Keynote speakers

Séverine Trouillet

Keynote and NCCE Competition

Séverine Trouillet is CEO of STEM Learning and champions STEM education, focusing on teacher CPD, the STEM Ambassadors volunteering scheme, and student engagement for more diversity and inclusion in scientific and tech jobs. She has extensive experience in leadership and public affairs in engineering and tech sectors, in the UK and across Europe. She holds degrees and diplomas in international administration, political science, and business sustainability. 

Michaela Kendall

Adelan on Inclusive Green Growth

UK green growth is essential for the UK government to achieve its own net zero and growth targets, yet almost all clean technology deployed in the UK today is imported. Hydrogen pioneers Adelan explain how to reverse that during this event that brings together Founders, Funders, Policymakers and Practitioners to generate Inclusive Green Growth. We will examine how UK public innovation funds have not been inclusive to date, illustrated by local WMCA programmes and national examples from Innovate UK. The discussion will then engage practical advice to illustrate how inclusive green tech businesses can thrive in the Midlands, despite decades of under-investment from the UK public and private sectors.

Fayon Dixon

EqualEngineers Workshop

Fayon Dixon is a seasoned broadcaster, events host, and facilitator with a steadfast dedication to inspiring and motivating others for close to two decades. Her passion for fostering positive change extends to her advocacy for equality and diversity in engineering careers. As an ambassador for STEM projects, Fayon collaborates with children, students, and professional engineers to promote inclusivity and representation in the field. Currently serving as an Engagement Manager at EqualEngineers, Fayon utilises her diverse skill set to drive transformative initiatives aimed at shaping the future of engineering for generations to come.

Keith Scobie-Youngs

BA (Hons) Horology

Managing Director, Cumbria Clock Company

Keith graduated in Horology from BCU’s School of Jewellery back in 1984 before he founded his own business, the Cumbria Clock Company, which maintains and repairs clocks across the world, including Big Ben.

Luka Stefanovic

Vectorworks

Vectorworks has become a global leader in design technologies for the architecture, engineering, construction, entertainment, and landscape design industries. Their product line is one of the world’s best-selling cross-platform design and BIM applications, and users rely on it to create ground-breaking experiences, environments, and destinations. Vectorworks has played a formative role in the CAD field, having created one of the first CAD programs, one of the first 3D modeling programs, the most successful CAD software for the Mac OS, and the first cross-platform CAD application to market. Vectorworks was also one of the first to introduce BIM capabilities, before BIM became an industry buzzword. They have since redefined the marketplace by setting a high standard for its products, continually optimizing them for new technologies while delivering solutions that support the many workflows and design processes of our users. As a result, Vectorworks has become an internationally respected leader in both CAD and BIM solutions tailored to design, with more than 685,000 designers relying on Vectorworks technology.

Tom Wren

Mott McDonald

Mai Elamin

BA (Hons) Information and Interface Design

Senior Product Designer at Deliveroo, User Experience Design Conference

Mai Elamin is a senior product designer at Deliveroo, whose journey through the tech industry is nothing short of inspiring. Prior to joining Deliveroo, Mai worked at renowned companies such as Twitter, Google and Ford. Her diverse experience came after a pivotal time at Twitter, where she landed her first role as junior product designer after graduating with a First Class honours from University of the Arts London. Following the company's acquisition by Elon Musk, she became one of the final 8 product designers out of the hundreds. Today, she shares her story to inspire others and shares invaluable insights as she navigates the world of tech.

Dan Edwards

Head of Human-Centred Design at Virgin Money, User Experience Design Conference

Dan is the head of Human-Centred Design at Virgin Money, where he leads the designers' in-house practice, spanning Digital Design, Content Design, and User Research. Dan is a specialist in information architecture and user experience for large web systems and mobile applications, with a strong emphasis on usability and accessibility. He has a proven background in e-commerce and direct email marketing.

