Connected Britain 2026: agenda and talks

143 sessions across 12 theatres. Times and access details as published by the organiser — always check the official programme on the day.

Getting in

Every published ticket type, including the criteria-based free pass, includes conference stage access. There is no exhibition-only ticket.

Checked 2026-08-04 · organiser programme

All sessions Wednesday 9 September Thursday 10 September Exhibition Hall Keynote Theatre People, Skills & Recruitment Zone Theatre 1 Theatre 10 Theatre 2 Theatre 3 Theatre 4 Theatre 5 Theatre 6 Theatre 8 Theatre 9

Wednesday 9 September 2026

08:55
Chair's address
Keynote Theatre
Included
Harry Baldock, Editor, Total Telecom
09:00
Keynote address: 'The Connection Project'
Keynote Theatre
Included
Natalie Ceeney CBE, Chair, The Connection Project
09:10
Keynote interview
Keynote Theatre
Included
Andrea Donà, Chief Network Officer, VodafoneThree · James Ratzer, Partner, New Street Research
09:20
Keynote interview with Cornerstone
Keynote Theatre
Included
Pat Coxen, Chief Executive Officer, Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited
09:35
Regulator's address
Keynote Theatre
Included
Natalie Black, Group Director for Infrastructure & Connectivity, ofcom
09:50
Keynote address from Nokia
Keynote Theatre
Included
Paul Alexander, MD UK&I, Nokia
10:20
Networking break
Exhibition Hall
Included
10:30
AI Opportunity Clinic
People, Skills & Recruitment Zone
Included
Luc Elsby, Founder, Leverage AI
10:35
Introduction to the Zone
People, Skills & Recruitment Zone
Included
Leigh Smyth, CEO, ImpactMatch · Tom Kegode, Founder, Sparkshift
10:35
Presentation from TP-Link
Theatre 10
Included
10:55
The next gigabit upgrade: Commercialising XGS-PON and planning for next-gen
Theatre 2
Included
Graeme Oxby, CEO, Community Fibre · Justin Leese, CTO, Quickline Communications · David Tomalin, Group Chief Technology Officer, CityFibre · Hy Huynh, Vice President of Fiber Products, Harmonic Inc. · Tim Passingham, Chairman, Lightning Fibre
10:55
Guardrails for growth: Navigating the rapid expansion of AI
Theatre 6
Included
Chris Williams, Chief Information Officer, Community Fibre · Annie Radcliffe, Digital Policy Adviser, Local Government Association · Mark Horgan, CEO, SkillsBase App Ltd · David Jones, Partner, Cambridge Management Consulting
10:55
Policy and regulatory considerations for the UK’s mobile market
Keynote Theatre
Included
Shamil Jobanputra, Principal, Regulatory Affairs, BT · George Robinson, Head of Government affairs, VodafoneThree · Andy Sutton MBE, Director of Technology and Mobile, ofcom · Hamish Macleod, Chief Executive, Mobile UK · Matthew Howett, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Assembly Research
10:55
The AI-driven city: Optimising urban services with data and connectivity
Theatre 10
Included
Kayla Vondy, Project Manager - AI, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority · Vicky Willett, Deputy Chief Executive, Chorley Council and South Ribble Borough Council · Professor Julie McCann, Federated Telecoms Hubs Co-Director, Imperial College London · Peter Griffiths, UKI & Nordic lead / Urban futurist, BABLE Smart Cities
10:55
Powering Britain: The importance of data centres for national economic growth
Theatre 9
Included
Mark Lee, CEO, Deep Green · Iqbal Bedi, Managing Partner, Intelligens Consulting · Allan Bosley, Director, Public Affairs, Ark Data Centres
10:55
Why Empathy is the High-Performance Engine of 2030
People, Skills & Recruitment Zone
Included
Kamel Hothi OBE, Chief Strategy Officer, GoldenPoint Global - UK & India
10:55
Data centres demystified: Colocation, hyperscale and edge data centres
Theatre 5
Included
Mark Sedgley, Chief Commercial Director, Lunar Digital Solutions Limited · Duncan Clubb, Senior Partner, Cambridge Management Consulting · Evan Rogers, Network Architect - Carrier Networks, EMEA, Corning Optical Communications GmbH & Co. KG · Alastair Waite, Data Centre Market Development, CommScope
10:55
Modernising the grid: The digital utility roadmap
Theatre 1
Included
Matt James, Head of Strategic Innovation, Smart DCC · Craig Melson, Associate Director for Climate, Environment and Sustainability, techUK · Swetta Coopamah, Head of Smart Energy Systems, BEAMA
10:55
Digital inclusion: The big picture
Theatre 3
Included
Elizabeth Anderson, Chief Executive Officer, Digital Poverty Alliance · Rich Thanki, Managing Director, Jangala · Will Plant, Digital Inclusion Lead, Cambridgeshire County Council · Grace Perks, Digital Adviser, Local Government Association · Lorne Mitchell, MD, Objective Designers · Amy Low, CEO, AbilityNet
10:55
Connected authorities: Did we deliver the digital dream and who benefits today?
