Arjun Naik is the Technical Lead at First Citizens Bank. With 12 years of experience and a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering, he has judged various awards and is a research-oriented professional with multiple publications to his name. He has also represented his work at various international conferences.

Arun Krishnakumar is an eCommerce Expert, Author, and Masterclass Instructor. With extensive experience as a Product Engineer, he has built impactful products for multibillion-dollar international brands used by millions of users. He specializes in leveraging a data-driven approach to fuel growth, customer acquisition, retention, and user adoption for consumer products. His work centers on enhancing digital experiences and empowering eCommerce platforms to drive growth through optimized product strategy and user engagement across online and offline touchpoints. As a Juror for Multiple Awards, he believes technologies should be evaluated based on their potential market size, scalability, and long-term value creation rather than focusing solely on innovation, product design, or trends. His must-reads include The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail by Clayton Christensen and Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters.

Atmadeep is a Software Engineer-II at Amazon Web Services with a strong background in AWS and past experience in VMware Cloud on AWS/Google Cloud based in the USA. He has spent 7+ years building large-scale cloud solutions in the SaaS and IaaS, and artificial intelligence. He is also extremely passionate about supporting tech awards that are pushing the envelope in these areas.

Emma is an experienced C Suite Leader in the technology sector, recently retiring after 30 years with Accenture. Emma fulfilled a broad range of roles during those 30 years, ranging from developer, architect, client lead and CTO and spent the last 5 years on the global management committee and leading its global platform business. Emma is on the digital advisory board of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, spent 3 years as the chairperson of Avanade and was included in the Computing Weekly Hall of Fame in 2024

Huseyin is a research-oriented and enterprise-focused academic and manager with both academic and industry experiences in data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and emerging & disruptive technologies/systems. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, developed and deployed several data-driven AI tools, and has been involved with a portfolio of collaborative research, enterprise and teaching/learning projects of over £25M as PI, Co-I and international researcher in collaboration with universities and companies in the UK and abroad. He was one of the founding members of the Institute of Coding and lead its activities at Northumbria University until September 2019. He is currently working as Professor of Computing Sciences and Associate Dean (Research, Innovation & Enterprise) for the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment in Birmingham City University.

Ian Golding is a global Chief Information Officer with over 20 years of experience leading digital transformation across private, public, and non-profit sectors. Currently, he is the Interim CIO at APEM Group, a leading ecological sustainability firm. Ian has held interim CIO roles at Landsec, Unite, and SThree, and served as CIO and Equity Partner at Anthesis Group and ERM Group, the world’s largest dedicated sustainability consultancy. At the Natural History Museum, he developed a technology strategy supporting both scientific research and planetary conservation. Ian’s commitment to sustainability is further reflected in his role at the RNLI, where he crafted a technology vision aimed at preventing drowning. Across his diverse career, Ian has driven transformative change by leveraging his expertise in complex technology, people, and operations through a C-suite lens. He also provides private equity investment advice, mentors C-level leaders and tech founders, and serves on boards. A Fellow of multiple institutions, Ian actively mentors and invests in digital startups to promote innovation.

James Whitebread is a seasoned technology executive with over 25 years of experience in IT enablement and transformation across various industry verticals. Holding a BSc (Hons) in Business Information Systems and an expected MBA in Business Administration by 2025, he is a member of the British Computer Society (MBCS) and a Chartered IT Professional (CITP). James has been recognized in the CIO100 list in both 2022 and 2023 for his strategic IT leadership and expertise in product, technology development, and transformation.

Jennifer Cox is a cybersecurity leader with over 19 years of experience, recognised for her dedication to advancing diversity and mentorship in the tech industry. As Director for Ireland at WiCyS UK & Ireland Affiliate, she is a passionate advocate for empowering future cybersecurity professionals and fostering a more inclusive tech landscape. Her accolades, including the Unsung Heroes Award for Leadership, Stevie Awards and PCR’s Top 25 Women in Tech, underscore her impact and commitment. Jennifer’s speaking engagements at global conferences and her active mentorship roles reflect her mission to create a secure digital world and drive meaningful change within the cybersecurity community.

Jennifer Cox is a cybersecurity leader with over 19 years of experience, recognised for her dedication to advancing diversity and mentorship in the tech industry. As Director for Ireland at WiCyS UK & Ireland Affiliate, she is a passionate advocate for empowering future cybersecurity professionals and fostering a more inclusive tech landscape. Her accolades, including the Unsung Heroes Award for Leadership, Stevie Awards and PCR’s Top 25 Women in Tech, underscore her impact and commitment. Jennifer’s speaking engagements at global conferences and her active mentorship roles reflect her mission to create a secure digital world and drive meaningful change within the cybersecurity community.

