Nazir Afzal OBE

Nazir Afzal OBE, was Chief Crown Prosecutor for NW England and formerly Director in London. He was Chief Executive of the country’s Police & Crime Commissioners and most recently, National Adviser to the Welsh Government. During a 30 year career, has prosecuted the most high-profile cases in the country & advised on many others and led nationally on several legal topics including Violence against Women & Girls, child sexual abuse, and honour-based violence. He had responsibility for more than 100,000 prosecutions each year. His prosecutions of the so-called Rochdale grooming gang and hundreds of others were groundbreaking and changed the landscape of child protection.

He is the Chancellor of the University of Manchester – the largest one site university in the U.K., the most popular university in the U.K. for applications, the number 1 university for employability, 28^th globally, 44.000 students, 13000 staff, 550.000 alumni, 25 Nobel Prize Winners

He is incoming Chair of the Lowry Theatre – the “National Theatre of the North.”

He is Chair of the Church of England National Safeguarding Panel

He is on the board of the new Creative Industries independent Standards Agency

Strategic Adviser to the People’s Powerhouse

He sat on the Independent Press Standards Organisation

Patron of the Association of Safeguarding Partners

He sits on the National Police Chiefs Ethics Committee

He was the first ever independent Chair of the Catholic Church’s Safeguarding Agency.

He is advisor to Bikal Technologies (UK) Ltd., who develop Artificial Intelligence and 5G product, largely using research from universities to transfer into a commercial product.

He was Chair of the Independent Review of Culture of London Fire Brigade and the Nursing & Midwifery Council

He is Trustee of WOW (World of Women) Foundation

His memoirs “The Prosecutor” published in 2020 are currently being adapted for a British multipart drama. His new book “The Race to the Top” was published in Sept 2022. His BBC R4 ‘Desert Island Discs’ programme was the 3rd most listened to in 2021.

Nazir is a tutor for several leadership programmes in the public and private sector. He has made presentations to dozens of diverse organisations in this country and abroad. He has given hundreds of interviews in all forms of media. Nazir gives a considerable amount of time to charitable work and is trustee & Patron of several NGOs including ServiceSix, DVAssist, Jan Trust, Samantha Sykes Foundation, Karma Nirvana, Halo Project & SaveraUK and was Chair of the Prince of Wales’ Mosaic Trust.

He is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Central Lancashire and Glyndwr University and awarded Honorary Doctorates in Law by the University of Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford, Leicester & London South Bank Universities. He has chaired conferences in New York, Madrid, Paris, Norway and Geneva. He has assisted the Governments of Somalia, Ukraine and Pakistan on Rule of Law reform.

Nazir has received many accolades, in 2005, he was awarded an OBE by the Queen for his work. He has also had the honour of being the only lawyer to ever prosecute a case before the Queen. In 2007, he received the UK Government’s Justice Award 2007 and was awarded the Daily Mirror newspaper “People’s award” voted for by readers. Nazir was also selected for the Asian Power 100 along with the Muslim Power 100 list, recognised as one of the 100 most influential leading Muslims and Asians in the UK.  He is listed in the Pakistan Power100 which regards him as one of the 100 most influential people of Pakistani origin in the world today. He was Asian Media Group’s “Man of the Year 2012.” Most recently, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Pride of Birmingham awards 2022. He was awarded the first ever “Disruptor for Good” award at the Northern Power Women Awards 2022.

The acclaimed BBC Film “Three Girls” was based on his case

“An inspiring figure, forensically intelligent” - Times Editorial Nov 2012

“Until recently crimes encountered by pioneering prosecutor rarely troubled a courtroom, now these issues have risen to the top of the Policy agenda” – The Independent July 2012

“The authentic face of British Justice” – New York Times Saturday Profile 2013

Natalia Bojanic

SIY Global Leadership

Natalia Bojanic has facilitated workshops in a wide range of settings, from charities to law firms and has worked with companies across different industries, such as lululemon, Amex and CancerCare. Her teaching background is diverse, combining ancient wisdom from Tibetan Buddhism with secular mindfulness from Search Inside Yourself, a Leadership Institute born at Google and developed by thought leaders in emotional intelligence, mindfulness and neuroscience. Natalia is currently studying for a Masters in the Psychology & Neuroscience of Mental Health at King's College London.

