets. This has broadened over the years, and as such I have worn many hats – from Election Fraud Monitoring Senior Analyst, to Expert in Suicide & Self-Harm harms. I particularly enjoy researching and discussing the intersectionality of online harms, and especially what harms can mean in a local context vs global. I am currently the Head of Trust & Safety Operations at Resolver (formerly Crisp Thinking), overseeing operations across 50+ languages and global markets.

  • Jessica Zucker

    Jessica Zucker is a senior technology policy leader currently serving as Director of Online Safety Policy at Ofcom, where she co-leads a 120-person team implementing the UK’s groundbreaking Online Safety Act. With over a decade of experience at the intersection of technology, policy, and safety, she has shaped global approaches to safety governance, content moderation, and platform accountability.

    At Ofcom, Jessica manages regulatory frameworks for major tech platforms, pioneered transparency reporting standards, and led crisis response during critical public safety events. Previously, as Head of Misinformation Policy for EMEA at Meta and the global Head of Health Misinformation Policy, she created global policies affecting 2+ billion users and managed high-stakes decisions during COVID-19, elections, and international conflicts.

    Her career spans leadership roles at Microsoft, where she developed cybersecurity strategies and trained over 1,000 election officials across the EU, and the U.S. State Department’s Cyber Policy Office. A Fulbright Scholar and Harvard Kennedy School graduate (M.A. Public Policy), Jessica began her career founding an education nonprofit in South Korea.

    Known for driving organizational transformation and building strategic partnerships, Jessica regularly testifies before Parliament, speaks at major conferences, and serves as a media spokesperson on safety and online harms.

  • Jenny Thornton

    Jenny Thornton is a seasoned professional in strategic partnerships and international development. With a Master’s in International Relations from the University of Cambridge and a deep commitment to human rights, Jenny brings over 15 years of experience bridging technology, policy, and global collaboration.

  • Jessica Marcus

    Jessica Marcus is a Policy Manager in the Online Safety Team at Ofcom where she leads the development of standards and guidance to improve transparency, accountability and safety across
    online platforms. Her career bridges policy, journalism, and research, with a particular focus on misinformation, platform governance and cultural insight. Before joining Ofcom, she worked at Storyful, where she led global investigations into online harms, and at several research consultancies, specializing in cutting-edge methodologies.

  • Jessica Mills

    Jessica Mills is a digital policy specialist with expertise in data governance, cross-border data flows, and regulatory engagement. She has led global advocacy initiatives with governments and regulators, contributed to flagship policy reports, and coordinated multistakeholder forums on digital rights, child online protection, and telecom fraud prevention. Jessica has a strong track record of translating complex policy issues into actionable strategies and is passionate about building inclusive, rights-respecting digital ecosystems.