Rachel Hopkins is an accomplished technology leader with deep expertise in IT strategy, digital transformation, and team development. As CIO of ArrowXL, she leads the organisation’s technology function at a time of exciting growth and investment, using innovation to drive business performance and customer value. Prior to joining ArrowXL, Rachel was a management consultant at Deloitte, where she delivered complex technology engagements across multiple sectors and global markets.

Known for her people-first leadership style, Rachel is passionate about developing high-performing IT teams and creating environments where talent can thrive—an approach that’s proving critical in today’s highly competitive tech landscape. Her appointment reflects ArrowXL’s strategic focus on aligning technology with commercial growth, and her insights on leadership, transformation, and talent retention make her a valued voice in the industry.

Eoin Grace, as the Group Head of IT at one of the UK’s largest personal lines insurance companies, plays a pivotal role in the organization. His primary focus is on the day-to-day delivery of IT capabilities across the group, managing a diverse range of technologies that vary in age and complexity. This means Eoin is adept at handling both heritage technology and the latest innovations.
With an extensive IT career spanning 27 years, Eoin has gained valuable experience across several industry sectors, including retail, healthcare, facilities management, and financial services. This diverse background has equipped him with a broad perspective and a wealth of knowledge, enabling him to navigate the complexities of IT management effectively.
Eoin’s strategic vision and proactive approach have been instrumental in driving continuous improvement within the organization. By maintaining a robust IT infrastructure and enhancing operational efficiency, he has significantly contributed to the success and resilience of Markerstudy’s IT operations. His leadership ensures that the company’s IT capabilities are well-aligned with its business objectives, fostering a stable and efficient technological environment.

Steve Postle is a strategic cybersecurity and enterprise risk leader with over two decades of experience spanning finance, utilities, defence, and manufacturing sectors. As Global Director of Cyber Risk & Resilience at Trivium Packaging, he leads the development of integrated risk, security, and business continuity programs aligned with global standards such as ISO 27001, NIST, and PCI-DSS. Known for transforming SOC and GRC capabilities across global operations, Steve brings a pragmatic, business-aligned approach to resilience, regulatory compliance, and cyber risk mitigation. He has hands-on experience managing security crises, including ransomware response, and serves as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on cyber risk and resilience strategies.

Russell Smith is Vice President of ERP Transformation Technology at AstraZeneca and a member of the company’s IT Leadership Team (ITLT), reporting directly to the Chief Digital Officer and CIO. He is the technology lead for one of the largest business transformation programmes in Europe, leveraging the S/4HANA platform to modernise core enterprise systems and drive long-term value across the organisation.

With over a decade of experience as a Functional CIO, Russell has led complex, multi-regional technology teams across a wide range of back- and middle-office functions. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, he served as Global Head of Corporate IT at Credit Suisse, where he oversaw large-scale teams across NAM, EMEA, and APAC.

Russell began his career in consulting, spending nearly 14 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM Global Business Services. As an Associate Partner, he led numerous global ERP and technology transformation programmes across HR, Procurement, and Finance for clients in diverse industries. His deep expertise in enterprise transformation and his ability to lead at scale make him a trusted authority in aligning technology with business strategy.

As the Senior Director of Operations at Epsilon, I bring over 14 years of experience in spearheading transformative technology strategies that not only align with business goals but also catapult organizations into new realms of competitive advantage. My journey is marked by a relentless pursuit of excellence in cloud automation and operational efficiency, where I’ve consistently delivered scalable solutions that redefine industry standards. A dynamic leader and fervent digital transformation advocate, I have a proven track record of building elite teams and fostering innovation. I’m thrilled to share insights on “Taming the Cloud,” guiding you through the pathways of automation and efficiency that will transform your organization’s technological landscape.

Zahraa Murtaza is a Senior Vice President at BNY, leading Agile Transformation and AI innovation across financial services and insurance. With a deep focus on aligning IT strategy, capability, and talent, Zahraa helps organisations modernise without compromising on quality or resilience. She is a recognised changemaker, named one of Northern Power Women’s “Future List” leaders in Manchester, and a frequent keynote, panellist, and podcast guest. Zahraa brings a candid, forward-thinking perspective to topics like digital transformation, next-gen talent, and the evolving role of tech in business strategy. Outside of her day role, she advises AI Tech UK, supports emerging tech talent, and is an ambassador for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity. Her mission: build the next generation of capable, empowered tech leaders, while keeping business impact front and centre.

With over 30 years of experience, Stefan is a distinguished expert in IT and OT cybersecurity and information risk management. He excels in integrating stringent security risk frameworks, leading cybersecurity and network design assurance, and developing high-level design and cyber assurance frameworks. Stefan’s deep knowledge spans regulatory standards, robust security architectures for critical infrastructure, and ensuring compliance and safety across various sectors. His work demonstrates a strong expertise in applying advanced security measures to critical infrastructure and defence projects.

In his current role as IT Director at Johnson Controls, Mark leads the technology function for a $1.5B operation across 10 countries. With a strong track record in digital transformation, M&A integration, and cybersecurity risk mitigation, Mark is also known for his ability to bridge the gap between technical teams and executive leadership. With over a decade of programme management experience he has successfully enabled major business growth while reducing IT costs, and brings a pragmatic approach to aligning technology with business outcomes. He has led IT integration of over 30 acquisition deals and is a regular keynote speaker on M&A technology strategy, digital transformation, and executive alignment.

