Agenda

With the rapid advancements in technology, our reality is constantly changing and leaves businesses questioning what’s next? Businesses need to ensure that they are adaptable to be equipped to deal with the challenges this brings.

Join this presentation where we will look at what technology is coming our way and what implications this has on all business processes and operations.

Key takeaways:

• Learn about the new technology that is coming our way in the next decade
• How to prepare for this effectively to ensure positive growth for businesses
• Understand what this means for YOUR career

The importance of trust is only noticed when trust becomes scarce. Can society trust IT and digital systems anymore, when our personal and company data is currently subject to so many breaches?

What can we as IT professionals choose to do to re-establish trust in what we do - the software products and services that we make? From her 20 years’ experience in digital transformation, Dr Hannah Rudman will share stories of when tech has been ethically dubious and when tech has been trustful for good.

Key takeaways:

• Build a realistic picture of how society feels about trusting IT and digital systems
• Learn about emerging digital solutions built on distributed ledger technologies that have trust they can prove baked in
• Consider what ethical questions and frameworks you could introduce in your workplace to build up trust in your products and services

A simple presentation of what many deem to be a highly technical subject area, explained whilst protesting to the use of buzzwords.

The session will cover some of the key concepts of DevOps, providing analogies even the biggest technophobe will understand. As well as an explanation of those technical DevOps concepts many hear of so often, our speaker will also share some insights into a key consideration of DevOps often forgotten… our people and culture.

Key takeaways:

• Grasping the key fundamentals of DevOps without complex technical terminology
• Being able to articulate the whole meaning of DevOps in a simple way
• Understanding as a practice, that DevOps is actually really quite straightforward

Great planning often means the difference between success and failure. Where your entrepreneurial dreams are concerned, you should do everything possible to set the stage for success. And that's why a great business plan is one that helps you succeed. During this presentation we’ll consider what makes a great business plan.

Key takeaways:

• Understanding exactly who it is that you’re trying to convince with a business plan
• Understanding how to write and overview of both your business and objectives
• Researching your market opportunities: How to cover all the bases

Keeping up with the fast pace of technological advancements can prove challenging for many businesses and can create a skills gap in the industry. A company’s ability to upskill it’s employees can be a huge competitive advantage and allows for personal career progression. However, with many of us are already being pulled in so many different directions - how can we successfully upskill ourselves without suffering from burnout?

Key takeaways:

• Identify the skills you don’t have and the ways in which you could upskill
• How to identify the resources on offer within your organisation
• Learn the top tips of how to incorporate upskilling into your working hours

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming not only a competitive tool for businesses to use, but an essential tool. AI is steadily passing into everyday business, yet it’s full potential is yet to be unlocked. Join this session where you will learn how AI is refining business processes and how to take full advantage of this advancing technology.

Key takeaways:

• Start to understand the true power of AI and how it can be used to enhance and empower human capacities
• Learn about the risks associated with implementing AI technology into business processes
• Identify the future uses of AI and how these will change the technology industry

Middle leadership can be either transformational in your career or for some, where they top-out. So how can you create impact and awareness from a middle (or indeed any level) leadership position? During this presentation we will assess the tools and techniques to help you succeed both at middle management level and beyond.

Key takeaways:

• How to manage being the only female at the table
• Top tips to feel empowered to handle any and all difficult conversations
• Pinpointing how to identify toxicity in your team(s) and tackle it
• Acknowledging Imposter Syndrome

In today’s digital business world, authenticity and ethics really count! In today’s ultra-competitive, high tech, interdependent business world, charisma without conscience and cleverness without character are a recipe for economic and personal failure of epic proportions. Competitiveness, ambition and innovation will always be important to success but they must be regulated by core ethical principles. It is to these core principles that we will focus during this presentation.

Key takeaways:

• How to ensure honesty is at the core of all you do: Communications and actions
• Tips on how to always maintain personal integrity
• How to be loyal within the framework of other ethical principles

The implementation of 5G will elevate the mobile network to new levels, not only will it allow for faster connectivity but it’s efficiency will control machines and empower users. 5G has now been launched by all four major operators but still only 42% of Scotland’s landmass is covered by 4G, and with some remote areas having no coverage at all, how can rural Scotland get ready for the huge network jump coming their way?

