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Published: 26 May 2026 11:35
Now in its 16th year, Computer Weekly’s search for the 50 most influential people in UK IT is more relevant than ever, and selecting the top 50 shortlist is a mammoth task with so many deserving candidates.
Each year, the list of nominations grows as the tech industry tells us who it thinks deserves a place in the top 50. The quality and achievements of the 2026 nominees is perhaps a reflection of how incredibly relevant technology has become for the country’s economy, business and people’s lives, which is why the UKtech50 list continues to recognise the technology leaders driving the digital economy.
The shortlist of 50 names chosen by our expert panel of judges will be published shortly, allowing readers to vote for who they think should be recognised as the most influential leader in UK IT to help the judges make their final decision. The winner will be announced 2 July.
It has been a year that has demonstrated amazing talent, innovation and resolve among the country’s technology leaders, who recognise the value digital technologies can bring to society, which is why Computer Weekly has decided to reveal all of the nominees who were considered for this year’s top 50 list.
Huge congratulations to everyone who has made it onto the longlist. It is a great achievement and shows the depth of capability across the UK tech industry.
A big thank you also to our partner in the UKtech50 programme, global talent and technology solutions provider Harvey Nash.
The 2026 nominations for the most influential leaders in UK IT are (in alphabetical order):
Abadesi Osunsade, founder and CEO, Hustle Crew
Abbie Morris, CEO and co-founder, Compare Ethics
Adam Warne, managing director, head of EMM shared platform engineering, Barclays UK
Adrian Blundell, chief digital information officer (CDIO), Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Aimee Smith, chief data officer, Government Digital Service
Akiko Hart, director, Liberty
Al Kingsley, CEO, NetSupport
Alan Bates, Post Office scandal campaigner; chair, Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance
Alan Carson, CTO and co-founder, Cloudsmith
Alan Chang, founder and CEO, Fuse Energy
Alex Bazin, chief technology officer (CTO) and chief operating officer (COO), Lewis Silkin
Alex Kendall, CEO, Wayve
Alex Towers, director of policy and public affairs, BT Group
Alexander Grafetsberger, managing director, Luware UK; vice-president of Luware Recording, Luware
Alexandra Jones, director general for science, innovation and growth, DSIT
Alice Bentinck, co-founder, Entrepreneur First
Alison Davis, executive director, pharmaceutical diagnostics (PDx) S/4HANA business transformation, GE Healthcare – PDx
Alison Kay, vice-president and managing director, AWS UK and Ireland
Alison McLaughlin, director, ETMAD Ltd
Alistair Forbes, CEO, Scottish Tech Army
Allan Boardman, founder, CyberAdvisor
Allan Mayberry, director of engineering and site lead, Planet DDS
Allison Kirkby, CEO, BT Group
Amanda Brock, CEO, OpenUK
Andrea Eschle, chief product officer, SDWorx
Andrew Hendry, CDIO, Police Scotland
Andrew Roughan, CEO, Defence Holdings
Andrew Williams, chair, ScotlandIS
Andy Gamble, CIO, Currys
Andy McClintock, CDIO, Social Security Scotland
Angela McLean, chief scientific adviser, UK government
Ankit Jadav, global head of digital operations, Portmeirion Group; alumni and industry fellow, Nottingham Trent University
Ankur Anand, CIO, Nash Squared
Ann Marie Gallacher, CIO, NHS 24 Scotland
Ann Maya, CTO, Boomi
Ann O’Neill co-founder and CEO, Adora Digital Health
Anna Brailsford, CEO, Code First Girls
Anne Boden, founder, Starling Bank
