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Judging Panel

Chair of the Judging Panel

Priya Gandhi

Priya Gandhi

Senior Director of Quality
Aristocrat Technologies Incorporation

Jack Dowling

Director of Transformation & Operations

Rob Bachan

Chief Architect for B2B Global Business portfolio,
Customer & Products
BP

Ritesh Kumar

Director of Technical Architecture
ASTM International

Sabahat Khan

Chief Information Officer
Local Government Management Agency
Nick Hodder

Nick Hodder

Assistant Director of Digital Transformation
Imperial War Museums

Vikki Williams

Head of Transformation and Delivery
AXA Health
Ravi Jay

Ravi Jay

Head of Agile Delivery
Jaguar Land Rover
Basit

Basit Tanveer

Head of Business Platforms
Lebara

Maria Stefanova

Head of PMO – Artificial Intelligence, MSc, SPC
International Airlines Group (IAG)
Sabitha Nalli

Sabitha Nalli

Global Test Strategy Lead
Naviam

Lokesh Prakash Manohar

Head of Transformation and Delivery
LatentView Analytics

Chris Conlon

Head of IT and Digital Transformation
Dovehaven Care Homes
Priya Gandhi

Priya Gandhi

Director of Quality

Aristocrat Technologies Incorporation

Bio: Priya is the Director of Quality at Aristocrat Technology Inc. Holding degrees in Engineering and IT Marketing, she uses her knowledge and expertise in Automation and Emerging Tech to inspire her team and improve their digital processes especially quality. Priya has a pragmatic style of leadership and is passionate about making the workplace a better place for her team, both in its culture and in its workflow. She can often be found reading up on the latest developments in Artificial Intelligence and Robotic Process Automation, some of her personal interests.

Jack Dowling

Independent Transformation Consultant (Ex. Transformation & Operations Director)

Bio: Jack is an accomplished transformation and operations leader with ten years’ experience turning complex challenges into practical growth. He has worked across telecommunications, logistics, retail, and the public sector, most recently guiding Post Office Ltd through a multi-carrier shift that launched 14 new delivery propositions, reversed a long-running revenue slide, and rebuilt postmaster confidence. Over the last four years Jack’s work has directly contributed over £120 million in annual revenue and removed £20 million in recurring costs by pairing rigorous data analysis with focused delivery. Jack blends strategic planning, digital product innovation, and hands-on operational insight to craft customer-centred experiences at scale. Jack is recognised for his pragmatic, high-energy style and ability to align diverse stakeholders which has inspired teams to modernise legacy operations and build agile, data-driven businesses. Jack is now applying his experience and capability to help small and large businesses turn AI potential into meaningful ROI.

Rob Bachan

Chief Architect for B2B Global Business portfolio, Customer & Products

BP

Bio: My name is Rob Bachan and my passion is creating value for end users through technology. Over 29 spans my experience key sectors across the globe covering product development & delivery, innovation, advisory and leadership roles focusing on Digital Customer & Enterprise solutions.

My career spans from software product companies to start-ups and just over 10.5 years with IBM GBS Europe. Global Roles over the last 8 years include VP of Digital Architecture & Strategy, Engineering & Architecture, Head of Digital Domain & Innovation Lab and CEO, CTO and MD for new entrant & corporate backed start-ups.

Throughout my career, I’ve worked on an extensive number of customer engagements in technical, leadership and product innovation roles in globally distributed teams. Starting out as an engineer and growing through various leaderships roles to my current role across multiple sectors on a wide range of solutions with varying complexity from customer solutions to large scale transformation, The key sectors have been Telco, Utilities, Insurance and Banking, Oil & Gas and Media & Entertainment.

Grew up in the sunny island of Trinidad and Tobago and based out of the UK for last 30 years working across the globe with 3 years based out of Bangkok. Happily married with two beautiful daughters and enjoy travelling and exploring. Other hobbies include music, sports, running and cooking.

Ritesh Kumar

Director of Technical Architecture

ASTM International

Bio: Ritesh Kumar is a seasoned technology leader with over 19 years of extensive experience across all phases of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Currently serving as the Director of Technical Architecture at ASTM International, Ritesh has made a significant impact by leading strategic architectural initiatives and managing distributed teams.

Professional Journey:
Ritesh’s career trajectory exemplifies his commitment to delivering innovative and scalable solutions. At ASTM International, he has held key roles, including Senior Solutions Architect and now Director of Technical Architecture, where he has been instrumental in architecting cloud-based platforms and integrating diverse systems. His focus remains on translating business requirements into robust technical solutions while emphasizing quality, usability, security, and scalability.

Previously, Ritesh held pivotal roles at Xybion Corporation as a Senior Solution Architect, where he played a critical role in the development of the Xybion Digital Platform (XDP). XDP is a low-code SaaS cloud platform designed to integrate enterprise processes with IoT, major enterprise platforms, and customer workflows. During his tenure, he led several key implementations such as the Chemical & Protocol Registry, Work Force Safety (Emidence-XD), and Bill Review solutions, leveraging cutting-edge technologies like Node.js, Angular, MongoDB, and Python.

Before Xybion, Ritesh was a Solutions Architect at CitiusTech, where he collaborated with GE Healthcare on the Centricity 360 project. His responsibilities included designing and developing healthcare solutions, managing onshore-offshore communication, and integrating the product with continuous delivery practices.

Ritesh’s journey began with Capgemini, where he rose from a Senior Developer to a Team Lead, managing cross-regional teams in India and China. He played a pivotal role in the My Alcatel Request System (M@rs) project, improving process efficiency and maintaining critical applications used globally by Alcatel employees. His early experience at Aeon Consultants honed his foundational skills in development, testing, and deployment.

Sabahat Khan

Chief Information Officer

Local Government Management Agency

Bio: Sabahat “Saab” Khan is the Assistant Chief Executive and CIO at the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA). He is overseeing the Digital, ICT, and Cybersecurity department, leading initiatives to enhance local government services through digital transformation. With a focus on innovation and efficiency, Sabahat drives digital advancements and improves service delivery. Sabahat is part of the LGMA executive team, responsible for delivering on corporate objectives and implementing policy and strategy across the Agency. With over 25 years of experience in the private sector, Saab is a globally astute, goals-driven senior executive with in-depth expertise in bottom line factors including strategic planning, technology management, financial management, and organizational development. He has a proven track record of large-scale business and technology transformation initiatives leading to profit increase, operational efficiency, and cost containment.

Nick Hodder

Nick Hodder

Assistant Director of Digital Transformation

Imperial War Museums

Bio: Nick Hodder is the Assistant Director of Digital Transformation at Imperial War Museums.  Nick spent over two decades in the technology sector with companies such as Sun Microsystems and Google, before joining the non-profit sector several years undertaking digital transformations that are purpose driven and have significant social impact.  Nick joined IWM in 2020 to lead the museum’s Digital Transformation, where he places a real emphasis on culture change and people focus.

Vikki Williams

Head of Transformation and Delivery

AXA Health

Bio: A highly experienced, dynamic and impactful senior leader, with extensive delivery experience across diverse teams, steering complex transformational business, cultural and organisational change, while working collaboratively in challenging environments. Customer and colleague focussed. Continuous improvement, end to end lens. Proven ability to turn strategy into action, to release value, achieve efficiencies and increase the flow of work

Ravi Jay

Ravi Jay

Head of Agile Delivery

Jaguar Land Rover

Bio: Trusted entrepreneurial and customer-centric Digital and Product leader with 19+ years’ experience coaching, directing and leading cross-functional teams engineering and delivering complex technology integrations. As a problem solver, I enjoy making complicated challenges simpler; running towards fires, dousing them quickly; formulating winning strategies by data driven experimentation, rapid prototyping and delivering great products that people love to use. I’ve learned a lot from mistakes made since my first sprint planning in 2007. Now, every day, I hope to learn more about emerging digital technologies, agile, gamification and bringing people together to deliver great products. I have a major in Artificial Intelligence (NLP) and keen to develop Machine Learning skills to apply them to solve Conversational UI development challenges

Basit

Basit Tanveer

Head of Business Platforms

Lebara

Bio: I help companies solve complex business challenges using technology and leveraging data to drive revenue growth and optimise operational cost. As a problem-led leader with over 20+ years of experience in managing complex digital and data transformation initiatives.

