Our board

Sheila Flavell CBE

techUK President, Chief Operating Officer, FDM Group

Sheila is the President of techUK and Chief Operating Officer and Executive Board Director of FDM Group. She has over 30 years’ experience in both the public and private IT sectors. Sheila played an integral role in the Group’s flotation on AIM in 2005 and was a key instigator of the management buy-out of the Group in 2010 and its subsequent listing onto the main FTSE Market in June 2014 and more recent entry into the FTSE 250.

Sheila’s experience and knowledge of the sector has been crucial in driving the Group’s global expansion programme. She is fully committed to promoting all forms of diversity, especially women in Tech and spearheads FDM’s Women in IT campaign and FDM’s ‘Getting Back to Business‘ programme, aimed at providing opportunities for women looking to return to the workplace. She is frequently called to advise government committees on various issues. Most recently she gave evidence to the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee on bridging the digital skills gap.

She has won numerous awards over many years for her services to the Tech industry, including a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by ‘Scottish Women In Tech’ and was most recently recognised in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List, by being awarded ‘Commander of the Order of The British Empire’ for services to ‘Gender Equality in IT and Graduate and Returners Employment.’ She is regularly listed as one of the Most Influential Woman in Tech in the UK, by Computer Weekly and has also been regularly named as one of the Most Influential Women in the North American Mid Market’ by CEO Connection.

Sheila is a keen helicopter pilot who also likes to plant trees, play golf/ski and cycle.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Dr Nicola Hodson

techUK Deputy President, Chief Executive in the UK and Ireland, IBM

Nicola Hodson is a seasoned senior executive with expertise in delivering results and driving the strategic, commercial, and digital transformation of large, international complex technology and engineering companies. Her focus is on purpose-led, profitable growth, sustainability, and shareholder value.

Currently, Nicola is the Chief Executive of IBM in the UK and Ireland, responsible for business operations, driving revenue growth, client satisfaction and employee engagement in the UK and Ireland. Previously, Nicola was the Vice President of Change Management and Transformation for the Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions (MCAPS) organization, directing innovative transformation and change management to empower Microsoft customers, partners, and employees. She was central in building new strategies and go-to-market methodologies as well as providing oversight to the change management landing and adoption of these priorities, and transformational initiatives. She played a key leadership role within the MCAPS organization and held several senior roles in Microsoft including UK COO.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Nicola held positions at Siemens, CSC, and Ernst & Young Management Consulting selling and delivering multiple transformation projects in the energy and utilities sector.

Nicola lends her extensive technology, digital transformation, sales, IT and ESG experience by participating on boards, both in the private and public sectors. She is currently a board member of techUK; a non-executive director at Drax Group Plc and at Beazley Plc.

She holds an MBA with a focus on management and operations, a PhD in Materials Engineering, and a BSc in Chemistry and Materials Science.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Sir William Touche

techUK Vice President of Finance

William Touche is a former London Senior Partner and Vice Chair at Deloitte LLP where he specialised in the TMT and consumer sectors. In a career as auditor and advisor spanning four decades he worked with many of the leading international companies in these sectors including both Euromoney and DMGT. 

William also founded and led Deloitte’s global boardroom program as well as leading the UK Deloitte Academy.  He is an advisor to several development stage tech companies and brings a broad range of experience and skills to the Board. 

He is a non-executive director of DMGT plc and serves as director, chairs the finance committee and is a member of the remuneration committee of techUK.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Michael Keegan

techUK Vice President of Operations, Businessman and Investor, Centerprise International

Michael Keegan is a Non Executive Director of Centerprise International and an investor in technology companies via Sussex Ventures and Fisher Investments.  Michael is Chairman of the techUK Membership, Finance & Performance Board.

Prior to his current portfolio roles Michael has worked in both the Technology and Financial Services sectors at Fujitsu, MasterCard International, and Welcome Real Time over a 34 year executive management career. A strong supporter of the need for more gender diversity in the technology sector, Michael is also an ambassador for Everywoman.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Jacqueline de Rojas CBE

President Emeritus, techUK, Chair, Institute of Coding, President, Digital Leaders

techUK Board Member and President Emeritus | Chair, Institute of Coding | Portfolio Non-Executive Director

Non-Executive Director, Business Mentor and Advocate for Inclusion.