Anne Keast-Butler, director, GCHQ
Anne-Marie Imafidon, CEO, Stemettes; Women in Tech Envoy, DSIT
Antony Walker, deputy CEO, TechUK
Arfah Farooq, Angel investor, Ada Ventures’ founder, Muslamic Makers
Asha Easton, immersive tech network lead, Innovate UK
Ashley Warren, CIO, SSE
Audrey Mandela, chair, Women in Telecoms and Technology; investor, consultant, mentor
Avril Chester, founder, Cancer Central
Beckie Taylor, founder, Empower/Voices in Tech/The Sound Barrier
Becky Lodge, CEO and founder, Startup Disruptors
Bella Abrams, group CTO, Jisc
Ben Roome, CEO, Mova
Beth Hopkins, COO, NCSC
Betty de Jongh, head of platforms, Ashurst
Bev White, CEO, Nash Squared
Bill Buchanan, professor, Edinburgh Napier University
Bindi Karia, venture partner, Molten Ventures
Blaise Metreweli, chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)
Brent Hoberman, entrepreneur; chair of founders Factory and founders Forum
Brian Reid, director of corporate operations, The Scottish Government
Bridgette Bigmore, CTO, UK Telecoms Lab
Carlos Selonke, CIO, Revolut
Caroline Bellamy, executive director, Strider Technologies
Caroline Gorski, co-founder, the Emergent Alliance
Carrie Anne Philbin, director of educator support, Raspberry Pi Foundation
Casey Calista, director, Labour Digital; public policy, Meta
Cat Little, permanent secretary, Cabinet Office
Catherine Breslin, founder, Kingfisher Labs
Catriona Campbell, chair, the Scottish AI Alliance; AI partner, EY
Charlene Hunter, CEO and founder, Coding Black Females
Charles Ewen, director of technology and CIO, Met Office
Charles Forte, CIO, Ministry of Defence
Charlie Muirhead, founder and CEO, CogX
Charlotte Baldwin, global CIO, Burberry
Check Warner, co-founder, diversity vice-chair, partner, Ada Ventures
Cheryl Stevens, director of shared channels experience, DWP
Chi Onwurah, chair, Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Chris Ashworth, group CIO, Evri
Chris Bowman, principal engineer, Registers of Scotland
Chris Bryant, trade minister, Department for Business and Trade
Chris Howes, group CDIO, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Chris Huntingford, director of AI, ANS Group
Chris Johnson, chief scientific adviser, DSIT
Chris Meah, founder and CEO, School of Code
Chris Russell, COO University Information Services, University of Cambridge
Christina Lovelock, author, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT; director of community, Herd Consulting
Christine Bellamy, chief product officer, Government Digital Service
Christopher Aldred, principal software engineer, Sersy Associates
Cijo Joseph, chief technology and information officer, Mitie
Cindy Rose, CEO, WPP
Claire Reid, chief technology and innovation officer, PwC UK
Claire Taylor, director of information services, Edinburgh Napier University
Claire Thorne, co-CEO, Tech She Can
Clare Barclay, president, enterprise and industry, Microsoft EMEA
Clare Lansley, group information technology director, Spirax Group
Claudette Jones, director of digital and technology services, University of Dundee
Clifford Cohen, global CTO, Soligent
Colin Birchenall, chief digital officer, Glasgow City Council; CTO, Digital Office for Scottish Local Government
Colin Simpson, global information technology director, Stantec
Conor Whelan, group CIO, The Access Group
Craig Bright, group co-COO, Barclays
Craig Donald, CIO, the Football Association
Craig Melson, associate director – environment and sustainability, TechUK
Cynthia Davis, CEO and founder, BAME Recruitment Ltd; board chair, Pop Up Projects
Czarina Barnsby, co-founder, ArchitectHer; vice-chair of BCS Enterprise Architecture Specialist Group; head of technical architecture secure transformation services at Accenture
