Big Data & AI World World Day 1 Highlights

Forecasting the Future: Embedding AI at Met Office

Kirstine Dale, Chief AI Officer - Met Office

In the session, Kirstine highlights why and how the Met Office pivoted to consider the role of AI in weather forecasting; how we are embedding the breakthrough technology of AI across our operations; and how we are managing this transformational change while continuing to deliver to our ultimate purpose, to help people make better decisions to stay safe and thrive.

Enterprise AI: A Sustainable Pathway to Production at Scale

Arash Ghazanfari, CXO Advisor - DELL TECHNOLOGIES

In this session, Dell Technologies shared its journey in adopting AI and the key lessons learned along the way. You will gain proven strategies for overcoming common barriers to enterprise AI adoption, together with practical guidance to accelerate sustainable improvement. They also highlighted the trends they believe will shape the data and AI landscape in 2026 and beyond.

Winning the AI Race: Turning Enterprise Data into a Strategic Asset

Shantanu Goswami, Vice President - SAP Customer Advisory

Most AI initiatives don’t fail because the model is wrong - they fail because the data isn’t ready, trusted, or connected to real business processes. In this session, we’ve broken down SAP’s AI strategy and the role of the Business Data Cloud in turning fragmented enterprise data into a strategic asset that leaders can actually use to drive measurable outcomes.

Building Trust in AI Through Governance and Accountability

Rohit Dhawan, Global Head of AI - Lloyds Banking Group

As AI transforms decision-making across the enterprise, the financial sector faces a new challenge: making AI not only powerful, but trustworthy. In this session, Rohit Dhawan, Global Head of AI at Lloyds Banking Group, shares how one of the UK’s largest banks is embedding responsibility, explainability, and auditability into AI systems at scale. Disc/over what it takes to operationalise ethical frameworks, align with evolving global regulations, and build public trust in AI that truly delivers accountable intelligence.

Democratising AI: Citizen Developers and the Rise of Lightweight Agents Abstract

Vicky Crockett, AI Portfolio Director - QA

AI is no longer the sole preserve of engineering teams. This session explored how citizen developers are building practical AI tools across marketing, operations and other business functions. Drawing on real-world examples, they looked at the skills, support and governance needed to enable teams to innovate with confidence - without losing control or accountability.

The New Rules of Human - Machine Collaboration: How Leaders Build Organisations that Thrive in the Age of AI

Kasia Hayward, Head of Culture, Innovation & Engagement - Cultural Infusion
Mary-Jane Newton, Executive Director, Education and Digital Strategy - Institute of Acoustics
Bex Moorhouse, Global Head of Strategy, Ops Excellence & Performance - WPP
Sharon Wallace, Co-Founder - LIFT as we Climb

How do leaders build organisations that thrive in the age of AI?

This panel brings together leaders from advertising, media, acoustics, and education to explore how AI is reshaping their work, leadership, and organisational design. Using sector-specific insight and case studies, the conversation examines where AI is influencing decisions today, how human judgement continues to define outcomes, and where technology is rapidly expanding its role.

The panel also addresses emerging opportunities and disparities across skills, gender, and workforce experience, and the growing need for organisations to understand their workforce data and the needs behind it. Ultimately, the session sets out the new rules for business in this era; because while technology accelerates change, it is leaders who decide how organisations move forward.

Reimagining Financial Services: How Data and AI Are Transforming Customer Experiences at Scale

Aritra Chakravarty, Head of Agentic AI - Lloyds Banking Group

In this keynote, Aritra Chakravarty, the Head of Agentics AI at Lloyds Banking Group, explores how data and AI are reshaping the future of financial services and enabling LBG to deliver hyper-personalised, secure, and intuitive experiences for millions of customers. As the UK’s only integrated financial services provider, LBG is uniquely positioned to leverage its scale - over 22 million digitally active customers and one of the largest data sets in the country - to unlock opportunities that go beyond traditional banking. Amit shares how the Group’s £4bn technology and data investment and partnerships with leading platforms have accelerated the deployment of Generative AI and Agentic AI systems, transforming everything from mortgage journeys to investment advice.

Inclusive by Design, Examining Diversity & Equity in AI-Driven Workplaces

Ifeoluwa Ogunbufunmi, Founder & Chief Strategist - SWIF
Chetna Arora, Head of Software Engineering and Data Science - GoFibre
Taonga Banda, Cloud Solution Architect (Data & AI) - Microsoft
Anupama Hatti, Head of Programme Delivery for Digital, Data & Technology Services - NHS Blood and Transplant

As AI reshapes roles and structures, inclusion must remain front and centre. This discussion explores how diverse teams improve AI outcomes, how to prevent exclusion through automation, and how leaders can ensure equitable opportunities in AI-enabled organisations.

Partnering for the Talent Pipeline: How Businesses Can Inspire the Next Generation

Laura Morris, Business Development Manager - Futures For All
Rikke Rosenlund, Founder and CEO - BorrowMyDoggy
Amy Shocker, Head of CSR - Tata Consultancy Services

Inspiring children and young adults to choose a career in the tech sector has never been more important, but entry remains challenging and the sector’s addiction to jargon and acronyms too often make it appear opaque and unwelcoming. This panel discusses what needs to be done to nurture and attract young talent to the tech industry, how best to advertise it in a competitive skills market and why engaging with talent from an early stage can benefit both the company and young adults even as AI transforms how the sector works.