Theatre 8
Included
Ian Inglis, Programme Manager - Digital Infrastructure and Inclusion, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority · Carol Thomas, Director Digital & ICT, Southend Borough Council · Nicola Egan, Director, NSC Digital · Patrick Hannon, Digital Connectivity Relationship Manager, Pembrokeshire County Council · Theresa Searle, Telecoms Unit Manager, Glasgow City Council · Jennie Bayliss, CEO, J Bayliss Consulting Ltd
11:15
Keeping hiring human when everyone is using AI
Location to be confirmed
Included
Nina Buttle, Partner, Page Executive · Mike Daley, Global Director of Technology, Enterprise Solutions from Michael Page
11:40
Presentation from iLOQ
Theatre 1
Included
Michelle Rodgers, Country Manager UK & Ireland, iLOQ
11:40
Presentation from Teligent
Theatre 6
Included
11:40
Recruitment Zone Sponsor Presentation
People, Skills & Recruitment Zone
Included
11:40
Full Fibre Wacky Races 7 – A marriage made in heaven?
Theatre 9
Included
Richard Tang, CEO and Founder, Zen Internet
11:40
Putting policy into practice: how front-footed Local Authorities can lead on national digital infrastructure
Theatre 8
Included
Jo Furber, Digital Infrastructure Relationship Manager, West Sussex County Council
11:40
Presentation from Calix
Keynote Theatre
Included
11:40
Engineering the Fibre Infrastructure Behind Hyperscale Data Centres
Theatre 5
Included
Henson Toland, General Manager, Product & Technology, HFCL Group
12:10
State of the Industry: CXO Keynote Addresses & Interviews
Keynote Theatre
Included
Simon Holden, Chief Executive Officer, CityFibre · Rajiv Datta, Chief Executive Officer, nexfibre · Daren Baythorpe, CEO, ITS · Katie Milligan, Chief Executive Officer, Openreach
12:35
CXO keynote panel
Keynote Theatre
Included
Simon Holden, Chief Executive Officer, CityFibre · Kieran Smith, Deputy Director Digital and Transformation, Financial Times · Rajiv Datta, Chief Executive Officer, nexfibre · Daren Baythorpe, CEO, ITS · Richard Allwood, Chief Strategy & Technology Officer, Openreach
14:00
The Human Side of Connectivity: Beyond the Cables
Theatre 10
Included
Parven Kaur, Founder, Kids N Clicks
14:00
Presentation from ADTRAN
Keynote Theatre
Included
14:00
Case study presentation
Theatre 8
Included
Geoff Connell, Director of Digital & Transformation, Norfolk County Council
14:00
Presentation from Emtelle
Theatre 5
Included
Juan Colina, Managing Director, Emtelle
14:00
The Right Broadband Technology for the Right Location
Theatre 2
Included
Ivo Lansky, Business Lead Europe, Tarana
14:00
From Project Stratum to Gigabit: The Blueprint for Delivering Rural Connectivity in Northern Ireland and Cumbria
Theatre 9
Included
Jennifer Lennon, Managing Director Hyperfast Networks, Fibrus
14:00
Meet the judges
Theatre 6
Included
Abdalla Kablan, Founder & CEO, DELTA Wealth Partners · Dan Ballin, Chief Executive, Ideas Crucible · Susanne Coles, Deputy Director - Investment Ecosystem, Innovate UK
14:20
AI trailblazers: Practical applications of AI for local authorities
Theatre 8
Included
Balázs Csuvár, Director of Innovation and Net Zero, DG Cities · Kieran Smith, Deputy Director Digital and Transformation, Greater Manchester Combined Authority
14:20
The neutral host ecosystem: Unlocking investment and coverage across the UK
Theatre 2
Included
Neil McRae, Chief Technology and Information Officer, CityFibre · Sarah Bazen, Digital Infrastructure Strategic lead, West Sussex County Council · Simon Fletcher, CSO, Small Cell Forum Limited · Chris Hudson, Director, Scottish Futures Trust · Belinda Fawcett, Company Secretary and Director of Regulatory and Public Affairs, Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited · Rosalind Craven, Principal Analyst, STL Partners
14:20
Data-driven planning and mobility
Theatre 10
Included
Naomi Hutchinson, Chief Innovation and Growth Officer, Sunderland City Council · David Davies, Vice President - Management Consulting EMEA, Cartesian · James Golding-Graham, Head of Decarbonisation & Innovation, England's Economic Heartland
14:20
Universal Design: Accessibility and inclusion in a technological world
Theatre 3
Included
Robin Christopherson MBE, Head of Digital Inclusion, AbilityNet · Leigh Smyth, CEO, ImpactMatch · Polly Cook, Head of Services, Blood Cancer UK · Karen Blake, Tech Inclusion, Policy & Organisational Transformation Strategist, City of London Corp and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology · Chris Lewis, Founding Director, Lewis Insight
