Ken Blakeslee - Chairman, WebMobility Ventures

“ WebMobility Ventures is focussed on Discovery, Advisory and Investment in Innovations in the emerging Services Convergence areas of Mobile”

Rachel Jones - Director, Instrata

Rachel has over 20 years experience in creating breakthrough digital technologies, leading collaborative and multi-functional teams, developing client relationships and delivering excellence on global projects. Rachel founded Instrata in 2001 with the aim of helping organizations to evolve services and create new opportunities that deliver greater value by learning from their customers. Rachel has worked at two of the foremost pioneers of user-centered techniques in design, Xerox EuroPARC and Sapient (formerly E-lab). Rachel has a PhD in Computer Studies, over 30 international publications and has authored 10 patents.

Vaiva Kalnikaite - Founder, Dovetailed

Dr Vaiva Kalnikaite is the founder of Dovetailed and an expert on behaviour design for human-machine interactions for artificial intelligence, internet of everything and digital environments. She holds a PhD in Human Computer Interaction and has worked for companies like Microsoft, PARC and GE. She recently appeared on BBC Click and in the Stylist Magazine. She is an RSA fellow.

Geoff McCormick

Geoff has worked as a business consultant in the design industry for over 10 years. In that time he has worked with some of the world's most famous and successful designers, where his role was to help designers, companies and brands to try and maximise the commercial effectiveness of design. His experience covers every populated continent and a diverse range of sectors, including developing a mobile petrol retail station, an interior design system for VIP aircraft, hydrogen powered vehicles, packaging strategies for FMCG brands and innovation programmes utilising Asian sourcing. It is this breadth of experience that he values most. Common across all of his clients and projects is the desire to create truly unique experiences that occupy a space in peoples' hearts and minds.

Dominic Pullen - Design & Usability Manager, Orange Innovation UK

Peter Whale - ., UKTIN, Founder & CEO, Vision Formers

Peter is Founder & CEO of Vision Formers, the specialist consultancy that supports and mentors leaders of visionary technology businesses get product to market and turn ideas into reality.

Vision Formers works with start-ups and scale-ups, providing significant expertise in accelerating business growth through a focus on developing a robust product strategy, growing and coaching product and development teams, and providing operational excellence. Peter has a long track record of conceiving, developing and marketing successful technology-based solutions, deployed at scale, globally. Innovative products Peter has brought to market in digital, cloud, AI, consumer electronics and telecommunications have been used by countless millions of people on a daily basis globally, badged by the world’s leading digital and technology brands.

Peter also works with Digital Catapult as Programme Manager for UKTIN, working with partners and stakeholders to deliver UKTIN’s mission to transform the UK telecoms innovation ecosystem, capitalising on the country’s strengths in technology, academia, and entrepreneurialism, while positioning it for growth as new opportunities emerge in the industry.

Peter is a board member of CW (Cambridge Wireless), a Fellow of the IET, a Chartered Engineer, and a member of the Association of Business Mentors.

Marine Barbaroux - Head of Design, Geckoboard

Marine is a product and UX designer in Cambridge and has been in and around the design field for more than 20 years. With an education in product design and graphic art, she joined the world of software for a good number of years. Currently, she works at Geckoboard. She's designed a number of products and managed UX teams both in France and in the UK, mentored at Springboard (now TechStar London), and recruited a fair number of whatever-the-flavour-of-the-month-is-UX-o-tronologists you can think of... For her, design is about problem-solving more than anything. The role of a designer is to come up with novel concepts where required, but also make sure those are realistic and achievable. Cooperation is key. In her spare time, she works with acrylics, Photoshop and Illustrator to keep the creative juices flowing!

Allan MacLean - Director, Amdeo

Amdeo specialises in the development and exploitation of high tech innovations. Amdeo principal, Allan MacLean, has worked in research and management roles at the leading edge of Information and Communication Technologies for over 25 years. He was a founder member of Xerox's European Research Centre in the 80's and was a major contributor to building it into one of the world's leading centres of expertise in the user centred design of innovative technologies. In 2002, he co-founded Image Semantics, which he helped lead to become a global provider of innovative mobile applications and services. Allan has frequently advised on funding programmes in the UK, Europe and North America to help improve the fit between technologies and human needs and improve the exploitation of government funded research.

Leo Poll - Director, Keen Design

Technically everything is possible, making it work for people is where the real challenges are. Addressing these challenges from an end-user perspective in a way that makes business sense is what drives Leo. With more than 20 years of experience in Innovation driven Experience Research and Design he is able to bring an ability of strong lateral thinking combined with broad domain knowledge of applications/markets and technical enablers. Previous to his role at Akendi, Leo worked for the mobile phone division of Philips in Le Mans, France, managed numerous international projects whilst employed by Philips Electronics UK, was a member of the global 'Connectivity Programme' board of Philips Research, (Co-)founded Ryppel Ltd, Eversfield Innovation Ltd, Galileo Software Adviesbureau v.o.f.