Tech Policy Expertise: Skills & education

  • Eliz Peck

  • Mia Haffety

    Mia joined techUK in September 2023 within the Digital Infrastructure and Climate team(s) before transitioning to the Digital Economy team in April 2024.

    Before joining techUK, Mia worked as a Senior Policy Adviser at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) sitting within the Policy Unit.

    Outside of work, Mia enjoys running, yoga, bouldering and art.

  • 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.

  • Sharron Gunn

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

  • Jessica Figueras

    Jessica is the co-founder of CxB (Cyber Governance for Boards), a non-profit network that supports boards and non-executive directors to strengthen oversight of cyber security, and works with government to support developing cyber resilience regulation. She is also a non-executive director (Governor) at the University of Westminster.

    Previously she was Vice Chair and a Founding Trustee at the UK Cyber Security Council, where she worked with government on the development of a new self-regulatory regime for the cyber security profession. She was chief executive of Pionen, a cyber security firm working with government and critical national infrastructure, and Chair of Trustees at NCT, the UK’s largest charity for parents.

    As a technology strategist, she has worked extensively with government and the technology sector over decades, in recent years focusing on cyber security, digital trust and the role of tech in civil society. She has published extensive research on the application of emerging technologies in the public sector and regulated industries, and her technical advisory work directly informed the UK’s ground-breaking online safety legislation and wider regulatory regime.

  • Catherine Colloms

    Catherine has over 25 years’ experience across the public and private sector, specialising in infrastructure, tech and telecoms. She has advised corporates on working in partnership with government to deliver major infrastructure and environmental, social and governance projects and brings stakeholders together to solve economic and social challenges and devise commercial and policy solutions to help address them.

    She spent 8 years on the executive of Openreach (BT) when it hyper scaled its full-fibre network, where she also headed their Gender network and led initiatives on diversity and culture as part of the company’s transformation. She is on the advisory board of Labour Digital and is a NED at Gigaclear, a rural altnet Telco and on DBT’s Industrial Development Advisory Council.

  • Helen Milner

    Helen has 40 years’ experience creating and leading internet-based organisations; driving innovation, delivery and systems change at scale. Working closely with people deep in communities, as well at the highest levels of government and industry. Helen is number 9 in Computer Weekly’s 2025 UKTech50 list, and their number 1 Female Founder. Outside of her work for Good Things Foundation, she is the Chair of environmental charity Subak, and a Non-Executive Director on the Board for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

  • Rumbidzayi Pfende

    Rumbi Pfende is a seasoned entrepreneur and leader with over 23 years’ experience scaling startups and driving growth across tech and media. She is the Co-founder and COO of MAMA.codes, the UK’s leading coding school for children, where she has helped over 5,000 young people—many from underrepresented groups—gain vital digital skills. A passionate advocate for inclusion, Rumbi has advised organisations including Lucasfilm on diversity and culture, and champions initiatives that widen access to education and technology. She is a thought leader, regularly sharing her journey as a Black female founder committed to building opportunities that empower the next generation.

  • Zoe Jay Hawkins

    Zoe is Co-Founder & Deputy Executive Director of the Tech Policy Design Institute (TPDi): Australia’s new independent non-partisan think tank dedicated to technology policy.

    Featured in the Australian Financial Review’s 2025 Women to Watch list, Zoe has experience leading international tech policy initiatives from government, big tech, academic and think tank perspectives. Zoe worked for the Australian government across communications, innovation, and foreign policy portfolios, as a ministerial adviser and in the public service. As a member of Amazon’s International Public Policy Team, Zoe drove whole of amazon digital policy initiatives and represented the company in international organisations.

    An engaging communicator, Zoe speaks internationally on tech policy issues and her work has been featured by The New York Times, TIME Magazine, The Economist, Forbes, POLITICO, and Vogue. Zoe is a Research Associate at the University of Oxford and an expert researcher for OECD.AI, having started her career at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

    Zoe is passionate about helping bring the next generation of women up behind her by role modelling confident authentic leadership and actively mentoring young women across international relations and responsible tech policy in Australia and around the world.

  • Umaima Haider