Tech Policy Expertise: Skills & education

  • 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 Erin Young

    Dr. Erin Young is Head of Innovation and Technology Policy at the Institute of Directors where she leads the IoD’s policy, strategy and thought leadership work on technology, science and innovation. Before joining the IoD, Erin was Project Co-Lead and Research Fellow in Public Policy at The Alan Turing Institute, where her work influenced the UK’s National AI Strategy and AI Opportunities Action Plan. Previously, Erin held positions at the UN in Paris, WPP in London, MediaX at Stanford University, and Thomson Reuters in New York City. She sits on the Strategy Steering Board for the City of London Corporation’s Women Pivoting to Digital Taskforce and advises the Hg Foundation on AI, inequalities and skills. Erin holds a BA from the University of Cambridge, an MSc in Education (Learning and Technology) from the University of Oxford, a PGC in International Business Practice, Finance and Organisational Behaviour, and a DPhil in Science and Technology Studies from the University of Oxford.

  • 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.

  • Doris Li

    Doris is a technology policy leader with experience shaping regulatory approaches to emerging technologies and designing frameworks that center safety and accessibility. She is currently a Tech Policy Manager at Ofcom, where she leads projects and programs for regulating generative AI under the Online Safety Act. Prior to Ofcom, she spent several years at Meta as a Senior Product & Regulatory Operations Specialist, where she managed a global safety program to combat the abuse of content moderation systems. As Meta’s Inclusive Product Council Member, she evaluated company priority products against safety and accessibility standards to provide guidance for research, engineering, and product teams innovating in AI and the Metaverse.

    In addition to her day-to-day work, Doris is an Inclusion Advisor to Open Data Institute’s Solid Initiative, an open-source project which reimagines data use and sharing, and regularly volunteers with organisations promoting diversity in tech spaces, including Women in Data. She is passionate about bridging policy, product, and community engagement to amplify historically underrepresented voices in the development and governance of data-driven technologies.

  • Doniya Soni-Clark

    Doniya Soni‑Clark is a senior policy and public affairs leader working at the forefront of technology, education, and workforce transformation. As Head of Policy & Public Affairs at Multiverse, she has led initiatives to expand access to tech apprenticeships, secure Degree Awarding Powers for the organisation, and influence national policy on skills and education reform. Doniya is a passionate advocate for inclusive access to learning and careers—especially for those historically excluded from traditional pathways. Her work bridges the gap between innovation and impact, shaping a more equitable future of work.

  • Clara Aranda

  • Claire Penketh

    I’m a former BBC journalist who began my career in local radio before spending four years in Hong Kong during and after the handover to China. I was a news producer and documentary maker for a Chinese TV station and covered the handover itself and the early rise of political dissent. As press freedoms became increasingly restricted, I chose to return to the UK, where I produced and reported for BBC World Service, including presenting the global affairs programme Analysis.

    After becoming a single parent at 42, I took redundancy and retrained as a teacher to find a more conducive work-life balance. I taught broadcast journalism at university and college level. I went on to found and run a community radio station in rural southwest England, which was on-air 24/7. As a not-for-profit with over 100 volunteer presenters, we secured grant-funding to deliver media and basic IT training, with a strong focus on empowering disadvantaged communities. With a heavy heart I stepped away in 2011 after nearly four years, when funding for such programmes, and therefore my post, was cut due to the austerity measures of the coalition government.

    I returned to journalism and the World Service as a freelancer and took on short-term PR contracts before joining BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, in 2018. Since then, I’ve transitioned from PR into policy—a move that reflects my belief that careers are always evolving. My mantra is simple: embrace change, stay curious, and keep learning—because that’s the key to staying relevant and doing work that matters.

    Being an older woman in tech has its challenges, but it’s also been a chance to grow, adapt and hopefully inspire others along the way. I’ve gone from reporting on major world events to helping shape the national conversation around technology and policy during a time of huge change. It’s incredibly rewarding to share what I’ve learned and to support others—especially women—on their own journeys into this fast-moving and fascinating sector.

  • Charity Ofosuhene

    Passion is at the core of everything I do. It keeps me eager to learn, stay focused, and believe in the power of technology to improve both businesses and lives. My journey has shown me how businesses can grow into global ventures, and how intentional automation can simplify processes and help create products that genuinely connect people. I measure my passion by the results I achieve. I’m not just an idea person. I put plans into action and aim for outcomes that matter. Whether I’m building a community or managing a big project, I combine enthusiasm with hard work. I know that real change comes from taking action, not just thinking about it. That’s where I excel: making purpose count through performance.

  • Casey Calista

    Casey is the Chair of Labour Digital’s Advisory Board and co-founder of the Women in Tech Policy Network. With over a decade of experience in London’s tech policy scene, she ran a Shoreditch-based start-up as the first employee, acted as the Head of Policy and Public Affairs at a British scale-up, and launched the tech policy consultancy practice at a global agency. There she worked with some of the world’s largest and most exciting tech companies. Notably, Casey was the key tech challenger lobbyist for the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act. Recognised as one of Politico’s top 20 key influencers on Labour’s tech policy, Casey was also named one of Computer Weekly’s Top 25 Most Influential Women in UK Tech for 2024.

  • Anushka Sharma

    Anushka Sharma is a leading voice in space innovation and inclusive technology strategy. As the founder of Naaut, her past work includes supporting NASA’s AI accelerator, ESA-backed initiatives, building partnerships across the global AI and technology ecosystem and was previously Senior Technical Programme Coordinator for DiRAC, a national supercomputing facility. Before space she worked in politics, growing the UK startup and deep tech ecosystem and was Protocol Manager for the Olympic Stadium – London 2012.

    At the Space Academic Network (SPAN) she builds relationships across academia, industry and government to advocate for UK academics and researchers in Earth Observation, Space Science and Engineering, Space Environment, and Space for Society. In addition, she sits on the Oversight Committee for the UK Regional Centre of the Square Kilometre Array, one of the world’s most ambitious scientific collaborations.

    As Co-founder of the London Space Network, Anushka has built one of the UK’s most vibrant space communities, now over 2,000 members strong, with monthly events connecting 90+ organisations across industry, academia, and government.

    A recognised science communicator, Anushka appears regularly on national and international media to share insights on the societal impact of space. Her 12+ accolades include Top 100 Asian Stars in UK Tech and Computer Weekly’s Most Influential Women in UK Tech (2020–2024).

    She is a connector, ecosystem builder, and trusted voice on the future of space and technology.