Key takeaways:

• Explore the progress of implementing 5G in Scotland
• Learn the real benefits of having a faster network and what this means for business
• Understand how launching 5G everywhere will change the Scottish tech landscape

As technology continues to change the way we live, work and learn, the need to close the gender gap is greater than ever before. The next generation are encouraged to start thinking about their career at ages as young as twelve. So what can businesses do to help the next gen enter the world technology? Join this session where an expert will share their best advice on what we can do to engage the next generation into STEM.

Key takeaways:

• Understand what the STEM gender gap actually means for business
• Learn what you can do to become a mentor

Increasing diverse participation in the workplace is not just a woman’s issue, but a human issue and should be recognised by all. In the light of diversity challenges within the tech industry and with many men holding formal leadership titles, they are in a great position to help enforce change in technical organisations. Join this session and learn how to transform men into allies and recognise them as vital components in pushing D&I initiatives.

Key takeaways:

• Learn how to influence the shift in allyship from ‘apathetic’ to ‘aware’
• Understand the importance of building relationships with male allies
• Understand that pushing diversity changes is a collaborative exercise

Businesses are awash with data and sometimes struggle to identify and manage their data assets. At the same time they want to be able to utilise their data assets to make informed decisions and to make a business impact through AI. This talk will discuss the cultural transformation and technical modernisation required for an organisation to be able to not only experiment with data but to move to full deployment of BI capabilities as well becoming truly AI-enabled.

Key takeaways:

• Learn how to move from a traditional to modern data platform
• Learn how a modern data platform supports both BI and AI
• Learn what we mean with cultural transformation

Diversity and Inclusion has become one of the hot topics of this generation, with many companies starting to embrace these changes. However, there are many underlying stereotypes that linger, stereotypes that we need to change in order to truly reach our goal. So where do we start?
Join this presentation where we'll ask the uncomfortable questions and take a more holistic view on the topic of diversity and inclusion.

Key takeaways:

• Rethink the reasons why we're advocating for diversity and inclusion - have we been blinded by the hype?
• Discover your own prejudice and what to do about it
• How to make your D&I initiatives less talk and more walk

FinTech is becoming the core of the digital transformation and the speed of it’s evolution can mean it is a fight to keep up. We all know tech is transforming the banking industry as we know it, but how are financial organisations actually using this technological innovation to improve their products and services? Join this session and be introduced to the wonderful world of FinTech!

Key takeaways:

• Examine the role of technologies like AI and Blockchain in the financial industry
• Learn about the challenges and risks associated with using this technology
• Gain an overview of what the implementation of FinTech means for you and your business

Its no secret that the tech sector offers countless opportunities but for “non-tech’s’, taking that first step into the industry can seem daunting - but you don’t need to have experience in coding or software engineering to have a successful job in tech!
This session will help unlock the key to taking the leap into a career in tech and debug the myths surrounding the attainability of tech jobs.

Key takeaways:

• Learn the top tips on how to communicate successfully outside of your industry
• Gain insight on what tech companies are looking for in a candidate
• Practice how to sell your existing skillset to a tech company

There is no doubt that in this modern technical world, it is data that drives decision making at every level. Businesses everywhere are ensuring data is defined and documented throughout every process. This will enable data understanding and analysis of customer behaviour and business performance. To be truly data-driven, businesses need to have a transparent data strategy, fully embedded and easily understood by both technical and operational business areas.

Join this session to find out how you are able to get the most of your data and turn it into information that is accessible to the right people at the right time.

Key takeaways:

• Understand how to present data in a concise and useful manner
• Understand fully what information we need to extract from data to comprehend it
• Learn how to ensure the data aligns with the business’ data strategies

For aspiring entrepreneurs, having a great idea is just the start of the journey. There comes a point in the process where a cash injection is necessary - but how do you know you are ready to take the jump? Join this session where you will learn how innovative business models drive sustainable growth, the best time to start to raise investment and the challenges you may face, along with a discussion around finding the right ecosystem to share and gain support.

Key takeaways:

• Learn the top tips on how to be strategic on your approach to raising investment
• How to recognise the different needs of investors
• How to be clear when setting your milestones and deliverables for the company
• Understand the use of family and friends funds first

There are times in our personal and professional career when the opportunity to lead others arises. You may be assigned the lead on a project where you have the most expertise or you might even be the most junior person there. Leading without authority can sometimes be tricky to do without feeling like you are overstepping certain boundaries of your colleagues - but you don't have to wait until you're the boss to be a leader! Join this session and learn the art of leading others.

