London Blockchain Event Series Hosts the Second Government Event on Blockchain's role in Public Sector Reform

LONDON, Feb. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The London Blockchain Conference (LBC) will host its second government event at the House of Lords, the second chamber/upper house of the UK Parliament on 4 March. This exclusive event will bring together innovators, policymakers, and public sector leaders to discuss the critical role of frontier technologies, such as AI, Blockchain and Digital Identities, in reshaping public services over the next decade. 

The event will focus on the 'Role of Emerging Technology in Public Service Reform'.

While AI is at the forefront of discussions on aiding the Government's ambitions to transform Britain's ailing public services, this session will delve into the risks of overlooking the broader toolkit at the government's disposal and how blockchain technology is a necessary partner for creating a safer and more accountable AI.

The session will feature a diverse panel of experts discussing how emerging technologies hold the key to addressing systemic inefficiencies and enhancing the impact of public services. The panel includes:

• Alun Cairns, Business Consultant and Former Member of Parliament and Secretary of State of Wales
• The Rt Hon Lord Jones of Penybont, Former Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour
• Zakki Ghauri, Director of Digital & IT, City of London Corporation
• Jeni Tennison, Founder & Executive Director, Connected by Data
• Rory Daniels. Senior Programme Manager, Tech UK
• Praful Nargund, Director & Founder, Good Growth Foundation

This exclusive closed-door discussion will be conducted under Chatham House Rules, fostering open and candid conversations among participants.

Following the success of the inaugural London Blockchain Summit at the houses of Parliament in November 2024, LBC's promises to again unite tech leaders and policymakers for critical conversations shaping the UK's future."

The London Blockchain Conference remains committed to driving conversations that shape the future of blockchain technology in government and public services. 

About the London Blockchain Conference

UNITING ENTERPRISE, AI & WEB3 

At the London Blockchain Conference, we show how Blockchain will change the world and help people see another way to manage data, build scalable on-chain solutions and achieve great things. We do this by creating valuable, insightful, and engaging events that educate and inform, allowing you to connect and network to build strong business relationships. Our conference is the best avenue to see blockchain innovations, big ecosystem announcements, new product launches, technology updates, keynote speeches, panels, and fireside chats from blockchain leaders. Join us and experience it for yourself. 

Notes to Editors:

Alun Cairns, Business Consultant and Former Member of Parliament and Secretary of State

Alun is a former UK Cabinet member and Member of Parliament, in his 14-year career he served three Prime Ministers as Secretary of State for Wales, government whip, and minister. He was also a member of the UK Board of Trade. As a backbencher, Alun held leadership roles in several All-Party Parliamentary Groups, including Blockchain, Energy Security, Crypto and Digital Assets, and Qatar.

Currently Alun is working as a business consultant, advising a range of international companies.

The Rt Hon Lord Jones of Penybont

A former First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour for nearly a decade, Carwyn spent eighteen years in Government. Throughout his political career, Carwyn held various ministerial and Cabinet positions, including Secretary for Agriculture and Rural Development, Minister for Education, Culture and Sport, Leader of the House and Counsel General for Wales. Carwyn was elected as the representative of Welsh Labour on the Labour Party's National Executive Committee (NEC). In this capacity, he contributed to the strategic direction and governance of the Labour Party at a national level. He serves as a Trustee of Labour's Climate and Environment Forum. A graduate of Aberystwyth University, he was a barrister for ten years, specialising mainly in criminal law.

Jeni Tennison, Founder & Executive Director, Connected by Data

 Jeni is the founder of Connected by Data, a campaign that aims to put community at the centre of data narratives, practices and policies. She is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, adjunct Professor at Southampton's Web Science Institute, and a Shuttleworth Foundation Fellow. Jeni was CEO at the Open Data Institute, where she held leadership roles for nine years and worked with companies and governments to build an open, trustworthy data ecosystem; a co-chair of GPAI's Data Governance Working Group; and an Associate Researcher at Cambridge's Bennett Institute for Public Policy. She sits on the Boards of Creative Commons and the Information Law and Policy Centre. She has a PhD in AI and an OBE for services to technology and open data.

Jeni sits on a newly formed panel of 12 digital professionals and academics who are helping the government make better use of technology across the public sector.

Zakki Ghauri, Director of Digital & IT, City of London Corporation

Zakki has been working in Local Government for the past 20 years and has worked for a number of London councils during this time. Zakki is currently the Director of Digital & IT for the City of London Corporation and the City of London Police, where his focus has been on stripping away complexity and bringing IT across the wider organisation together. 

Zakki sits on the Local Government Digital Panel, LGA AI Steering Group and also serves as a Local Government Association Peer for both Cyber Security and Digital - advising on national campaigns and projects to improve Cyber Security and Digitisation across the sector.

Rory Daniels. Senior Programme Manager, Tech UK

Rory joined techUK in June 2023 after three years in the Civil Service on its Fast Stream leadership development programme.

During this time, Rory worked on the Government's response to Covid-19 (NHS Test & Trace), school funding strategy (Department for Education) and international climate and nature policy (Cabinet Office). He also tackled the social care crisis whilst on secondment to techUK's Health and Social Care programme in 2022.

Today, Rory leads techUK's emerging technologies activity across everything from immersive, web3, AI and robotics to space, gaming & metaverse.

This involves co-running techUK's flagship Innovation campaign, managing four series (including the 'Meet the Innovators' interview series), and launching 4-6-month 'sprint campaigns' on transformative technologies and sectors.

Praful Nargund - Director & Founder of the Good Growth Foundation

Praful is a social entrepreneur and campaigner, who shaped education policy as part of Labour's Council of Skills Advisors. Until 2023, Praful was the CEO of Create Fertility, which he built with a mission to innovate and make fertility treatment more accessible and affordable for families. He is also a co-founder of a social impact fund which aims to drive sustainable growth. Praful has won innovation and business awards from The Spectator, The Telegraph and London Business School. He ran as Labour's parliamentary candidate in Islington North in the 2024 General Election against Jeremy Corbyn.