Tech Policy Expertise: AI safety, ethics & governance

  • Gisella Lomax

    Gisella Lomax is the Senior Advisor on Information Integrity at UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leading a ‘Digital Protection’ capacity to address the harmful impact of information risks such as misinformation, disinformation and hate speech on refugees and people forced to flee, and on humanitarian action.

    Following a career in journalism with global media organisations, Gisella joined the UN in 2011: a year of global disruption to the information ecosystem driven by digital platforms. She has worked in partnerships, external engagement, digital and strategic communications roles across various parts of UN, including on climate action, human rights, peace-building, disarmament, and trade and development.

  • Imogen Stead

    As AI Policy Manager at the Centre for Long-term Resilience (CLTR), Imogen researches and advocates for the most effective policy levers to improve societal resilience against extreme AI risks.

    Imogen joined the CLTR from a leading tech-specialist global advisory firm, where she provided cross-jurisdictional AI policy, regulatory and geopolitical advisory expertise to a range of clients including frontier labs and a government-led AI security partnership. Before that, she co-launched and led the analysis for a new “emerging technologies” product at a European political risk advisory firm, specialising in political and regulatory analysis of UK, EU and multilateral AI policy initiatives.

    She is especially interested in the geopolitics of AI and is driven by the pressing challenge of how effective global AI governance strategies can be put in place against the backdrop of an increasingly fragmented geopolitical landscape.

    Imogen holds an MA, MPhil and DPhil in Classics from the University of Oxford, and is working towards an Executive Master’s degree in EU Studies from the Centre International de Formation Européene (Cife).

  • Theresa Yurkewich Hofmann

    Theresa Yurkewich Hoffmann is the Head of Responsible AI at Kainos, where she guides global organisations through the complexities of emerging technologies, drawing on her unique blend of expertise in public policy, law, and technology. Prior to joining Kainos, she was an AI Technical Specialist at Microsoft, focusing on regulation, sustainability, and Responsible AI. Her career also includes roles at organisations such as the City of London Corporation, Global Rights Compliance, and external advisory work with the OECD.
    Theresa holds a JD in Law and a BA, and has completed innovation-focused programmes at both Cambridge and Oxford. Her multidisciplinary background enables her to bridge the gap between legal frameworks and technological innovation.
    A recognized thought leader in the field, Theresa has spoken at major industry events including the Innovation Forum, Reset Connect London, Envision, and the Legal Business AI Summit. In 2023, she was named a Rising Star in Technology by WeAreTheCity for her contributions at the intersection of AI, regulation, and sustainability.

    Her career highlights include:
    City of London Corporation: Spearheaded initiatives such as the digital sandbox and lawtech programmes.
    OECD: Contributed to digital governance modernisation, integrating legal insight with tech innovation.
    Legal Sector: Regularly featured on high-profile panels and events, including the Legal Business AI Summit.

    Originally from Canada, Theresa has lived in The Hague and now resides in London, where she is a UK citizen. She brings a global perspective to her work and is fluent in both English and French.

  • Oyetola Florence Idowu

    A dynamic digital transformation Tech leader, Global AI Delegate for the United Kingdom with Gafai and an advocate for responsible AI, ethics and sustainability in Tech with over 13 years of experience driving digital transformation across healthcare, government, public, private, and consulting sectors.


    I currently work with the NHS, where I lead cross-functional teams to deliver innovative digital products and process re-engineering initiatives using Agile (Scrum), Waterfall, and Lean methodologies. My expertise spans Digital Product Delivery, Business Intelligence, Data Analytics, Process Improvement, and Responsible AI. An award-winning researcher and co-author in AI Automation Framework, sustainability, Embedding ethics into AI collaboration, and healthcare technology.


    I am a mentor and an Early Career Advocate with the British Computer Society (BCS), showcasing my passion for empowering the next generation of tech professionals. I also mentor young professionals with the Association for black and minority Engineers (AFBE)UK, and MSc Big Data Analytics students at the University of Derby during the MSc enrichment week, guiding and empowering the next generation of tech professionals.


    I am an active member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (MIET), a Professional member of the British Computer Society (BCS), a Corporate member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (MNSE), Registered Engineer with council of Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and the Internet Society UK, cementing my reputation as a respected leader in the global tech ecosystem.

  • 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.

  • Lina Ghazal

    Lina is a policy and public affairs professional with over a decade of experience in media and tech, both in the public (Ofcom) and private (TF1, Meta) sectors. She’s currently leading regulatory and public affairs for safety tech provider Verifymy.

    Lina is an expert in building large-scale policy initiatives and partnerships and has led engagements about online regulation with diverse groups of stakeholders and regulators across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the US.

    Lina studied Law, Economics and Management at Ecole Normale Superieure and Queen Mary University of London. She holds a Master of Finance & Corporate Strategy from Sciences Po Paris.

  • 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.

  • Iliana Pearce

    Iliana Pearce is a Policy Advisor at the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) leading on innovation and technology policy. Her work focuses on how small businesses can be equipped to adopt new technologies well, to enhance their productivity and help them do more of what they love. Previously, she has undertaken legal research on accountability for AI-assisted decision-making and on how small businesses can be supported to adopt AI responsibly.

  • Gaia Marcus

    Gaia Marcus is Director of the Ada Lovelace Institute. Prior to joining Ada, Gaia was Deputy Director (Advanced Analytics and Local Capabilities) at the Spatial Data Unit within the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). In this role, she led on ensuring that data and data-driven analysis were used to support policymaking and service delivery.

    Gaia has extensive experience of leadership roles across the civil service and the non-profit sector. In government she has held roles as Deputy Director (Strategy for the Integrated Data Service) at the Office for National Statistics, Head of Engagement for Civil Service Reform at the Cabinet Office, and Head of National Data Strategy at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

    In the non-profit sector, Gaia specialised in data strategy and participatory approaches to research, innovation and policy. This included roles at Parkinson’s UK, Centrepoint and the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. She also serves on the Samaritans’ Board of Trustees.

  • 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.