Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser is Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Regius Professor of Botany at the University of Cambridge. UKRI oversees the UK’s research councils, Innovate UK, and Research England, managing over £8 billion annually.

Previously, she directed the Sainsbury Laboratory at Cambridge, leading interdisciplinary research in plant growth and development. A strong advocate for improving research culture, she has chaired major initiatives on ethics and inclusivity, including the Nuffield Council on Bioethics.

Dame Ottoline has played a key role in science policy, serving on the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology, and chairing committees at the Royal Society and University of Cambridge. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society, a member of EMBO, the Leopoldina, and the US National Academy of Sciences. In 2017, she was appointed DBE for her services to science and equality.

June Angelides MBE is a Venture Partner at Samos Investments and founder of Levare Ventures, a micro fund backing early-stage African startups. She has angel invested in several female-founded companies and previously founded Mums in Tech, the UK’s first child-friendly coding school. June has held roles at Silicon Valley Bank and sits on the boards of Jude, Flair, Ruka, and Everpress. A columnist for the Financial Times, she is a mentor at Oxford University and a UK Government Taskforce member for Women-Led High-Growth Enterprises. She was awarded an MBE and named one of the most influential women in tech by Computer Weekly and the Financial Times. 

Alexsis de Raadt St James is the founder and managing partner of Merian Ventures, a US-UK venture capital firm focused on AI and consumer-facing technologies. An experienced investor, board member, and innovation executive, she brings deep expertise in digital strategy, partnerships, and business development.

Previously, Alexsis held senior roles at Shell International, including Director of M&A, where she led acquisitions, divestments, and IPOs across tech and energy sectors in London and Holland.

She serves on multiple boards and advisory panels, including WEInnovate at Imperial College, the Oxford Internet Institute, MIT Press, and the Oxford AI Society. She also founded The Althea Foundation, which has supported 28 initiatives in mental health, science, and digital privacy—earning her a commendation from Scotland Yard for social impact.

A frequent speaker and author, her work has been featured in the Financial Times, CNN Business News, and The Guardian.

Nigel Toon is a leading AI entrepreneur, investor, and author of How AI Thinks. He co-founded Graphcore, a pioneering company that developed a new class of microprocessors for artificial intelligence. With a background as CEO of multiple successful venture-backed companies and a senior executive at Altera, Nigel has been recognized among the UK’s top technology influencers. He currently serves as Senior Non-Executive Director at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and has advised the UK Prime Minister’s Business Council.