"If we are to thrive in a digital future, we must ensure that all our voices heard when it comes to designing technology. If we do not, we will create a world that does not work for everybody."

And as we build this digital world, the need to stay safe is heightened as our dependency to live and work online increases. Competitive advantage will come from teams that look outwards not inwards and therefore businesses that build a culture of inclusion and maximise their security posture"

Voted the Most Influential Woman in IT 2015 and Included in World’s 100 most influential people in digital government 2019: Woman of the Year awarded by Women in IT Excellence 2019, 2020 Asian Tech Pioneer, named in 2021 Connected Britain’s Top 100 Influencers and Stroeous Award Winner: Global Positive Impact Leader of the Year 2021. Listen to her life and music choices on Desert Island Discs podcast March 2019.

Jacqueline was awarded CBE for Services to International Trade in Technology in the Queen's New Year Honours list 2018.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Julian David

CEO, techUK

Julian David is the CEO of techUK, the leading technology trade association that aims to realise the positive outcomes that digital technology can achieve for people, society, the economy and the planet.

Julian led the transformation of techUK from its predecessor Intellect in 2014, putting an increased focus on the growth and jobs the technology industry offers in a global economy. He has since led its impressive expansion driving forward the tech agenda in key areas such as skills, innovation, business success and public sector transformation.  He leads techUK’s 90-strong team representing a thousand British based tech companies, comprising global and national champions and 600 SMEs. In 2020, techUK joined forces with TechSkills, the employer-led organisation that aims to improve the flow of talent into the digital workforce and open up access for all to high value tech jobs.

Julian represents techUK on a number of external bodies including the Digital Economy Council, the National Cyber Security Advisory Council and the Department of Business and Trade’s Strategic Trade Advisory Group. He is member of the NTA Advisory Board of DIGITALEUROPE and is a member of the Board of the Health Innovation Network the South London Academic Health Science Network.

Julian has over thirty years of experience in the technology industry. Prior to joining techUK, he had a series of leadership roles at IBM including Vice President for Small and Medium Business and Public Sector.  After leaving IBM he worked as a consultant helping tech SMEs establish successful operations in the U.K. His personal interests include Football (West Ham, Balham FC and Real Madrid) and Art.

Email:

[email protected]

Twitter:

@techUKCEO

Liz Ashall-Payne

Founding CEO, Orcha

Liz Ashall-Payne's visionary leadership, extensive expertise in healthcare transformation, and dedication to harnessing the potential of digital health make her a prominent figure in the industry, driving positive change and innovation for the benefit of patients and healthcare systems worldwide.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Zahra Bahrololoumi

CEO - United Kingdom and Ireland, Salesforce

Zahra is a member of the Technology Leadership Group (TLG) for the Prince's Trust working with leaders from across the Technology Industry in the UK to engage the Technology Industry in raising money and helping the Prince's Trust to support disadvantaged Young People in the UK to get into employment. In 2016, Zahra was named a “Women in IT”: “Woman of the year” finalist and was previously named by Management Today to their “35 Women Under 35” list. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in management science from Brunel University.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Jaspal (Jas) Bhogal

Senior Director, Global Accounts, Intel

Jas Bhogal is currently the Senior Director for Global Accounts and leads a senior sales team responsible for creating business value and providing innovative solutions, together with partners, to enterprise customers across multiple industry verticals, public sector and Government.

Jas Bhogal joined Intel in 2001 and has held a variety of sales management positions. Prior to joining Intel Bhogal held sales and management positions at Cap Gemini.

Jas Bhogal holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB Hons) and a Master’s Degree (MSc) in Business Information Systems and has also completed the International Executive Programme in General Management at INSEAD business school.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Heather Cook

Special Advisor, Big Health

Across all areas of her professional and personal life, Heather’s commitment to improving public service shines through.   Over the last 25 years she’s led a number of the UK's major public sector change management programmes and transformed services through digital innovation. Formerly at PA Consulting, the last 12 years have seen her become a prominent leader in the health and med tech industry.

Her experience in management consulting combined with her own start-up to scale-up journey has allowed her to distil a wide range of perspectives on getting technology innovation to stick! Much of this experience has been through failing fast and learning. She’s able to bring a unique business perspective that is both personal and highly relevant to those industry members seeking to sustainably grow and unlock the power of digital transformation.

