Women in Government Digital and Data Community: Spring AI Event
Connect. Learn. Inspire.
Women in Government Digital and Data Community
Welcome to the Women in Government Digital and Data Community—a space dedicated to fostering connection, empowerment, and growth for women in digital, data, and technology roles across local and central government.
Join us at our next event on Tuesday, 20th May 2025, from 12:45 PM at the Innovation Hub, Westminster City Hall, London, for an insightful session and discussion on AI Adoption in Government—skills, readiness, and real-life AI in government stories.
What is this administration expecting of UK civil and public servants? What skills do we need to develop? How do we assess our AI readiness? How is AI being used by other government organisations? These are some of the questions we’ll seek to answer and discuss.
This event is kindly hosted by Westminster City Council who will share their experience of applying AI to drive improvements in service delivery and productivity.
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The Agenda
Sponsored by Hitachi Solutions, this event offers an opportunity to share knowledge, learn from peers, and champion diversity in technology within government.
12:45 PM – Arrivals, networking and lunch
Session 1 – Panel: ‘Confidently Human: Making AI Work For Us in the Civil Service’ – Chaired by Emma Charles, Industry Director, Government, Hitachi Solutions
Session 2 – AI Adoption Story: ’Next Generation Tools Driving Change at Westminster City Council’ – Rebecca Gordon, Head of Online Customer Experience – Westminster City Council
Session 3 – AI Demonstration: ‘Harnessing AI to Empower the Civil Service: Real-World Applications in Government’ – Dana Hasan, Lead AI Consultant – Hitachi Solutions
Session 4 – ‘How to Assess your Organisation and Team’s Readiness to adopt AI and Benchmark your AI Maturity’ – Lisa Taillard, Senior Director of Transformation and Adoption – Hitachi Solutions
3:15 PM – Networking and close
What to Expect
Confidently Human: Making AI Work For Us in the Civil Service
AI is moving fast — but we don’t all need to become data scientists to keep up. This panel is about demystifying AI, cutting through the buzzwords, and putting people (yes, all people) at the heart of it.
We’ll explore what the AI Opportunities Action Plan and Playbook really mean in practice, share real-world stories from across government, and look ahead to the summer digital and AI roadmap. Along the way, we’ll tackle big questions: How do we build confidence and close the digital skills gap? How do we make sure women feel empowered to engage, lead and shape the future of AI? And what do tools like Copilot mean for your everyday work?
Expect honest reflections, practical advice, and a focus on building an inclusive, human-centric AI future — together.
Session 1
Confidently Human: Making AI Work For Us in the Civil Service
AI is moving fast — but we don’t all need to become data scientists to keep up. This panel is about demystifying AI, cutting through the buzzwords, and putting people (yes, all people) at the heart of it.
We’ll explore what the AI Opportunities Action Plan and Playbook really mean in practice, share real-world stories from across government, and look ahead to the summer digital and AI roadmap. Along the way, we’ll tackle big questions: How do we build confidence and close the digital skills gap? How do we make sure women feel empowered to engage, lead and shape the future of AI? And what do tools like Copilot mean for your everyday work?
Expect honest reflections, practical advice, and a focus on building an inclusive, human-centric AI future — together.
Session 2
AI Adoption Story: Next Generation Tools Driving Change at Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council is pioneering the application of AI to drive significant improvements in service delivery and business productivity. The introduction of this new tool has focused on harnessing advanced technology to elevate the quality of services provided to the community, and boost outcomes within the Council.
In this session, Rebecca will detail the Council’s strategic approach, which prioritises aligning technology with user needs, and involves collaboration across multi-disciplinary teams. They will present supporting case studies, examples including the use of image recognition technology for more efficient reporting and resolution of street-based issues, in order to combat real-world challenges.
Session 3
Harnessing AI to Empower the Civil Service: Real-World Applications in Government
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly becoming a vital part of the modern civil service workforce. But where is it already in use, and what types of work is it taking on within the UK Government today?
