Meet the speakers
Adam Knapp - Cantium Business Solutions
Adam is Head of Service Desk at Cantium Business Solutions. He began his IT career as an apprentice at Kent County Council and now leads teams supporting over 10,000 users. Over the years, he worked across all areas of the Service Desk, transitioning into leadership five years ago while earning his MBA from the London School of Economics. Passionate about people and strategy, Adam drives efficiency and change and is keen to continue exploring digital transformation and modern service delivery.
Andrew Gorman - North, West, and Countywide Services
Andrew Gorman leads Business Support for North, West, and Countywide Services in Integrated Children’s Services, where he’s helping shape operational delivery. Focused on digital transformation, he’s used Microsoft Power Platform to build tools like a ticket portal, induction app, and Action Plan app. He’s pioneering the use of Microsoft Copilot to automate social work documentation and has created interactive SharePoint spaces to improve communication, collaboration, and efficiency.
Chloe Hazell - Kent County Council
Chloe has switched lanes from personal training to continuous improvement and digital transformation and loved every step. With a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and a knack for solving tricky problems, she’s known for tackling complex challenges and delivering streamlined digital solutions. Chloe aims to make a real difference to services and brings energy, clarity, and a fresh perspective to every project, whether leading workshops or stepping into damage control mode.
Chloe Johnstone - Kent County Council
Chloe leads engagement for Kent County Council’s Financial Hardship Programme, promoting digital inclusion and improving residents’ skills, confidence, and motivation. She oversees a team supporting Kent residents and builds strategic partnerships and cross sector opportunities. With a background in education and as a Level 6 Careers Practitioner, Chloe brings a person-centred approach, empowering individuals to thrive and reach their full potential which shapes inclusive, impactful services.
Claire Harman - Cantium Business Solutions
With over 30 years of experience across local government, banking, construction, and the service industries, Claire has specialised in business analysis, software development, internal audit, and quality management. Currently, as a Business Analyst in process optimisation, she has leverage RPA technology to enhance transaction speed, quality, and cost efficiency by identifying and recommending optimal solutions for our processes and those of our customers.
Doris Shaba-Jeffries - Kent County Council
Doris has worked in the Financial Hardship Programme, leading a range of community engagement initiatives including the Digital Hubs project. This initiative set up over 30 hubs across Kent, primarily in libraries offering tailored digital support. With a creative vision and resident-focused approach, Doris brings empathy and innovation to every project. A valued KCC team member for 10 years, she’s built strong relationships that enhance her works impact.
Elizabeth Barber - Kent County Council
Elizabeth Barber is KCC’s records manager and is responsible for ensuring that KCC’s record keeping systems are legally compliant. A large part of the role is maintaining KCC’s retention schedule. The role also includes the development of policy and practice around the use of electronic records and other electronic tools including the transfer of records to SharePoint and the creation and allocation of retention labels.
Georgina Walton - Kent County Council
Georgina is the Digital and Innovation Lead for Adult Social Care. Overseeing the digital roadmap which has projects ranging from AI to the Technology Enhanced Lives Service (TELS). Through digital transformation the roadmap supports people who draw on care, the workforce, and the care sector. Furthermore, all projects are co-designed with people who draw on care. The roadmap is overseen by a digital group co-chaired with Peter Zein, who brings lived experience to help drive change.
Ian Hirst - Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
Ian leads Digital Services, GIS, Programme Management, and Communications at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council driving transformation. His recent work includes SharePoint migration, Viva Engage rollout, AI implementation, and service-wide change. He’s held operational roles and whist working with the Council Leader, he has developed the Council's new Strategic Plan. He champions talent, succession, and digital skills for lasting change.
Jodi Ezekiel - Kent County Council
Jodi Ezekiel is the Website Compliance Lead at Kent County Council, and a specialist in digital accessibility. With a wealth of knowledge in the field, Jodi leads a subgroup focused on accessibility, bringing together a community of over 250 professionals from across the UK. Jodi regularly speaks at conferences, sharing practical insights and strategic approaches to inclusive digital design.
Kerri Thomas - Waverley Borough Council
With over a decade of experience, Kerri leads digital customer experience and website management at Waverley Borough Council. Specialising in creating accessible, user-focused services, she uses data, customer journey mapping, and user testing to refine platforms. She launched a sustainable website strategy, reducing environmental impact while maintaining performance. She empowers teams whilst ensuring the councils commitment to providing customer-focused public online services is upheld.
