Cloud, Data & AI – Transforming Public Services 2025

Alistair is CTO for the Scottish Government, responsible for ensuring the capability and capacity for software engineering delivery in the Digital Directorate. He joined the Scottish Government permanently following a secondment from NHS Education for Scotland, where he was part of the team that created a new directorate for delivering the National Digital Platform for Health and Social Care. Prior to working in the public sector Alistair was CTO of Skyscanner and several other start-ups. He has a doctorate in machine learning from the University of Oxford.

Kim is an accomplished senior leader with extensive experience in the information technology and services industry who has built high-performance teams within Global Technology organisations that drive impactful transformation. Before transitioning into the tech industry, Kim spent 10 years in the Royal Air Force as a radar engineer and also became the 1st female radar technical instructor and this is where she developed her passion for problem-solving and innovation. Today, she leverages that passion in her work with Public Sector organisations, using technology as an enabler for good and always putting organisations and citizens at the heart of every solution. Along with her incredible team, she helps customers define what transformation means to them, while exploring the potential of new technologies to address challenges and unlock opportunities for growth. With a rich and rewarding personal journey, she is a strong advocate for empowering young women in the tech sector, helping to create opportunities for the next generation of female leaders. Outside of work, Kim is married to David and is a proud mother of three children. Her experiences balancing career and family life further fuel her passion for creating pathways to success for women in technology and business.

Heather joined The Data Lab in 2018, leading the £8m data and AI skills programme, including   The Data Lab Academy MSc Programme. She was appointed to the Executive team in 2021, serving as Interim CEO from April 2024 before being appointed to the role of Chief Executive Officer in February 2025. Heather is responsible for setting the direction, strategy and culture of The Data Lab, driving collaboration and innovation forging partnerships and engaging with stakeholders to deliver economic growth and societal impact. Holding previous roles with Epicor, GE Energy, and ION Geophysical, Heather is a thought leader and board member with over 20 years cross-sector experience in leadership, developing funding proposals and establishing global skills programmes.  Heather is a STEM ambassador, with a keen interest in raising awareness and supporting skills development across marginalised and underrepresented groups.  She has previously volunteered on the DELL STEM Aspire programme and works closely with social enterprise DataKirk.  

Stewart Miller is an experienced business leader and a leading figurehead in the UK robotics sector. He took up the position of Chief Executive Officer at the National Robotarium in 2021 having previously been Chief Technology Officer of the UK Government’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, in addition to previously working as an experienced business leader for over 20 years in senior roles at major firms including Leonardo and BAESystems. During Stewart’s leadership of the National Robotarium, he has built its reputation as the UK’s centre for robotics and AI, creating inward investment, growing talent and skills, and fulfilling the UK’s potential to deliver a thriving robotics industry that stimulates economic growth. He is member of the Scottish Government Industry Leadership Group for Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing, an advisory board member of the Smart Manufacturing Data Hub, a non-executive director of the Satellite Application Catapult, a member of the Scottish Innovation Clusters Group and a member of the Liverpool and Manchester Railways Partnership Board. 

Professor Mark Parsons is the Director of EPCC, the supercomputing centre at the University of Edinburgh. EPCC is known internationally for the breadth and scale of its large-scale computing and data science activities. Since 2018, EPCC has hosted the Edinburgh International Data Facility, the key underpinning technology of the Data Driven Innovation programme which is part of the Edinburgh & SE Scotland City Deal. In addition to his role at EPCC, he is a Director and Trustee of Research Data Scotland. 

Sandosh Padmanabhan is the Pontecorvo Chair of Pharmacogenomics and Professor of Cardiovascular Genomics and Therapeutics at the University of Glasgow, as well as an Honorary Consultant Physician at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow. His research focuses on precision medicine – specifically on pharmacogenomics, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases leveraging his expertise in genomics, AI, big data, real–world evidence and clinical trials. As Programme Director for AI in Health and Life Sciences, he leads the College’s strategy for health data science and artificial intelligence.