A forward-thinking IT Director with over five years of executive experience leading digital transformation in complex, regulated environments. Currently operating within the UK water industry, Mo has overseen the growth of IT capability across a business that scaled from £30m to £650m, driving integration, resilience, and innovation through strategic technology investments.

Mo brings a sharp focus on ensuring that digital initiatives are not just technically sound but aligned to real business value, solving meaningful problems, improving customer outcomes, and enabling smarter decision-making at all levels. Known for his user-centric approach, Mo ensures that transformation doesn’t lose sight of the end-user experience, operational context, or client needs.

Mo’s experience implementing new technologies, from AI and automation to intelligent data platforms, offers a grounded, practical perspective on navigating the hype, overcoming adoption barriers, and delivering AI initiatives that actually work in the real world.

Scott Beasley is a seasoned IT Asset Management (ITAM) specialist with over 20 years of experience across ITAM, Software Asset Management (SAM), and Service Management. With a strong track record of delivering value in highly regulated and security-conscious industries, Scott has worked with numerous FTSE 100 companies and top-tier ITAM/SAM consultancy providers.

At Danske Bank, Scott plays a pivotal role in aligning asset governance with financial regulatory compliance, risk control, and operational excellence. His expertise spans complex software licensing across Tier 1 and 2 vendors—including Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, SAS, and SAP—particularly as organisations transition to SaaS and cloud environments.

Scott has extensive experience designing and implementing ITAM, SAM, and service management frameworks, policies, and processes that support the full asset lifecycle, improve visibility, and strengthen security postures. He is also known for leading high-value negotiations, managing complex vendor relationships, and successfully navigating hostile software audits.

His areas of specialism include ITAM governance, CMDB, SaaS & cloud oversight, shadow IT, software procurement, vendor dispute resolution, financial reporting, and cost optimisation strategies.

John Herrema is Chief Product Officer and responsible for leading Absolute’s product organization and driving the strategic direction of the company’s evolving product portfolio to delight customers and deliver business results. John has spent more than two decades specializing in enterprise mobility and security, focused on applying Artificial Intelligence to solve real-world security problems.

Prior to joining Absolute, John served as Senior Vice President of Product Management for Blackberry, which acquired Good Technology in 2015. His pedigree includes multiple leadership and executive roles at leading technology companies, including Microsoft, Good Technology and Sprint, to name a few.

Abraham is a 20+ year veteran of enterprise organizations, GSIs and MSPs, and a thought leader on ‘As-a-Service’ solutions and business transformation. His experience spans various sectors, including Financial Services, Energy, Defense, Public Sector, and Healthcare.

Having worked on both supplier side and customer side designing and delivering large, complex transformation programs for global organizations, Abraham’s core competence is building effective teams to deliver on corporate visions and strategies, generating revenue, reducing cost, and managing risk.

Abraham joined Pure Storage in 2019 and has been an instrumental contributor in the evolution and growth of Pure’s STaaS offerings.

Ann Maya is the EMEA CTO at Boomi.  Ann has nearly 20 years in the software industry, serving varying roles — from software developer, application services consultant, solution architect, product manager and product marketing manager.  Ann has been at Boomi for 6  years and currently resides in London in the UK. To relax she’s a keen tag rugby player and surfs and snowboards whenever near waves and mountains, respectively.

As a Senior Director of Product Management, Matt is responsible for building product strategies and bringing the Ping Identity product portfolio to market. Matt works closely with customers and partners to understand their current and strategic business needs in order to convert them to identity outcomes that the product teams can deliver, resulting in the most modern and comprehensive platform in IAM.

Prior to joining Ping Identity, Matt has over 25 years experience in the Identity Management and Security space working with companies such as Oracle, Symantec, Unisys, ForgeRock, and Passlogix.

Jake Wardell is a Senior Engineer at Abnormal Security, specialising in developing advanced AI-driven cybersecurity solutions. With over a decade of experience, Jake excels in safeguarding cloud environments and mitigating sophisticated threats. His innovative approach and technical expertise are vital in enhancing the security posture of global organisations.

Antonio Russu is the Global Head of Cyber Security at Resillion, where he develops innovative strategies to protect organizations across industries such as automotive, maritime & offshore, healthcare, oil & gas energy, finance, housing, government, police and security. With over eight years of experience in cybersecurity and a strong focus on digital transformation, Antonio helps Resillion’s clients navigate complex security challenges and build sustainable growth.

His consultancy background has equipped him with the skills to guide businesses in improving digital customer experiences, diversifying portfolios, and scaling operations globally. At Resillion, Antonio leverages the company’s Total Quality 360 model, integrating cybersecurity, quality engineering, and conformance testing to provide seamless, end-to-end solutions.

Ryan has been in the industry for over twenty years. Specialising for the recent decade or so in vulnerability management and threat detection. He volunteers with the DevOps Institute and talks at many community events on the changing landscape of security in application delivery.

Ryan likes to speak about wider subjects than just technology, extending into culture, team architectures, fitness, hiking etc. Give him a try, he has an opinion about most things!

Rob brings nearly two decades of experience in the technology and cybersecurity space. He began his career in IT on the helpdesk and progressed into senior leadership through hands-on experience and mentorship. He served as Director of Services at Verismic before becoming Chief Customer Success Officer at Syxsense, where he played a pivotal role in scaling service delivery and customer engagement. Following Syxsense’s acquisition by Absolute Security, Rob now oversees professional services, helping enterprise clients maximize value through secure and resilient endpoint solutions. Driven by a lifelong passion for technology and inspired by the innovation he witnessed early in his career, Rob is committed to building high-performing teams, fostering customer trust, and shaping the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.