Kurtis Toy - Onca Technologies Ltd
Kurtis is the CEO of Onca Technologies Ltd, where he leads a team delivering bespoke cyber security solutions across the UK. He also serves as CEO of the Cyber Centre of Excellence, an iESE Group initiative supporting public sector resilience. Passionate about digital protection, Kurtis integrates tailored strategies from GDPR compliance to fully managed Security Operations Centres (SOCs) ensuring organisations stay secure, efficient, and prepared for emerging threats.
Matt Marciniak - Kent County Council
Matt Marciniak, Group Service Development Officer at KCC, drives innovation and digital solutions for public services. He led the design and rollout of an in-house CRM for the Community Warden Service, digitising operations on a scalable platform. Renowned for expertise in Power Platform, automation, and data visualisation, he transformed processes for Social Prescribing and Trading Standards, he delivers training, fosters improvement, and champions inclusive, tech-enabled services across Kent.
Matthew Cooper - Cantium Business Solutions
Matthew Cooper is an experienced IT leader, currently Head of Account Management at Cantium Business Solutions. With over 20 years in the industry, Matthew specialises in leading teams, managing C-level relationships, and delivering strategic projects for the public sector and enterprise clients. He is known for driving innovation, resolving complex challenges, and mentoring future talent, with a strong track record in technology transformation and service excellence.
Rebecca Snow - Kent County Council
Rebecca Snow is in the Continuous Improvement team within Kent Analytics. She leads initiatives to improve organisational processes, services, and products using Lean Six Sigma, focusing on reducing waste, variation, and enhancing quality. Her work supports a culture of improvement across directorates. Previously, she spent 22 years at Experian as an economist, leading regional economic analysis, forecasting, and presenting consumer and housing insights to clients through seminars and workshops.
Renu Purvis - Kent County Council
Renu Purvis is an Innovation and Partnerships Manager in Adult Social Care (ASC), focused on developing digital platforms that enable people in Kent to access information, advice, and guidance. She’s led key projects including the refresh of ASC content on Kent.gov, redesign of Kent Connect to Support, BetterCare Support Self-Assessments and introduced tools like the Financial Assessment Estimator. Renu now leads Magic Notes (AI for assessments) and Contact and Connect (automated feedback).
Paul Jerome - Kent County Council
Paul has been working in communications specialising in accessible information for over twenty years. He is responsible for information in all forms for the directorate, internal and external both in print and online. Making it clear and helpful to people who need it. Outside of work Paul is a traditional printmaker and keen potter.
Sophie Jerden - Kent County Council
Sophie is a Research and Analytics Manager at Kent County Council, specialising in Continuous Improvement, Lean Six Sigma and Systems Thinking. She leads projects that improve services through data-driven insight and root cause analysis. Sophie is known for creating efficient processes and fostering collaboration to deliver sustainable, people-centred change.
Hannah Stutely - Kent County Council
Hannah is a Graduate Business Change Analyst in the KCC Continuous Improvement Team, currently undertaking an Improvement Practitioner apprenticeship which is focused on developing skills in change management, stakeholder engagement, and digital transformation. Her role involves supporting business improvement initiatives and helping deliver meaningful change across the organisation. She is passionate about making a positive impact and is excited to share her journey as an emerging professional.
Ben Robinson - Ashford Borough Council
Ben Robinson is an experienced local government officer who has worked across customer services and now leads the digital team at Ashford Borough Council. Ben is passionate about digital transformation and using innovation to improve public services. He has spearheaded multiple transformation initiatives and system implementations, shaping strategic approaches to service delivery. Most recently he led the rollout of Copilot across the authority to enhance service delivery and staff productivity.
Henry Ascoli - Waverley Borough Council
Henry Ascoli is the Digital Lead at Waverley heading the team to deliver innovative online solutions for council services. Committed to removing barriers through accessibility and inclusion, he ensures services are user-friendly. With a background in content writing and website management, he brings expertise in digital communications and low-code development. He oversaw the migration of more than 100 forms to a new platform, streamlining processes and championing a digital-first approach.
James Sloan - Ashford Borough Council
James Sloan is the Digital Solutions Team Leader at Ashford Borough Council where he leads agile digital transformation projects. With a background in communications, digital accessibility and user-centred design, he has played a pivotal role in modernising internal systems, including the council’s Complaints Tracker.
