Geography: USA

  • Sharron Gunn

    Group Chief Executive Officer of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT – the professional membership body for the tech sector.

  • Ceri Howes

    Ceri is VP of Government and External Affairs at Opensignal, where she works with policymakers, regulators, and industry to advance inclusive, high-quality connectivity. She has over 15 years of global policy experience at the GSMA, Ofcom, and the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. Her work has spanned spectrum strategy, broadband regulation, and initiatives to close the connectivity gender gap. Passionate about bridging the digital divide, she enjoys bringing together technology and evidence-based policy to create real impact for people and communities.

  • Grace Nelson

    Grace is an Analyst in the team at Assembly. Her portfolio includes emerging issues in digital policymaking, such as online safety, digital competition and AI, as well as work across a range of consumer protection issues in telecoms markets.

    Prior to joining Assembly, Grace served as an aide in the United States Senate, leading outreach and engagement on issues including federal infrastructure investments and rural broadband. She holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh and a MSc in Media and Communication Governance from the London School of Economics.

  • Sofia Klymchuk

    Sofia Klymchuk is a Ukrainian AI policymaker, former civil servant and lawyer. She has been driving digital reforms in the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine for 5 years and currently she leads AI Diplomacy (OECD, CoE, EC, UNESCO) and builds AI tool for EU integration in the Ukrainian Government. She is leading bilateral negotiations with the EU on the AI Act, drafting Ukraine’s AI Strategy 2030, and advancing the sovereign LLM development, as well as AI GovTech solutions. In the Ministry she also previously led international cooperation and European integration of Ukraine into the EU Digital Single Market, roam-like-at-home regime and electronic communication sector reform. Some of Sofia’s large-scale projects include negotiating and drafting international digital treaties (with Latvia, Turkey, Canada, UK, UAE), cooperation on cross-border EU digital projects, funding and democratic resilience of Ukraine especially during wartime.
    As a female leader, she has empowered and collaborated with youth networks worldwide, raising issues on digital policies (she was a Head of the Chevening Society, and member of IRI GenDem, EDYN, AIESEC, ELSA, RUSI).
    She recently pursued her second master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration at LSE as a distinguished Chevening Scholar. This year she was nominated to become a GLOBSEC Young leader and Alpbach scholar.
    In her research she is focusing on the geopolitics of tech, intersection of digital policies, democracy, diplomacy and law.

  • Flora Coleman

    Flora Coleman is a seasoned global leader in public affairs, policy, and communications, with over a decade of experience shaping regulatory and reputational outcomes for some of the world’s most prominent fintech and technology firms. Most recently Director of Global Policy and Government Relations at Klarna, she led cross-functional teams on both sides of the Atlantic, driving strategy on AI, financial services, credit, and competition policy. Her earlier tenure at Wise saw her deliver a landmark win on cross-border payments regulation in the EU and spearhead the firm’s ESG and CSR agendas.
    Flora is widely recognised for her deep network and policy campaigns. She was recently named one of Europe’s top tech lobbyists by Sifted and has written on regulatory innovation in American Banker, arguing for proportionate frameworks for BNPL. She also addressed global consumer advocates on digital wallet safety at the 2023 Consumers International Summit in Nairobi.
    In addition to her executive roles, Flora serves as an Ambassador for InnovateHer, a Steering Board Member of the Startup Coalition, and an Industry Panel Member for Consumers International. Her portfolio reflects a consistent commitment to responsible innovation and stakeholder collaboration.
    With a track record across the UK, US, EU, and Australia, and a style that blends strategic clarity with delivery excellence, Flora brings valuable experience and perspective at the intersection of regulation, communications, and technology.

  • Louisa Bartolo

  • Ashlie Tarpley

    Ashlie Tarpley is an experienced consumer financial services attorney with over a decade of practice advising financial institutions and government agencies on complex compliance and contracting challenges. Her career spans litigation, regulatory counseling, and policy development, giving her a unique perspective on how laws and regulations impact day-to-day business operations.

    Ashlie’s experience includes:

    – Leading federal regulatory compliance examinations;

    – Counseling clients on privacy, data security, and financial services compliance strategies;

    – Advising on the rollout of innovative products and services;

    – Designing organizational policies and procedures;

    – Overseeing contracting programs and negotiating commercial agreements;

    – Developing and delivering compliance training; and

    – Shaping financial services and housing policy in government.

    In 2025, Ashlie founded Tarpley Templates and Legal Research (TTLR) to make high-quality legal support accessible to organizations navigating growth, innovation, and regulatory risk. TTLR provides attorney-drafted contract templates, practical legal research, and fractional counsel support tailored to tech-driven businesses.

    With her combined litigation, regulatory, and policy experience, Ashlie helps clients anticipate risks, structure stronger contracts, and build compliance frameworks that support sustainable growth. Through TTLR, she is committed to empowering organizations to negotiate smarter, comply with confidence, and achieve lasting success in an evolving financial and regulatory landscape.

  • Lu Jackson

    Lu Jackson is the founder of Craic™, the global operating system for comedy and leader in comedy industry technologies, including Craic CRM and Craic Health, the pioneering Comedy-on-Prescription® platform. She is also the founder and chair of CRAFT, the newly established national comedy council and first policy-driven organisation of its kind for comedy.

    A digital media and tech innovator with over two decades in createch, Lu previously co-founded VidZone, the world’s first online and mobile music streaming subscription service and the first independent digital music distributor globally.

    Now driving a cultural shift in comedy, her mission is to position it as both entertainment and a force for social impact and wellbeing.

  • Leah Friedlander

    Leah builds and maintains relationships with the coalition’s broad range of stakeholders, including Ministers, MPs and officials. Leah joined the Startup Coalition in 2021 following the completion of her Master’s of Public Administration from UCL in Digital Technologies and Policy. Leah has a background in US politics having previously worked on the US 2020 presidential election campaign and in the US Senate. Leah currently sits on the advisory board of Capital Enterprise.

  • Kirsten Nelson-de Búrca

    Kirsten Nelson-de Búrca is a product policy manager at Mozilla, where she leads work on ads, age verification, and AI product launches globally – shaping how emerging technologies intersect with public interest and trust. With a background spanning global tech companies, startups, and the non-profit sector, she brings a rare blend of policy insight, operational know-how, and product expertise.

    Before joining Mozilla, she drove global digital policy engagement for a European scale-up, HelloFresh, and at Meta she launched trust & safety product lines and political advertising transparency tools in over 100 markets. She has also advised governments, political organisations, and civil society organisations (UN entities and EU institutions) on leveraging new technologies responsibly, and navigated the fast-moving fintech startup world from a regulatory risk perspective.

    A passionate advocate for responsible innovation, Kirsten speaks about the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of technology, policy, and society – with a focus on AI governance, online integrity (especially when it comes to elections, politics and social issues), and platform accountability.