Geography: Global

  • Claire Penketh

    I’m a former BBC journalist who began my career in local radio before spending four years in Hong Kong during and after the handover to China. I was a news producer and documentary maker for a Chinese TV station and covered the handover itself and the early rise of political dissent. As press freedoms became increasingly restricted, I chose to return to the UK, where I produced and reported for BBC World Service, including presenting the global affairs programme Analysis.

    After becoming a single parent at 42, I took redundancy and retrained as a teacher to find a more conducive work-life balance. I taught broadcast journalism at university and college level. I went on to found and run a community radio station in rural southwest England, which was on-air 24/7. As a not-for-profit with over 100 volunteer presenters, we secured grant-funding to deliver media and basic IT training, with a strong focus on empowering disadvantaged communities. With a heavy heart I stepped away in 2011 after nearly four years, when funding for such programmes, and therefore my post, was cut due to the austerity measures of the coalition government.

    I returned to journalism and the World Service as a freelancer and took on short-term PR contracts before joining BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, in 2018. Since then, I’ve transitioned from PR into policy—a move that reflects my belief that careers are always evolving. My mantra is simple: embrace change, stay curious, and keep learning—because that’s the key to staying relevant and doing work that matters.

    Being an older woman in tech has its challenges, but it’s also been a chance to grow, adapt and hopefully inspire others along the way. I’ve gone from reporting on major world events to helping shape the national conversation around technology and policy during a time of huge change. It’s incredibly rewarding to share what I’ve learned and to support others—especially women—on their own journeys into this fast-moving and fascinating sector.

  • Clara Aranda

  • Clare Huxley

  • Christine Quigley

    With more than fifteen years of experience spanning consultancy, in-house roles, and party politics, Christine is a specialist in integrated corporate affairs, public policy, and government relations. She has worked with leading organizations in transport and mobility, energy and sustainability, manufacturing and agri-food, and technology in the UK and internationally, providing strategic counsel and on-the-ground support to help businesses achieve their public policy objectives.

    Before joining Crestview, Christine worked in an agency, leading major integrated public affairs and corporate communications campaigns for clients across a variety of sectors. She also has experience working in-house in the UK rail industry and served as a political adviser to the UK Labour Party.

    Christine is a former chair of the CIPR’s Public Affairs Committee and a board member of Women in Public Affairs. She was shortlisted for Consultant of the Year at the 2020 PRCA Public Affairs Awards. In 2021, she was one of only three public affairs professionals included in the Women in Westminster: The 100 list of influential women in public life. She holds an MA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Oxford and an MSc in European Public Policy from Birkbeck, University of London.

  • Celine Nithila-George

    I am a Gen Z innovation expert, with a career across the UK innovation ecosystem and as a representative on impactful boards at UCL and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

    I have experience in running innovation challenges, innovation adoption and diffusion, strategic governance, smart and sustainable city design. My career spans working with local and central governments, universities and start-ups on several international initiatives to solve wicked problems and champion inclusive prosperity.

  • Chantelle De Villiers

  • Charity Ofosuhene

    Passion is at the core of everything I do. It keeps me eager to learn, stay focused, and believe in the power of technology to improve both businesses and lives. My journey has shown me how businesses can grow into global ventures, and how intentional automation can simplify processes and help create products that genuinely connect people. I measure my passion by the results I achieve. I’m not just an idea person. I put plans into action and aim for outcomes that matter. Whether I’m building a community or managing a big project, I combine enthusiasm with hard work. I know that real change comes from taking action, not just thinking about it. That’s where I excel: making purpose count through performance.

  • Caroline Hurst

    Caroline Hurst is Global Digital Child Safety Lead at the LEGO Group. She is part of the Child Rights and Safety team, who represent the voices and needs of children and provide tools to the business to ensure the LEGO Group can responsibly engage with children.

    Caroline brings many years of experience as a child safety policy expert, having worked in Trust and Safety roles at Meta and Spotify previously. She holds a deep understanding of online safety trends impacting children, especially issues related to age-appropriate design, harmful content and empowering children and their families to be digitally smart, happy and healthy online.

  • Casey Calista

    Casey is the Chair of Labour Digital’s Advisory Board and co-founder of the Women in Tech Policy Network. With over a decade of experience in London’s tech policy scene, she ran a Shoreditch-based start-up as the first employee, acted as the Head of Policy and Public Affairs at a British scale-up, and launched the tech policy consultancy practice at a global agency. There she worked with some of the world’s largest and most exciting tech companies. Notably, Casey was the key tech challenger lobbyist for the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act. Recognised as one of Politico’s top 20 key influencers on Labour’s tech policy, Casey was also named one of Computer Weekly’s Top 25 Most Influential Women in UK Tech for 2024.

  • 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 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 environmental and healthcare innovation. She’s led ambitious change programmes across some of the most challenging industries, consistently turning big ideas into tangible, measurable results. No tech theatre—just AI that delivers value.
    Beth works to uncover smarter, more scalable ways of working. Her mix of strategic insight, customer-centric thinking, and coaching makes her a driving force behind impactful, human-focused transformation.