Confirmed Speakers

Nina Gryf is a Senior Policy Manager at Make UK, where she leads the Unlocking Innovation campaign to show how innovation and technology can improve productivity and competitiveness in UK manufacturing. She runs the Innovation Monitor, which tracks how manufacturers are adopting digital tools on the ground.

Nina champions faster digital adoption and calls for stronger government backing on skills, funding, and support for advanced technologies. She’s a strong advocate for programmes like Made Smarter and pushes for their continues support.

Her key publications include 4IR: An Enabler to Green Manufacturing, Manufacturing Our Recovery Through Inclusion, and most recently, Future Factory powered by AI — which explores how manufacturers are starting to adopt AI and what support they need to do it safely and at scale.

Before this, Nina led post-Brexit trade campaigns and worked as External Affairs Manager at the Work Foundation.

Brian Holliday is Managing Director for Siemens Digital Industries, a technology company serving the UK and Ireland’s manufacturing and industrial-infrastructure sectors.

He is co-chair of the Government/Industry Made Smarter Commission and board member for Skills England. He is chair of Make UK, The Manufacturers’ Organisation’s Strategic Policy Group, having been a corporate board member since 2015. He has served on the board of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, chaired the CBI’s Manufacturing Council and been a member of the Royal Society’s Science Industry and Translation Committee.

He is a keen advocate for engineering, innovation, skills and advanced technology deployment, contributing regularly to media, policy forums and peer networks.

A Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Brian started his career as an apprentice with Texas Instruments and has degrees from Cardiff University and The University of Manchester in addition to an honorary doctorate from Middlesex University.

Anni is the Group CEO at The Data-Shack. A data scientist, AI and six sigma practitioner, public speaker and author, Anni holds over 25 years' experience solving real life challenges at some of the most demanding plants and factories on the planet.

From AI to smart factories, from drones and IIoT to process improvement, Anni and her team have the expertise to deliver.

Originally from South Africa, Anni is passionate about Data Science for Good initiatives including anti-rhino poaching targeting crime syndicates, addressing the STEM skills gap, and an active mentor to the young factory data scientists and engineers of tomorrow.

A veteran of telecommunications for 36 years with 29 years at Ericsson. Passionate about how mobile communications has helped change the world and how smartphone’s are an essential part of our business and personal lives. Now with 5G we have the opportunity to take mobile connectivity to the next level in personalised experiences and improving productivity. The possibilities that 5G can bring to gaming, xR, AI as well as driving digital transformation for Manufacturing, Ports, Smart Places and everything in between.

Prof. Brintrup is Professor in Digital Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge and leads the Supply Chain AI Lab. She is a fellow of the Alan Turing Institute and Darwin College. She is a pioneer of complex systems thinking and data-driven methods and application in supply networks. She was the first researcher globally, to empirically study large-scale supply chains as complex networks, examine their emergent properties, and take a data- driven perspective to characterise their resilience. This led to an understanding of universal patterns that govern supply chains. She was also the first to develop algorithms to predict supply chain dependencies and hidden links (and predict supply chain disruptions from large datasets. Over the past decade she has worked with aerospace, automotive, defence and retail industries, and with the UK government. Her research has made direct policy impact in areas of modern slavery, supply chain and economic resilience.

Prasad Manorathna is a seasoned professional in the field of smart manufacturing, bringing over 15 years of experience in driving technological advancements and innovation across various industries. As a visionary leader, Prasad excels in leveraging cutting-edge technologies to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. With a strong background in engineering, automation, smart manufacturing and organisational transformation, Prasad has successfully led numerous global programmes that have resulted in significant operational efficiencies and business growth. Prasad is passionate about harnessing the power of technology to solve complex business challenges and create sustainable value for all stakeholders. A dedicated advocate for digital literacy and talent development, Prasad is committed to empowering teams with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving technology landscape. By championing diversity and inclusion, Prasad ensures that innovation is driven by a wide range of perspectives and ideas. In Prasad's current role as Global Senior Director-Engineering Transformation & Innovation at Haleon, he continues to push the boundaries of what is possible, leading transformative projects that position the organization at the forefront of the fourth industrial revolution.

Bradley joined MTC in May 2023 and after leading the development of a new MTC strategy, now leads MTC Operations and delivery driving cohesion across business functions to ensure optimisation of resources, tools & processes to deliver performance and impact across a broad range of sectors and technologies.

Bradley has over 30 years’ experience in the Automotive sector, having held senior leadership roles at Aston Martin, Land Rover and Ford both in strategic and operational delivery roles. Prior to joining the MTC he was the first Professor of Practice at Loughborough University and CEO of the of the Institute of Digital Engineering, leading the adoption of new digital technologies to accelerate our national engineering and manufacturing capabilities. Most recently Bradley was part of the UK battery start-up Britishvolt.

Steve Boyd is the Managing Director of G&O Springs and has been with the business since 1995 when he came for a summer job. He's a self-certified spring geek and is passionate about all thing's springs. If you are interested in tech, he's your guy!

