Get to know the speakers and panellists who will be joining us at MD Future Live 25 at Sister, Manchester on 18th September.
This full-day event will focus on the real-world impact and future direction of AI; and explore the broader landscape of emerging technologies reshaping industries - from quantum computing and sustainable infrastructure to next-gen interfaces, digital creativity and accessible tech.
MD Future Live 25 is sponsored by Kao Data and Sister.
Click here to view the full agenda.
Keynote talk
Geraint North
Fellow, AI & Developer Platforms
Arm
As Fellow for AI & Developer Platforms, Geraint works with Arm's industry-leading ecosystem and developer communities to ensure they have access to the right solutions, tools and resources to get their jobs done effectively at the highest level of performance. Arm’s AI & Developer Platforms group is spread worldwide, covering a range of different disciplines including benchmarking, research, developer relations and collaborative engineering projects. Geraint previously led Arm’s engagements with partners and developers for Client markets and before that was responsible for high-performance computing software when Arm took its first steps into the supercomputer market. He lives and works in Manchester, UK, where he’s been since University.
Panel: AI Advantage – What the UK’s Sectors Can Lead the World In
Dr. Vikas Shah MBE DL
Dr. Vikas Shah MBE DL is an entrepreneur, investor, non-executive & thought leader with significant experience in founding, leading and exiting businesses to trade, private-equity and listed groups. He is a Non-Executive Board Member of the UK Government’s Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) and also a Non-Executive Director of the Solicitors Regulation Authority, Shoosmiths LLP & Enspec Power. In his career, Vikas has also mentored and coach hundreds of entrepreneurs & leaders.
Vikas was awarded an MBE for Services to Business and the Economy in Her Majesty the Queen’s 2018 New Year’s Honours List and in 2021 became a Deputy Lieutenant of the Greater Manchester Lieutenancy. He holds an Honorary Professorship of Business at The Alliance Business School, University of Manchester (where he is a member of the advisory board) and is an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the Lancaster University Management School (LUMS). He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) by the University of Salford in November, 2022.
Katharina Reusch
Senior Manager
Capgemini
Katharina is a Senior Manager at Capgemini where she leads the Agentic AI Technology Capability in the Innovation Team. With a proven track record of data science, software engineering and management roles, Katharina has a strong technical skill set and in combination with her strong communication and empathic leadership skills makes her a thought leader in all things AI.
Keynote talk
Matt Squire
Co-Founder & CTO
Fuzzy Labs
Matt is the CTO and co-founder of Fuzzy Labs. He’s had a long standing interest in artificial intelligence, having honed his craft over many years in industry and continues to work closely with the team at Fuzzy Labs on the technical challenges of putting ML into production.
Fuzzy Labs are an MLOps consultancy based in Manchester, UK., working with companies to help them productionise AI and ML through open source MLOps tooling. The team often works at the bleeding edge of ML, more recently productionising generative AI-based solutions for a range of customers.
Panel: Powering the future
Lee Stretton
CTO
Urban Chain
Lee has recently joined UrbanChain as CTO. UrbanChain is a green energy matching technology platform that helps green energy generators supply consumers at fair prices with a view to helping move to a net zero economy. UrbanChain’s exchange system connects generators of renewable energy with consumers, who might be private businesses, local authorities, social housing associations, hospitals or schools.
Lee has over 25 years technology experience and has recently moved from the Fintech industry where he has had several leadership roles over the last 17 years. He has joined UrbanChain to run and further develop the technology platform and help to grow the business. Lee is passionate about using technology and data to solve complex problems.
Shaun Fensom
Co-Founder
Cooperative Network Infrastructure (CNI)
Shaun is a co-founder of Cooperative Network Infrastructure (CNI) - the ‘cooperative neutral host’ that enables the sharing of passive digital infrastructure - fibre networks and data centres - by contributor and user members in public and private sectors. CNI now operates in major UK centres, including Manchester, Brighton and Blackpool. Members include city and rural authorities, public-sector health and education providers, telecoms operators and ISPs.
