Panel discussion (23 Oct): Trust and tech AI’s future with local government

Rokhsana Fiaz, OBE

Mayor, London Borough of Newham

Jonathan Carr West

Chief Executive, Local Government Information Unit (LGIU)

Dr Jonathan Carr-West has been Chief Executive of LGIU (Local Government Information Unit) since February 2013 where he leads on all aspects of the think tank’s policy, membership and influencing work.

With over 15 years’ experience, Jonathan is a leading national expert on local government transformation, local democracy and public services. Some of his particular interests are in participative democracy, the evolving nature of public services and devolution. With extensive media profile and sector credibility, he has published on topics as diverse as localism and public service transformation, cognitive and behavioural science, and the politics of cultural memory.

Meredith Hodgeman

Head of Strategy and Engagement, Tech Policy Design Institute of Australia

Meredith is the Head of Strategy and Engagement for the Tech Policy Design Institute in Australia, an independent think tank dedicated to tech policy. Trained in foresight methodologies, she is a skilled commercial diplomat with 20 years of international experience in regulation and the tech sector.

Meredith has worked across local, state, metropolitan, federal, and international governmental levels and has held advisory roles with prestigious organisations, including the World Economic Forum, NSW State Government, IoT Alliance, the Australian Computer Society, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Authority, and numerous Australian capital cities.

With a background in law, infrastructure, and innovation, Meredith is passionate about shaping policy that balances risk with resilience, ensuring technology is harnessed effectively for the benefit of all generations.

Jennifer Schooling

Professor of Digital Innovation and Smart Places, Anglia Ruskin University

Jennifer Schooling is professor of Digital Innovation and Smart Places at Anglia Ruskin University. She has built a diverse career spanning both industry and academia. Her research focuses on the sociotechnical dimensions of digitalisation at the city scale, with particular emphasis on governance and ethical innovation to support the delivery of digital solutions that create public value. Through her Digital Cities for Change research initiative, she has developed a Digital Innovation Process Model and Competency Framework tailored to public sector digital transformation. Her current work explores the emerging challenges of AI in public-sector decision-making, especially in relation to ethics and safety.

Luke Antoniou
Senior Editor, SmartCitiesWorld

Luke has been reporting on the implementation of smart technologies that benefit citizens and the public sector since 2017.

He has a particularly keen interest in smart and sustainable mobility and its role in influencing the decisions of urban planners, citizens and governments alike.

As rapid urbanisation continues, he keeps his finger on the pulse of the myriad urban challenges facing local and central governments, making new connections in the public and private sectors and finding new angles from which to cover the latest smart city developments around the world.