Daljit Rehal, CDIO, HM Revenue and Customs; past BCS president
Dan Bailey, vice-president – public sector, IBM
Dan Lawrence, CDIO, Cardiff University
Dan McQuillan, lecturer in creative and social computing, Goldsmiths, University of London
Daniel Vocke, founder and CTO, Ohme
Danielle George, chief scientific adviser for National Security, GCHQ; professor and vice-dean at the University of Manchester
Danny Gonzalez, chief digital and innovation officer, London North Eastern Railway
Darren Dodd, lead delivery manager, NHS App, NHS England
Darren Hardman, CEO, Microsoft UK
Darren Jones, chief secretary to the prime minister, HM Government
Darren Scates, director of technology and CTO, Metropolitan Police
Darron Antill, CEO, Device Authority
Dave Smith, national technology adviser, DSIT
David Bletso, interim CEO, Digital Catapult
David Crack, chair, Association of Digital Verification Professionals
David Henderson, CTO, PA Media
David Knott, senior adviser, Boston Consulting Group
David McColl, deputy director – technology service, PSD Scotland
David Turner, CTO, Compass Group UK and Ireland
David Watson, CEO, Ohme
Debbie Forster, ex-CEO of Tech Talent Charter
Debbie Weinstein, president, Google EMEA
Deborah Okenla, founder and CEO, Your Startup, Your Story (YSYS)
Deborah O’Neill, partner – head of Digital Europe, Oliver Wyman
Demis Hassabis, founder and CEO, Google DeepMind
Derek Allison, general manager UK and Ireland, DXC Technology
Deryck Mitchelson, global chief information security officer (CISO) and C-suite adviser, Check Point; vice-chair of Scottish Government’s National Cyber Advisory Board
Dev Dhiman, CEO, GBG
Diana Kennedy, executive director – architecture and engineering, NatWest Group
DIana Layfield, CEO, Monzo Bank
Dieter Kraftner, CDIO, Anglia Ruskin University
Dom Hallas, executive director, Startup Coalition
Douglas Smith, IT director, Scottish Power
Dylan Roberts, CDIO, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Eben Upton, founder, Raspberry Pi Foundation
Eddie Copeland, director, London Office of Technology and Innovation
Efua Akumanyi, co-CTO, Coding Black Females
Eileen Burbidge, partner, Passion Capital
Eldar and Roy Tuvey, founders, Vertice
Elena Sinel, founder, Acorn Aspirations and Teens in AI; business mentor, Microsoft for Startups
Elizabeth Anderson, CEO, Digital Poverty Alliance
Elizabeth Varley, dealmaker – global entrepreneur programme, Department for Business and Trade
Elizabeth Vega, group CEO, Informed Solutions
Emily Middleton, interim director general, Digital Transformation Group, DSIT
Emma McGuigan, chair, UK AI Assurance Consortium
Emma Sinclair, co-founder, Enterprise Alumni
Emma Wright, director, The Institute of AI; partner, Harbottle and Lewis; founder, investHER
Emran Mian, permanent secretary, DSIT
Euan Blair, CEO, Multiverse
Felix Greaves, director, digital, data and innovation strategy and head of the Joint Digital Policy Unit, DHSC
Flavilla Fongang, managing director, 3 Colours Rule; founder, TLA Black Women in Tech
Gaia Marcus, director, Ada Lovelace Institute
Gareth Whiting, vice-president of sales, WEKA
Garry Fingland, CIO, The Weir Group
Gary Balmer, CIO, Tesco Bank
Geoff Huggins, digital director, Scottish Government
Georgia Fleet, CEO and co-founder, Zonova
Georgina Maratheftis, associate director, local public services, TechUK
Gerard Grech, managing director, founders at the University of Cambridge
Gina Gill, CIO, Apollo
Glenn Winteringham, CDO, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Graeme Fletcher, director of technology and engineering, mkodo
Graham Hutton, professor of computer science, University of Nottingham
Grant Nairn, CIO, Aggreko