Shaun has over 25 years’ experience in computing and the internet. He co-founded Poptel, the pioneering on-line services provider that became one of the UK’s first ISPs and went on to launch the .coop top level internet domain in the first round of new TLDs in 2001. He is also a founding director of Manchester Digital.
John Duncan
Connected Places Lead
GMCA
John’s mission is to develop Greater Manchester’s world-class digital infrastructure, leveraging technology and data ethically to create resilient, connected, accessible, and sustainable communities for all. As a passionate advocate for digital transformation, John champions projects that leave a lasting positive impact on citizens and communities.
A recognised voice in the industry, John is a regular speaker at national and regional events, where he shares insights on digital strategy, connectivity, and inclusion. His work reflects a deep commitment to harnessing technology to enhance lives, protect the environment, and build a more equitable and inclusive society.
Lightning Talk
Dr. Zied Tayeb
Founder & CEO
MyelinZ®
Dr Zied Tayeb is the Founder & CEO of MyelinZ Group, a brain-computer interface company building an AI-driven neurotechnology platform that combines neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and immersive gaming to transform brain and body health—on Earth and in space. Alongside his entrepreneurial work, he has held academic appointments at leading UK institutions and was among the youngest to hold a professorial position in Neurotechnology nationally. With a PhD in Neurotechnology and a background in computer science, his work focuses on advancing non-invasive brain-machine interfaces and AI-enabled tools to push the boundaries of cognitive performance, rehabilitation, and human potential.
Dr Tayeb’s research has been published in over ten first-author peer-reviewed papers, and he is the inventor of more than five patents. His scientific and technological contributions have earned international recognition—he was named one of NASA iTech’s Top 10 Innovators, nominated for the International Brain-Computer Interface Award, and selected as the MedTech Rising Star of the Year in 2024 by MedTech World.
Panel: The Future of AI Agents and Agentic AI
Morgan Lewis
Legal Director
Brabners
Morgan is a Legal Director in Brabners' Commercial and Intellectual Property team.
A commercial contracts expert with transferable skills across all sectors, Morgan works predominantly with technology clients. A growing area of his practice involves advising businesses that are building or integrating emerging technologies -such as artificial intelligence, digital assets, Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable tech - into their operations. He supports both pioneering start-ups and scale-ups as well as established organisations seeking to procure or embed these technologies to enhance performance, efficiency and engagement.
Rebecca Fox
Founder
Relentica
Rebecca Fox is a strategic technology and business leader with a global track record of transformation. As founder of advisory and delivery company Relentica, she partners with ambitious organisations to simplify complexity and drive results. Rebecca is an accomplished speaker known for her no-fluff energy and practical insight – delivering keynotes on leadership, technology, growth, and diversity. She’s served as a Group CIO, a non-executive director, and an advocate for inclusion in tech.
Alan Reed
Head of Platform Innovation
bet365
For over a decade, Alan Reed has led the teams responsible for innovating the products and services that catapulted bet365 to the front of the global online betting market and kept it there. As head of Sports Development, he and his team made many breakthroughs and delivered huge innovations in the pursuit of one crucial question — how to deliver an immersive experience to millions of concurrent players in real-time.
Seeing an opportunity to explore new technologies and identify the meaningful and lasting contribution they could make to the business, he recently took up the reins of a new department, the Platform Innovation Hub. As Head of Platform Innovation, Alan is focused on harnessing internal and external innovation and channelling it to drive game-changing breakthroughs in process, product, and platform design.
Lee Noble
Head of Digital
Peak.ai
Bio coming soon.
Phil Birchenall
Founder
Diagonal Thinking
Phil Birchenall draws on over 20 years of experience in business strategy and technology. Phil has a deep understanding of how AI can revolutionise organisations. Before establishing Diagonal Thinking, Phil was Managing Director of an international media consultancy.
Phil’s career also includes a wealth of experience in business development, training initiatives, and strategic support. As the former Service Manager at Manchester’s pioneering Creative Industries Development Service (CIDS), he helped businesses focus on growth, while spearheading industry-wide initiatives. Today, he applies this expertise to help organisations understand and harness AI, guiding them towards sustainable success in an ever-evolving market.
