Responsible Innovation Conference

Anand Rajagopalan is an Enterprise Architect at Uisce Éireann, where he oversees Emerging Techn and Innovation Strategy. He is dedicated to developing and promoting a Responsible AI framework that prioritizes societal value, ethical development, and regulatory compliance while delivering value to the Business. 

Anand also leads the ICT Innovation Forum, fostering creativity and collaboration to drive significant solutions and the adoption of emerging technologies.

Before Joining Uisce Eireann, Anand has 25+ years of technology Solution Design and Architecture experience and played a pivotal role in digital transformation projects for financial institutions in the UK and Ireland . He holds an Engineering degree and a diploma in Data Science and Business Analytics from the University of Austin.

I am proud to call North Down my home and am very grateful to have served as your Alliance Party MLA since late 2019. My constituency office is based in Holywood Town Centre at 33 Church Road and if you need support as a constituent, please do let me know. 

Since early 2024, I have been working as Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs with a focus on seeking to implement policies and strategies that benefit our climate and environment, while supporting our economically and socially significant agriculture, food and fisheries sectors alongside our important rural communities.  

As an Alliance MLA, I have previously been the Party Chief Whip, Finance and Infrastructure Spokesperson and the lead on Restoration and Reform of Assembly Institutions.  Prior to being an MLA, I was an Alliance Councillor for the Holywood area from 2010, acting as Mayor of North Down between 2013-14. 

Born and bred in North Down, I live locally and take a keen interest in my community. I currently serve on the Board of Governors of Rathmore Primary School in Bangor and, as a keen runner, I founded both Bangor and Crawfordsburn parkruns. I am also a member of North Down Athletic Club and North Down Cycling Club.

Before joining the Assembly, I was formerly a Senior Project Manager at Translink, where I was responsible for overseeing the rollout of the multi-million pound Future Ticketing System Project. In 1999, I graduated with a degree in Peace and Conflict Studies at Ulster University.

I have completed eleven marathons with a personal best of 3:07. 

Anita has a passion for supporting talented young people. As the Managing Director of Patch, she is responsible for overseeing the summer accelerator programme and guiding the teams in developing their projects.

Antonella Maia Perini is a Research Associate in the Public Policy Programme of the Alan Turing Institute. At the Turing, she contributes to the Ethics and Responsible Innovation theme, where she does research on the ethical and social implications of the design and use of AI and data-intensive technologies and collaborates in the co-creation and operationalisation of pioneering approaches to AI ethics, policy, and governance. Within her role, she has done research on equity in AI-enabled medical devices, the impacts and governance of foundation models, and the effects of generative AI on freelance creative workers in the UK. She also co-developed a bespoke programme designed to equip the public sector with tools, training, and support for adopting the government’s official public sector guidance on AI ethics and safety. Antonella holds a BA in International Relations from Universidad de San Andrés (Argentina), an MA in International Relations by the University of Bologna, and an MSc in Social Science of the Internet by the University of Oxford.

Adrian Johnston is the incoming Belfast Innovation Commissioner who will be working with Innovation City Belfast and other city partners to support Belfast’s inclusive innovation ambitions. 

Adrian is a seasoned leader with over 25 years of experience in technology and innovation. Before joining Innovation City Belfast, he served as the Director of Strategic Business Development at Catalyst, starting in December 2021. In this role, Adrian was instrumental in cultivating and strengthening strategic partnerships across industry, academia, and government, with a focus on driving innovation and economic growth in Northern Ireland. He led Catalyst’s Open Innovation team, concentrating on the creation of dynamic clusters in Health & Life Sciences, NetZero, and RegTech.

Adrian holds a PhD, specializing in AI adoption in high-value semiconductor manufacturing. From December 2018 to December 2021, he served as the Head of Digital Catapult NI, where he played a key role in accelerating the adoption of AI and emerging digital technologies across various sectors.

Adrian has consistently prioritised inclusive innovation throughout his career. He was the Chair of the International Fund for Ireland from March 2012 to February 2019, where he led efforts to drive reconciliation and stimulate economic and social advancement for communities across the island of Ireland. Currently, Adrian serves as the Chair of the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, where he and his team address critical societal challenges such as homelessness, poverty, health inequalities, and digital exclusion.

Claire loves building the culture and community at Ormeau Baths. Since its inception and under her watch Ormeau Baths has run hundreds of events, meetups, accelerator and innovation programs.