I have led remote agile teams of over 200+ professionals and successfully transitioned technology departments to improve collaboration, efficiency, predictability, quality, operational excellence by simplifying processes and integrating business areas to deliver sustainable business value

My expertise includes tech strategy, product engineering, team building, decommissioning legacy technology, re-architecture, cloud migration, insourcing, near-shoring, and resource optimisation, with a proven track record of reducing OPEX.

I have been recognised for implementing award-winning intelligent data platforms and excel in cultivating successful relationships with stakeholders while managing multi-million-euro budgets.

Maria Stefanova

Head of PMO – Artificial Intelligence, MSc, SPC

International Airlines Group (IAG)

Bio: An accomplished leader in Agile PMO, Digital Transformation, and SAFe methodologies, Maria has experience in a broad spectrum of industries, including legal, financial services, entertainment and logistics.

In her current role, Maria is focused on the use of Artificial Intelligence to enhance and simplify various processes and create more efficient work practices.

A devotee of lifelong learning, Maria holds multiple degrees that complement her experience, including MSc in Business Information Systems, International Diploma in Business Analysis, Certified SPC, BSc in Industrial Engineering and Management, and others.

Sabitha Nalli

Sabitha Nalli

Global Test Strategy Lead

BPD Zenith

Bio: Sabitha is an award-winning and ISTQB/ITIL certified professional renowned for her leadership in Testing & Quality Assurance, Digital Transformation and User Experience across diverse sectors including Finance, Banking, E-commerce, Asset Management, B2B, B2C, Retail, Travel, and Construction. With extensive experience spanning these industries, she has developed a deep understanding of their unique challenges and requirements.

As a leader in digital transformation, Sabitha excels in developing and executing comprehensive strategies tailored to each organization’s unique needs and goals.  Sabitha’s expertise lies in devising and executing best-in-class strategies, particularly in setting up and implementing automation tool frameworks supporting Digital transformation programmes. She has a proven track record of leading cross-functional and geographically diverse teams to success, ensuring projects are delivered within strict timelines and budgets. Her strategic approach to leadership encompasses building, training, and mentoring teams to excel in their roles, while fostering strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels, including C-level executives, project/product managers, business stakeholders, development managers, and sponsors.

Beyond her professional achievements, Sabitha is passionate about driving positive change and making a meaningful impact in the organization. Her dedication to continuous learning and staying ahead of industry trends positions her as a trusted advisor and catalyst for digital innovation.

Lokesh Prakash Manohar

Head of Generative AI CoE

LatentView Analytics

Bio: Lokesh is a seasoned technology leader with deep expertise in Generative AI, machine learning, and AI-driven product innovation. With a strong track record of leading AI transformation across industries, he specializes in building scalable AI solutions, driving strategic AI initiatives, and mentoring high-performing teams.

Currently serving as the GenAI Practice Head at LatentView Analytics, Lokesh leads AI-driven initiatives that redefine enterprise operations, guiding the development of proprietary Generative AI capabilities and driving go-to-market strategies. Previously, as a Product Lead at Lacework, he launched AI-powered automation features that significantly enhanced customer engagement and retention. His leadership at Farmers Business Network and PayPal resulted in large-scale platform optimizations, cloud migrations, and AI-driven efficiency improvements that collectively delivered millions in operational savings.

With expertise spanning AI product development, NLP, cloud infrastructure, and data science, Lokesh has successfully led cross-functional teams, managed enterprise-scale AI deployments, and influenced C-suite AI adoption strategies. He is passionate about bridging the gap between AI innovation and business impact.
A thought leader in AI, he actively engages with industry leaders and speaks at conferences on the future of AI adoption. He holds advanced degrees in Information Engineering and Operations Research from Cornell University.

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