Today, she’s one of the UK’s leading digital health innovation and scale up experts, representing industry on the NHS innovation accelerator programme, as a member of the SME commercial advisory board of NHS England and has played a prominent and active role on techUK’s health and social care council. Particularly championing the voice of the SME.

Today, representing Big Health, formerly as the UK Managing Director and today as Special Advisor, her work has been instrumental in securing the world’s first digital therapeutic guideline for Sleepio – an evidence based digital treatment for insomnia and for commissioning and integrating the digital treatment at scale across the UK. Her work paves the way for other pioneering digital therapeutic treatments to take their proper place in the continuum of care for many mental and disease specific conditions.  

As an active member of techUK’s health and social care council, she architects strategic alliances, bringing together suppliers and providers to truly innovate and integrate how health and care is delivered. Her deep sector knowledge, relationships, and vision from within the digital health and care industry bring a unique perspective on how to drive and accelerate tech innovation across the industry. Her understanding of the regulatory landscape across the world and the challenges associated with activation and adoption of new innovations is helping businesses and the industry to grow whilst improving outcomes for patients and services.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Siobhan Costello

Chief Legal Officer, Trust Payments

Siobhan Costello is the Chief Legal Officer of fast growing fintech, Trust Payments, which is headquartered in the UK. She is responsible for Risk, Governance and Compliance across UK, Europe and the US. Trust Payments is recognised on the UK's Fast Growth 50 Index and uses financial technology to provide seamless and omnichannel commerce solutions to merchants across multiple channels and on any device.

Siobhan has spent the last decade of her career in fintech.  Previously she was Head of Regulatory Law and Policy at Visa Inc in Europe.  She has also worked at the Financial Conduct Authority tasked with improving competition in the financial services sector. She has sat on the UK Finance Open Banking Steering Committee and has served as a panel member on techUK's Financial Services Council. Siobhan wants to see the UK cement its place as a tech superpower by creating the best environment for technology companies to not just launch but scale globally and attract UK investment.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Julian Cracknell

Chief Technology & Information Officer, BAE Systems

Julian Cracknell is Chief Technology & Information Officer for BAE Systems. Previously, Julian held a number of senior roles in the Company’s cyber security business including the position of Managing Director Applied Intelligence. Julian joined BAE Systems in July 2012.

Prior to joining BAE Systems, Julian worked at Logica in a number of roles including Director of National Security and Business Unit Manager for Defence Systems.

Julian has a First Class Honours Degree in Computer Science from the University of Dundee and is a trustee of Naomi House, a children’s hospice in Hampshire, UK.

When not at work Julian enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, reading and keeping fit.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Chris Francis

Director for Government Relations, SAP UK

Chris leads on all areas of policy and business support for SAP UK as well as covering a portfolio of EU issues.

Previously Chris has worked on technical regulatory affairs and policy matters in the UK and the EU for over ten years following a career in the UK Civil Service covering a wide range of trade and business policy issues as well as innovation support.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Dr Sarah Gates

Director of Public Policy, Wayve

Sarah Gates is Director of Public Policy at Wayve, a London-based company pioneering AI technology to enable autonomous vehicles to drive in complex urban environments. Prior to joining Wayve, Sarah had a multidisciplinary background across a variety of science and technology roles. She began her career in academia, with a PhD at Imperial College London and has since specialised in science and research policy; in AI, data and emerging technologies, both in UK Government and industry. At Wayve Sarah works closely with government and our partners, focusing on the future regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Duncan Greenwood

Vice President EMEA, Hashicorp

Duncan brings over twenty years of experience in high-growth technology companies, with a particular track record of building organizations through transformations in computing infrastructure.

He was appointed as Vice President EMEA for Hashicorp in September 2021. Prior to that he was Vice President and General Manager in Northern EMEA for VMWare, as well as Lead for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in EMEA. Prior to that he held Sales leadership roles in the UK and Ireland for both CA Technologies and McAfee, and established Troux Technologies’ presence in the region as Vice President for EMEA.

Across these roles he has grown businesses’ footprints, increased sales and customer retention, developed and retained talent, built channel and strategic partner strategies, and navigated major technological transitions, especially in the cloud. Duncan is a passionate ally and agent for change in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Stephen Hall

CEO, Crown Hosting Data Centres

Steve spent almost 19 years in the Royal Navy as a Chartered Aeronautical Engineer - a perfect background for a second career in IT. 