She is also co-founder of Form Nutrition, a B Corp using business as a force for good and a startup described by The Telegraph as a ‘game-changing’ brand. Previously she was a PR Director in the luxury industry, working for brands such as LVMH and Land Rover.

Dr Stephanie Hare

Co-presenter of BBC TV 'Artificial Intelligence: Decoded' and author of 'Technology Is Not Neutral: A short guide to technology ethics'. Dr Stephanie Hare is an author, consultant and keynote speaker who focuses on the impact of artificial intelligence on business and society. Her book 'Technology Is Not Neutral: A Short Guide to Technology Ethics' examines the issues surrounding AI and Big Tech as well as its effects on humankind.

Stephanie’s expertise sits neatly at the intersection of business, technology, governance and ethics in the current era of surveillance capitalism. Stephanie was selected for the BBC’s Expert Women initiative and now commentates regularly on the BBC. She is a presenter of the broadcaster’s 'Artificial Intelligence: Decoded' and is a regular contributor to the BBC World Service slot Business Matters.

Stephanie is an engaging Event MC and moderator who mixes academic rigour with warmth and dynamic delivery when she is onstage. Before becoming a global media commentator and communicator, Stephanie worked for Accenture, Palantir and Oxford Analytica. Her work has been published in The Washington Post, The Guardian/Observer, WIRED, Harvard Business Review and The Financial Times, which selected 'Technology Is Not Neutral: A Short Guide to Technology Ethics' as one of its books of summer 2022. Dr Hare’s book is currently included on the syllabus of Harvard Law School.

Stephanie Hare has consulted and presented events for many firms and brands. These include LEGO, KPMG, IKEA, the Royal Society, the Vodafone Institute, BAE Systems, Citywire, CERN, Mishcon de Reya, the Internet of Things Alliance Australia, The Alan Turing Institute, Mayer Brown, 7 Bedford Row, Fujitsu, the Data Lab, Vistage and SOLACE, the UK’s leading network for public sector professionals.

Stephanie has a PhD and MSc from The London School of Economics and studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, including a year at Université de la Sorbonne (Paris IV). She held the Alastair Horne Visiting Fellowship at St Antony’s College, Oxford.

Derek Walker

Future Generations Commissioner for Wales

Wales is the only country in the world with a Well-being of Future Generations Act and the role provides advice and support to government and public bodies to take a longer-term view on policy decisions. The commissioner’s job is to protect and promote the needs of future generations.

Derek Walker is the second ever Future Generations Commissioner, having started the role on March 1, 2023, when he called for ‘urgent and transformational change’ in Wales.

Previously he was chief executive of Cwmpas, the UK’s largest co-operative development agency. Derek spent 12 years as CEO, working to support people and communities to create jobs and strengthen communities, and changed the organisation’s focus to development that meets the needs of current generations without compromising the needs of future generations.

Derek began his career as policy officer for London Councils, in London and Brussels. He has also worked as Head of External Affairs at the Big Lottery Fund (Wales), as Head of Policy and Campaigns at the Wales TUC and was the first employee of Stonewall Cymru.

Derek grew up on a farm near Cwmbran and is a keen runner and tennis player, loves to read and is a Welsh learner. He now lives in Cardiff with his partner Mike and has two grown-up children. His ambition while at Croesyceiliog Comprehensive School was to be a journalist and he has a Masters degree in International Journalism from Cardiff University. He’s happy how life has turned out and says being the guardian of the interests of people not yet born is the greatest privilege.