Heather Beardmore - Director, Halpenfield

Heather graduated in Computer Science and then began a career in the IT industry working for some of the top computer software vendors in the world. Initially entering the profession as a computer programmer Heather rose to the position of Professional Services Director. She built professional services teams from zero eventually managing a team of 120 consultants both in the UK and internationally. In 2004 Heather started Halpenfield Ltd, a specialist BI & Analytics company. Halpenfield delivers data driven solutions on premise or in the cloud to businesses in the UK, EMEA and USA.

David Cleevely CBE, FREng FIET - Chairman, Raspberry Pi Foundation

David Cleevely CBE FREng, FIET is the Chairman of the Raspberry Pi Foundation and Raspberry Pi (Trading) Ltd. He is the founder and former Chairman of telecoms consultancy Analysys (acquired by Datatec International in 2004). In 1998, he co-founded the web based antibody company Abcam (ABC.L) with Jonathan Milner and was Chairman until November 2009. In late 2004 he co-founded the 3G femto base station company, 3Way Networks, which was sold to Airvana in April 2007. He has invested in over 55 companies and is Chairman of four of them, including the award winning restaurant “Bocca di Lupo” and its gelateria subsidiary, Gelupo. He has been a prime mover behind Cambridge Network, co-founder of Cambridge Wireless, co-founder and Chairman of Cambridge Angels and is a member of the IET Communications Policy Panel. For 8 years until March 2009 he was a member of the Ofcom Spectrum Advisory Board. From 2001 to 2008 he was a member of the Ministry of Defence Board overseeing information systems and services (DES-ISS, formerly the Defence Communications Services Agency). After being sponsored to study Cybernetics at Reading by Post Office Telecommunications, he joined their Long Range Studies Division. A PhD at Cambridge was then followed by the Economist Intelligence Unit in London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the IET and he has recently held an Industrial Fellowship at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory. In 2009 he was appointed the Founding Director and Executive Committee Member of the Centre for Science and Policy, University of Cambridge and was Chair until June 2018. He was elected a Fellow Commoner of Queens College, Cambridge in 2013 and an Honorary Fellow of Trinity Hall in 2015. He was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List in 2013.

Akriti Dokania - Early Stage Investor, Octopus Ventures

Akriti joined Octopus in 2018, with a focus on deep tech businesses within the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning software, B2B Enterprise Software, Cyber Security and next generation automation. Having worked internationally, UK, US and India, Akriti understands how to build a business. She is a computer science engineer by background and worked as a Product Manager with Windows and in the User Experience team at Windows Edge. Prior to this, Akriti built a B2B Business in India, with a focus on accounting in the retail space. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in Engineering and completed an MBA at the London Business School. Whilst completing her MBA, Akriti worked with the Amazon Alexa team to help launch Alexa in new territories. She also worked at Forward Partners as a pre-seed/seed stage investor.

Poppy Gustafsson - CEO, Darktrace

Poppy is a co-founder of Darktrace, which under her leadership has reached a $1.65 billion valuation in under five years and was named Europe’s ‘Fastest Growing Super Scale-up’ by Tech Tour. Poppy is a qualified chartered accountant and previously served as the company’s CFO. Prior roles also include financial controller positions in the technology and venture capital sectors. She was named City A.M.’s Entrepreneur of the Year 2017.

Ward Hills - CEO, Albion Innovations, Director, Makespace

Ward is an experienced CEO, Director and Chairman of technology and services firms. His interests range from the not-for-profit hackspace, Makespace, to business development and corporate governance for firms like AbedGraham Healthcare Strategies. Makespace is Cambridge’s community inventing shed that supports Cambridge business with prototyping facilities and where both professionals and kids train in a variety of STEM subjects. From its base in London, AbedGraham provides cybersecurity and healthcare IT advice, project management and bid support for the NHS, the European Commission and vendors in the UK, EU and US. Ward has lead several start-ups achieving medical device approvals, successful product launches, licensing deals and an exit to an AIM listed PLC (AIM:DMTR). He is an Institute of Directors certified director and active investor in companies above as well as others such as Syndicate Room.

Ward was a co-founder and CEO of an early stage medical device company focused on using 3D reconstructions to identify and track respiratory disease. He was also CEO of Ionscope, a bio-nanometrics instrument maker, and OpenIOLabs a laboratory IoT firm.

As an Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Cambridge Judge Business school he lectures on doing business across borders and mentors international masters students.

Ward has experience in advising multinational aerospace, life sciences and services businesses across North America, Europe, and Asia on a broad range of topics, including corporate strategy, sales and marketing, market access, and R&D strategy.