Key takeaways:

• Learn the key characteristics which will allow you to be an effective leader and how to adopt them
• How to have the confidence to be a leader without the "right" title
• Tips on how to sell your new practices to your peers

Once people are at the table, it’s important to create an inclusive environment where they can share their thoughts and perspectives. Diversity in all its forms leads to more innovative products, solutions, ways of working and ultimately, increased company performance. Your company has recruited a diverse workforce that includes a range of ages, ethnicities, religions and world views. Fantastic! What now? Join us as we dive in to discuss how we can create a culture where everyone feels included.

Key takeaways:

• How to identify any shortcomings and measurable discrepancies around inclusiveness in your organisation
• Understand the interconnection between working on diversity, and working on inclusion, and vice versa
• How to effectively build a high performing team

What does operational excellence really mean, and what does it take to be truly operationally excellent? Questions all good leaders should ask themselves, as evidence repeatedly shows that organisation with strong operational excellence repeatedly outperform their competitors. This is largely based around cost management, quality management and process excellence that are supported by a set of systems, structures, values and cultures that support these competences. During this presentation we’ll assess what these core competencies involve for leaders.

Key takeaways:

• Establishing clear direction and the importance of goal setting
• Creating clear and efficient support processes in your business
• Undertaking coherent evaluation through clear, thought-through control processes
• Educating the business through strong organisational behaviour standards

As the ways in which we interact with technology evolve, the AR/VR revolution has reached a tipping point, with enterprise adoption outpacing the consumer world. Market leaders are shifting their focus from pilots and niche offerings to strategies anchored in prototypes designed for industrialisation. During this presentation we’ll assess just what, and what these current uses of AR/VR look like and their benefits.

Key takeaways:

• A look at transparent interfaces: Making interfaces more natural
• Understanding AR/VR for ubiquitous access
• Consideration of issues in the IT ecosystem

Can flexible working arrangements benefit both employers and employees? And, what are the barriers preventing our workplaces from adopting these practices on a much wider scale in 2020? During this presentation we seek to look beyond the obvious work/life benefits of flexible working and consider the wider advantages to business of adopting more flexible working conditions.

Key takeaways:

• How to improve work/life balance for improved productivity
• Ways to reduce absenteeism through new approaches to ‘presence’
• Tips to enhancing employee engagement and loyalty through broadened benefits offerings

For leaders, knowing your customers better is essential because only they can help you get more leads and more business! Understanding customers is also key to giving them good service which in turn results into strong customer relationships and new sales through positive word-of-mouth recommendations. However, understanding the customers’ psyche is not easy and most often requires a thoughtful analysis to identify their preferences or purchase patterns so that you can anticipate their needs and exceed their expectations. During this session we’ll review the easiest ways to understand your customers better.

Key takeaways:

• Understanding the importance of real-time customer behaviours
• Creating greater value for the business (and the customer!) through careful categorisation
• Ensuring never to underestimate the power of social customer engagement strategies
• Evaluating customer interactions to glean their true value to your business
• Assessing the power of modern-day personalisation and its potential returns to you and your business

Software Testing and Quality Assurance has today evolved from being an activity at the end of the development cycle to a strategy that will decide the fate of the application/software. With the need for digital transformation, software testing has taken a new spin. Today, organisations are increasingly considering approaches such as DevOps and Agile, which encourage collaboration between development teams and testing teams. During this presentation we will assess how to position yourself and your testing environments, with the top software testing trends for 2020.

Key takeaways:

• How to test big data for effective decision-making
• A look into digital testing for digital transformation
• Understanding performance testing for performance engineering

Sustainably is a fintech for social good startup that’s using open banking to revolutionise the way we give to charity. In this session, we’ll look at how we overcome various challenges by using design systems, user testing and agile methodology to launch the product at pace, and with a limited budget, whilst still keeping the user at the heart.

Key takeaways:

• How to set up and use a design system to save time
• How to do user testing on a tight budget
• How to make value based decisions
• How to deliver at pace and avoid burnout with a small team

When a crisis occurs, often the effects go beyond the initial problem, with no time limit. What we have seen this year with COVID-19 has proved that. However, with the global pandemic we have seen the increased capabilities of tech, with big data being used to understand the genetics of the virus, AI being used to speed up drug discovery and development and hospital equipment being 3D printed. Can this advanced technology ever prepare us enough for future social crises?

