• Harness the power of data and AI without losing control.
• Navigate AI, data sovereignty and the new digital landscape.
• Shift data teams from support functions to business enablers.
• Keep human judgement, empathy and skills at the heart of transformation.
• Build trust, governance and responsibility into data excellence

• Where should you place your next investment if you want measurable operational return, not another proof of concept?
• What foundations - data, governance, ownership, skills - have to exist before AI can scale past a single site?
• How does senior leadership need to rethink digital investment to move the needle on national productivity?
• What separates a pilot that becomes standard practice from one that quietly dies?
• What did Medik8, Weir and Cognite get wrong before they got it right?

Moderator: Andrew Delaney, Programme Director, Finelight Media Group
Manou Campbell, Head of Data & Information Systems, Medik8
Walid Hadid, Group Head of Digital & Automation, Weir
Dr. Slimane Allab, Global Technology Executive and Senior Vice President of Manufacturing, Cognite
Representative, SnapLogic
Nick Pike, SVP & GM EMEA, SnapLogic

• What does "good" data governance actually deliver in commercial terms, not just in theory?
• What are the foundational elements of governance, and why does data literacy - not just dashboards - actually change decisions?
• Is there a genuine bridge between operations and the business, and where does it usually break?
• How can data quality be measured in a way that proves operational improvement rather than just compliance?
• What are DS Smith, BAT and Kenvue doing differently to embed data literacy beyond the reporting layer?

Moderator: Yaniv Naor, Data Management, Governance and AI expert
Gerald Schmidt, Head of Engineering, Digital & Data, DS Smith
Malgorzata Samuel, Operations Data Standards Manager, BAT
Darren Lewis, Senior Data Analyst, Kenvue

• IT, operations, digital, or a dedicated function - who should genuinely own AI and digital transformation?
• What skills gaps quietly block scale long after the technology itself is proven?
• How do you avoid "solution overload" without losing momentum?
• Does your senior leadership actually understand what the transformation will demand of them?

Moderator: Mariya Tarabanovska, Innovation Lead - Applied AI, Innovate UK
Yaniv Naor, Data Management, Governance and AI expert

• Where do AI and automation genuinely accelerate lean principles - and where do they just add noise?
• How are Jaguar Land Rover and others measuring and managing lean KPIs alongside digital investment?
• What's the most effective way to link digital initiatives directly to productivity metrics your board will recognise?
• Where does data eliminate waste - and where does it quietly create new complexity instead?
• How do you design for a future state without losing today's operational discipline?

Moderator: Manou Campbell, Head of Data & Information Systems, Medik8
Katharina Spitzhirn-Eckhardt, Solutions Architect, Operational Excellence & Lean Six Sigma, Minitab
Sofia Karlen, Smart Factory Product Management Lead, Mars
Simon Fletcher, Director of Business Excellence, tk accelis
Andrew Munday, Global Technology Director, Babcock International Group

Join a roundtable discussion for a deep-dive, interactive discussion with your peers on some of the day’s most important themes. Address common problems, benchmark your progress and come away with practical solutions and takeaways!

1. Data AI & strategy - where to start and how to scale? 
   Led by: Sofia Karlen, Smart Factory Product Management Lead, Mars 
2. How do you ensure digital investment drives long-term enterprise value? Creating the right mindset and culture. Where is the weakness in our culture? Are we self-introspective?
   Led by: Malgorzata Samuel, Operations Data Standards Manager, BAT
   Dr Valeria Ramirez, Researcher, Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge
   
3. How to avoid being overloaded by high volumes of data and how to unleash data value?
   Rajesh Mahajan, Director - Data and AI, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
4. How do you turn the data strategy into measurable benefits in a manufacturing environment such as cost savings , efficiency, improvements in hours or headcount production as an example?
   Led by: Adina Manisor, Global Head of Data & Analytics Product, Electrolux AB
   
5. Closing smart manufacturing gap with manufacturing partners
   Led by: Andrew Munday, Global Technology Director, Babcock International Group