Greg Jackson, CEO, Octopus Energy
Greg Jones, senior vice-president of MSP enablement, Kaseya
Greg Williams, executive director, Exponential View
Guus Dekkers, CTO, Tesco
Hannah Dee, senior lecturer in computer science at Aberystwyth University; founder of BCS Lovelace Colloquium
Hannah Rutter, CEO, Office for Digital Identities and Attributes, DSIT
Hannah Shimko, co-founder and chair, Digital LibDems
Hassan Chaudhury, commercial director, DATA-CAN: The Health Data Research Hub for Cancer
Hayaatun Sillem, CEO and founder, Argentic Associates
Heather Cover-Kus, associate director, central government and education, TechUK
Heather Thomson, CEO, the Data Lab
Helen Milner, CEO, Good Things Foundation
Helen Thomas, CEO, Digital Health and Care Wales
Helen Wylie, director general and CDIO, DWP Digital
Hilary Stephenson, managing director, Nexer Digital
Hussain Baig, global COO, Computershare
Iain Corby, executive director, Age Verification Providers Association
Ian Bromwich, CIO, Royal London
Ian Chapman, CEO, UK Research and Innovation
Ian Hogarth, chair, AI Safety Institute
Ian Levy, distinguished engineer and vice-president, Amazon
Ian Murray, minister for digital government and data, DSIT
Ilan Gur, adviser, Advanced Research and Invention Agency
Irene Graham, CEO, Scaleup Institute
Isaac de Abreu, technical marketing director, Extreme Networks
Izak Oosthuizen, CEO, Zhero
Jack Clark, co-founder, Anthropic
Jack Stockdale, CTO, Darktrace
Jacky Wright, senior partner (technology portfolio and strategy), McKinsey
Jacqueline De Rojas, past president, TechUK
Jacqui Taylor, CEO, Flying Binary
Jade Leung, AI adviser to the prime minister
James Clements, CIO, Francis Crick Institute
James Donkin, CTO, Ocado Technology
James Dunn, chief of staff, DXC Technology
James Fleming, CIO, Francis Crick Institute
James Matthews, CEO, Ocado Technology
James Murray, health and social care secretary, UK Government
James Tyler, UK managing director, Equinix
James Wise, chair, Sovereign AI Fund
Janet Coyle, managing director business growth, London and Partners
Janine Hirt, CEO, Innovate Finance
Jason Creane, UK vice-president and general manager, Varonis
Jason Dunham, CIO, Student Loans Company
Jason Kemsley, chief revenue officer, Uptime Solutions; executive council leader, CompTIA
Jatin Aythora, director of research and development, BBC
Jeni Tennison, executive director, Connected by Data
Jennifer McGhee, CISO, Element Materials Technology
Jenny Rae, CIO, Imperial College London
Jessi Baker, founder, Provenance
Jessica Figueras, CEO and co-founder, CxB
Jo Graham, CDO, Pharmacy2U
Joanna Drake, CIO, THG
Joanna Shields, CEO and founder, Precognition
Joe Baguley, CTO, EMEA, Broadcom
Joel Gujral, CEO, Myndup
Johanna Hutchinson, CDO, BAE Systems
John Boumphrey, country manager, Amazon UK
John Davison, CIO, First Central Group
John Edwards, UK Information Commissioner
John Elliott, vice-president technology EMEA, Starbucks
John Seglias, group CDIO, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Johnny Boufarhat, founder and CEO, Hopin
Jon Carson, director of strategic programmes, Pets at Home
Jonny Williams, chief digital adviser for UK public sector, Red Hat
Josko Grljevic, CTO, Mayfair Equity Partners
Jots Sehmbi, CIO, City, University of London
Juan Villamil, CTO, Avenga
Julia Adamson, managing director of education and public benefit, BCS
Julian David, CEO, TechUK
June Angelides, vice-chair, Samos Investments; founder, Mums in technology
Kanishka Narayan, Parliamentary under-secretary of state for AI and Online Safety, DSIT
Karl Hoods, group CDIO, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Kash Ghedia, CIO, Applegreen (Welcome Break)
Kate Bohn, industry consultant, Tungsten Automation