Key takeaways:

• Learn the true capabilities of our technology from case studies during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Understand how technology can help us during other times of social crisis, like environmental or financial
• Identify the ways technology keeps can businesses functioning correctly during crisis

If you're treating people unfairly based on their age, you are missing out. There are lots of benefits of having generational diversity in your business as well as gender diversity. In this presentation, we'll look at generational diversity in the workplace and review some of the benefits.

Key takeaways:

• How to avoid making age-based assumptions & stereotyping
• Why you can celebrate all ages within the workplace
• How to destroy the perception that the younger generations embrace digital communication through email better than any other generation

How do you ensure your teams share the skills and insights they have? Valuable learnings happen all over the business all the time, but doesn't always get to the people who might take advantage of it. How do you organise your teams, your collaboration and your approach to learning so that the insights you all gain as part of your work contribute to making the business and your teams better?

Key takeaways:

• Learn practical tips on how you can collaborate more effectively with your colleagues
• Find out how you can avoid working in silos
• How you develop leadership skills at all levels and with your whole team

The future of AI relies on advances in the underlying machine learning technology, and an effective machine learning architecture for computing at the edge. However, before getting a pure tech conversation, we also need to consider if advancing AI and related technology systems are indeed going to enhance and empower our human capacities?

Key takeaways:

• Understand the ethics of AI and the importance of matching technology to human values
• Uncover AI’s capacity for making the world a better or worse place
• Understand the changes needed at a political economy level: Data governance regimes

About 100 companies in the FTSE 350 either have no female directors or just one. As we enter the new decade, we need to ensure companies dedicate themselves to implementing a positive, long term strategy towards diversity, starting from the top. How can women stop just being a quota number and start dominating boards?

Key takeaways:

• Learn how to think like a director
• Understand how to combat internal issues such as imposter syndrome
• Practice your professional board room pitches

With the rapid advancement of technology, companies and individuals are faced with increased cyber security risks, each more complex than the last. Join this cyber security expert who will share their top tips about how to be protected against hackers.

Key takeaways:

• Learn the biggest cybersecurity threats of 2021
• How can you protect yourself from getting hacked
• Share your personal experiences with other professionals

A recent Gallop poll found that just 3 out of 10 employees strongly feel that their opinions matter at work. Another recent study by the journal of management studies showed that 85% of people have reported at least one occasion where they felt unable to raise an important concern to their boss.

In this workshop we’ll explore psychological safety and how it can help to build the foundations for a collaborative and inclusive workplace. You’ll get a chance to compete a self reflection quiz to see how your behaviours positively or negatively impact the safety of others you work with and you’ll brainstorm ideas that you can take away to help your own teams to build psychological safety.

Key takeaways:

• Learn what psychological safety is and why it is important
• Understand which of your own current behaviours affect the psychological safety of people that you work with
• Takeaway concrete actions to help improve the psychological safety of the teams that you lead or work with

Over the next 5 years, the adoption of digital technologies will have a profound impact on businesses, with as many as 1 in 3 jobs being disrupted as a result! As a leader in a digital age, it is therefore imperative to future-proof yourself, and during this session we will assess just how to go about this.

Key takeaways:

• Undertaking life-long learning and continuous development to stay sharp
• The value of your network – How to make it a part of your personal value proposition
• How to become an agent of change

A strong diverse pipeline starts with an internal change. By embracing diversity of thought, we accelerate our problem-solving capability, covering a greater expanse of blind spots and allowing us to make better decisions. Join this insightful and thought-provoking session on how we all need to think differently across our industries to help create greater equality and build diverse teams.

Key takeaways:

• Learn how to think about diversity from the very start of the hiring process
• How to not only create but SUSTAIN the right culture
• How to build true diversity and inclusion - not just a seat at the table, but a voice

When machine learning is based on an input of data, who is responsible for the results, and what does that mean? Exploring the ethical questions machine learning is bringing to the forefront.

Key takeaways:

• Assess the interpretability of algorithm behaviour, and who is responsible for discrimination and bias learned from human data
• Hear examples from real world applications and how ownership, risk and responsibility has been managed
• Understand how ethical questions are being addressed, including post processing, data resampling and causal reasoning