John Leonard is responsible for the setting up and running qualitative and quantitative surveys for Computing Research's clients in order to assess the opinions and experiences of IT professionals on issues important to the industry, such as cloud computing, bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and the IT decision making process as a whole.

Kaushik has 20+ years of experience in tech & startups. His current role is Staff Engineer and TLM (Tech Lead Manager) at Google. He was on the Founding team of Google's Project IDX (idx.google.com) and has experience on end to end stack (backend/blockchain/front-end/machine learning & mobile). He's an author, open-source contributor, and is very interested in actively shaping the discourse on emerging technologies.

Louise Leavey is currently Chief Information Officer at Metro bank. Previously INED and Board Advisor for a number of companies. Louise is also working on charitable activities in Indonesia teaching female empowerment at a girls school. Louise also supports as a CXO advisor for a number of innovative tech companies. Louise has lead a number complex organisation creating their strategy for Global Digital IT transformation.

Louise is an outstanding, award winning and dynamic inspirational CIO transformational and business change leader with over 40 years’ experience in some large private and public sector organisations including HMRC, Aviva, HSBC, and EBRD. She is highly respected in the technology, digital industry as a passionate, energized and transformational leader who achieves amazing results. She is valued at board level for design of complex technology and digital transformational visions, and strategy. The ability to take complex organisations with the need for transformation and align to business objectives . A background in finance and commercial giving the ability to see the wider picture and achieved commercial creativity. Louise is also a role model for females in technology.

Penny Horwood joined Computing as Associate Editor in 2022 after having been a freelance contributor and researcher for more than a decade, and one of the most prolific white paper writers in the industry. Penny's enthusiastic and consistent championing of increased diversity in tech stems from her own early career experiences as a young salesperson, a deep understanding of the structural and skills related challenges that UK tech faces and a strong interest in sociological research. Penny also writes and researches tech sustainability, and has a finely honed ability to see though greenwash. She reads the ESG reports so you don't have to.

Terry Willis is a Technology and Cyber Leader who transforms IT departments like a magician with a hard hat—turning chaos into coordinated, streamlined tech ecosystems. Known for his “pragmatic approach,” Terry doesn’t just manage risk; he wrestles it into submission while keeping the board and budget smiling. From the Church of England to leading interim roles across financial services, media, and, most recently, Government, Terry is the kind of person you call when your IT Operations need a shakeup or a rescue mission.

But Terry’s expertise doesn’t end at fireproofing tech systems and saving money (millions, no less). He’s also a mentor, certified Mental Health First Aider, and a judge for the UK’s top IT awards, like this one. In his free time, when he isn’t out securing the cyber fort, you’ll find him unwinding with rugby (watching, not playing—no risk there) and a bit of music and theatre.

Tom is the Editor for Computing, where he has been covering the UK IT market since 2017. He is an industry veteran, writing his first tech story back in the mists of 2011, and specialises in covering topics around sustainable IT, diversity and Web3 developments like blockchain and the metaverse. Tom regularly chats to leading IT professionals around the world, from companies both large and small - including Microsoft, Kellogg's, Trainline, the Met Office and Mars. He is always on the lookout for the newest market trends that affect IT leaders in the UK and worldwide. Tom has previously written for a variety of B2B titles, including those serving the jewelry, pet and funeral industries - and yes, he's heard all the jokes. Often spotted with a notebook, grumbling about the Oxford comma.

Tom Clark is Chief Technology Officer within the Ardonagh Group, which provides insurance services in 22 countries with 10,000 employees. Previously, Tom has been Chief Information Officer and IT Director in large financial services organisations operating globally. He is also a Non-Executive Director and advisory board member for a number of organizations, including the British Computer Society. He has been recognised regularly in a number of Global 100 CIOs, UK CIO100, and Top 100 Technology Leaders lists, and he won Chief Technology Officer of the Year in 2024. Tom is qualified with a bachelor's degree in business studies and a master's degree in IT management, and he is a Chartered IT Professional and a Fellow of the British Computer Society.

A frequent speaker at high-profile tech conferences, Victor shares insights on AI-driven and cloud-powered cybersecurity solutions, as well as other emerging technologies. His expertise in cloud engineering, cybersecurity, research, and community service underscores his dedication to helping others navigate and secure the digital world, positioning him as a respected voice in both academia and the tech community.

Victor’s academic journey includes attending the prestigious Pre-Doctoral School organized by the Max Planck Institute of Software Systems in partnership with the University of Maryland and Cornell University. He also has a masters degree in Computing from Teesside University, where he graduated with a distinction. His commitment to community empowerment extends to his role as Lead IT Trainer at CodeYourFuture, where he equips refugees and asylum seekers with digital and cybersecurity skills.