Kate Boyle, senior data adviser, Cabinet Office
Kathleen Fisher, CEO, Advanced Research and Innovation Agency
Katie Gallagher, managing director, Manchester Digital
Katie Prescott, technology business editor, The Times
Katie Ramsey, head of global venture capital unit, Department for Business and Trade
Kaveh Pourteymour, CDIO, Rolls-Royce
Kayleigh Kuptz, co-founder and CEO, Deployed
Kerensa Jennings, board adviser to Institute of Coding, Trove, Noon, Digital Leaders, founders4Schools
Kike Oniwinde Agoro, founder, BYP network
Kriti Sharma, vice-president of product, GFK; founder, AI for Good UK
Laura Gilbert, senior director of AI, Tony Blair Institute
Laura Hodkinson, group director of transformation, The Calico Group
Leanne Clancy, group CIO, Boohoo
Lee Cowie, CEO, Accesso
Lee Foster, chief operating and technology officer, Dains Accountants
Lee Skillen, CTO and co-dounder, Cloudsmith
Lila Ibrahim, COO, Google DeepMind
Lisa Heneghan, global chief digital officer, KPMG
Lisa Johnson, vice-president of corporate communications (Global), Starship Technologies
Lisa Ventura, founder, Cyber Security Unity
Liz Kendall, science, innovation and technology secretary, DSIT
Liz Lloyd, minister for digital economy, DSIT
Liz Rowsell, CTO, Johnson Matthey
Liz Williams, CEO, FutureDotNow; chair, GoodThingsFoundation; deputy chair of the Government’s Digital Skills Council
Lopa Patel, founder, Asians in Tech; chair, Diversity UK
Louis Mosley, CEO, Palantir UK
Louise Smith, chair, Innovate Finance
Lucy Cassidy, director of products and service, HBSUK
Lydia Gregory, CEO and co-founder, Figaro.ai
Lyndsey Simpson, founder/CEO, 55Redefined Group
Maggie Jones, future digital economy and online safety minister, DSIT
Maggie Philbin, CEO, TeenTech
Maggie Van’t Hoff, vice-president of IT transformation and value, Shell
Marc Warner, CEO, Faculty
Marc Waters, UK&I managing director, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Margherita Della Valle, group chief executive, Vodafone
Mark Boost, CEO and co-founder, Civo
Mark Dearnley, interim group CEO, Hays
Mark Gee, CIO, University of Birmingham
Mark Hughes, security executive and researcher, IBM Research
Mark Logan, former chief entrepreneurial adviser to Scottish Government
Mark Sweeny, founder and chief executive, de Novo Solutions
Mark Thompson, group CDIO, Ministry of Justice
Mark Weir, regional director for UK and Ireland, Check Point Software
Marsha Castello, delegate to the UN Commission on the Status of Women; ambassador, Women in Data; data analyst, Civil Service
Marta Krupinska, CEO and co-founder, CUR8
Martha Lane Fox, entrepreneur
Martyn Wallace, CDO, Scottish Local Government Digital Office
Mary Ellis, CEO and co-founder, PheroSyn
Mary McKenna, co-founder, AwakenHub
Mat Rule, CEO and founder of Toca.io
Matt Brittin, director general, BBC
Matt Clifford, chairman, Advanced Research and Invention Agency
Matt Stanley, co-founder, Think Digital Partners
Matthew Evans, director of markets, TechUK
Mayowa Fajobi, platform and open source engineer, OpenUK Ambassador
Melanie Dawes, chief executive, Ofcom
Melissa Di Donato, CEO, Kyriba; non-executive director, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Meryl Bushell, crown representative, Cabinet Office
Michael Cockburn, co-founder, Desana
Michael Taylor, IT director, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team
Mike Errington, CIO, Co-operative Bank
Mike Hyde, CTO, Trainline
Mike McCarthy, CDIO, Home Office
Milena Cooper, vice-president of operations, Informa TechTarget
Mohamed Hammady, group CTO, Sky
Monir El Moudden, digital educator and computer science teacher
Morgan Ball, group technology director, Samworth Brothers
