2026 Agenda

Digital Transformation, Citizen Services, Data & AI

8:45 AM

Coffee & Croissants

Wake up and smell the coffee* with your public sector colleagues before Government Transformation North gets started. (*Tea also available)

9:30 AM

Opening Address

Mike Potter, Former Chief Digital Officer, UK Government

9:50 AM

Transforming Digital Delivery in the North: From Strategy to Service

Speakers include:

Chris Chambers, Programme Director, Government Digital Services
Neil McIvor, Head of Data for Public Services, Esynergy

11:00 AM

Government Presentation

To be Announced

11:30 AM

Morning Networking Break

Have a cuppa and chat with your fellow attendees.

1:10 PM

Lunch

Networking lunch provided by catering team with vegan options available.

2:10 PM

Panel Discussion: Director Generals

Panelists include:

Colin Shaw, Director for Service Modernisation, MOJ
Jen Staves, Director for Test, Learn & Grow, HMRC
Colin Banno-Thornton, Chief Digital & Information Officer at DEFRA

3:30 PM

Afternoon Networking

Another chance to connect and network with Civil Service peers and industry thought leaders

3:55 PM

Government Presentation

Speakers include:

David Swainston, Finance Director, CDIO Portfolio, HMRC
Jo Bradshaw, Head of Place for the North West and Director & SRO of the Risk Identification, Operations & AI Programme, HMRC

4:30 PM

Closing Remarks

Closing remarks will be delivered by Mike Potter, Former Chief Digital Officer, UK Government.

4:40 PM

Event Close and Networking Drinks

The event will close with networking drinks, offering an opportunity to continue conversations, connect with fellow attendees and reflect on the day’s discussions.

9:25 AM

Welcome

Tim Coulthard, Community Director, Government Transformation Magazine

9:40 AM

Government Keynote

Mark Ferguson MP, Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office.

10:05 AM

Session One- Roundtable Discussions

The first of the day's three 45-minute Discussion Table sessions where government delegates break up into small groups for candid, closed-door conversations across their choice of themed Discussion Table topics.

11:10 AM

Devolution at Digital Speed

Panelists include:

Zoe Gould, Director, Deloitte Digital

deloitte

12:00 PM

Sponsor Presentation

Leverage Responsible AI To Build Trust

Exploring how agentic AI changes the requirements for responsible AI, and how organisations can apply these principles to manage the risks of increasingly powerful systems, support innovation and build trust with citizens.

Enza Iannopollo, Vice President and Principal Analyst, Forrester

Forrester_black_RGB_narrow

12:10 PM

Session Two - Roundtable Discussions

The second of the day's three 45-minute Discussion Table sessions, where government delegates break up into small groups for candid, closed-door conversations across their choice of themed Discussion Table topics.

2:30 PM

Efficiency Isn't About Cutting More. It's About Repeating Less

Exploring how reusable services, common capabilities and shared delivery patterns can help organisations eliminate repeat work, improve efficiency and give frontline staff more time to focus on citizen outcomes.

Emma Charles, Principal Director, Government Industry & Strategy, Hitachi Solutions

2:35 PM

Session Three - Roundtable Discussions

The final 45-minute Discussion Table session of the day, where government delegates break up into small groups for candid, closed-door conversations across their choice of themed Discussion Table topics.

4:10 PM

Governing AI at the Speed of Adoption

Tony Fergusson, Chief Information Security Officer in Residence, Zscaler

zscaler

4:20 PM

Fireside Chat

Unlocking the Hidden Value in Government Data

Including insights from:

Zoe Goodwin, Chief Data Officer, HM Treasury.
To be Announced

8:45 AM

Coffee & Croissants

Wake up and smell the coffee* with your public sector colleagues before Government Transformation North gets started. (*Tea also available)

9:25 AM

Welcome

Tim Coulthard, Community Director, Government Transformation Magazine

9:30 AM

Opening Address

Mike Potter, Former Chief Digital Officer, UK Government

9:40 AM

Government Keynote

Mark Ferguson MP, Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office.

9:50 AM

Transforming Digital Delivery in the North: From Strategy to Service

Speakers include:

Chris Chambers, Programme Director, Government Digital Services
Neil McIvor, Head of Data for Public Services, Esynergy

10:05 AM

Session One- Roundtable Discussions

11:00 AM

Government Presentation

To be Announced

11:10 AM

Devolution at Digital Speed

Panelists include:

Zoe Gould, Director, Deloitte Digital

deloitte

11:30 AM

Morning Networking Break

Have a cuppa and chat with your fellow attendees.

12:00 PM

Sponsor Presentation

Leverage Responsible AI To Build Trust

Enza Iannopollo, Vice President and Principal Analyst, Forrester

Forrester_black_RGB_narrow

1:10 PM

Lunch

Networking lunch provided by catering team with vegan options available.

12:10 PM

Session Two - Roundtable Discussions

2:10 PM

Panel Discussion: Director Generals

Panelists include:

Colin Shaw, Director for Service Modernisation, MOJ
Jen Staves, Director for Test, Learn & Grow, HMRC
Colin Banno-Thornton, Chief Digital & Information Officer at DEFRA

2:30 PM

Efficiency Isn't About Cutting More. It's About Repeating Less

Emma Charles, Principal Director, Government Industry & Strategy, Hitachi Solutions

3:30 PM

Afternoon Networking

Another chance to connect and network with Civil Service peers and industry thought leaders

2:35 PM

Session Three - Roundtable Discussions

3:55 PM

Government Presentation

Speakers include:

David Swainston, Finance Director, CDIO Portfolio, HMRC
Jo Bradshaw, Head of Place for the North West and Director & SRO of the Risk Identification, Operations & AI Programme, HMRC

4:10 PM

Governing AI at the Speed of Adoption

Tony Fergusson, Chief Information Security Officer in Residence, Zscaler

zscaler

4:30 PM

Closing Remarks

Closing remarks will be delivered by Mike Potter, Former Chief Digital Officer, UK Government.

4:20 PM

Fireside Chat

Unlocking the Hidden Value in Government Data

Including insights from:

Zoe Goodwin, Chief Data Officer, HM Treasury.
To be Announced

4:40 PM

Event Close and Networking Drinks

The event will close with networking drinks, offering an opportunity to continue conversations, connect with fellow attendees and reflect on the day’s discussions.

Making a Difference

We are grateful to the members of our Leaders Network - a group of exceptional public sector practitioners and thought leaders from the UK public sector and around the world - for their active counsel and support of our mission to enable transformational government outcomes.