14:20
Collaborating with the DWP to build the connectivity workforce
Location to be confirmed
Included
14:20
Connected Scotland: Policy, geography, and the R100 legacy
Theatre 9
Included
Gavin Rodgers, Chief Executive Officer, Highland Broadband · Rachael Darroch, Programme Manager, Scottish Government · Bob Doyle, Investment Specialist, Scottish Development International · Alejandro Cardenas, Associate Partner, Fide Partners
14:20
Interconnected Britain: Fibre, networks and the new telco – data centre alliance
Theatre 5
Included
Iain Milligan, Network Development and Infrastructure Director, VodafoneThree · Simon Evans, Principal, Cartesian · Juan Colina, Managing Director, Emtelle · Dwayne Gibson-White, Partner, EY-Parthenon
14:20
Pitching competition for the Connected Britain Startup of the Year Award
Theatre 6
Included
14:20
When Failure Is No Longer an Option: The New Imperative for Fiber Infrastructure Quality
Keynote Theatre
Included
José Luis Gonzalez, Network Architect, CommScope
14:20
Water works: Digitising the UK's water infrastructure
Theatre 1
Included
Matt Smith, Programme Manager River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region, Shropshire Council · Josh Turpin, Programme Manager - Telecoms and Net Zero, techUK · Jo Jolly, Director of Environment and Innovation, Ofwat (Water Services Regulation Authority) · Ben Melton, Head of Operational Technology, Anglian Water · Armenak Antinyan, Head of Behavioural Economics, Thames Water
14:40
Bridging the divide: A national strategy for rural connectivity
Keynote Theatre
Included
Alastair Taylor, Chief Executive, NYnet Ltd · Gareth Elliott, Director of Policy and Communications, Mobile UK · Lesley Cowley OBE, Chair, BDUK · Ivo Lansky, Business Lead Europe, Tarana · Alex Mather, Head, Digital Connectivity Forum
14:50
From pilots to systems: how cities use systems approaches to scale digital inclusion and device reuse
Theatre 8
Included
Laura Waller, Digital Services and Inclusion Lead, Coventry City Council · Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer, Virgin Media O2 · Gary Walpole, Co-Director of the Regional Innovation and Regeneration Centre, Cardiff Metropolitan University · Ed Houghton, Director of Research and Insights, DG Cities
15:00
“Are data centres a benefit or a burden”? Community impact vs. National demand
Theatre 4
Included
Darren Shenkin, Founder, Shenkin Advisory · Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director of Inclusive Economy, Skills and Culture, West Yorkshire combined authority · Mariska Van Beukering, Chief Marketing Officer, Stellanor Datacenters · Pete Nisbet, CEO, edenseven
15:00
Long Haul Infrastructure and the Race for Fibre Capacity
Theatre 2
Included
Mark Nightingale, Applications Engineering Manager, Hexatronic UK
15:00
The Path to Cashflow Positive
Theatre 3
Included
Rebecca Dobson, Chief People Officer, MS3 Networks Ltd · Lisa Hand, People Director, Cardiff Airport · Helen Datlen, People Director for Telecoms, Independent · Chris Stening, Senior Advisor, Freyloe Ltd
15:20
Investing in the architects of 2030
People, Skills & Recruitment Zone
Included
Puja Patel, Strategic Programmes Lead, Santander
15:25
Presentation from eero, an Amazon company
Keynote Theatre
Included
15:25
Norfolk’s Digital Inclusion Journey: Connecting People, Breaking Barriers, Tackling Social Isolation
Theatre 8
Included
Gail Harvey, Digital Inclusion Programme Manager, Norfolk County Council · Karen Robson, Community Tech Coach, Norfolk County Council · Danielle Prostrollo-Hill, Digital Inclusion Project Officer, Norfolk County Council
15:25
Channel Britain: Evolving commercial strategy to meet enterprise requirements
Theatre 1
Included
Toby Shute, Channel Sales Manager, FluidOne · Tom Thornton, Managing Director of Connectivity, Everflow · Richard Webb, Principal Analyst, STL Partners
15:25
Presentation from Teleste
Theatre 3
Included
15:25
Presentation from Octave
Theatre 10
Included
Shane Gwilt MCInstCES, GPR Business Development, Leica Geosystems · Peter Larsson, Senior Account Manager, Octave
15:25
No one left behind - the Liverpool City Region digital inclusion model
Theatre 9
Included
Tara Jussa, Digital Inclusion Officer, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
15:40
10 million futures: Fair chance hiring at scale
People, Skills & Recruitment Zone
Included
