Wednesday 29 July 2026 | 14:00 - 16:30 | Online
Our AGM is is an important annual event where our members can make their voices heard, through both the voting process and contributions during the meeting.
This year we were pleased to welcome Dr Matthew Forshaw Senior Advisor for Skills to the Alan Turing Institute and a Reader in Data Science at Newcastle University, UK.
Talk Title: Title: Securing the UK's AI skills advantage: Building a resilient Data Science, OR and AI Profession.
Abstarct: Securing the UK’s artificial intelligence (AI) advantage requires more than innovation; it also requires coherent skills infrastructure and public trust. This keynote draws on national workforce reform, apprenticeship development, professionalisation and policy to highlight how the UK can lead in shaping an inclusive, system-level approach to AI skills for the future.
Dr Matthew Forshaw is Senior Advisor for Skills to the Alan Turing Institute and a Reader in Data Science at Newcastle University, UK. His work in data and AI skills includes working with the Government on the skills pillar of the UK's National Data Strategy and National AI Strategy, and leading the development of AI Skills for Business competency framework with Innovate UK BridgeAI. He is currently seconded to the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) as their Head of Skills for AI Assurance, working on policy commitments from the Third-Party AI Assurance Roadmap (2024). His work on professionalisation of the data science occupation with the Alliance of Data Science Professionals is shaping public and professional policy and practice, setting professional values and ethical standards for the use of data science and AI, and informing the UK's accreditation and certification processes across several major professional bodies. He is passionate about democratising access to and widening participation in data and AI skills training at all levels.