Who’s Hiring, Who’s Rewiring?
Sara Simeone
CEO
NoCodeLab.ai
Sara Simeone is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur and product strategist who has spent the past two decades turning frontier technologies into real-world growth engines. Today she wears several cutting-edge hats: Founder of NoCodeLab.ai, the first vibe-driven coding accelerator for non-technical founders; CEO & Co-founder of Niftyz.io, the Web3 token-factory that lets brands transform data and IP into tradable digital assets; and lecturer in Blockchain For Business at the MedieInstitutet in Sweden.
Richard Whittle
Research Fellow
University of Salford
Richard is an economist working at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Behavioural Science and Decision Making. He is an expert in the impact of Artificial Intelligence on Universities, sludge, behavioural design and dark patterns. His work focuses on supporting individuals, organisations and regulators in adopting and understanding the impacts of new technology. Richard contextualizes digital transformation within its wider political economy and use a behavioural science lens, with a focus on understanding, adaption and resilience.
Richard has been published in world-leading journals, including Public Administration and Work, Employment and Society, he led the technical research on the retail economy for the Greater Manchester Independent Prosperity Review, and conducted the financial ‘rules of thumb’ research for the UK’s Money Advice Service. This research programme directly informed the HM Treasury and FCA Financial Advice Marker Review. He has been awarded research funding from numerous sources including the ESRC, Research England, UKRI, the NHS and GMCA.
Richard sits on a variety research council awarding panels, is a member of the West Yorkshire Scientific Advisory Group, advises the Manchester Digital Strategy and has been awarded a visiting fellowship at the International Public Policy Observatory, University College London.
Keynote Talk
Mark Conway
CTO
UK Biobank
Mark is a software technologist who brings a wealth of experience over 30 years, currently heading up the Data and Technology team at UK Biobank, the world’s most comprehensive dataset of biological, health and lifestyle information.
Agenda
09:15 - Arrival and Registration
10:00 - Welcome address with Katie Gallagher OBE, Manchester Digital
10:10 - Keynote talk with Geraint North, Fellow, AI & Developer Platforms at Arm
10:40 - AI Advantage – What the UK’s Sectors Can Lead the World In
With £1bn pledged to boost the UK’s AI capability, where can we genuinely lead on the global stage? This panel looks at the verticals and strengths where UK and Greater Manchester companies can outcompete, from life sciences to manufacturing, climate tech to the creative industries. What unique assets, skills, and partnerships will it take to turn opportunity into market leadership?
11:25 - Lightning talk with Matt Squire, CTO at Fuzzy Labs
11:45 - Networking Break & Refreshments
12:15 - Powering the Future
How do we build infrastructure that can support the next wave of technologies? This session explores what comes after AI workloads, from immersive tech to decentralised systems, and asks how the UK can prepare for future demand across compute, energy and connectivity.
13:00 - Lightning talk with Zied Tayeb, Co-Founder and CEO at MyelinZ®
13:20 - Lunch
14:15 - The Future of AI Agents and Agentic AI
AI agents are moving beyond simple task automation towards systems that can plan, adapt, and act independently. This session explores how agentic AI is being deployed in real-world applications, the tools making it possible, and the challenges of keeping these systems safe, useful, and aligned with intent. What’s real, what’s still experimental — and where are the real breakthroughs happening?
15:00 - Who’s Hiring, Who’s Rewiring?
As automation, low-code platforms and new tooling change how software is built, the skills and structures of tech teams are shifting fast. This session looks at how job roles are being rewritten, from software engineering to product and ops, and what it means for hiring, reskilling and the future shape of digital teams. How do we build capability when the tools are doing more of the work? What does “technical” even mean now?
15:45 - Break & Networking
16:00 - Keynote talk with Mark Conway, CTO at UK Biobank
16:30 - To be confirmed
17.00 - Drinks Reception & Networking
18.00 - Close