Technology and AI Innovation in the Public Sector Conference 2026

Previous Supporters Include

Overview

Agenda

• 9.30am

  Registration

• 9.50am

  Chair’s Opening Remarks

  Dr Matthew Forshaw, Senior Advisor for Skills, Alan Turing Institute and Head of Skills for AI Assurance, Department for Science Innovation and Technology (CONFIRMED)

  

• 10.00am

  Keynote: Developing Technology Supporting Government Strategy

  • Transforming digital services with AI and automation to support workload reduction
  • Investing in systems and platforms that can be maintained and continually improved
  • Building organisational flexibility and resilience by designing technology and processes capable of crisis response and continuous adaptation in a rapidly changing environment
  • Improving how data is shared and used across the government, supporting better decisions and creating a trusted data framework for services
  • Securing technology to reduce cost of delivering digital services by driving cost-efficiencies and modernising supply chains

  Rob Thompson, Chief Digital, Data and Technology Officer, Home Office (invited)

• 10.20am

  Keynote: Building Resilience in Government Technology and Supply Chains

  • Exploring how government departments can strengthen the resilience of digital and data services and critical systems
  • Highlighting practical approaches that support the Government Cyber Action Plan
  • Examining strategies for maintaining service continuity and ensuring digital systems can adapt under stress or disruption
  • Developing steps for embedding resilience into technology procurement, and technological delivery

  David Lovell, Head of Government Cyber Policy and Supply Chain, Department for Science, Innovation and Social Affairs (CONFIRMED)

  

• 10.40am

  Keynote: Transforming Government Digital and AI Procurement

  • Reframing how government organisations procure digital technology by examining the latest parliamentary findings on the relationship between government and tech suppliers
  • Assessing key procurement challenges, including complexity of contracts and supplier management
  • Developing strategies for procurement teams to establish centralised frameworks, engage SMEs, accelerate decision-making and apply data oversight of technology spending
• 11.00am

  Questions and Answers

• 11.20am

  Comfort Break

• 11.35am

  Keynote: Building Digital Literacy and Skills Across Government

  • Discovering how AI adoption is transforming UK sectors and what the latest national findings reveal about workforce readiness and skill gaps
  • Understanding key structural barriers that prevent effective AI upskilling including fragmented training systems and inconsistent definitions of AI skills
  • Exploring practical tools such as the AI Skills Framework and Adoption Pathway Model to assess and improve your organisation’s AI capability
  • Developing strategies to widen participation and ensure inclusive access to AI learning across regions and sectors

  Dr Nisreen Ameen, AI Policy Advisor and Director, Digital Organisation and Society (DOS) Research Centre, Royal Holloway, University of London and Skills England (CONFIRMED)

  

• 11.55am

  Case Study: Practical RPA in Revenues and Benefits: Turning Data into £2.3m Savings

  • Where RPA fits in a Revenues & Benefits service, and what we automated first
  • How data pinpointed opportunities and evidenced £2.3m in-year savings in the Council Tax Support (CTS) scheme
  • Governance, controls, and staff engagement to deploy automations safely and at pace
  • Lessons learned: what to replicate, what to avoid, and what’s next with AI in local government

  Eamonn Hennessy, Head of Benefits, London Borough of Waltham Forest (CONFIRMED)

  

• 12.15pm

  Questions and Answers

• 12.35pm

  Lunch Break

• 1.20pm

  Keynote: Advancing Social Mobility Through Data and Opportunity

  • Identifying structural barriers to opportunity by using government and labour market data to better understand regional and socio-economic inequalities
  • Strengthening collaboration between government and employers to expand pathways into high-quality jobs and improve access to skills
  • Developing social mobility metrics within public policy and decision-making to ensure measurable progress across sectors
  • Driving targeted interventions that reduce inequality of opportunity, support underrepresented communities and improve long-term economic participation

  Resham Koetcha, Global Head of Policy, Open Data Institute and Deputy Chair Social Mobility Commission (invited)