In this session, we will showcase video demonstrations of AI solutions currently being piloted across the public sector. Through real-world examples, we will explore how AI can support civil servants by automating routine tasks, enabling a sharper focus on high-value, strategic work. Actually see how AI can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of public service.
Session 4
How to Assess your Organisation and Team’s Readiness to adopt AI and Benchmark your AI Maturity
As AI becomes increasingly embedded in our workplaces, success depends on more than just the technology – it depends on people. In this session, we’ll explore why a human-centric approach is essential for meaningful AI adoption. We’ll share practical insights into how organisations can better understand their readiness for AI, and how focusing on culture, engagement, and empowerment helps build lasting change.
Our Speakers
Emma Charles
Industry Director, Government
Emma is the Industry Director for Government at Hitachi Solutions. She is a digital transformation specialist with decades of experience in designing and managing high-profile digital change projects from both within and outside the Civil Service. Having started her career working with major world-class sports organisations, she has spent the past 20 years helping central government departments to improve their digital maturity, transformation effectiveness, and outcomes for citizens.
Rebecca Gordon
Head of Online CE
Rebecca Gordon is the Head of Online Customer Experience at Westminster City Council, where she leads the delivery of exceptional digital public services that exceed user expectations. Passionate about innovation and agile ways of working, she thrives on building strong, collaborative teams that drive meaningful change. With a problem-solving mindset and a keen interest in emerging technologies, Rebecca is committed to enhancing the customer experience for all residents.
Sue Daley
Director of Tech and Innovation
Sue is the Director of techUK’s Tech and Innovation work, leading programmes and advocacy on emerging technologies, innovation policy, and R&D critical to the UK’s digital future. Recognised as one of the most influential women in UK tech, she was inducted into Computer Weekly’s Hall of Fame in 2021.
Sara Babahami
Head of the AI Projects & Technology Engagement Team
Sara is the Head of the AI Projects & Technology Engagement Team at the Government Office for Science. She represents the gov AI community and has worked for the UK Government for over five years, holding various roles across the Cabinet Office, Home Office, and Ministry of Defence. In addition to her professional roles, she has established and led a Minority Working Group within the Civil Service Race Forum, dedicated to promoting education, fostering dialogue, and advancing equality across genders, ethnicities, and identities in the workplace.
Dana Hasan
Lead AI Consultant
As a Lead AI Consultant at Hitachi Solutions, Dana has over a decade of expertise in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. She has successfully led and delivered several AI and data migration projects across a variety of sectors. She demonstrates extensive experience developing and implementing AI-based systems utilizing Azure technologies, ensuring adherence to best practices and responsible AI principles. Dana is passionate about learning new technologies and staying updated with the latest trends in the field.
Lauren Weeks
Client Director
As a Client Director, Lauren supports the strategic growth of the UK ‘s Government market in designing and implementing digital transformations. Her previous role at Microsoft cements her technical understanding and ensures her customers can make the most of their current Microsoft investment and leverage licences, when possible, for future projects. She has a strong focus on the social care industry and is passionate about ensuring the industry thrives.
Lisa Taillard
Director of Change, Adoption and Learning
Lisa is passionate about people and for the last 20 years has been delivering effective people change management solutions for digital transformation programmes across global organisations. She enjoys working with our clients to create tailored solutions that focus on ensuring those impacted by the change are ready, willing, and able to adopt the new ways of working.
Join the Community: Register Your Interest in the Event Below
Our Why
Facilitate collaboration and knowledge-sharing across the UK Public Sector on meaningful technology, data, and digital transformation initiatives.
Foster Collaboration
Facilitate collaboration and knowledge-sharing across the UK Public Sector on meaningful technology, data, and digital transformation initiatives.
Build a Supportive Network
Provide a supportive network for women in tech and data roles within government organisations to meet, learn, and inspire one another.
Showcase Women-Led Innovation
Highlight and promote successful case studies and digital transformation stories led by women in the public sector.
Increase Visibility
Support the representation of women in technology and data roles within the UK Public Sector.