Mustafa Suleyman, CEO, Microsoft AI
Muttukrishnan Rajarajan, director of the Institute for Cybersecurity at City, University of London
Nadine Thomson, fractional CTO; non-executive director, Visit England
Naomi McGregor, founder and CEO Movetru
Naomi Timperley, co-founder of Tech North Advocates; growth and innovation consultant, We Are GSI; innovation and growth lead at Manchester Tech Festival
Natalie Jones, director of digital identity, Government Digital Service
Nic Granger, director of corporate (digital, data and technology), North Sea Transition Authority; chair of offshore energy, Digital Strategy Group; chair, The Data Lab
Nick Poole, CEO, UKIE
Nick Prudhoe, CTO, City Facilities Management
Nick Woods, managing director, CAVU
Nicky Stewart, director, Yellow Submarine AI
Nicky Tozer, senior vice-president of EMEA, Oracle NetSuite
Nicola Blackwood, chair, Genomics England
Nicola Hodson, chair for UK&I, IBM; TechUK deputy president
Nicola Mendelsohn, vice-president of global business group, Meta
Nigel Richardson, chief information and digitisation officer, Reckitt
Nigel Rodgers, group CIO, People’s Partnership
Nigel Shadbolt, chairman, Open Data Institute
Nigel Toon, co-founder and executive chair, Graphcore
Nigel Verdon, CEO and co-founder, Railsbank
Nimmi Patel, policy manager for skills, talent and diversity, TechUK
Oliver Davy, CDO, University of Derby
Ollie Ilott, interim director general, emerging technology and AI, DSIT
Opal Perry, CDIO, EasyJet
Orpheus Warr, CTO, Everyone TV
Pamela Maynard, chief AI transformation officer, MCAPS, Microsoft
Patrick Vallance, science, research and innovation minister, DSIT
Paul Christie, head of IT service, Registers of Scotland
Paul Clark, director of high performance computing, EPCC
Paul Fitton, director of information systems, Northern Powergrid
Paul Fletcher, CEO, Nominet
Paul Hardy, EMEA innovation officer, ServiceNow
Paul Willmott, non-executive director, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Penny Williams, vice-president of sales, CDW UK
Peter O’Kane, CTO, BBC
Peter Pugh-Jones, field CDO, Confluent
Phil Siveter, CEO, Thales UK
Phil Swan, digital director, Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Phil Wilson, Co-CEO, Balena
Pooja Bagga, group CIO, Guardian News and Media
Poppy Gustafsson, former minister for investment; ex-CEO of Darktrace
Priya Guha, venture partner, Merian Ventures
Priya Lakhani, founder and CEO, Century Tech
Priyanka Gangishetty, senior Azure customer engineer; women in tech and mental health advocate; women in CXP EMEA lead; STEM ambassador UK, Microsoft
Przemek Czarnecki, CTO, ASOS
Rachel Coldicutt, founder and executive director, Careful Trouble
Rachel Dunscombe, co-chair, OpenEHR; member, UK government AI Council; visiting professor, Imperial College London
Rachel Higham, former chief digital and technology officer, Marks and Spencer
Rachel Hilliam, chair, Alliance for Data Science Professionals; professor of statistics, the Open University
Rachel Seymour, manager, cloud FinOps engineering, London Stock Exchange
Rafe Colburn, CTO, Etsy
Raja Javaid, chief information and transformation officer, University of Warwick
Rana Bhattacharya, CIO, Cynergy Bank
Ravi Naik, legal director, AWO
Rebecca Womersley, CIO, Wellcome Trust
Rene Haas, CEO, ARM Holdings
Rex Cooper, CTO, Times Higher Education
Richard Atkinson, head of technology, Nando’s UK and IRE
Richard Corbridge, CIO, Segro
Richard Davis, UK country managing partner, Netcompany
Richard G. Brown, CEO, R3
Richard Horne, CEO, National Cyber Security Centre
Rick Martire, director and general manager, Sovereign Services, Rackspace Technology UK
Rioch Edwards-Brown, founder, So You Wanna Be In Tech?
