Dave Williams

Environment Agency, Team Leader

Dave Williams started his working life as a Consulting Civil Engineer. After a short while he found that the IT department was more interesting than designing roads or dams. Dave undertook applied research at Cambridge University looking at Artificial Intelligence in design.  He joined Lloyd's Register of Shipping to apply the techniques to real life problems. Delivered and helped market world wide innovative IT products. Dave moved to Unipart and helped win large outsourcing contracts and led their central IT team. Managed this whilst the business diversified from car parts distribution to supply chain specialist. Dave leads the Environment Agency team focused on technology and innovation.  He has led on developing their Green IT Strategy.

Phil Pavitt

Group CIO for Transport for London (TfL)

Phil Pavitt is Group CIO for Transport for London (TfL), the functional body responsible for the implementation of the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy and the management of transport services across the Capital including London`s buses. As such Phil is ultimately responsible for the technology behind London’s buses, the Underground, the Docklands Light Railway and the London River Services. As well as that supporting Victoria Coach Station, the London Transport Museum, London`s 4,600 traffic lights and the central London Congestion Charging scheme .

Phil’s previous roles include division-wide Transformation Director at the Centrica Group, CIO of OneTel and Global CIO at the ntl Group.

Phil’s core strengths lie in transforming IT functions, in his own words: ‘If someone tells me a team can’t be changed for the better, I’m the first to rise to the challenge and prove it can be done. Whilst transformation is about vision and strategy, I believe the key to effective change is people - and my passion is to engage, motivate and lead the team so together we develop a culture of success and deliver transformation.”

Alongside his work commitments, Phil is a regular public speaker on a range of topics from leadership to IT delivery.

David Smith

Deputy Commissioner, ICO

David Smith is the Deputy Commissioner responsible for the Data Protection functions of the ICO. His role is to ensure that the ICO meets its goal of 'strengthening public confidence in Data Protection by taking a practical, down-to-earth approach - simplifying and making it easier for the majority of organisations who seek to handle personal information well, and tougher for the minority who do not'. As well as providing Data Protection leadership across the ICO, David has specific responsibility for its Guidance and Promotion Division, Regulatory Action Division, Corporate Support Unit and the Scotland Office based in Edinburgh.

Prior to his appointment as Deputy Commissioner in January 2006, David undertook a wide range of responsibilities as an Assistant Commissioner. These covered the setting up of a new Regulatory Action Division, leadership of a Strategic Policy Group and management of groups responsible for ensuring compliance with the Data Protection Act across different areas of the public and private sectors. David first joined what was then the Office of the Data Protection Registrar in 1990. Previously he worked as a District Officer for the public sector trade union NALGO.

Owen Pengelly

Head of the Central Sponsor for Information Assurance

Owen was appointed as Head of the Central Sponsor for Information Assurance in August 2008. Since 2004 he has held a number of Cabinet Office postings, including in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit and in the Joint Intelligence Committee Assessments Staff. From 2000-2004 Owen lived in Washington, DC where he obtained an MA from the George Washington University’s Elliot School of International Relations and subsequently ran US operations for Atlantic Partnership, a bi-partisan network with a focus on transatlantic issues. Prior to this Owen spent several years working in I.T. for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Leeds and London.

Dean James

DWP Chief Operating Officer

Dean spent his formative career in the International Oil & Gas Sector where he worked on operated and non-operated joint ventures in Europe, Middle East, Gulf of Mexico and Asia. In the 1990s he worked on global business performance management and strategic developments.

Dean moved into IT and Business Transformation Outsourcing in the late 90s which included the successful transformation of National Savings & Investments. He joined the Department for Work and Pensions in 2004 and is Chief Operating Officer for Corporate IT and has been instrumental in delivering a new Utility based IT services model for the Department. Dean is active on the Transformational Government Agenda to drive improved citizen services through the innovative use of technology.

Catalina McGregor

Chief Whitehall Advisor, MOD DE&S DSA

Cate McGregor is both Founder and Chair of the CIO / CTO Council Green ICT Delivery Group. It is this unit today that has published the first strategic vision for Greening Government ICT in Europe and has set targets for Central Government CIOs.

She has served two consecutive secondments to the MOD DFN and, more recently, DE&S DSA where she is currently Chief Whitehall Advisor. She is a virtual member of the MOD DE&S sustainable procurement programme board office (SPPB/O). This more recent MOD Board is responsible for sustainable procurement within the MoD and its supply chain. Green ICT is considered a key area for the SPPB for 2008/09. Mrs. McGregor also serves as co-chair of the SOCITM Local Authority Green ICT working group who recently published the “Green ICT Key Principles and Practitioner’s Workbook”.

Prior to the MoD she was Director, Central Government Departments for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) National Aggregation Board (NAB) responsible for some of the first generation aggregated ICT procurement methodologies in use today. She has a comprehensive private sector IT background and was formerly Head of e-business and e-commerce Worldwide for Richemont Luxury Group owners of Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Piaget, Purdey, Hackett, Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC, Panerai and Montblanc with extensive International e-business investments and interests.