Mike Price - Chair and Owner, MPA Group

Mike qualified as an accountant some 25 years ago. He developed his career around his passion, technology, working in financial and general management. This career was cut short in 2004 when Mike was hit by joy riders, the resulting spinal injuries making a ‘normal’ job all but impossible. Mike is Chairman and Founder of MPA Group. The company, incorporated in 2007, quickly established itself as a leader in accounting, tax and business consulting exclusively for the technology sector. The company has grown rapidly and it’s 75 employees now serve over 850 clients throughout the UK. Outside of work, Mike spends his time with an extended family of three daughters and two spaniels. Mike has a keen (some would say obsessive) interest in triathlon. The current challenge is to set a new world record for the most half Ironman events completed in 12 months.

Toby Young - Partner, Bailey Fisher Executive Search

Toby is a Technology Partner at Bailey Fisher Executive Search, working with a broad range of clients from early-stage & venture backed businesses to private equity backed companies and large corporates.  Toby has 13 years’ executive search experience in the technology and finance sectors.

Toby has recently completed the following mandates:  NED for an AIM listed location intelligence solutions company, CEO for a VC backed high-energy-density battery business, COO for an international subsea cabling company, General Manager Smart Mobility for the innovation division of a multinational corporation, CTO for a home monitoring solutions company and Commercial Director for a waste energy recovery spin-out.

Toby co-hosts Bailey Fisher’s series of CEO Dinners with a focus on knowledge sharing and thought leadership for CEOs of high growth technology companies.  Guest speakers have included the former CEO of ARM (Barron’s List of World’s Top 30 CEOs 2011 & 2013), CISCO’s Corporate Venturing Director, Head of Innovation at Jaguar Land Rover, Director of Castrol innoVentures at BP, CEO of Horizon Discovery Group plc and the CEO of Neul.

Ann Fisher - Co-Founder, Bailey Fisher Executive Search

Ann co-founded Bailey Fisher Executive Search in 1998 and is the founder of Women 4 Technology, a networking forum for over 1500 international female entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders in the technology sector. Ann has over 20 years' experience in executive search, focusing on Technology and Professional Services. Ann is highly adept at building senior management teams for fast-paced innovative technology companies. In recognition of Ann's extensive business network, she was nominated as one of the Top 25 Most Influential Business People in the Cambridge Technology Cluster. Ann is a mentor on the Techstars Barclays Accelerator; a member of the Astia Global Advisory Board, a US organisation dedicated to the success of high-potential growth ventures, and a member of the Cambridge Campaign Committee for the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity. Ann leads the business development activities in Bailey Fisher, as well as supporting the Partners with the delivery of key mandates. Prior to co-founding Bailey Fisher, Ann set up her first recruitment business at the age of 27, which she built to a successful exit within 5 years. Ann started her commercial career as Head of Finance with an early-stage software house in London, having trained with a Top 10 Manchester-based accountancy firm.

Soraya Jones - Director of Communications & Partnerships, Invested Investor, Innovation Ambassador, The Bradfield Centre

Soraya Jones is currently the Innovation Ambassador for the Bradfield Centre in Cambridge as well as the Director of Communications and Partnerships at the Invested Investor, a social venture that aims to increase the success rate of entrepreneurs and investors. After many years as part of the senior leadership team of Tribal Technology (part of Tribal Group Plc), Soraya became the CEO of Cambridge Wireless (CW) from 2007 to 2015, where she was successful in growing the business from a one-person company to a membership cluster of over  425 companies  and 20 industry-focused Special Interest Groups, making it one of the premier tech clusters in the UK. She stepped down in 2015 to pursue other ventures including becoming an entrepreneur-in-residence, board members and mentors to various organisations and start-ups. Previously she was also the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Ambassador, and a board member of the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN). Born in Malaysia, Soraya holds  BSc and MSc degrees from Indiana University, USA, and a PhD from the University of Cambridge.

Mike Price - Chair and Owner, MPA Group

Mike qualified as an accountant some 25 years ago. He developed his career around his passion, technology, working in financial and general management. This career was cut short in 2004 when Mike was hit by joy riders, the resulting spinal injuries making a ‘normal’ job all but impossible. Mike is Chairman and Founder of MPA Group. The company, incorporated in 2007, quickly established itself as a leader in accounting, tax and business consulting exclusively for the technology sector. The company has grown rapidly and it’s 75 employees now serve over 850 clients throughout the UK. Outside of work, Mike spends his time with an extended family of three daughters and two spaniels. Mike has a keen (some would say obsessive) interest in triathlon. The current challenge is to set a new world record for the most half Ironman events completed in 12 months.