Speaker Group: Day 2 - 29th April 2026
Piers Linney MBE
Piers Linney is an entrepreneur, investor and business commentator whose career spans law, banking, technology and venture capital. A former ‘Dragon’ on the BBC’s Dragons’ Den, and co-founder of Implement AI, he is a leader in innovation, business growth and strategy, and the potential of artificial intelligence in the future of work. He also co-hosts The Implement AI podcast. Starting…
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Manas Saha
Ed Thompson
Ed joined Salesforce in August 2022 from Gartner the research and advisory company. He was an analyst there for over 27 years. His research focused on CRM and Customer Experience Management. He wrote over 660 research papers and delivered over 200 different presentations.
Stuart Haire
Stuart is a seasoned executive in financial services having held senior leadership (SMF) positions in two of the UK’s leading financial institutions and now as Group CEO at Skipton Group. Skipton group includes Skipton Building Society and Connells Group, Europe’s largest Property Services organisation. Stuart has held board member roles in FS subsidiaries, with exposure to asset management, insurance, advisory,…
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Charles Roe
With over 30 years in the finance industry, Charles’ career encompasses all parts of the mortgage sector, including Director of Mortgages at a banking and finance trade association, an Executive Director and Chief Risk Officer at a top 10 building society and 11 years at the FCA – where he was Head of Department for the mortgage, building society and…
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James Silk
James is a Director at Woodhurst, where he leads the firm’s Building Society practice. He has over 10 years’ experience supporting financial institutions to navigate modernisation, working across building societies, banks, payments firms, insurers, and fintechs. James specialises in shaping and delivering transformation, from defining target operating models and strategy through to platform selection and implementation. He brings a pragmatic,…
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Sue Hayes
With over 25 years of experience in financial services, Sue Hayes has built a reputation for driving innovation and assembling high-performing teams. Since January 2022, she has served as CEO of Nottingham Building Society, leading the organisation through strategic transformation with a focus on diversity, collaboration, and customer-centric solutions. Previously, Sue held leadership roles at GB Bank, Aldermore Bank, Santander,…
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Sukand Ramachandran
Sukand Ramachandran is a member of Boston Consulting Group’s Financial Institutions and Tech and Digital Advantage practices. He advises clients across industries on digital and technology-enabled transformations. He leads BCG’s corporate banking work in Europe, its trade finance work globally, and the firm’s work in technology and digital in wholesale banking as well. Since joining BCG in 2006, Sukand has…
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Alison Emblow
Alison Emblow is a Senior Manager in the UK Deposit Takers Supervision Directorate of the Prudential Regulation Authority at the Bank of England. She supervises a portfolio of new and specialist banks. She is one of the co-ordinators of the recently formed bank and building society Scale-Up Unit, a cross PRA and FCA initiative designed to provide tailored support for…
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Paloma Sackman
Paloma joined The Foundation after 5 years at Be the Business, an organisation improving productivity among SMEs across the UK. She led customer strategy and marketing having been part of the founding team. Before that she was at Zipcar, pioneering new and better ways for people in cities to enjoy mobility, using digital access to share cars and vans. She has…
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