Data foundations, strong data governance, master data management and thoughtful approaches to AI were all themes and questions discussed at Valcon’s inaugural World of Data and AI London event on 23rd April. Bringing together senior leaders from across industry and the public sector to explore real-world implementations of data and AI, the half-day summit delivered on its promise to focus on actionable lessons and real outcomes, rather than on the theory and hype.
Welcoming 80 attendees from organisations spanning utilities, financial services, automotive and defence, the event was an opportunity to learn from peers, share perspectives across sectors and connect with others facing similar challenges in an increasingly data and AI-driven world.
Three AI leaders from Valcon kicked off the day – Simon de Timary Head of Data for Valcon UK hosting the event, Martin Paice, Head of Technology for Valcon UK guiding us through the theme of the World of Data & AI (our narrative for real life examples of data and AI in practice) and Koko Visser, Valcon Group’s Head of AI talking us through the burning issues and latest trends around the AI phenomenon.
Our first client session of the day was a fireside chat with Elexon’s Head of Data Products, James Stokes, interviewed by Laura Casci, Valcon UK’s Managing Partner. James spoke about the role Elexon plays in the electricity market, the complexity of its data environment and the importance of data governance to satisfy regulatory obligations without stifling innovation.
Next up was a public sector panel, featuring Martin Waudby, Chief Data Officer from the London Borough of Camden, Andy Gregory, Deputy Director of Data from the Home Office, Charles Baird, Chief Data Architect from ONS and Bharath Vadhoola, Principal Technologist from the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology. Ably managed by host Stuart McDonald, Head of Public Sector at Valcon UK, the discussion went from the big picture and views on how the public sector will embrace AI initiatives, the biggest blockers to AI adoption in the public sector and how they go about getting the data building blocks right.
Following the panel, attendees flooded downstairs to the demo space for a well-deserved break, where, along with refreshments, they were treated to demonstrations: Cadent Gas’s new gas leak detection AI tool; Toyota’s RAG chatbot; Semarchy’s data foundations and Databricks’ scalable AI and data platforms.
Then it was back upstairs for a fascinating keynote speech from the chief data officer at a UK defence company who covered issues such as securing senior leadership buy-in for data and AI initiatives and scaling AI across a highly complex enterprise. The day was rounded off with a fireside chat featuring Sam Saunders, Head of Data at Halfords, who was interviewed by Martin Paice about the complexity of navigating a legacy environment, the people side of AI and conducting a big data transformation when having to consider budgets and shareholder scrutiny.
The day was rounded off with nibbles, drinks and networking. From exploring key themes and challenges facing business, AI and data professionals, to giving everyone who came tactics they could deploy at work straight away, the event delivered a practical delve into the World of Data & AI and gave people useful tools and ideas to use in their day-to-day. We’re already counting the days to World of Data & AI London 2027.
