Thursday 7th November 2013, morning

Dr Tim Cook headed Isis Innovation, Oxford University's Technology Transfer Company, from 1997 to 2006 and is presently a non-executive Director. Since 2007 he has also been a non-executive director at Oxford Gene Technology Ltd., an Oxford University spinout.

He is also a Private Investor, and in the 1990s was founding Managing Director of two successful start-up companies: Oxford Semiconductor and Oxford Asymmetry, a spinout from Oxford University. He is an engineer by training and has held directorships in The Medical Device and Electronics Industries. He is a keen amateur musician and composer.

Thursday 7th November 2013, afternoon

Ian Glover is the President of the Bloodhound Super Sonic Car 1k Club, which is a 5,000-strong supporters club of the project to build the next land speed record car, Bloodhound SSC.  The target is to break the existing record and exceed 1,000 mph whilst inspiring youth into science, maths, and engineering.

Ian is also President of the Council of Registered Ethical Security Testers (CREST), a not for profit organisation to help develop professionalism within the IT security testing community.  He is a Fellow of the Business Continuity Planning Institute (BCI), and was the Chairman of the CLAS Forum that he established in the UK. Prior to this Ian was one of the founding Partners of Insight Consulting and was Managing Director of Siemens Insight Consulting.

Thursday 7th November 2013, afternoon

Clive Beale is the Director of Educational Development at the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Prior to this, Clive was a teacher of ICT and Computing in a number of high schools in the UK, having undertaken a PGCE at Swansea University in 2001.  Before teaching, Clive had trained as a biologist and was Information and Data Repatriation Officer at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Clive helped write the Computing at School's Raspberry Pi Education Manual. His main areas of interest are teaching computer science in primary school and learning through practical computing. He still teaches A-level Computing once a week.

Thursday 7th November 2013, Formal Dinner

Adam Jolly is a writer, editor and publisher, who reports widely on the challenges of developing an idea, building a business, and competing internationally. Over the last 25 years, he has covered many of the biggest questions for entrepreneurs, innovators, directors and investors, specialising in how to manage growth, innovation, intellectual property and international business.

He has produced titles for many organisations, including the Institute of Directors and the Technology Strategy Board, and has written extensively for the SME press. Since 1990, he has been a consultant editor at one of Europe’s leading management publishers, Kogan Page, and is a former editor of the magazine of the Confederation of British Industry. He is currently editing a series on the BRICs for Business Channel TV.

Friday 8th November 2013, morning

Following her graduation from Nottingham University, Dr Frances Saunders worked as an Electronic Engineer in the motor industry before joining the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment at Malvern. The culmination of her Civil Service career was her role as Chief Executive of DSTL which she held from 2006 until her early retirement in March 2012.

Frances has experience as a Non-Exec Director of technology start-up companies and is currently an NED of Becatech Systems Ltd. She has been a Member of Cranfield University Council since 2007, was a member of the industry advisory panel to the Cockroft Institute from 2009-12 and is a Trustee of the Engineering Development Trust. Frances is President Elect of the Institute of Physics, taking up the office of President in October 2013.

Friday 8th November 2013, afternoon

Hazel Moore is the chairman of FirstCapital, which she co-founded in 1999. She has over 20 years experience in advising technology companies on mergers and acquisitions and raising venture capital and private equity, as well as advising family offices, institutional and strategic investors on investments and portfolio strategies.

Hazel is a member of the Governing Board of the Technology Strategy Board and is on the Investment Advisory Panel for the North West Fund. Previously she was based in Hong Kong and London for W.I. Carr, and began her career with GEC Marconi. Hazel has an MA in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Saturday 9th November 2013, morning

Dr Jonathan Hare is a freelance science communicator. His PhD work with Sir Harry Kroto led to a method of making the football molecule C60, Buckminsterfullerene. He has worked as a 'Time Lord' at the National Physical laboratory working with atomic clocks as well as with British Gas developing a gas powered car.

He has been on all the BBC / OU Rough Science (6 series) and Hollywood Science (2 series) TV programmes. He has also appeared on COAST and Horizon TV programmes. He is currently a visiting lecturer in science communication in the Physics department at Sussex University. He loves making things, juggling, hill walking, amateur radio and painting.

Saturday 9th November 2013, morning

Prof. Mark Miodownik is the Professor of Materials and Society at UCL. He received his Ph.D in turbine jet engine alloys from Oxford University, and has worked as a materials scientist in the USA, Ireland, and the UK. His research areas include self-assembling materials, self-healing materials, and psychophysical properties of materials.

Mark is a broadcaster and writer on science and engineering issues. He gave the 2010 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, and is a regular presenter of science and engineering BBC tv programmes; including Dara O'Briain's Science Club and Genius of Invention. Mark was recently included in the The Times list of the top 100 most influential people in UK science, and has a new book out called Stuff Matters.

