Backing Britain 3.0 Speaker Line Up: Who and What They Do

Backing Britain 3.0 Live Networking Events are being held in Venues in Wolverhampton, Derby and Leeds on 26th, 27th and 28th April 2022. These events will see exhibiting members and special guests gather to journey through the virtual exhibition stands and hear from an ‘All star’ line up of celebrity and industry speakers. With more than two speakers at each event, check out what speakers will be at each venue below.

Robert Llwellyn (Wolverhampton) 

• Robert is a British actor and comedian well known for his role as an mechanoid named Kryten in the popular TV show Red Dwarf (sci-fi TV sitcom) 
• He also presented the engineering game show Scrap heap challenge
• Robert is a massive supporter of manufacturing in the UK and recognises the enormous skill base here. He also supports Backing Britain and believes in reshoring work back to the UK

Dr Mark Bentall Head of R&T Programme at Airbus (Wolverhampton) 

• Mark is Head of R&T Programme at Airbus (Airbus creates innovative technologies for the aerospace and defence sector)
• In 2019 Airbus was named one of world's top 50 innovators by Codex. Mark spoke at a Codex convention about ‘What the future of aviation looks like?’

Christopher Davison Head of Project Manufacturing at BritishVolt (Wolverhampton)

• Chris is the Head of Project manufacturing at BritishVolt (BritishVolt are leading the way in sustainable electrification, and has a mission to accelerate the transition to a zero carbon future. They recently opened the first UK gigafactory and have also  just announced a partnership with Aston Martin.
• Chris has worked in the battery manufacturing industry for over 10 years and is a lithium ion battery expert and specialises in battery plant start up facilities across the UK. 

Jo Salter (Derby)

• Jo is a former Royal Air Force pilot
• She is the first female fast jet pilot flying the Panavia Tornado ground attack aircraft with 617 squadron
• She is now an inspirational speaker and has joined PwC as a director and chief of staff responsible for digital capabilities within the People and Organisation practice
• PricewaterhouseCoopers is a multinational professional services network of firms, operating as partnerships under the PwC brand. 

Ian Gardner Client Technology Leader at IBM (Derby)

• Ian is a Distinguished Technical Specialist, and Industry 4.0 Solutions Architect at IBM. He regularly speaks about Industry 4, and how you can gain efficiencies from the latest manufacturing technology and data solutions at selected leading events. (IBM is a leading technology organisation helping businesses optimise their processes and transform on a global scale)   

Graeme Hackland CIO at Williams F1 (Derby) 

• Graeme is currently the Chief Information Officer at Williams F1 and is an experienced business leader with a proven track record of delivering cost effective, reliable technology-enabled change, to industry standards. (Williams F1 is a leading formula 1 race team)
• Graeme spoke at the last Backing Britain event in 2020 and was the most attended zoom event with over 150 live viewers
• The F1 CIO has made big changes at Williams F1 helping the team to move forward through cloud-driven business transformation

Janet Mui Head of Market Analysis at Brewin Dolphin

• Janet is an award winning commentator and media spokesperson with over a decade of experience as economist/strategist
• Voting member of the Asset Allocation Committee and Chair of the Investment Communications Forum, Janet helps lead complex financial market matters to support a wide-spectrum of clients helping to improve financial education at Brewin dolphin (Brewin Dolphin offer a wide range of businesses wealth management and financial services)  
• Janet spoke at the first Backing Britain expo back in 2020 and gave manufacturers in depth insight into the financial market at the height of the pandemic

Andy Palmer Vice Chairman and CEO of SWITCH Mobility

• Andy is a British automotive executive and engineer
• He is the former CEO of Aston Martin and former deputy managing director of Nissan
• He has been described as the 'Godfather of EVs' due to his work launching the Nissan Leaf in 2010
• Andy is now the vice chairman and ceo of switch mobility (formerly known as Optare, switch mobility makes sustainable electric public transport such as buses and commercial vehicles)
• Andy also spoke at Backing Britain in 2020 and is our most watched zoom event ever 

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