She has deep relationships with the Startup community, Angels and VCs and the wider Hubs in Northern Ireland.

Passionate about people and community she is always keen to connect people to the right people with the right information at the right time.

Deborah is the Director of the UK Digital Twin Centre, led by Digital Catapult. The Centre will accelerate the adoption of digital twins to drive global competitive advantage for UK businesses.
In her previous role with Belfast City Council, she established the City Innovation Office driving service transformation programmes delivering a £12 million efficiency programme. As founder of the Smart Belfast Programme Deborah delivered cross sectoral innovation programmes securing £10 million funding to run trials and testbeds working with academia and over 60 SMES.
Deborah was appointed Honorary Professor of Practice in the QUB School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast.

At Finnebrogue, our team, under my leadership as R&D, Sustainability and Technical Director, innovates within the UK’s food sector, focusing on quality and sustainability. The growth of our premium sausages and the development of Made Without Nitrite Naked Bacon, Finnebrogue Wagyu and our Plant Based and Veggie ranges epitomizes our commitment to quality and ethical product innovation. These breakthroughs reflect our dedication to offering consumers great tasting, health-conscious and environmentally responsible choices.

Leveraging expertise in food science, quality management, and advanced product innovation, we have set industry benchmarks for safety and ethics. Our efforts are not just about product excellence but also about reducing our environmental footprint through sustainable practices. These initiatives have significantly reduced emissions, contributing to a greener future while ensuring customer satisfaction with pioneering food solutions.

Donna enjoys projects that combine social innovation and technology. She has built a mental health chatbot and a sign language learning app to promote inclusivity and connection between deaf and hearing people. During her time at Patch, she developed Diverseforce, an employment platform for people with disabilities.

Henny is Head of Telecommunications at the UK Space Agency where he is responsible for delivering the UK’s satellite and lunar communications programmes. Since 2018 he has played a pivotal role in delivering over a hundred innovation programmes and activities, covering areas from low-cost user terminals to developing end to end infrastructures in new and emerging satellite markets, including one of the first debris removal missions in the UK.

Jackie co-founded Kinsetsu in 2016 with her business partner Joanne O’Doherty, following 16 years working together in Hewlett Packard and Dell. She has an innovation mindset and is passionate about helping organisations to automate, validate and visualise data from thousands of common processes to deliver efficiency gains, release staff time and reduce overheads. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.

Jean Benoit Bensoussan graduated from ENSTA Bretagne as a Naval and offshore engineer, joined TechnipFMC in Oslo as rigid pipileine engineer working on complex and mega-sized Oil&Gas projects, from design, manufacturing to offshore vessel installation Driven by the need to expand his role he graduated from ESCP Business School MBA to become a business developer at GTT promoting LNG as fuel solutions across container vessel shipowners Today as Business Consultant with Dassault he is responsible to drive consulting and pre sales activities and support business development for the Marine & Offshore business unit.

Professor Jonathan Wallace is Professor of Innovation within the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment at Ulster University. His excellence in both Knowledge & Technology Transfer and lecturing has been recognised by his being awarded a Distinguished Business Fellowship and Distinguished Teaching Fellowship. 

He has led the development of numerous software systems in diverse market sectors and has attained broad experience of managing successful research projects at both a local, national and international level. Jonathan has a significant track record in the field of Digital Health & Wellbeing and is recognised as an innovator in the co-creation of user-centred Digital Health product and service solutions. He is a founder member of the TRAIL Living Lab based at the Ulster University as well as the BCS Health NI Special Interest Group. He is a founder member and Deputy Chair of the Northern Ireland Science Festival which has just has just completed its 10^th Anniversary Festival. Professor Wallace is a member of the All-Party Advisory Group on Science, Engineering, Technology and Maths for the local devolved Government Assembly. Jonathan is a member of the BCS NI Committee and ESG & EDI Lead for BCS NI. He is a board member of the Northern Ireland Trusted Research Environment (NITRE) Strategy Board for the HSC in Northern Ireland and a member of the BSI CH/210/1 – Quality Systems for Medical Devices standards committee working group. He is Chair of Antrim Enterprise Agency and a Board Member of Belfast Healthy Cities. 

