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| 3 Dec 2025 | |
| General |
Aaron Saxton aka Sax is a CEO, technology leader, and social impact innovator with over 25 years of experience transforming education through digital innovation. He is the Chief Executive Officer of the Dame Robina Shah Foundation, where he leads programmes that empower young people through education, mental health support, and digital inclusion.
Aaron is also the Co-Founder and CEO of Optic Data Limited, an EdTech company using AI and real-time analytics to help schools improve student outcomes. As a Non-Executive Director at University Academy 92 (UA92), he helps shape national strategy in digital skills, tech education, and future talent.
A proud Mancunian and the first in his family to attend university, Aaron is passionate about widening access to technology and opportunity. He has worked with global partners including Manchester United, Microsoft, Disney, AWS, JD Sports, and THG, developing cutting-edge apprenticeship routes, digital academies, and tech-driven learning programmes.
Aaron also serves as a Trustee of TeamMCR and the Frenkel Topping Charitable Foundation, supporting community wellbeing, digital innovation, and youth development.
Across every role, Aaron’s mission is simple: open doors, inspire confidence, and help young people build bold, impactful futures in technology.
Devjoy is a Biomedical Engineer who has worked across four continents, spanning medical devices, neuroengineering, and space medicine. Currently, he is a Research Fellow at the Museum of Science in Boston, USA, where he is working with leading digital creators to translate his sleep research into a science communication showcase.
He recently received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from NYU, where he investigated how sleep is affected by microgravity in space and whether the gut is connected to it.
Devjoy is an advocate for UK-US science policy collaboration, driven by topics such as healthcare and gender inequality.
Before his PhD, he was a Research Scholar at Harvard Medical School and completed his Master’s degree from Imperial College London.
Outside of work, Devjoy is a keen rower, an avid reader, and an enthusiastic hackathon participant, having previously won the MIT Grand Hack and Harvard iGEM BioHackathon.
Amanda is a senior technology leader and Client Account Lead at Accenture, where she partners with major utilities clients to drive digital transformation, innovation and service excellence across large, multi-disciplinary teams.
Amanda has over 25 years’ experience spanning public sector, utilities, energy and technology consulting, she brings a wealth of insight into leading complex programmes and building trusted client relationships.
Beyond her corporate role, Amanda is the founder of The Career Mum, a global online community of over 6,500 members, empowering women and parents to thrive in their careers. Recognised by Northern Power Women and WeAreTheCity, she is a passionate advocate for inclusion, digital skills and growing diverse tech talent in the North West.
Gareth Powell has spent 25 years at the forefront of data, leading transformative strategies across four businesses, including two FTSE250 organisations, spanning retail, financial services, telecommunications, and professional services. As Group Data Officer & Partner at Irwin Mitchell, Gareth has pioneered data transformation in the legal sector—consolidating teams, delivering operational efficiency, and unlocking significant opportunity cost and savings through analytics, optimisation, and process automation.
A recognised thought leader, Gareth regularly speaks at national conferences, chairs panels, and judges industry awards. He was named Tech-Exec’s Data Leader of the Year in 2024 and has featured nine times in the prestigious DataIQ100. Additionally, Gareth co-chairs the Boycott Your Bed Board in the North-West to drive awareness and support for the Action for Children charity which supports children in poverty in the UK.
Throughout Gareth’s career, his leadership has consistently delivered measurable impact with N Brown Group, TalkTalk, Studio Retail and now Irwin Mitchell. Gareth has built and inspired high-performing, diverse teams, achieving industry-leading engagement scores.
Head of TikTok LIVE Policy, EMEA.
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