Speakers and workshop leaders
Keynote Speaker:
Mivy James
Chief Technology Officer, Ministry of Defence
Mivy James is the UK Ministry of Defence’s Digital Chief Technology Officer, steering national military technology strategy. Her 30-year career has seen her lead multi-billion pound digital transformation programmes, becoming a major figure in the male-dominated fields of defence and security.
Mivy is equally well known for her advocacy and championing of women in tech. Her campaign work promotes change to corporate culture, broadening the perception of what makes a good leader, and true career advancement over advice.
Fireside chat speaker:
Karen Blake
Inclusion strategist and organisational transformation expert
Karen is an organisational transformation expert, advancing inclusion in STEM workplaces. Her work includes shaping national inclusion policy as part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Women in Tech Taskforce. She is a former Co-CEO of the Tech Talent Charter (TTC), where she led a collaborative network of more than 800 organisations committed to advancing inclusion, and co-author of the Lovelace Report, an economic study examining the impact of female attrition in technology.
“What draws me to this year's WISE Conference Programme is the people in the room. I've learned that progress rarely arrives in grand gestures; it's built in conversations, mentorships, and small moments of someone saying 'you can.' The future of work won't wait for us to get inclusion right, so I'd rather help shape it now than explain its gaps later. WISE understands that urgency. I'm coming ready to listen, challenge, and swap ideas with people who aren't waiting for permission to build a fairer future.”
Speakers and workshop leaders:
Ollie Bell, Founder of Fred Wellbeing
Ollie works with business leaders to better understand the hidden costs linked to absence, turnover and low productivity, and helps them build practical strategies to reduce those risks. He is known for making difficult topics feel practical, commercial and relevant.
“I’m excited to attend the WISE conference because it creates space for honest conversations about what allyship looks like in practice. For me, allyship is not about claiming a badge or speaking on behalf of others. It is about listening carefully, understanding experiences different from your own, and using whatever influence you have to help change the conditions around people.”
Kevin Coutinho MBE, Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant, London Metropolitan University
Kevin is an equalities practitioner within higher education (HE) and the voluntary sector. He currently works at London Metropolitan University, is a Senior Independent Governor at Cardiff Metropolitan University, an adviser to the University of Galway, and an Athena SWAN and Race Equality Charter chair for Advance HE. He also runs a consultancy focusing on HE, inclusion and policy.
Kevin is Chair of the Board of Trustees for Windsor Fellowship, a race equality and diversity charity (winning The Guardian Public Service Leadership Excellence award). He was awarded an MBE in the King’s 2025 Birthday Honours for services to EDI.
Lucy Leonard, EDI Training and Delivery Specialist, WISE
With a background in NHS workforce and inclusion, Lucy Leonard now designs and delivers WISE training sessions, including the leadership development programme which is currently underway. She also offers consultation to businesses seeking to improve gender equity, blending insights from peer reviewed research and best practice.
"I am delighted to be part of this year's conference and to be contributing to the allyship track. I am really excited to catalyse connections between those championing the way for gender equity and to offer insights which people can take back and action within their organisations, particularly at a time when the world is challenged by divisiveness and allyship is all the more important. We all have a role to play in creating safe and inclusive workplaces and collaborative events like this foster passion and optimism."