@cyber security symposium, Thursday 7th November 2013, morning

Graeme Hackland is the Lotus F1 Team’s IT/IS Director responsible for all the Team’s Information Systems. Graeme serves on the Team’s Senior Management Group and leads the IT Risk Committee. Graeme has worked for the Team (in its various guises) for 15 years and in his current role for 3 years. The Team are building towards a challenge on the FIA Formula 1 World Championships in 2014, this kind of narrow focus is what keeps Graeme engaged and challenged.

Graeme is a Fellow of BCS, a member of the IEEE and IEEE Computer Society and holds a National Diploma in Electronic Engineering (LC) from Natal Technikon, South Africa.

@cyber security symposium, Thursday 7th November 2013, morning

Giles Smith is the Deputy Director for Cyber Security and Resilience within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). He has responsibility for delivering BIS’ cyber security agenda which includes promoting awareness of cyber risks among businesses of all sizes, encouraging private sector behaviour change to better address cyber risks, boosting cyber skills within the current and future workforce, and growing the UK cyber security sector.

@environment & sustainability symposium, Friday 8th November 2013, morning

Prof. Ravi Silva is the Director of the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) at the University of Surrey, and heads the Nano-Electronics Centre which is an interdisciplinary research activity.

His research has resulted in over 380 presentations at international conferences, and over 360 journal papers. He has also received numerous awards including the IEE Achievement Award, the Albert Einstein Silver Medal, the Javed Husain Prize by UNESCO for contributions to electronic devices, and the Royal Society Clifford Patterson Award. In 2007, Ravi was the runner-up of the "Times Higher Education Young Scientist of the Year". He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences Sri Lanka.

@environment & sustainability symposium, Friday 8th November 2013, morning

Andy Heiron was until recently Head of the Electric Vehicle Programme for Renault UK, a position he had held since 2009. Previously he has worked in advertising, services and quality, fleet sales and regional management.   In mid 2013 he became responsible for establishing the Dacia brand in the UK.

Andy has a degree in Engineering and Management from the Univesrity of Durham.

@environment & sustainability symposium, Friday 8th November 2013, morning

Ben Fletcher studied Management at Royal Holloway, University of London and has worked in the motor industry for over 13 years. As head of the Renault Z.E. project in the UK he is responsible for product strategy, including positioning, specification, and pricing for the entire range of Renault electric vehicles.

Recently, his focus has been on the launch of Renault ZOE, the first mass-market electric B-segment hatchback.

Colin has worked on the mathematical verification and validation of software based systems for 30 years, helping to analyse and assure safety critcal systems such as the secondary protection system for Sizewell B and the avionics control systems for the Typhoon Eurofighter. He also served on the European Space Agency’s board of inquiry into the explosion of Ariane 5 during its first flight.

Colin is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the department of Computer Science at Oxford University and he is a director of D-RisQ, a company formed to commercially exploit formal methods tools for automotive, aerospace and other sectors.

Andy is the Head of International Business Operations at Titania Ltd, which supplies cyber security audit software solutions to security consultants and end-user organisations in government, finance, and technology corporations in over 45 countries worldwide.

Previously, he served for 6 years as an international trade advisor for the US Department of Commerce at the American Embassy in London, where he was responsible for promoting collaboration between UK and US cyber security companies, government and academia.

Dibble is the Chairman of 3SDL Ltd, a company he co-founded in April 2005 and which now provides defence and security communications and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance services to clients around the world. He currently heads 3SDL’s Cyber Security team.

At 17 Dibble earned a pilot’s licence and joined the RAF for a 20 year commission. Training initially as a pilot, he graduated as a combat ready Air Battle Manager. After a variety of land-based tours and sea-borne deployments, he went to the MOD to write information systems policy. Dibble retired from the RAF after a final tour procuring tactical data systems at the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) agency.

Nigel leads the Secured Navigation team at QinetiQ Malvern responsible for research and development, consultancy and solutions for secured navigation. He leads work on the development of satellite navigation receiver technology and in particular work on Europe’s new satellite navigation system, Galileo.

Nigel has over 20 years’ experience working in the field of satellite navigation, re-configurable processing (software radio), military secure radio communications, and propagation characterisation.  He is both a QinetiQ and IET Senior Fellow.

Pete is GE’s Avionics Controllers and Displays Engineering Executive VP for its Aviation business. In his role, Pete is responsible for the introduction of new avionics products to the market and the engineering support to them during production. Prior to this he was the Managing Director for a number of different businesses for QinetiQ specialising in C4ISTAR and Cyber Security.

Pete is a chartered Electrical Engineer and a member of IET. Pete completed the Stanford Executive Program in 2006 at Stanford University.