Jonathan Ley, CEO, Make Time Count · Neil Wood, COO, Fair Chance Business Alliance · Matthias Stausberg, Group Advocacy Director, Virgin · Simon Blockley, CEO - UK & Europe, Impellam UK & Europe
15:45
Change the system, not the person: using behavioural systems mapping to tackle digital exclusion
Theatre 9
Included
Karolina Majkowska, Digital Inclusion and Training Lead, Royal Borough of Greenwich · George Eckton, Insights Programme, Digital Inclusion Alliance · Ed Houghton, Director of Research and Insights, DG Cities
15:45
5G and private networks: The industrial connectivity revolution
Theatre 10
Included
Alessandro Bovone, Chief Technology Officer, JT Global · Damian Cross, Head of Technology and Automation, Peel Ports Group · Mike Lewis, Market Advisor, Enterprise Ireland
15:45
The unbreakable network: Ensuring resilience against climate, cyber, and power threats
Theatre 2
Included
Peter Carter, Senior Business Resilience Manager, VodafoneThree · Elena Parsons, Strategic Business Manager, National Physical Laboratory · Jonathan Fowler, Director Technology and Solutions, Adtran · Alwyn Seeds, Director, National Dark Fibre Facility (NDFF) · Alex Davies, Senior Analyst & Editor, Rethink Technology Research
15:45
Planning reform and policy readiness: Is the UK fit for the AI data centre boom?
Theatre 4
Included
John Duncan, Connected Places Lead, Greater Manchester Combined Authority · Bart Smallman, Research Analyst, Assembly Research · Daniel Ray, Director of Planning Services & Chief Planning Officer, Slough Borough Council
15:45
Closing the MDU gap: Regulation, wayleaves, and competition
Theatre 3
Included
Laura West, Commercial Committee, British Property Federation & Director, Fieldfisher · Will Goodall, Elevate Wholesale Director, Elevate Wholesale · Mariko Newell, Senior Legal Counsel, Virgin Media O2 · James Robinson, Senior Analyst, Assembly Research
15:45
AI and beyond: Building a strategy to deliver market-leading CX
Theatre 6
Included
Jonathan Tree, CEO, Home Unity Ltd · Tiffany Shurr, Vice President Sales, Calix · David Mitchell, Managing Director, Hull Fibre Limited · Jamie Flint, Director Corporate Affairs, Gigaclear · Karen Laycock, Director AI Product & Strategy, former Verizon
15:45
Shaping the future of fibre: Regulation, policy and outlook
Keynote Theatre
Included
Ben Harries, Policy Director, Competition & Markets, ofcom · Lindsey Fussell, Chair, Digital Connectivity Forum · Gita Sorensen, INCA TAR Advisor, Investor and Founder Director at Digostics & MD, GOS Consulting · Alex Blowers, Director of Regulatory Affairs, CityFibre · James Tickel, Director, Regulatory Policy & Strategy, Openreach
15:45
Devolution, reform and digital readiness: Is connectivity keeping pace with change?
Theatre 8
Included
Tom Jenkins, Economic Development Manager, Ashford Borough Council · Lorna Rogers, Director of Digital & Transformation & Board Director for LCR Connect, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority · Freyja Lockwood, Digital Transformation Programme Manager, West of England Combined Authority · Liz Harrison, Head of Broadband Delivery, Kent County Council · Lisa Trickey, Lead Advisor Digital Change LG Horizons, Local Government Association · Ceren Clulow, Managing Consultant, Spirit Public Sector Ltd
16:00
The ethics of acceleration: Balancing rapid tech innovation with human-centric values
People, Skills & Recruitment Zone
Included
Annie Hind, Digital Platform Lead, Lloyds Banking Group · Nick Edwards, Group Chief Technology Officer, The AA · Maria Thomas, Learning Delivery Senior Manager, Government Digital Service, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) · Karen Blake, Tech Inclusion, Policy & Organisational Transformation Strategist, City of London Corp and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
16:05
Powering the UK’s EV charging infrastructure
Theatre 1
Included
Shamala Gadgil, EV Infrastructure Programme Manager, Coventry City Council · Matt Croucher, Chief Commercial Officer, Believ · Alex Gilbert, Head of Energy & Electrification, Places for London
16:20
Fireside chat: AbilityNet & EdenChase Associates
People, Skills & Recruitment Zone
Included
Cressida Stephenson, CEO, EdenChase Associates · Amy Low, CEO, AbilityNet
16:25
Places that click
Theatre 9
Included
Aaron Slater, Digital Inclusion Manager, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations
16:25
Presentation from Which?