Izabella Varnai

BEng (Hons) Automotive Engineering

Lead Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover

Izabella graduated with a BSc in Automotive Engineering in 2021. She now works as a Lead Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover. Currently, she is the Final Project Leader on the X500, the second car in the new JEA platform. Her team consists of Industrial Engineers, Process Engineers, Facility Engineers and Vehicle Calibration and Testing Engineers, and they are currently preparing to start the new Jaguar production in Solihull. It is their responsibility to industrialise the build location, prepare the build facilities, and process desk to assemble the vehicle, whilst considering timing, quality and safety. Izabella represents all the disciplines of her team, whilst setting workload, planning team deliverables and escalating any issues.  

Deepali Mistry

BSc (Hons) Music Technology

Freelance Sound Engineer and Designer

Deepali graduated from BCU with a BSc in Music Technology in 2022. Nowadays, she is a Freelance Sound Engineer and Designer. Utilising the skills she picked up on her degree, she works across a range of industries, including Broadcast TV, Live Music, Theatre and Film Postproduction. Using her representation as a young, female, person of colour in the creative industry, Deepali takes pride in sharing her experiences, providing support for the next generation, and challenging the mindset of a "single career path" by nurturing and advancing her skill set with every opportunity that arises. 

Jinal Patel

MSc (Hons) Big Data Analytics

Analyst at Evri

Jinal completed an MSc in Big Data Analytics at BCU and graduated in 2024. Prior to undertaking her master's degree, she worked as a Data Analyst at Investec, the UK's top investment bank, and was based in Mumbai, India. Nowadays, she is working as an Analyst at Evri, where she contributes to data-driven decision-making across teams. Jinal loves to play with data and uncover patterns that drive smarter business outcomes and enjoys being part of fast-moving tech environments and collaborating with others.  

Charlotte Patel

BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying

Senior Quantity Surveyor at Severn Trent

Charlotte studied Quantity Surveying at BCU and graduated in 2019. Since then, she has worked her way up to her role as a Senior Quantity Surveyor at Severn Trent, where has manages a team of three people. The alumna is currently on maternity leave, but she is also a Productivity Coach, where she supports professionals and helps them to achieve their goals. 

Alessandra Ballance

BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering

Graduate Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover

Alessandra graduated with a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from BCU in 2024. Prior to studying at BCU, the alumna studied aeronautical engineering for a year, where she really found a passion for engineering. During her time at BCU, she undertook a placement year as a Performance Simulation Engineer at Cummins, where she developed simulation solutions to battery technology challenges. Nowadays, she is a Hardware and Mechatronics Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover, where she has the opportunity to rotate in different departments to broaden her engineering knowledge.

Sarada Priya

MSc (Hons) User Experience Design

User Experience Designer at Globant

Omotola Sadare

BSc (Hons) Real Estate

Graduate Commercial Surveyor at Colliers

Omotola graduated with a BSc in Real Estate from BCU in 2019. Whilst at BCU, she took part in a range of work experience and work shadowing opportunities, including at the likes of Savills, The Crown Estate, Hollis and CBRE. In 2022, she participated in a six-week internship at Cushman and Wakefield, which gave her a real insight into how Graduate Schemes work, and she soon landed a place on the Graduate Scheme at Colliers, where she was based in the Investment Property Management team in Birmingham. Nowadays, she is using the skills she has picked up in the industry and her passion for education in her new role as a Teaching Assistant.  

Louise Mills

Cisco

Louise is the Portfolio Account Executive at Cisco. With over 13 years’ experience, eight of which in sales, she works alongside Public Sector customers helping them achieve digital transformation through the use of technology. When not wearing ‘the day job’ hat, Louise heavily involved in co-leading our STEM Outreach team and planning for upcoming events. She is super excited to be at the Innovation Fest!