Steve has over 30 years of experience designing, managing and consulting in the wireless telecommunications industry. This experience includes product areas such as satellite communications systems, terrestrial voice and data networks, and mobile wireless systems.

As an engineering director and product manager for several telecommunications products with the Marconi company and start-up design companies, he also has a wealth of systems and product design experience. Steve is Managing Director of ASH Wireless Electronics Ltd, a creative wireless electronics consultancy, and also lectures part-time with the University of Southampton's Electronics and Computer Science wireless communications group.

Jon is the Head of Design at the Morgan Motor Company. Since he began working with Morgan in 2007, Jon has had a crucial role in the design of the Aero SuperSports, Aero Coupe, Morgan 3 Wheeler, and the new Plus 8. He has helped facelift the Classic Morgan car range and worked on the development Morgan LifeCar and EvaGt concept vehicles.

Before joining Morgan, Jon worked on short placements with Land Rover and TVR, whilst completing a degree in Automotive Design with first class honors. His responsibilities within the company now encompass all aspects of aesthetic design; brand and product design, marketing campaigns and vehicle interior and exterior design management.

Paul is Head of Technical & Quality for SHS Drinks Division. He is accountable for interpreting, implementing and leading the application of technical standards across the Drinks Division’s various independent business units.

Previously he was Director Innovation & External Networks with the Nutrition category of GlaxoSmithKline. Before GSK, Paul was Technical Director for The Virgin Drinks Group. Paul has also worked with Diageo, Cott Beverages, and Schweppes / Coca-Cola & Schweppes Beverages. Paul has a degree in Chemistry from the University of Birmingham and an MBA from Aston Business School.

Rachel is a research associate in geophysics at Keele University. Her research areas include monitoring and modelling of wind turbine vibrations and induced seismicity from shale gas exploration. She obtained her PhD in Applied Geophysics, looking at wind turbine vibrations, from Keele in 2012. Rachel also teach about environmental sustainability and sustainable technologies.

Rachel has experience of working in the defence industry developing unmanned aerial vehicles and she is a director of the family business. She has a BSc in Computational Mathematics from Leicester University and MSc in Artificial Intelligence from Edinburgh University.

Chris co-founded and leads Ordnance Survey’s open innovation network GeoVation. He is a geographer, and land and water resources scientist with over 30 years’ experience in developing innovative uses of geography and geographic information at home and overseas within public, private and civil society sectors.

Chris has presented widely on innovation and geography, is a member of the Innovation Leadership Forum, the Union Innovation network, and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Mike is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Computing and Technology at the University of Gloucestershire where he teaches on topics that include mobile systems, arduino, and interactive software.

Mike is also an app developer with an interest in geotourism, and currently has authored apps available on the Apple Store & Google Play that include a set for walking the Geopark Way, Talking News, and Jubilant Stories. He started his career in graphic design, migrating to physics, real-time software, embedded systems, multimedia systems, web and now app development.

Alastair Shortland is the CEO and Founder of the award-winning mobile messaging company Textlocal.

Alastair studied Computer Science in Nottingham before working for the Defence giant QinetiQ, and then on several projects for The Met Office and European Air Traffic Control. He was also a Support Manager with Dynmark and Developer at CGP Associates.

Andrew is a Business Events Manager for the Intellectual Property Office. Andrew joined the Intellectual Property Office in January 2012 offering advice to callers in the Information Centre and moved to the Business Outreach team in December 2012. Prior to working for the Intellectual Property Office Andrew worked for many years in a variety of customer service and sales roles within many industries ranging from utilities to local media.

Andrew is a native of South Wales and studied electronic engineering at the University of Manchester. He is a big sports fan and can regularly be found in the stands at Old Trafford or The Millennium Stadium.

Michael is a Director at Systematic Innovation Ltd. a leading global Innovation Consultancy specialising in disruptive and breakthrough innovation. As a materials scientist, he began his career with Rolls-Royce plc and has subsequently held executive positions with ABB Power Generation, DONCASTERS plc, and Bowman Power Group.

He is experienced in product development, including the design and launch of a 100kW Micro-turbine, directionally solidified and single crystal turbine blades for industrial gas turbines, and internally profiled high temperature petrochemical tubes. Michael has a degree in Materials Engineering and a Diploma in Management Studies.

Jeremy is a partner at QualitySolicitors Parkinson Wright and also Head of the Commercial Department. He obtained an LLB from Southampton University in 1985 and joined QualitySolicitors Parkinson Wright from Wragge & Co in 1991.

Jeremy deals with all aspects of corporate finance and commercial transactions including: Company commercial work, formation of companies, advice regarding company activities, commercial agreements/leases and associated matters. He also manages Employee contracts, Partnership matters, insolvency, intellectual property rights and competition matters, commercial property, commercial disputes and contract law prior to the issue of proceedings.