He has worked for Logica, EDS, HP and now Ark data centres where he was the CEO of Crown Hosting (CH), a highly successful JV with the Cabinet Office; he is now is advising CH. He has also taken on the role of Chief Revenue Officer  at Littlefish, an award winning Managed Services Company who have grown from a SME to be a UK challenger company to the ‘Usual Suspects’.

Steve has been elected to the board as an SME representative and is looking forward to ensuring that the capabilities, innovation and agility of the SMEs community is fully taken advantage of to make the UK a much better place to live and work in - driven by a vibrant Information Technology sector.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Charlotte Holloway

Head of Government Relations - Europe, Middle East and Africa, Zoom Video Communications

Charlotte is Head of Government Relations - Europe, Middle East and Africa for Zoom Video Communications.

She is a former political adviser and has previously worked at the RSA, techUK and The Work Foundation.

She has served on the Smart London Board for the Mayor of London and completed a policy fellowship at the Centre of Science and Policy at the University of Cambridge.

She has previously been listed as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Women in IT by Computer Weekly. 

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Aleyne Johnson

Director of Government and External Relations, Samsung Electronics

Aleyne Johnson is Samsung Electronic’s Director of Government and External Relations.  

Samsung Electronics is one of the world’s largest tech companies, employing over 300,000 people around the globe, a fifth of whom work in R&D.  The UK is home to Samsung’s European operations, including its R&D centre, AI centre, and new King’s Cross tech venue, and is one Samsung's most important commercial and research markets.  Aleyne is responsible for leading Samsung's policy development across all business and technology issues and works with Government and a wide range of external stakeholders. He also helps promote UK trade with important tech nations around the world.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and former Board member of the UK Government's Child Internet Safety Council (UKCCIS) and the Prince's Trust Technology Leadership Group.

Prior to joining Samsung, Aleyne held roles in the technology and telecoms sectors with Vodafone and Orange and, before that, in the financial services sector in the UK and Australasia. He also worked for the British Government. 

He lives in West London with his wife, two children and cat.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Helen Kelisky

Managing Director, United Kingdom and Ireland, Google Cloud

Helen joined Google Cloud in February 2022 as Managing Director of the UK and Ireland. Helen is responsible for leading the UK and Ireland business and the organisation's ongoing development of its go-to-market sales operations across the region.

Spanning more than 30 years, Helen is an executive leader with a proven track record in general management, sales and marketing, and technology. Before joining Google Cloud, Helen was Vice President for B2B Sales across EMEA for OpenText, and prior to this, Senior
Vice President at Salesforce, responsible for establishing, setting the strategy, and leading the Cloud sales organisation for UK and Ireland. Previously at IBM, Helen held a number of leadership roles, latterly heading up IBM’s Cloud business, leading the UK and Ireland
organisation’s digital transformation to think and act ‘Cloud First’.

Helen has been on the board of directors for Women in Telecoms and Technology (WiTT) since 2013 and has been voted as one of the ‘Most Influential Women in UK Tech’ for the last five years consecutively 2017-2021 (Computer Weekly), she lives in London with her husband and two children.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Rosie Larsson

Senior Director of Government Engagement & Regulatory Policy, UK & Ireland, Visa

Rosie is a Senior Director of Government Engagement & Regulatory Policy at Visa, covering UK & Ireland.

A proven track record as a successful leader, she leads a team of expert policy and public affairs professionals at Visa touching on all areas of payments policy, including comprehensive government and regulator engagement. Prior to joining Visa in 2019, Rosie had a 10+ year career as a senior leader in compliance & international payments, and was Education Officer at the Bar Standards Board, driving education monitoring and enhancement for the Bar Professional Training Course. She has a law degree from Oxford Brookes.

Throughout 2022/23, Rosie is particularly proud to have played an instrumental part of the launch and execution of Visa’s Talk of the Town program; an initiative which uses Visa data & unique insights to analyse economic vitality & trends within towns across the UK. Supporting the levelling up Agenda, the initiative included production of an analytics report, a competition & awards ceremony in parliament and culminates with a policy recommendations roadmap.