• 1.40pm

  Case Study: Engaging the Public in Digital Government and Supporting Digital Inclusion

  • Analysis how to end digital poverty through systemic change and evidence-building
  • Exploring how unifying the community and running proof-of-concept delivery projects translate into tangible outcomes for the public
  • Examining practical interventions, such as device-and-connectivity schemes and digital skills development that support households accessing the benefits of online life
  • Collaborating with policymakers and community organisations to accelerate digital inclusion locally and nationally

  Elizabeth Anderson, Chief Executive Officer, Digital Poverty Alliance (invited)

• 2.00pm

  Questions and Answers

• 2.20pm

  Breakout Networking: AI in the Public Sector

  Share how your organisations are translating national AI and digital policy into delivery, including successes, barriers, and lessons learned. Discuss building digital capability, improving data sharing across departments, and identifying opportunities for collaboration to increase impact across the public sector.

• 2.50pm

  Comfort Break

• 3.10pm

  Keynote: Supporting and Improving Local Government Digitalisation

  • Strategies for developing effective collaboration between local government, private sector and the public to drive digital initiatives
  • Exploring ways to pool technology across different local authorities to improve digital capabilities
  • Showcasing successful collaborative software projects (SaaS) with the private sector
  • Understanding the role of collaborative policymaking and governance frameworks in supporting digitalisation efforts
  • Addressing common barriers to collaboration and sharing practical solutions to overcome them
• 3.30pm

  Case Study: Digitisation of Critical Public Services

  • Exploring how digital technologies are transforming the delivery of large-scale public services
  • Investigating the strategic challenges of modernising legacy systems and securing digital platforms to support the public
  • Outlining the challenges of delivering large-scale digital transformation across complex organisations
  • Developing strategies for government departments to accelerate digital delivery and ensure technology investments support better outcomes for citizens and economic growth

  Senior Representative, Department for Work and Pensions (invited)

• 3.50pm

  Questions and Answers

• 4.10pm

  Chair’s Closing Remarks

  Dr Matthew Forshaw, Senior Advisor for Skills, Alan Turing Institute and Head of Skills for AI Assurance, Department for Science Innovation and Technology (CONFIRMED)

  

• 4.15pm

  Conference Close

Speakers

Eamonn Hennessy

Head of Benefits

London Borough of Waltham Forest

Dr Matthew Forshaw

Senior Advisor for Skills and Head of Skills for AI Assurance

Department for Science, Innovation and Tecnology and Alan Turing Institute

Get in Touch

Testimonials

Why You Should Attend

• Hear policy-level updates and guidance that outlines how government strategy translates to delivery
• Learn from case studies and operational leaders on turning AI pilots, data projects and digital platforms into maintained and continual services
• Gain insights into resilience, procurement and security that reduce supplier risk and strengthen critical services
• Attend the day for your professional development and earn 8 hours of CPD points

Who Should Attend

Pricing Options

Sponsorship

Raise Your Profile, Showcase Your Solutions, Generate New Business

If your products, services, and solutions can support our audiences in their roles, and you want to make connections and generate new business with key stakeholders, decision makers, and influencers, then please contact us HERE

IMPORTANT: There are only a small number of sponsorship opportunities available to ensure maximum exposure and ROI – contact us today to secure your place.

Virtual vs F2F

Whilst F2F provide better options for networking, there are many distinct advantages of sponsoring our online conferences including:

• Wider geographical reach of delegates and a different audience who prefer online to f2f
• Lower sponsorship package costs
• No travel/accommodation
• Less time out of the office
• No stand materials required (lower costs)
• 1 of only 2 sponsors involved – less competition on the day
• Prime speaking slot in the morning of the conference including Q&A – less distractions and easier for delegates to hear/absorb information
• Receive all delegate data after the conference to follow-up directly with those who attend and don’t attend (small % but still key stakeholders)
• Ongoing exposure via OnDemand access

To find out more and discuss your specific objectives, please contact us below: