LEADERSHIP
DAY

04.11.24

About the conference

HOTEL VOCO, ManchesteR

08:15AM Registration | 4:15PM DRinks Reception

Tech Leaders require a diverse range of skills from adeptly managing teams to mastering the art of creative problem solving.

 Our leadership day at the tech festival presents an unparalleled opportunity for aspiring and seasoned leaders alike to hone these crucial abilities. Through inspiring talks by industry experts, and interactive networking opportunities, participants will gain valuable insights into effective leadership strategies. Whether you’re a seasoned executive or an emerging talent, our leadership conference is designed to elevate your leadership prowess and drive your professional growth to new heights.

Held in the exclusive and private penthouse conference suite at the Voco Hotel, delegates will enjoy panoramic views of the city, full buffet lunch included and a private drinks reception with the best and brightest in tech leadership!

SPONSORED BY

Please note: to ensure attendees can benefit from networking opportunities and attendance at the conference, tickets are limited to 2 tickets per company. Leadership content is aimed at C-Suite, Heads of, Directors and Founders. If you are from a recruitment company or consultancy our PSL for the event is full for those attendees. We kindly ask you do not purchase a ticket to allow us to keep the event balance. If you do purchase a ticket from one of those industries we will not allow entry and are not able to process a refund.

What to expect

Our Leadership Day Conference is designed for senior leaders

Hear from six keynote speakers and two panels delving into the topics most relevant to Manchester’s tech leaders. Our speakers have been chosen for their experience in the tech industry and the rawness of their talk topics. 

Throughout the day you will have the opportunity to forge connections with the Manchester Tech Community, from networking over lunch to our evening social.

At MTF we are dedicated to ensuring the conversation and support doesn’t stop at the end of the day, that’s why we invite you to join our 4000 strong community across social, Slack or at our physical events throughout the year. 

 

SPEAKERS

Check out our lineup of speakers by clicking their images below! We will be continuing to announce speakers over the next few weeks, so sign up to our newsletter to be the first in the know! 

Gem Hill

Founder
Selfcare Backpack

Holly Donohue

Product Consultant and Coach
Product Rebel

Kanika Selvan

Director
Beetroot Consulting

Amul Batra

Co-Founder & Chief Partnerships Officer
Northcoders Group PLC

David Cox

Global Head of Product
Equal Experts

Rob Sandbach

Founder & MD
Indiespring

David Crawford

C-Level Tech Leader
and NED

John Green

Senior Solicitor
Cyber Data Law

Clare Sudbury

Independent Technical
Coach

AGENDA

Woah! We’re still busy pulling together this year’s agenda, so check out the talks below and sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear when new talks go live! 

Gem Hill
Founder
Selfcare Backpack

 

SESSION OVERVIEW: In a world of more AI and automation, human connection and empathy is more important than ever. Learn how to tap into and grow your empathy in this talk.

We think of empathy as an innate human trait, and humans are (generally) wired for it, but that doesn’t mean we can’t develop and practice this skill. I’d argue this is something we should be doing.

This talk will cover what empathy is, how we display and use it, and why it helps use have deeper, more productive conversations. It will also include some concrete tips on how to practice your empathy in every day life, as well as some tips on how empathy can help you increase your self awareness and kindness towards yourself.

I’ll be bringing research and tips I’ve learned on my journey to be a therapist, bringing examples in a safe and engaging way.

Holly Donohue
Product Consultant and Coach
Product Rebel

 

SESSION OVERVIEW: Your CEO thinks it’s a pitch deck. Your engineering team think it’s a plan to manage tech debt. You know you should have one yet no-one can agree on what one really is.

Holly will share an unfiltered account of the highs and lows of establishing a product strategy. She’ll share real world experiences of what to do when the business strategy is simply to make more money and the CEO changes their mind from one week to the next.

As product people, we know we should have a product strategy. We love a framework, yet, when we talk about product strategy, it quickly gets vague and complex.

This talk will help you understand how to turn a bunch of disconnected strategic thinking into a tangible strategy that everyone can align to. The key takeaways will include:

– How to ensure everyone is aligned on the purpose of a product strategy
– How and when to build a product strategy
– Common pitfalls to avoid

Kanika Selvan
Director
Beetroot Consulting

 

David Crawford
C-Level Tech Leader and NED

 

SESSION OVERVIEW: Kanika Selvan hosts a fireside chat with David Crawford, a C-Level Tech Leader, Non Executive Director and self proclaimed technology to business translator, critical friend in digital strategy and leader in building, optimising and scaling world class engineering teams… or a CTO!

This discussion is set to be a bold journey into the real questions leaders should be asking themselves about the role of the Chief Technology Officer. The challenges we should be posing to ourselves when moving into the CTO role. Followed by some honest reflections from a CTO on the mystical airs we need to clear, so that technology can be utilised to deliver real commercial success. David will be opening up both about his journey and posing questions to the audience to better understand how we navigate technology leadership for the future.

David Cox
Global Head of Product
Equal Experts

 

SESSION OVERVIEW: My talk questions the common orthodoxy that when deciding what to work on next, teams should reach for the ‘low-hanging fruit’ first. During planning sessions, ideas are typically positioned on a Effort/Impact matrix, with the ‘quick wins’ (high impact, low effort) unquestioningly prioritised. Using case studies from various real-life organisations, I explore how always following the path of least resistance (by doing the easiest things first) can lead to ‘product debt’. This is an obligation within an organisation that grows larger over time, whilst leaving more fundamental issues unaddressed. In my experience, if left for long enough, the debt becomes impossible to pay down, and can only be written off. I end the talk by discussing possible reasons why we’ve become addicted to the dopamine hit of quick wins, and argue for more conversations about the most difficult challenges facing our organisations.

Amul Batra
Co-Founder & Chief Partnerships Officer
Northcoders Group PLC

 

SESSION OVERVIEW: In this talk, Amul Batra cuts through the noise to share the real lessons he’s learned from two very different worlds: music and tech. Drawing from his journey—from starting record labels to building tech careers—Amul uncovers the unexpected parallels that shape leadership and innovation in both fields. He’ll reveal how the obstacles we face—whether chasing a number-one hit or reshaping a tech career—define our paths to success.

Amul also reflects on how his time in music led to the creation of challenger business models in tech, proving that agility and innovation can compete against slower, bigger competitors. You’ll hear about how his small independent label took on Simon Cowell and won, demonstrating that you don’t need to be a large corporation with millions of pounds to turn potential into success.

The message is clear: Leadership is about persistence, shaking up the status quo, and never taking “no” for an answer—whether it’s getting a no.1 record, teaching coding in 13 weeks, or disrupting the consultancy game.

Rob Sandbach
Founder & Managing Director
Indiespring

 

SESSION OVERVIEW: Rob Sandbach, Founder and Managing Director of Indiespring, will be delivering an insightful talk on the critical importance of company culture in the era of remote work. Drawing from a challenging two-year period, Rob will discuss how the shift from hybrid to a fully remote model during COVID-19 led to unexpected turnover among new hires, a stark contrast to the company’s strong retention history.

In this session, Rob will explore the consequences of cultural drift in a remote work environment and share how Inidespring identified and addressed these challenges head-on. Attendees will learn about the adjustments made to the hiring process, the gradual transition back to a hybrid work model and the emphasis on cultural fit that has since revitalised the team’s cohesion and morale.

Leaders facing similar challenges will gain valuable insights on maintaining a connected, resilient team culture, even in the face of remote work pressures. This talk is a must-attend for those interested in the intersection of leadership, culture and the future of work.

Join Rob at the Manchester Tech Festival Leadership Day to explore the power of culture in navigating the remote work dilemma.

John Green
Senior Solicitor
Cyber Data Law

SESSION OVERVIEW:

Johns’ fireside chat will leave you in awe as he takes you on his against all odds transformational journey from leaving school with very little working for 15 years as a car mechanic in a back street garage to becoming the senior partner in a law firm.

A story of sheer grit and determination against all odds and expectations. Listen to the anecdotes and the colourful characters he met along the way which helped form who he is today.

Purchase your pass

Tickets for our Leadership Conference are £36 each and include admission to the day conference at Hotel Voco and the private drinks reception on the terrace. Ticket price also includes refreshments & lunch.

Please note: to ensure attendees can benefit from networking opportunities and attendance at the conference, tickets are limited to 2 tickets per company. Leadership content is aimed at C-Suite, Heads of, Directors and Founders. If you are from a recruitment company or consultancy our PSL for the event is full for those attendees. We kindly ask you do not purchase a ticket to allow us to keep the event balance. If you do purchase a ticket from one of those industries we will not allow entry and are not able to process a refund.

AFTER PARTY

Roof Terrace, Voco, Manchester M1 3HP 

Our evening social offers the perfect setting to forge new connections, exchange insights, and build valuable relationships within the tech community. 

With a vibrant atmosphere, delicious refreshments, and opportunities to engage with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and like-minded enthusiasts, this evening social is the ideal platform to relax, unwind, and expand your professional network.

 

I’ve never seen a conference with such a high level of visible diversity and inclusion, and I’ve never seem so many delegates that were positively BUZZING from all of the inspirational talks and stories. What a brilliant, brilliant day.

Thank you to all the organisers, I can’t wait for next year!
Paul O'Donnell
Attendee
So many ‘WIT’ events focus on how women need to lean in. They are all focused on how women need to change. My biggest takeaway from today is that we need to talk more about changing the system. Not about changing women in under-represented groups. Honestly the best conference I’ve been to for a long time.
Holly Donohue
Attendee
The unfiltered requirement did not miss. Each speaker brought their authentic selves to that stage and very moving stories. Thank you all for your honesty and openness. Thank you for the most inclusive agenda I’ve seen.

You understood that representation would matter, and rose to the challenge!
Natalie Navickas
Attendee

Take to the MTF Stage

At MTF we are proud of the incredible community we are part of, that’s why at the end of every conference we welcome members of the community to take to the stage and have their say for 99 seconds! 

It doesn’t matter if you are a seasoned speaker or new to the tech scene we want to hear from you! In fact, some of Manchester’s most experienced speakers started with a quick 99 second pitch!

We welcome sign up’s on the day, so make sure you grab a member of the team if you want to take to the stage!

Gem Hill

ABOUT

Founder of Selfcare Backpack

I’m Gem (they/them), the founder of SelfCare Backpack. I do talks, workshops, and coaching on self care and mental health, aimed at people in tech. I’m a counsellor in training, and a Mental Heatlh First aider, so I’m well equipped at maming safe spaces for people to share and explore their feelings.

I’m an international speaker and facilitator, with experience in virtual and in person events (both talks and workshops). I can cover subjects like general self care, talking about mental health and reaching out for help, journaling, and more.

Holly Donohue

ABOUT

Product Consultant and Coach, Product Rebel

Holly is a Product Consultant and Coach. She power-ups product teams, fixes delivery issues and guides on strategy, roadmapping and process to help businesses get value-delivering products out of the door.

Holly draws on a deep understanding of product thinking, agile and lean. With nearly 20 years of experience in tech, she has worked across diverse industries and businesses, building up a wealth of knowledge. She transforms ways of working and matures product development teams based on a foundation of collaboration and continuous improvement.

Holly uses her rebellious spirit and thirst for learning and knowledge sharing for good. Holly is a regular speaker and runs a product community.

Kanika
Selvan

ABOUT

Director | Beetroot Consulting

Kanika works to a tech for good mission, empowering her clients to make decisions that unlock the benefits of technology for their organisation. 
 
She has worked across multiple sectors, from energy retail and telecoms to higher education, housing associations, social enterprises, tech start-ups and small charities, adapting to different workplace cultures, drivers and practices. She combines her cross-sector adaptability with her background in leading both technical change and people change, offering a holistic perspective that considers the business, infrastructure, data and applications. 
 