Russell is Managing Director of Atwell International, having joined the company in 1998 as the Commercial Manager, and worked his way up to Commercial Director before becoming the Managing Director in 2010.

Before taking over as the Managing Director, Russell was largely responsible for the development of the VG brand of lift safety components and has been involved in all aspects of the design, testing and production of the current range of products.

James is a Director, Growth Capital at Santander Corporate & Commercial. He is a chartered accountant with 18 years experience in corporate finance, leveraged finance and industry. He spent nine years at Royal Bank of Scotland where he was an expert in leveraged finance, including growth capital within Total Capital Finance.

He was previously Chief Financial Officer at Radius Systems where he gained a huge amount of experience in dealing with private equity funds as 3i plc was one of his key shareholders. James has extensive experience in cross-sector deal origination, structuring and execution.

Chris is a tax partner at Chartered Accountants, Bishop Fleming.  Having trained with PwC in both audit and tax, he spent several years gaining experience on the ‘other side of the fence’, notably as Head of Tax for easyJet. Chris then returned to practice as a tax partner in 2007 before joining Bishop Fleming earlier this year.

He has advised a wide range of businesses and their owners on tax compliance, mitigation and planning. His clients range from technology start-ups to international airlines, and his particular specialisms include advising companies in the technology sector. Chris is also a regular tax and business commentator for the BBC.

Linda is Head of International Trade for UKTI Herefordshire & Worcestershire and responsible for the strategic delivery of the UK Trade & Investment contract in the two counties. She and the team of advisors work with local companies to develop export sales opportunities and commercial international relationships to create and improve new business overseas.

Linda's background in industry includes holding directorships for manufacturing and technical companies with extensive export sales experience to over thirty markets. Thermal imaging and surveillance sector product experience and preparing for international launch and sales channel development are also areas of expertise.

Roger is a geotechnical data management specialist and Managing Director of Keynetix Limited, a company he co-founded in 2000. Roger has spoken at conferences in the UK, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Qata, USA and South Africa on the benefits of integrated data management and is currently focussing on Keynetix’s international strategy.

Keynetix were finalists in the UKTI Export for Growth awards in 2012 and have increased their exports fivefold in the last two yesrs with assistance from the UKTI's Passport to Export and Global Gateway to Growth schemes.

Andrew is Digital Lead Specialist at the Technology Strategy Board. He joined the Department of Trade and Industry, on secondment from the National Physical Laboratory, to run the Network Security Innovation Platform in April 2006. He transferred his secondment to the Technology Strategy Board on its inception in July 2007.

Prior to this he worked for Serco Science at the National Physical Laboratory, where he managed business development for the Division of Enabling Metrology. Immediately prior to this he worked for Serco Group PLC, as a business development manager in their Technology division, working in areas such as speed enforcement, automatic number plate recognition, and traffic control systems.

Bob is a member of CMC Partners and has been providing practical help and guidance to clients running their own business for over 20 years and to drive business growth, prepare for exit or succession, secure competitive advantage, and improve efficiency.

Bob is an experienced director, general manager with specialist experience in sales, marketing and the IT Industry sector. He has run his own consultancy business for 10 years so understands the opportunities and demands facing an owner manager. During his career he was a board member at Versatec, a Xerox company and he worked for industry analysts and consultants Cambashi.

Mike is the owner of Investmentors, an associate of Minerva, and a Grant Thornton Growth Accelerator Access to Finance Coach.  Following a successful career at board level in the manufacturing sector, 20 years experience as an International Management Consultant specializing in business appraisal, strategy development, business turn around and the management of major change projects, Mike has now brought these skills to the SME growth market.

Mike has a wealth of experience as a business coach and mentor in business strategy development, business planning, and investor readiness preparation.

Hazel is the chairman of FirstCapital, which she co-founded in 1999. She has over 20 years experience in advising technology companies on mergers and acquisitions and raising venture capital and private equity, as well as advising family offices, institutional and strategic investors on investments and portfolio strategies.

Hazel is a member of the Governing Board of the Technology Strategy Board and is on the Investment Advisory Panel for the North West Fund. Previously she was based in Hong Kong and London for W.I. Carr, and began her career with GEC Marconi. Hazel has an MA in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Chris is a tax partner at Chartered Accountants, Bishop Fleming. Having trained with PwC in both audit and tax, he spent several years gaining experience on the ‘other side of the fence’, notably as Head of Tax for easyJet. Chris then returned to practice as a tax partner in 2007 before joining Bishop Fleming earlier this year.

He has advised a wide range of businesses and their owners on tax compliance, mitigation and planning. His clients range from technology start-ups to international airlines, and his particular specialisms include advising companies in the technology sector. Chris is also a regular tax and business commentator for the BBC.