Rosie is professionally trained in leadership, AML, risk & project management and was shortlisted for Compliance Officer of the Year in 2015 and 2018. She has a keen interest in technology and innovation for the benefit & evolution of the payments and financial services industries, and the broader UK economy.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Georgina O'Toole

Chief Analyst, TechMarketView

Georgina O'Toole is Chief Analyst at TechMarketView, a role that encompasses thought leadership and business development.

Georgina joined TechMarketView as a Research Director for PublicSectorViews in February 2010. She is a respected industry analyst known for her commentary on the UK software and IT services market and for her in depth knowledge of the public sector, having primarily focused on the sector for the last 20 years.

Before joining TechMarketView, Georgina was Practice Leader for Ovum’s Geographies & Industries practice (alongside Tola Sargeant) where she was responsible for Ovum’s government research globally.

As an analyst at Ovum Holway from 2000, Georgina had previously worked closely with both enterprise and vendor clients providing advice and opinion on the UK software and IT services market. She was instrumental in the launch of Ovum’s well-respected PublicSector@Ovum research programme in 2004 and went on to focus her research on the UK central government, defence and criminal justice markets. As a lead analyst in these sectors, Georgina’s opinion was valued by a variety of clients including IT services companies, major defence contractors and the UK Ministry of Defence.

Prior to joining Ovum, Georgina was a business analyst for CMG (now Logica) working for a variety of clients in the transport & logistics and telecoms sectors.

Georgina has a BSc in Management Sciences from the University of Southampton.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Sue Preston

Vice President & General Manager, UKIMESA, HPE Pointnext Services

Sue Preston is the worldwide Vice President & General Manager for Advisory & Professional Services. Together with her team, she is a strategic partner to customers and provides advisory-led engagements and outcomes-driven digital transformation journeys.

She has dedicated her entire career to technology leadership and transformation.

Before joining HPE, Sue spent two years at Microsoft running the Azure & Data AI Specialist teams in the UK across Enterprise Commercial and Public Sector.  Prior to Microsoft she spent eight years at Hitachi driving Global Financial Services and Managed Services teams along with driving transformation and focus on IoT. She also held leadership roles in the Partner Ecosystem and started her career in the Unix arena and ERP transformation.

Sue is passionate about people and has a solid track record of building high performing teams.  Sue actively participates and drives sustainability initiatives across technology, environmental and social and governance (ESG) strategies. She was shortlisted for CRN Exec Mentor of the Year and takes on various judging roles for Women in Business. Sue sits on the techUK Board and was recently recognised in the top 100 DataIQ most influential leaders in Data.

Outside of work Sue is engaged in raising funds for various charities, enjoys Golf & DIY.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

David Price

Account Director, Rackspace Technology

David Price is an Account Director focussed on large Organisations in the Public Sector and who serve the Public Sector.

Rackspace Technology is a $3B organisation of 7000 Cloud Experts delivering Consultancy, Services, Solutions and Managed Services to 120,000 Customers in 120 Countries. Rackspace Government Cloud which is platformed on both Azure and AWS is the most secure and simple way for Public Sector organisations and their Partners to achieve their aspirations in the cloud in an agile, secure and safe way. We can build out an entire Cloud Platform and deploy an entire Council onto that platform in 22 weeks, from initial design to delivery of the Managed Service. Global Customers include: Solarwinds, BT and WPP and large Public Sector Customers include Bucks Health, CNWL, Bracknell Forest Council and many more.

He is currently Chair of the techUK Open Data Standards Working Group, a member of the techUK AI and ML Working Group and the techUK Cloud Leadership Committee.

Prior to joining Rackspace Technology David was the Brand Director for Health at UKCloud, Head of Healthcare for Veritas, Head of Central Government for Insight, Head of Public Sector for Commvault and prior to joining the IT industry in 1999 he was a Royal Naval Marine Engineer.

David lives on the edge of the Cotswolds in north Oxfordshire and is married with three grown up children, two grandsons and a cat.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Kulveer Ranger, Lord Ranger of Northwood

techUK Board Member, Member of the House of Lords

Lord Ranger of Northwood is a member of the House of Lords. He has been a leading figure in the development and communication of innovate, technology led services and has a unique record of working in politics, the public and private sectors over the last twenty-five years. He has been a trusted adviser to senior politicians, chief executives and boards and has led teams through major project delivery, large scale transformational programmes, reputation and communications crises, as well as driving corporate and public affairs campaigns.