Richard Jeffers is a seasoned engineering leader and asset management professional with a track record of driving operational excellence across manufacturing and industrial sectors. Founder of Two6 Services Ltd, he advises startups and corporates on asset management, digital transformation, predictive maintenance, and industrial innovation. Formerly Engineering Director at Heineken UK and MD at RS Industria, an IIoT solution provider, Richard combines strategic insight with deep technical knowledge to deliver sustainable performance improvement. He’s a Chartered Engineer, a Scout leader, sail training skipper and an advocate for practical reliability engineering rooted in real-world challenges. Passionate about bridging technology and operations, he thrives on making complexity simple.

Nick Leeder is a globally recognised expert in industrial transformation, with more than 25 years of experience working at the intersection of operations, engineering, and digital technology. His focus is practical and outcome driven, supporting manufacturers to navigate complexity and deliver measurable improvements in operating margins, productivity, and revenue growth.

His work has spanned the full value chain: from design and engineering to factory operations and aftermarket service. Nick is acknowledged by the World Economic Forum as a global expert in advanced manufacturing and digital transformation and has received multiple awards for his contribution to the sector.

Martyn has a varied career ranging from painting Warburton factory ceilings to flying aircraft for the RAF. After 16 years in the Air Force he worked his way to becoming an FD for a furniture manufacturer in the North West before semi retiring after the company was sold. He was persuaded to work for Advance West Midlands covering advanced manufacturing, with a primary but not exclusive focus on automotive, were he developed a passion for the West Midlands and all that it offers especially its excellence in manufacturing. He worked closely with all elements of the supply chain and gained an understanding of the concerns and issues most of which still hold true to this day.

With the closure of AWM he eventually set up as a consultant specialising in inward investment where his financial acumen and manufacturing knowledge led him to be part of most of the recent large UK investments. This gave him a reputation of being able to help companies deal with government and secure their funding but he knows a lot more than just that especially about the benefits of the UK supply chain.
He's proud to be working as part of Made Smarter as the potential benefits of increased productivity and competitiveness it brings to a company are what he sees as a way of building on the West Midlands legacy and ensuring our position in the world.

Clare joined the High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVMC) in March 2024 as Director for Skills. Clare works with the HVMC network to raise awareness of its unique offer within the UK skills landscape in building a high skilled manufacturing workforce in the UK.

Previously, Clare was Head of Manufacturing Policy at the Department for Business and Trade where she led manufacturing policy and developed the model for the successful Made Smarter adoption programme.

Rebecca Rosser is an investor at Plug and Play UK, where she supports multibillion-dollar corporations, such as International Airlines Group, BT Group, and Johnson & Johnson, throughout their innovation journeys—spanning from education to implementation. She also heads the UK’s efforts in scouting and investing in early-stage ClimateTech startups.

Previously, Rebecca worked at the European Investment Fund (Luxembourg) on communication and marketing activities related to the organisation's initiatives, programmes, and investments. She also worked at Social Finance (Netherlands) where she was involved in conducting research, data analysis, and financial modelling related to Social Impact Bonds.

Rebecca studied Politics and Economic & Social History at The University of Edinburgh and holds a Master in Business Analytics and Big Data from IE University.

Matthew Westbury is Curriculum Leader at MTC Training, where he shapes future-focused technical education for UK manufacturing. With a background in metallurgy and a foundation in product design and development through an advanced apprenticeship, Matthew bridges hands-on industry experience with cutting-edge training. He champions digital readiness through immersive learning and skills development, ensuring learners are equipped to thrive in smart factories. His work supports the UK’s drive toward innovation, productivity, and inclusive workforce transformation.

Adrian Pinder is an experienced technology and digital innovation leader with a career spanning product management, digital incubation, and digital transformation. Currently Head of Digital & Data at DS Smith PLC, he has delivered multi-million-pound value through AI, data platforms, and new digital products. Adrian has held senior roles at Jacobs, Atkins, GE, and the UK Civil Service, all focused on turning high-level strategies into commercially successful solutions across manufacturing, engineering, transport, and public sector markets.

Dr Palmer has over 20 years’ experience in both and academic research at the Universities of Loughborough, Derby and Nottingham, Hazid Technologies Ltd. (Nottingham) and Bloc Digital (Derby). She hold's a PhD in Chemical Engineering and an EngD in Computer Science, both from Loughborough University. Her current role focuses on how digital manufacturing tools can be made more user-friendly. Her interests include artificial intelligence, process modelling and simulation, transdisciplinary engineering, ontologies, semantics and object-oriented modelling.

Phill has spent the past two decades in manufacturing, working initially as a production operator, before taking an apprenticeship in Manufacturing Engineering at an Aerospace foundry in Devon where he implemented process improvements and lean methodologies.

Since then, he has worked across multiple organisations ranging from £5m SMEs to £5bn turnover businesses, covering a wide range of industries and technologies.  

Phill specialises in operational turnaround, sustainable growth, and cultural transformation, where winning through teamwork and technological collaboration is the key to ensuring long term success.

He is a passionate advocate of UK manufacturing as a member of the southern region Make UK Advisory board, and regularly connects with schools and Universities to highlight the wealth of careers and opportunities found in and around manufacturing.