Paola Sunna - Senior Project Manager, Technology and Innovation Department, EBU (European Broadcasting Union)

Paola Sunna joined the Centre for Research & Technology Innovation of RAI, the Italian public broadcaster, in 1997 after getting her degree in Electronic Engineering at Politecnico of Torino.

She has worked on a wide variety of video projects over the years spent at RAI, including: image processing, video coding, next generation video formats, multimodal user-interfaces, hybrid broadcast and broadband middleware, second screens apps, standards (DVB, MPEG, etc) and 3D computer graphics. She got a MBA in 2005. In March 2017, she moved to the EBU Technology and Innovation Department as Senior Project Manager. At the EBU she was involved in the activities related to VR (Virtual reality) and AR (Augmented Reality) and currently is focusing on next generation audio services, newsroom workflows and 5G for professional media content production.

Ian Wagdin - Senior Technology Transfer Manager, BBC Research & Development

Ian has worked in production innovation for over 15 years looking at workflows and technologies. Having been involved in the adoption of 3G and 4G technologies for video Ian saw the benefits that engaging with mobile technologies can bring. He has worked, with the EBU, to develop the requirements for future systems as well as leading on several ground breaking trials to evaluate and demonstrate potential solutions.

Nadia Aziz - Innovation Consultant, Unbounded Future Ltd

Nadia is an Evangelist of emerging technologies with an expertise in AR & VR and IoT technologies. She has advised C-level executives in Telecom and Media organisations for digital transformation and M&A projects over more than a decade. While being a SIG Champion of Future Devices and Technologies at Cambridge Wireless, she has recently co-founded Unbounded Future, a Deeptech consulting firm based in London. Previously Nadia led Emerging Technologies at NTT Data UK where she supervised R&D and innovation in Augmented (AR) & Virtual Reality (VR), AI, and IoT. Nadia is a supporter of Women in STEM initiatives and is a mentor at the University College London (UCL) IXN programme. She is an industry advisor to IoTerra, a USA-based B2B marketplace for IoT products and was a co-producer for the GIANT Health Event.

David Crawford - Emeritus Professor, Computer Science & Electronic Engineering, University of Essex, Professor, Digital Media Research, Ravensbourne University

David Crawford is Visiting Professor at University of Essex Colchester, and Emeritus Professor at Ravensbourne University London. David has worked for over 50 years across the telecoms/broadcast industries and UK academic institutions. His research interests are in new imaging techniques, applications for mixed reality technologies, and networks for multidimensional media. David facilitates and lectures in the UK on Degree Apprenticeship courses, promoting work-based learning curricula and collaborative industry-academia training.

David has worked in senior positions at BT, RE, Crown Castle and Harris Broadcast, and as a Director of a start-up company, TeamCast, in France. He has run his own technical consultancy company, and chairs and presents regularly at international events. David is a Member of the Royal Television Society, Fellow of SMPTE, Special-Interest-Group Champion for Cambridge Wireless on Content Production & Delivery, and Honorary Chairman of the Creative Science Foundation. He has previously served as a Council/Board Member of the Institute of Engineering & Technology (IET), the Conference Chair at IBC, and Executive Chair at the ‘mixed reality’ Community Interest Company, PlayLa.bZ.

Susan Hewitt - Founder, Hewitt Innovations Ltd

Susan Hewitt brings over 25 years of experience in the technology industry, spanning roles in both large and small companies. Most recently, she served as the Chief Technology Officer and Managing Director of the European subsidiary of Ryff Inc., a Hollywood-based ad-tech company. Susan's expertise encompasses AI and computer vision development, software design, and semiconductor technologies, with a particular focus on GPUs and multimedia designs. Her career has afforded her extensive international experience, having worked in the Americas, Europe, India, and Asia. Susan has contributed to well-known tech giants such as Arm, AMD, ATI, and Texas Instruments.

Tony Lavender - Senior Advisor, Plum Consulting

Tony Lavender is a managing partner at Plum Consulting. He has more than 35 years experience in technology, communications regulation, policy and spectrum management. His clients include governments, equipment vendors, network operators and regulators. Tony was a specialist adviser to the UK Parliament 2016 Culture, Media and Sport Committee Inquiry into “Establishing world class connectivity throughout the UK”, he chairs the Steering Board of the UK Spectrum Policy Forum and he was a member of the UK Government’s Expert Panel, established as part of the UK Spectrum Strategy, on “Incorporating Social Value into Spectrum Allocation Decisions”. He has worked on a wide range of studies including on the 5G mmWave ecosystem, spectrum sharing, spectrum valuation and more broadly on electronic communications infrastructure strategy. Tony is a Chartered Engineer and a member of the UK Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Chris Nokes - Senior Technical Advisor, Ofcom

Chris is a Senior Technical Advisor with Ofcom, investigating broadcasting and media technologies. He was previously the Head of Distribution Core Technologies Section at BBC Research & Development. With over thirty years' experience in Broadcasting R&D, Chris has been involved in the development of digital television since 1994, including as a key contributor to the DVB-T2 technical study group, and editor of the DVB-T2 specification and Chair of the RF Group of the UK Digital Television Group (DTG).