Rob Barnes, CTO, Sainsbury’s
Rob McCargow, technology impact leader, PwC UK and EMEA Consulting
Rob Thompson, chief digital, data and technology officer, Dept for Health and Social Care
Robert Baugh, CEO, Keepabl
Robert Elsey, group CTO, Co-op
Robert Harding, non-executive director, CapitalOne UK
Robin Tombs, CEO, Yoti
Roger Halliday, CEO, Research Data Scotland
Romina Savova, founder and CEO, Pension Bee
Rosalind Singleton, chair, Telecoms Supply Chain Advisory Council; board member, Inca
Ross McKerchar, CISO, Sophos
Rowena Ironside, non-executive director, chair and mentor; co-founder, Women on Boards UK
Russ Shaw, founder of Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates
Ryan Edwards, founder and CEO, Audoo
Sabina Ciofu, associate director of international, TechUK
Sam Kini, chief digital and technology officer, Unilever
Samantha Niblett, MP; founder, Labour Women in Tech
Sandra Wachter, professor and senior researcher, Oxford Internet Institute
Sarah Armstrong-Smith, executive director, Secure Horizons
Sarah Breeden, deputy governor, Bank of England (co-chair of AI Consortium)
Sarah Burnett, chief technology evangelist, KYP.ai
Sarah Cardell, CEO, Competition and Markets Authority
Sarah Heffron Nichomoff, chief data officer and head of AI enablement, JP Morgan
Sarah Luxford, partner (DDaT) at GatenbySanderson; co-founder TLA Women in Tech
Sarah McMann, chief digital product officer, HM Revenue and Customs
Sarah Rench, global AI security lead, Avanade; founder, RepresentAI
Sarah Tulip, founder, MetroTech; co-founder, Wild Digital; digital ambassador, Leeds City Council
Sarah Turner, CEO and co-founder, Angel Academe
Sarah Venning, chief strategy and transformation officer, Allwyn UK
Sarah Winmill, BCS president; digital function leader, Royal Navy
Sarah-Jane Sewell, director, Digital Tories; senior consultant, Shearwater
Sasha Jory, CIO, Hastings Direct
Scott McGarvey, technology platform director, Barclays
Shadi A. Razak, CTO and co-founder, Angoka
Shaheen Sayed, chief commercial officer, Accenture
Sharon Moore, CTO for public sector, IBM UK
Sharron Gunn, Group CEO, BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT
Shashi Verma, director of strategy and CTO, Transport for London
Shaun Pearce, CPTO, Gousto
Sheila Flavell, COO, FDM Group; president, TechUK
Sheree Atcheson, global director of diversity and inclusion, Valtech
Sheridan Ash, Co-CEO and founder, Tech She Can
Sherry Coutu, Angel investor; founder of ScaleUp Institute; founder of founders4Schools
Sian Jones, CEO, Correla
Sian-Nia Davies, chief digital, data and technology officer, Intellectual Property Office
Silkie Carlo, director, Big Brother Watch
Simon Bond, managing director, CYAN Solutions
Simon Hansford, CCO, Civo
Simon Pakenham-Walsh, CTO, River Island
Simon Tindal, CTO, Smart Communications
Simon Tinkler, head of Lean Portfolio Management, Tesco Bank
Simon Wardley, founder, Wardley Maps
Somayeh Aghnia, co-founder, London School of Innovation
Sonia Patel, interim CTO, UK Government
Sophie Greaves, associate director, digital infrastructure, TechUK
Sophie James, head of telecoms and spectrum policy, TechUK
Stella Peace, interim executive chair, Innovate UK
Stephen Campbell, COO, Scottish Friendly
Stephen Flockhart, director of digital and security; CIO, NHS National Services Scotland
Stephen Glenfield, head of digital, Heathrow Airport
Steve Humber, CEO, Coventry University Online
Steve McDevitt, CIO, Element Materials Technology
Steve Nolan, CIO, Very Group
Steve O’Connor, IT director, Aston Martin Lagonda
Steve Pass, CEO, Iconic Data Centres
Steven Bartlett, founder and CEO, Steven.com
Steven Faull, technology director, Allied Vehicles Group
Storm Fagan, CPO, BBC
Stuart McWhinnie, CTO, Golden Charter
