Geography: United Kingdom

  • Elise Soucie Watts

    Elise is the Executive Director of Global Digital Finance (GDF), board member, and also board advisor to several firms on policy & regulatory issues. She is also the co-host of the podcast The Outside Context which considers how technology is impacting the future of civilisation.

    Previously, she was at the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME), leading Digital Assets and Data Strategy work, and prior to that she worked at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), across both their Technology, Resilience and Cyber Division. and International Division.

    Named ‘Next Generation Leader of the Year’ at the 2022 Women in Finance Awards UK, and part of the Innovate Finance Standout 45 on the Women in Fintech Powerlist 2024 as a Regulatory and Policy Expert, Elise’s dual public and private sector experience positions her to lead both regulatory advocacy and contribute technical knowledge to support the growth of the digital finance ecosystem.

  • Elizabeth Anderson

    Elizabeth Anderson is CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance, which aims to end digital poverty in the UK once and for all, looking at affordability, digital and media literacy, research and local engagement.  She focusses across advocacy, community building and delivery work, engaging with schools, industry partners, government leads, local authorities and other charities – regularly speaking at conferences and to the media.  Elizabeth’s career has been focussed almost exclusively in the non-profit sector, working in areas including education, disadvantage and healthcare, focussing on strategic development, governance and stakeholder engagement to create social change.  Outside work, she holds charity Trusteeships focusing on heritage and animal welfare, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.  She lives just outside London, in Kent, and enjoys travel, dance and gardening.

  • Ella Harvey

    Ella Harvey is an Associate Director for Public Affairs at Bradshaw Advisory, where they advise clients across the public, private, and third sectors on political engagement, policy development, and strategic communications. With deep expertise in navigating Westminster and Whitehall, they help organisations influence legislation and shape public debate on complex and high-profile issues.

    Alongside this, Ella serves as Director of Operations for the Women in Tech Policy Network—a professional network of over 1,000 women working across the tech sector. The network champions greater representation of women in tech policymaking and works to ensure their voices are at the forefront of political and regulatory conversations. In this role, and as a member of the senior leadership team, Ella leads on events, stakeholder engagement, and cross-party collaboration, connecting experts with policymakers to drive more inclusive and forward-thinking tech policy. She is also a board member for the CIPR Public Affairs Committee where she has hosted a range of networking events and advised on the Committee’s direction.

    Previously, Ella was a Policy Advisor at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), where they advised on adult online safety during the development of the Online Safety Bill. Their role included supporting ministers, engaging with industry stakeholders, and helping shape one of the UK’s most significant pieces of digital legislation.

    With a career spanning government, consultancy, and advocacy, Ella brings a sharp understanding of the policy landscape, a strong commitment to equity in tech, and a track record of delivering impact through collaboration and thoughtful strategy.

  • Felicia Anthonio

    Felicia Anthonio is GlobalCampaign Manager – #KeepItOn at Access Now, an organisation which campaigns to promote digital rights and freedom of expression. The #KeepItOn Campaign is global campaign of over 345 organizations that fights against internet shutdowns. Felicia leads the coalition strategic advocacy and campaigns to mobilize and engage various stakeholders to end internet censorship around the globe. Felicia has authored and co-authored several publications on internet shutdowns and hosted the Kill Switch Podcast. Felicia is also an Advisory Council member of the US-based Open Technology Fund (OTF) and a board member of the World Expression Forum (WEXFO), in Norway.

  • Elena Sinel

  • Dr Méabh McCaffrey-Lau

    I’ve spent 25 years championing digital education and inclusion in Northern Ireland, leading award-winning initiatives and completing a doctorate on this topic. I’ve seen firsthand how digital inequality compounds disadvantage, especially within education and how current systems fail to tackle this effectively. I’m building Future Ready Lab to turn research into action—so that everyone, regardless of background, has a real chance to thrive in an increasingly digital, AI-driven world.

  • Dr Nikki Soo

    Dr Nikki Soo is Safety and Digital Well-being Public Policy Lead in TikTok’s EU Public Policy Team. She leads and engages in a wide range of industry safety issues such as including mis/disinformation, hateful behaviour and digital well-being. Prior to joining TikTok, Nikki worked in academia for over 10 years, specialising in the effects of digital technology on society, media and culture. Her work has previously been published in The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Journalism Studies, as well as The Conversation and The Independent.

  • Eleanor Hevey

    Eleanor joined the leadership team of the Centre for Long-Term Resilience in spring 2025, where she leads external relations, communications and organisational culture. She brings more than 18 years of experience as a senior policy leader, spokesperson and strategist for world-leading humanitarian organisations, research institutes and in impact philanthropy.
    Eleanor most recently served as part of the leadership team for the UK government’s flagship climate resilience and disaster risk finance initiative. She brings deep experience of public policy influencing and leading innovative cross-sector partnerships. She is accomplished in international diplomacy, negotiating intergovernmental agreements including the Sustainable Development Goals. She has led major G20, G7, COP and UN General Assembly initiatives.
    Eleanor recently completed her MBA with Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, awarded the Oxford Women’s Scholarship and Best and Brightest Top 100 Global Executive MBAs 2023.

  • Dr Hannah Shimko

    Hannah is the Managing Director of the Gift Card and Voucher Association (GCVA). She is responsible for the running of the trade association and delivery of the GCVA mission to promote and protect the gift card sector. She is also the co-founder of the Women in Tech Policy Network.

    Hannah comes from a career running trade associations, previously as CEO of the Online Dating Association and prior to that as Head of Policy and Comms at the Heritage Alliance.

    She has spent many years on the coalface of advocacy and public relations developing collaborative relationships with government and media as well as influencing key decisions. For the last 5 years, her work has focused on different parts of the tech space, initially online dating, encompassing online safety, digital competition, data protection and cybersecurity, while she now focuses on fintech, payments, and anti-fraud technology.

    She also has a long career of experience working with members and membership organisations, connecting industry professionals with each other and wider stakeholders.

    She holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham.

  • Dr Claire Thorne

    Claire is Adviser and Venture Partner at Deep Science Ventures, co-founding and now scaling the Venture Science Directorate. She serves on the Council of The Foundation for Science and Technology, is a member of the Sutton Trust’s Tech Future Taskforce and techUK’s TechSkills Advisory Board. She is also co-Chief Executive Officer of a ‘tech for good’ scale-up, an industry-backed charity tackling the UK’s tech skills gap: Tech She Can.

    Claire regularly speaks at London Tech Weeks, Mobile World Congress, Accenture and Infosys’ client conferences, and contributes to publications in Computing, The Guardian and with the Tony Blair Institute.

    What drives me: social justice and opportunity for all
    Passionate about equitable pathways, skills, R&D policy, and STEM education and research
    Her background is in innovation strategy at UK universities: shaping Imperial’s 23-acre White City innovation district, and operating a #1 university business incubator. Claire holds a PhD in Astroparticle Physics on dark matter from Imperial College London.