He currently has a leading role in a number of regional, national and international Digital Health & Wellbeing research projects where he is particularly applying his expertise in Co-creation, UX & Usability Engineering, Data Science and Business Model Development. He is the Ulster University industry engagement lead for the newly launched £14M Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre (AICC). Jonathan is a judge on a number of UK national awards competitions for Innovation in Digital Health and Wellbeing. Jonathan led the Ulster University academic team which successfully completed Phase Zero for the EC-funded H2020 MAGIC PCP Project for Stroke Rehabilitation and he was also Dissemination and Exploitation Workpackage Leader and Chair of the Policy Board for the successfully completed EC-funded H2020 MIDAS Project for ‘Big Data Supporting Public Health Policies’. He is currently Leader for WorkPackage 1: “Human-centred and Trustworthy AI Solutions” for the 4 year €12.5M LUCIA Horizon Europe Project on AI for multi-omic, socioeconomic and epigenetic risk factors for Lung Cancer. He is also a co-investigator on the multidisciplinary £4.8M EPIC Futures NI project addressing the economically inactive and within this is co-leading the workpackage for  the development of  a Labour Market Observatory digital portal for Northern Ireland.

A champion of developing entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial skills and knowledge in Ulster’s students, Jonathan has also been a judge on the UUSU’s Shark Tank Awards and is on the Steering Committee for the annual Catalyst Inc. INVENT Awards as well as a judge for INVENT. The ‘engage’ service solution which Jonathan has led the development and commercialisation of, has been significantly used as a real-time stakeholder engagement tool to gain strategic consensus across government, industry, academia and service users, (PPIE),  including for the HSC NI Workforce Strategy 2017 to  2026; including all the sub-specialisms for the AHP Workforce Strategy.  Most recent engagements have been both sides of the border in Ireland, identifying user needs as part of our North South HEA funded project AIM4HEALTH which focuses on AI approaches to reducing mental health inequalities in Ireland, as well as the establishing the User Requirements and KPIs across partner members states for the LUCIA project as well as the Diabetes Programme of Care Strategic Workforce Review for the Department of Health.

With over 108 peer-reviewed publications, Jonathan lectures on the University’s innovative M.Sc. Digital Marketing Communication and Leadership, as well as their undergraduate and postgraduate Computing degrees. 

Joe joined Belfast Harbour in 1997, holding a number of roles including Commercial Manager and Port Manager as well as Commercial Director until his appointment as CEO in 2018.

Prior to joining the Port, Joe held positions with Undus Ltd and Cantrell and Cochrane Ltd. Joe is currently a board member of Simon Community, a Council member of the Ireland US Council, and Northern Ireland CBI Council member.

 Katherine Yesilirmak is the Deputy Director of Strategy in the Responsible Tech Adoption Unit. Since joining government, Katherine has worked in several strategy roles including Bill Management and Private Office. She joined DSIT to lead on cross-departmental digital regulation strategy. She was then asked to set up The Foundation Model Taskforce, the precursor to the AI safety institute (AISI). In her most recent role, she led international efforts to develop standards and protocols on behalf of AISI. Katherine is passionate about the potential of technology adoption and the need for safe and trustworthy AI. 

Katrina is Director of Government Programmes (formerly Chief Engineer for Research and Technology) in Artemis Technologies.
Artemis Technologies are experts in clean maritime innovation with a mission to lead the decarbonisation of the maritime industry through the design and development of transformative technologies and battery powered vessels which are zero emission in operation. A chartered engineer and graduate in Aeronautical Engineering, Katrina has 30 years of industrial experience across aerospace, telecommunications, and maritime sectors. She leads the Belfast Maritime Consortium’s Strength in Places funded programme which will launch the world’s most advanced high-speed zero-emission passenger ferry.
Katrina is an Honorary Professor of Practice in the QUB School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast.

Marion is the founder of Pitseal. Pitseal’s innovative biofilm replaces traditional plastic coverings and weights used on silage pits, making farming more sustainable, efficient, and safe.

Marion is also pursuing a PhD in mitigating emissions from livestock, reinforcing her dedication to developing greener agricultural practices.

Michele Shirlow is the Chief Executive Officer of FoodNI, the industry body representing Northern Ireland’s diverse and thriving food and drink sector. With a deep passion for innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability, Michele has been instrumental in promoting Northern Ireland’s rich food scene while driving the growth and recognition of its local food products. Under her leadership, FoodNI has become a pivotal force in advocating for local producers, supporting the development of innovative food solutions, and championing the quality and authenticity of Northern Ireland’s produce.

