Leeds Tech Leadership Event

Hear from leading practitioners who are building AI products, shaping innovation strategies and helping organisations adopt AI successfully. From creating an AI-powered second brain, to using synthetic customers for smarter decisions, to scaling AI initiatives that deliver measurable outcomes, this event is designed for technology leaders looking to stay ahead of what's next.

Network with fellow technology leaders, share experiences and leave with practical ideas you can apply immediately.

Speaker 1: Tim Bennett

Bio

Tim Bennett is digital entrepreneur and AI product leader with more than a decade of experience building and scaling solutions for Lucasfilm, Leeds United and local SME. He specialises in applying AI to complex knowledge work, helping businesses transform processes that once took days into tasks completed in minutes. Tim has led the development of AI-powered research, strategy and presentation agents, and is passionate about helping organisations unlock the value of their collective knowledge.

Session: Your AI Second Brain: Building a Connected Knowledge Ecosystem

Most organisations are sitting on a wealth of knowledge spread across emails, documents, meetings and disconnected platforms. The challenge is not creating more information, it's making existing knowledge accessible and useful.

In this session, Tim will explore how AI can become your organisation's "second brain" by connecting information, surfacing insights and reducing time spent searching for answers. Attendees will learn practical approaches to creating a connected knowledge ecosystem that improves productivity, collaboration and decision making.

Key takeaways:

• What an AI-powered second brain looks like in practice
• How to connect siloed knowledge across your business
• Ways AI can enhance individual and team productivity
• Practical steps to get started immediately

Speaker 2: Tom Pendriss

Bio

Tom Pendriss is a Commercial Principal at CreateFuture, the AI-native consultancy behind digital products for FanDuel, NatWest, Skyscanner and MoneySavingExpert. He advises the C-suite of some of the UK, Europe and the US's most technologically ambitious organisations, drawing on fourteen years in business, technology and product strategy. His interest in synthetic personas draws from a problem he's seen play out repeatedly: most product investment decisions get made on incomplete customer evidence and one very confident voice in the room.

Session: Synthetic Customers, Real Decisions

How do you make a major strategic investment decision when customer evidence is incomplete?

Synthetic Personas are already helping leaders interrogate the evidence behind a proposition, challenge assumptions, and focus scarce research effort before committing significant investment.

The outcome is a more disciplined way to use AI in business decision-making: not to create artificial certainty about what to build, but to make better choices about what to learn before investing.

What you’ll learn:

• What synthetic personas are, and how they differ from traditional customer profiles
• How persona panels can support better business decisions
• How synthetic personas can add value across products, services, and propositions before launch
• How organisations can reduce risk, and improve decision confidence
• The opportunities and limitations of synthetic customer research

Speaker 3: Ant Morse

Bio

Ant Morse is a futurist, AI advisor, keynote speaker and author of The Future of Us. With more than 25 years of experience spanning innovation, technology leadership and digital transformation, Ant advises boards and leadership teams on emerging technologies and the future impact of AI. He is known for translating complex technology trends into practical business strategies that create measurable value and sustainable adoption.

Session: Leading AI Adoption: Turning Experiments into Business Value

Many organisations have experimented with AI. Far fewer have successfully scaled it to deliver meaningful business outcomes.

Drawing on real-world case studies, Ant will share what separates successful AI adoption from failed pilot projects. The session will focus on leadership, culture, change management and execution, helping technology leaders move beyond experimentation and into measurable impact.

Attendees will leave with practical insights into building momentum, engaging stakeholders and creating an AI strategy that delivers genuine business value.

Key takeaways:

• Common reasons AI initiatives fail to scale
• Real examples of successful AI adoption
• How to secure organisational buy-in and support
• Building an AI roadmap linked to business outcomes

📅 Date: Thursday 10th September 2026

📍 Location: Banyan Bar & Kitchen, 2 City Square, Leeds, LS1 2ES

⏰ Time: 5:30pm – 8:30pm

Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements