Tech Policy Expertise: Partnerships & societal impact

  • Gisella Lomax

    Gisella Lomax, Senior Advisor on Digital Protection: Information Integrity, United Nations Refugee Agency

    Gisella has worked for the United Nations for 15 years in many countries around the world, on issues ranging from peace-talks to human rights and climate change. She currently works for UNHCR, one of the biggest humanitarian agencies, helping people who have been forced to flee their homes due to persecution, war and conflict. Gisella specializes in online safety, responding to technology and digital risks such as hate speech, disinformation, and trusted information in the age of Artificial Intelligence.

    Prior to joining the UN, Gisella’s first career was in journalism, reporting on news and culture for national and international media companies. She grew up in Manchester in the north of England, studied in Leeds, and later in Austria as part of the European Union’s Erasmus Programme, and has been fortunate to live and work in many countries around the world.

  • Larissa Zutter

    Currently, I work as a consultant at McKinsey and Company. I am also a member of the Board of Directors at the Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP), where I provide strategic vision and direction, write policy recommendations, and consult various stakeholders on responsible AI. I have been involved with CAIDP in various capacities such as Senior AI Policy Advisor, Research and Teaching Fellow, where I advised on matters of AI and related policy as well as helped with CAIDP’s expansion projects. Previously, I have also worked in Pharmaceuticals (Novartis), Healthcare (UNAIDS), Fintech (Unique AG) and various NGOs (e.g. Michael Dukakis Institute)

    I graduated from a dual master’s degree in International Security and International Political Economy from Sciences Po Paris and London School of Economics. With a strong foundation in business, economics, and political science, I bring a unique blend of expertise and perspective to the intersection of technology, business, and policy.

  • 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.

  • Imogen Parker

    Imogen Parker is Associate Director of Social and Economic Policy at the Ada Lovelace Institute, an independent research and ethics body with a mission to ensure data and AI work for people and society. She led the scoping and development for the Institute, creating the founding partnership of the Nuffield Foundation, the Alan Turing Institute, the British Academy, Luminate, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, the Royal Society, the Royal Statistical Society, techUK and Wellcome.

    She was a Policy Fellow at Cambridge University’s Centre for Science and Policy and has first-class degrees from both the University of Oxford (BA, MAOxon) and the London Consortium (MRes).

    She has over 15 years experience working on the intersections of social justice, policy research and technology. She worked with Baroness Kidron to create 5Rights, the children’s digital rights charity. Other roles include Head of the Nuffield Foundation’s programmes on Justice, Rights and Digital Society, acting Head of Policy Research for Citizens and Democracy at Citizens Advice head office, and Research Fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).

  • 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.

  • 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.