Sue Black, professor of computer science and technology evangelist, Durham University
Sue Daley, director, technology and innovation, TechUK
Sue McLean, partner, Bird and Bird
Suki Fuller, founder, Miribure
Suresh Viswanathan, COO, Nationwide Building Society
Surya Mukherjee, principal director, Accenture
Susanne Baker, partner – technology sector, Baker McKenzie
Suzanne Ashman, managing partner, Sovereign AI Fund
Suzanne Howse, head of data and AI, Marks and Spencer
Tabitha Goldstaub, co-founder, CognitionX; former chair of Government’s AI Council
Tamara Filkelstein, CEO, Royal Academy of Engineering
Tanuja Randery, EMEA managing director, Amazon Web Services
Tara Donnelly, founder, Digital Care Ltd
Tara McGeehan, president, CGI UK and Australia
Tarnveer Singh, CISO, The Exeter
Teodora Kaneva, head of smart infrastructure and systems, TechUK
Teruyoshi Adachi, CEO, Aprio Technologies
Tessa Clarke, co-founder and CEO, Olio
Tessa Griffiths and Sarah Maclean (jointly), CEOs of Skills England (jobshare)
Thalia Crone, global head of media supply chain and operations, Fremantle
Theo Blackwell, chief digital officer to the Mayor of London
Tia Cheang, director of IT data and information services (UK and EMEA), Gallagher
Tim Berners-Lee, World Wide Web inventor; director of Open Data Institute
Tom Adeyoola, executive chair, Innovate UK
Tom Berry, CTO, Ocado Group
Tom Crick, chief scientific adviser, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Tom Jackson, CTO, News UK
Tom Read, group chief digital and technology officer, Serco
Tom Skalycz, CTO and path director, HMRC
Tom Whicher, co-founder and CEO, DrDoctor
Toni Scullion, computing science teacher and founder of dressCode
Trish Quinn, head of digital, Scottish Legal Aid Board
Trudy Norris-Grey, strategic adviser, Institution of Engineering and Technology
Valerie Todd, HR director, Siemens UK and Ireland
Vanessa Vallely, CEO, WeAreTheCity
Vickie Allen, founder, DevelopHer Awards; senior software developer, Certua
Victoria Higgin, CIO, SGN
Victoria Johnson, social impact director, BT Group
Walter Goodwin, co-founder, Fractile
Wendy Hall, regius professor of computer science, University of Southampton; non-executive director and adviser across government and industry
Wendy Redshaw, chief digital information officer, retail, NatWest Group
Will Pearce, CEO and co-founder, Orbital
Will Smart, director and strategic adviser, CareTech Partners
William Hewish, CIO, Pets at Home
Yanna Winter, CIO, Generali
Yorath Turner, COO for digital, the Scottish Government
Yvonne Gallagher, digital director, National Audit Office
Zahra Bahrololoumi, president and CEO, Salesforce UK
Zoe Kleinman, technology editor, BBC News
Judging the UKtech50
The UKtech50 list is decided by a judging panel representing every area of the UK IT profession. The panel selects the top 50 candidates based on the following criteria:
Influence: What authority or ability does the person have – either through their personal position or the role they hold – to personally influence the development of UK IT, or to influence others in positions of authority?
Achievements: What has the person achieved in the past 12 months to help the development of UK IT?
Profile: Is the person recognised as a role model for aspiring leaders? How widely are they acknowledged by their peers as an authority and influence on UK IT?
Leadership: Does the person demonstrate the skills and experience necessary to be seen as a leader in the development of IT in the UK? Do they have a leadership role and does that help them develop the role of IT in the UK?
Potential: How likely is it that the person will have a significant impact on UK IT in the next 12 months? Will their authority and responsibility grow?