She is also a professional speaker and a board member, creating thought leadership and championing diversity and inclusion on topics such as change, technology, leadership, and innovation.

Amul Batra

ABOUT

Tech Lead at Counter

Amul is Co-Founder & Chief Partnerships Officer at Northcoders Group PLC and Managing Director of Counter. Before entering tech, he spent 20 years in the music industry, running a record label and managing artists. A chance meeting with Northcoders’ CEO led him to learn coding, becoming an early investor and part of the leadership team. Northcoders has graduated 3000+ software, data, and cloud engineers, with 90% securing roles across 600 businesses. Northcoders listed on London Stock Market’s AIM in 2021 and acquired Tech Returners in 2023. Northcoders launched Counter in May 2024 as a challenger brand in the tech consultancy space. Counter provides clients with teams of highly skilled UK based technical problems solvers cherry picked from Northcoders and Tech Returners highly sought after talent pools. Amul sits on advisory boards like Innovate Her and GMCA Cyber, and speaks on diversity, inclusion, and tech skills. 

David Cox

ABOUT

Global Head of Product, Equal Experts

I started out as a market researcher in the Publishing. Since then I’ve worked in Product roles across Europe, the US and Australia, in both B2B and B2C environments. In my role as Global Director of Product at Informa, I led a multi-million pound digital transformation at a FTSE 100 company with over 300 years of history, helping introduce new ways of working, new approaches to using data in decision-making, and optimisations to the organisation’s design to enable the strategy.

As Global Head of Product at Equal Experts, I have helped a range of international clients across Healthcare, Government, Telecomms, Retail and Financial Services to succeed according to their unique situation.

Rob
Sandbach

ABOUT

Founder/Managing Director | Indiespring

Rob began his career working in digital agencies alongside a number of high profile brands before setting up Indiespring in 2011. For over twelve years, Indiespring has successfully helped solve mobile application headaches for businesses like Nokia, British Heart Foundation, Coach USA, Trak Global, MoreThan Insurance and many more around the world. Indiespring specialise in brownfield development, internal applications and complex integration work with a key competency around mobile apps but a breadth of experience across the entire development ecosystem which is hard to match.

David Crawford

ABOUT DAVID

NED for NHS & Fractional CTO at Ingredifind

David is a C-level tech leader with a background in leading scaled Product Development teams for Naked Wines, Camelot, Sky and BT, David has also driven Inclusion and Diversity initiatives. David is now the Fractional CTO at Ingredifind. As well as his technology passion, David is a committed family man, part-time bee keeper and enjoys the occasional Malbec. David has been our event compere since the very beginning and has been a panel favourite ever since.

John
Green

ABOUT

Senior Solicotor, Cyber Data Law

John Green is a senior solicitor and co-founder of Cyber Data Law Solicitors. John oversees all aspects of the firm and provides specialist legal advice in complex areas of cyber security, data protection law and AI. John provides legal advice and representation for organizations both in Court and with Regulators. John provides advice and assistance to organisations who have suffered cyber-attacks, cyber incidents and data breaches. He provides legal advice to organisations faced with complex subject access requests and data breach claims. John has studied at both Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School in the US. John is an avid Astro-photographer which a special interest in imaging the sun’s surface.

Clare Sudbery

ABOUT

Independent technical coach

Clare Sudbery is an independent technical coach with over 20 years of software engineering experience. She specialises in TDD, refactoring, continuous integration and other eXtreme Programming (XP) practices. Clare taught the Coding Black Females’ Return to Tech programme and co-ran Made Tech’s academy – coaching inexperienced engineers to learn on the job. She has a passion for helping under-represented groups to flourish in tech. Clare hosted Season One of the acclaimed Making Tech Better podcast. She is the author of the Stupidity Manifesto, has written for O’Reilly and for Martin Fowler’s site, and regularly presents workshops at events all over the world.