FoodNI was the key driver behind Northern Ireland’s first ever Year of Food and Drink in 2016 which led to Northern Ireland winning World’s Best Food Destination at World Travel Market in 2018. 

In recognition of her contributions to the food industry and her role in elevating the profile of Northern Ireland’s food sector, Michele was appointed an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire).  Michele was also a Board Member of Tourism from 2014 to 2023. 

Michele Shirlow’s leadership continues to inspire a new generation of food entrepreneurs, while her tireless advocacy for local, high-quality produce ensures that Northern Ireland’s food industry remains a key player on the national stage.

The current Lord Mayor of Belfast took up office on 3 June 2024. 

Micky is the first openly gay Lord Mayor of Belfast.

Micky was co-opted onto Belfast City Council in May 2022, and elected in May 2023 and represents the Balmoral DEA in South Belfast

His background before politics was in the homeless sector, where he specialised in helping people with addiction challenges.

Having worked in Belfast’s community and voluntary sector for over a decade, Micky is passionate about social justice, and initiated the campaign to ban ‘conversion therapy’ in Northern Ireland.

Micky is committed to making Belfast a more inclusive and caring city.

Nancy Brown is a lecturer in Management Development at Ulster University’s Business School. As a senior fellow of the Higher Education Academy, she also serves as the Course Director for the MSc in Executive Leadership programme developing bespoke programmes for organisations committed to leadership development.  Nancy has been nominated for numerous teaching awards and has received an Excellence Education award for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and a Collaborative Excellence Award.

With over 20 years of extensive business experience across the Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, Nancy was involved in the launch of Virgin Mobile and has collaborated with global brands such as Coca-Cola, Diageo, Grafton, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Rimmel as well as local organisations.

With her background in disability and international work, Nancy is dedicated to transforming lives through inclusive education and fostering the principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion.  Nancy is deeply committed to inclusive innovation, recognizing its importance for organizational growth. She is passionate about inclusive leadership for innovation and has been a founding member of the steering group for the Special Interest Group on Inclusive Teaching at Ulster University.

Originally from New York, Nancy has called Belfast her home for over two decades.

As Principal Consultant at Isle Utilities, Oli supports start-ups and technology solutions to enter the water sector, globally, with a focus on the UK and Europe. He forms part of the delivery team for the Ofwat Innovation Fund, supporting transformative innovation in the water sector in England and Wales as well as other key roles in supporting the market entry of innovative ventures and their technologies. With a background in languages, design and the Creative Industries, as well as water sector academic and industrial partnerships, Oli is a driving force for collaborative impact and change, facilitating innovation and partnerships to bring forward solutions to some of the pressing environmental and societal challenges we face. 

Omar Salem is an aerospace engineering graduate from Queen’s University Belfast. After graduating, he began working full-time on his start-up Field of Vision. As lead engineer, he is responsible for the development of haptic tablets for visually impaired sports fans to experience live games with their own senses. He is also a blind football coach in Dublin. 

With more than 15 years of experience as a digital innovation leader, I help customers navigate the complexities of the digital landscape and emerging technologies to achieve their goals. As the Head of Innovation at Kainos, I merge end-to-end service design with product innovation, underpinned by a robust entrepreneurial and optimistic spirit.

My expertise lies in identifying and leveraging opportunities for digital transformation, translating user insights into useful and usable products with agility and precision. I foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement, driving teams to exceed expectations and achieve ambitious strategic objectives. I have led the ideation and execution of groundbreaking digital products that have impacted millions of people, securing over £150m in revenue. With a solid foundation in business management from UCL and the entrepreneurial experience of founding and growing a creative agency, I possess a deep understanding of what it takes to bring an idea to life and ensure it works.

I am passionate about leveraging digital innovation to not only drive business growth but also create lasting positive impacts on society. My goal is to lead organisations towards sustainable growth, operational excellence, and market leadership, harnessing the power of digital tools and agile methodologies to deliver value and drive change for good.

Peter Quigley is a composites engineer with a long history in industrially focused Research and Development and manufacturing. His career has spanned Aerospace, Automotive and Defence sectors, with specialisms in large scale resin infusion, high volume / low cycle time manufacture, thermoplastic composites and more recently bio-composites. 