Richard Wilson

CEO of The Independent Games Association (TIGA)

Dr Richard Wilson OBE is the CEO of TIGA, the trade association representing the video games industry in the UK. Richard has championed key industry initiatives, including the introduction of Video Games Tax Relief (VGTR) and Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC), driving investment and job creation in the UK games sector. He has been instrumental in advancing policies to support industry growth, from R&D tax credits to skills development initiatives. Richard also promotes excellence in games education through TIGA’s accreditation system and the annual Games Education Conference, and champions best practice via TIGA’s industry and education awards. His advocacy has significantly raised the profile of the UK games industry, earning TIGA 29 business awards. Appointed OBE in 2018 for services to the video games industry, Richard also serves as Non-Executive Director at North Hertfordshire College and has held roles with the European Games Development Federation and Adult Learning Inspectorate.

Steve Shickell

LK Metrology

Paul Chatterley

Planet Partner

After years working in manufacturing, Paul Chatterley saw a clear problem: too many businesses wanted to make a positive impact but were held back by jargon, complex processes, and a lack of transparency.

That insight led him to create Planet Partner - a platform designed to make environmental and social action simple, accessible, and built-in from day one. Whether it’s calculating carbon emissions, planting trees, or funding meaningful causes with each sale, Planet Partner helps businesses of all sizes integrate sustainability without needing a sustainability department. Paul believes impact shouldn’t be a luxury or an afterthought - it should be the starting point. Having launched several small brands himself, he understands the challenges of prioritising sustainability from the outset. Planet Partner is his solution to that, built to empower companies to take action quickly, clearly, and confidently.

One key reason - businesses that offset their emissions with carbon credits are proven to decarbonise twice as fast as those that don’t.

Martin O’Hanlon

Ohanlanweb

Linda Yilin Wen

Design Researcher on the Game Intelligence team at Microsoft Research Redmond

Linda is a design researcher on the Game Intelligence team at Microsoft Research Redmond. She leads UX research efforts in a multidisciplinary team focused on developing generative AI models for gaming. She is excited about AI’s potential to empower game creators worldwide, enabling them to tell their unique stories. Previously, she worked on the Teachable AI Experiences team, where she designed personalized accessibility solutions for blind and low-vision users leveraging the power of AI.

Linda holds a Master of Science degree in design engineering from Imperial College London and a Master of Art degree in global innovation design from the Royal College of Art. She studied international relations and linguistics for her undergraduate degree at Pomona College in Los Angeles.

Professor Constantin Orasan

Constantin Orasan is a Professor of Language and Translation Technologies at the Centre of Translation Studies, University of Surrey. He has over 20 years experience of working in the fields of (applied) Natural Language Processing (NLP), Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for language processing. His research interests are largely focused on facilitating information access and include translation technology, sentiment analysis, question answering, text summarisation.

Dan Moorcroft

MEPC Limited

Daniel Moorcroft, based in Birmingham, is currently a Development Manager at MEPC Limited. He brings experience from previous roles at MEPC Limited, Argent LLP, Currie & Brown and Birmingham City University. Daniel Moorcroft holds a 2012 - 2013 Master of Science (MSc) in Construction Project Management @ Birmingham City University

Simon Pope

Associate Architect at Howells

Simon has focused on leading schemes such as London City Island, a unique residential neighbourhood in east London and is currently working on One Centenary Way, a pivotal building in the Paradise Masterplan. He joined Howells as a Part II Architectural Assistant in 2014, having completed his studies at Birmingham City University’s School of Architecture and Design, where he was nominated for the President’s Silver Medal with his dystopian future for Venice in ‘La Voce Del Non Visto’. Simon has previously worked at APEC Architects in Birmingham, where he was involved primarily with education projects.

Sarada Priya

User Experience Designer at Globant

Sarada graduated with an MSc in User Experience Design in 2024. Now, she is a User Experience Designer working at Globant, where she helps to create intuitive and impactful digital experiences. The alumna’s journey into the world of tech has been rooted in creative and a passion for designing solutions that truly serve people, and she loves crafting inclusive, user-first interfaces that make a real difference.