Kulveer was part of the team that delivered the London Oystercard and spent four years working for the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, leading the transport and environment briefs and establishing the Digital London Office. His time at City Hall included preparing for the 2012 Olympics, making the case for Crossrail, leading on ground-breaking initiatives such as the cycle hire scheme and Tech City.

Most recently he was a senior executive at Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, and established and led the strategic corporate communications function across Northern Europe, APAC and India.

Kulveer has sat on various boards including Transport for London and Bristol 2015 European Green Capital City and is currently a member of the West Midlands Digital Advisory Board and the board of techUK. He is an international public speaker, a regular broadcaster for TV and radio and a passionate Tottenham Hotspur FC fan.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Neil Sawyer

Vice President and Managing Director, HP including UK and Ireland

Neil Sawyer serves as the Vice President and Managing Director at HP Inc. UK and Ireland, overseeing all facets of HP's operations within the region.

In his role, he leads a diverse team focused on addressing the comprehensive technology, solutions, and services needs across public sector, large enterprise, small to medium businesses, consumer and home users.

With a robust background spanning over two decades in the technology sector, Neil has accumulated valuable experience through various leadership and strategy roles at prominent companies such as Lenovo, Samsung, and Vodafone.

His commitment extends beyond business, as he is a fervent advocate for fostering and promoting career paths for individuals within the technology industry.

Neil's dedication is particularly evident in his active support for causes such as diversity, inclusion and equal rights. Championing these values in the workplace.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Shaheen Sayed

Senior Managing Director - Technology Lead, UK & Ireland, Accenture

Shaheen leads Accenture’s Technology Business in the UK & Ireland. She holds significant experience from her Global career at Accenture where she has led complex technology and business transformation programmes for clients across the public and private sector. Most recently, she has been working as an advisor to senior Government clients at the forefront of their digital transformation and driving first-in-kind innovation from inception to execution.

She is a respected adviser on inclusive business cultures and is a recognised thought leader on human capital and the evolution of talent in the digital age. She is a regular guest lecturer at The LSE on this topic. 

A passionate campaigner for Inclusion & Diversity in the City, in 2020, Shaheen was voted Woman of the Year in the Women in IT Awards Series & was included in the Top 10 most influential Black and Minority Ethnic leaders by the FT.

Outside of Accenture, Shaheen is a Co-Founder Of ‘’Outsiders’’ a Not-For-Profit organisation focused on improving educational outcomes through digital technology.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Paul Struthers

Managing Director UK & Ireland, SAGE

Paul Struthers has more than 20 years’ technology experience and leads Sage in its home market of the UK and Ireland. Previously, Paul led Sage in Canada for 3 years, before becoming EVP & GM, Medium Segment Cloud Connected Solutions, where he was responsible for driving a unified strategy for our Medium Segment customers, heading up the category leaders for BMS, X3, HR and Payroll. Before joining Sage, Paul spent 15 years at global software solutions company Amdocs, and prior to this managed the ERP consulting practice at RSA companies, where he also led and supported over 20 projects for small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S. and Canada.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].

Alex Towers

Director of Policy and Public Affairs, BT Group

Alex was appointed Director of Policy and Public Affairs for BT Group in November 2017.  He leads BT’s political strategy and its public policy work, both in the UK and around the world.

Before joining BT, Alex was the Director of the BBC Trust – the BBC’s regulator and governing body - from 2015 to 2017.  In that time, he helped to restore stability at the top of the BBC after a period of crisis; negotiated a new Royal Charter to sustain a strong, independent BBC in the form that the public want; and managed the process of change and transition to a new BBC governance structure, winding up the BBC Trust itself in the process.

Alex held earlier positions at the Trust as Head of Finance, Economics and Strategy and then as Deputy Director. He led the Trust’s work to assess the performance of BBC’s services, to approve and allocate budgets, to scrutinise value for money, and to assess BBC proposals for new services and activities. He oversaw its programme of audience research, data analysis and public consultation.  He also ran policy negotiations with Government officials and regulators.

In his earlier career, Alex was a civil servant at DCMS.  His work on media policy included the 2003 Communications Act, Ofcom’s first review of public service broadcasting and the BBC Charter Review that followed. He also helped to plan and deliver the 2012 Olympics.

He grew up in Yorkshire, and now lives in South East London with his wife and their four children.

If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].