Peter is also a Board Member of Composites UK Trade Association, supporting the development of a skills strategy with the Composite Leadership Forum, and is active in the promotion of the emergence of a thriving bio-materials economy in the UK.

Rob Passmore leads Additive Catchments, an impact venture majority-owned by a non-profit focused on improving river health. He spearheads the Catchment Monitoring as a Service (CMaaS®) Consortium, delivering scalable continuous water quality monitoring (CWQM) through a unique partnership model. The consortium integrates advanced technology and regulatory alignment to drive cost savings and environmental benefits. Previously, Rob led multiple environmental projects at the UNESCO Biosphere Foundation, including the Smart Biosphere, a catchment-scale environmental monitoring programme. His work focuses on innovation, ESG impact, and fostering sustainability.

Rosheen has a keen interest in physics, chemistry, and AI. She has won multiple awards at the BT Young Scientist competition and was on the winning team at the 2023 BT Business Bootcamp. While at Patch, she worked on Sceach, which combines satellite imagery with AI to flag illegal hedge cutting and biodiversity risk.

Dr. Steven Brennan is the Founder and CEO of Foresight, an AI-driven regulatory monitoring platform focused on automating and enhancing chemical policy compliance for global businesses. With a background in chemical compliance and sustainability at Rolls-Royce and Raytheon Technologies, Steven has built Foresight to help companies navigate complex regulatory landscapes, such as the EU Green Deal and the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability. 

Suzanne Brink is the Head of AI Ethics & Governance at Kainos. She is the creator and custodian of Kainos’ AI and data ethics approach, ensuring Kainos stays abreast of the latest standards and techniques and advising clients on the same. She has worked extensively with stakeholders in both the public and private sector to bring ethical considerations to AI deployment. Prior to joining Kainos, Suzanne worked in strategic human resource management with roles in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and as a consultant for a company providing AI-based solutions in recruitment. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Cambridge. 

Tom Ebbutt is Director of Impact at B Lab UK where he works with the UK’s B Corp community to transform our economy so that it works for all people and our planet. Prior to joining B Lab UK, Tom was Managing Director of On Purpose, one of the UK’s first B Corps. He has also worked with social enterprises, in international development, as a management consultant, and as a journalist. He is a trustee of the Social Market Foundation and Emerging Futures, and a former local councillor. Tom holds a degree in History from the University of Cambridge and is a qualified accountant.

Tomás has a passion for hardware engineering and has designed a miniature direct air capture device to extract CO2 from the atmosphere. His design is patent pending in the UK and Ireland, and he has received a grant from Patch to help build a fully functional prototype.

Thom is a Director of AI and Digital Transformation at Google, currently on leave as a National Security Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School. Before joining Google, Thom enjoyed a career as an entrepreneur. As a founder and turnaround specialist, he played key senior executive roles in early to mid-stage companies as CTO and CEO, helping generate nearly $3B in shareholder value through multiple acquisitions. 

Thom also serves as a United State Army Reservist and continues to jump out of perfectly good airplanes as a trained military parachutist. Just prior to joining Google, Thom was a civilian senior executive at U.S. Special Operations Command as their Chief Data Officer and Head of AI.

Thom completed his MBA with the University of Notre Dame and his MSCS, artificial intelligence concentration, with the Georgia Institute of Technology. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., and runs marathons for charities while actively supporting multiple foundations. Thom is also a board member for several emerging technology companies in Belfast and the U.S.

Dr Virginia Portillo is a multidisciplinary Research Fellow at Horizon Digital Economy Research Institute, at the University of Nottingham, and the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and EDI Coordinator for Responsible AI. Her scientific and research ethics background has motivated her interest in investigating, conducting and promoting RRI across multidisciplinary projects surrounding trustworthy digital technologies and Human-Centred AI. She has led the RRI work of several projects within Horizon DER and TAS programmes, and had a key role developing a tool to support responsible innovation practice: RI Prompts and Practice Cards. She is currently Co-Investigator of RAKE (Responsible Innovation Advantage in Knowledge Exchange), RAI UK Impact project in partnership with KAINOS. Virginia’s areas of interest include: KE on Responsible AI, embedded RRI in the design and governance of autonomous systems; trustworthy AI; transparency and data privacy; policy impact; RRI training and public engagement.