Theatre 3
Included
Tom Lowe, Principal Policy Advisor, Which?
16:25
Buying blind: Why the fibre consolidation and M&A wave will be won or lost on data
Theatre 2
Included
Lola Le Fur, Head of M&A, IQGeo
16:25
Empowering people: Building the workforce to enable the UK’s data centre economy
Theatre 4
Included
Nzinga Gardner, Founder, ATOZING · Mandie Beitner, Founder Director, SorTTed Ltd
16:25
Accelerating Small Cell Growth Through Local Action
Theatre 8
Included
Matt Smith, Programme Manager River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region, Shropshire Council
16:50
Connecting social housing: Solving digital exclusion and operational barriers
Theatre 3
Included
Dave Axam, Chief Executive Officer, Giggle · Ben Mills, Digital Empowerment Officer, Platform Housing Group · Lynsey Telford, Project and Delivery Manager, Glasgow City Council · Hayley O'Brien, Project Manager, Founds Group
16:50
Scaling connectivity to improve the UK’s road networks
Theatre 1
Included
Chris Founds, Director & Founding Partner, Founds Group · Haitao He, Director of Transport AI Innovation Centre (TRAICE), University of Loughborough · Tim Bellamy, Assistant Director, Transport, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority
16:50
Consolidation, M&A and competition: The changing investment landscape
Keynote Theatre
Included
Conal Henry, Chair, Fibrus · Peter O'Flaherty, Managing Director, Networks & Digital Infrastructure, Equitix · Michael Weekes, Principal, Oxera Consulting LLP · Oliver Loveless, Principal, Analysys Mason · Rob Hamlin, Chief Strategy Officer, CityFibre
16:50
Protecting Britain’s new critical national infrastructure: Security, sovereignty & resilience
Theatre 5
Included
Áine MacDermot, Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security and Digital Forensics, Liverpool John Moores University · Alan Nichols, Chief Executive Officer, Tekton Limited · Peter Cutler, EMEA Sales Engineering Lead, Corero Network Security
16:50
Open RAN and cloudification: Moving from trials to mass deployment in the UK
Theatre 2
Included
Dimitra Simeonidou, Director Smart Internet Lab, University of Bristol · Andrew Miles, Director, Aerix & Liverpool 5G, Aerix · Will Townsend, Vice President & Principal Analyst - Networking & Security Practices, Moor Insights and Strategy
16:50
Scaling industrial AI across the UK economy
Theatre 6
Included
Ayesha Hussain, Data Governance and Quality Lead, University of Leeds · Dimitrios Kanoulas, Professor in Robotics & AI UKRI Future Leaders Fellow,, Intelligent Robotics UCL · Stacie Hoffmann, Head of Strategic Growth and Department for Data Science and AI, National Physical Laboratory · Nick Lansman, President, Public Affairs, Clarity Global
16:50
Greater Manchester and the North-West: A blueprint for digital partnership
Theatre 9
Included
Cllr Nick Peel, Leader of Bolton Council Digital Portfolio Lead, Greater Manchester Combined Authority
16:50
Place leadership in a digital Britain: Are local authorities ready for what’s next?
Theatre 8
Included
John Duncan, Connected Places Lead, Greater Manchester Combined Authority · Isobel Thomas, Head of Community Partnerships, Good Things Foundation · Heather Clark, Head of City Economy, City of Wolverhampton Council · Anna Malone, Operations Manager Transport Franchising, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority · Gareth Williams, Senior Consultant, Intelligens Consulting
16:50
Rural economies: Connectivity as a driver for growth
Theatre 10
Included
Hector Gibson Fleming, CEO, Wessex Internet · Simon Laing, Rural Start-up Advisor, Rural Design Centre · Sarah Eynon, Broadband Programme Director, Scottish Government, Digital Connectivity · Tom Rigg, CEO, Broadband for the Rural North Ltd · Oliver Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, Point Topic
17:30
Networking drinks
Exhibition Hall
Included
17:45
Connected Britain Awards
Keynote Theatre
Included