Having started her career as a business journalist 20 years ago and worked extensively as an editor and retail analyst, Kate Doherty is experienced in communicating retail-focused insight and analysis on market performance and industry trends. As acting head of commercial content at Retail Week, Kate works with brands to create and deliver thought leadership and actionable insights via diverse campaign formats, ranging from reports to live events, helping businesses build connections and grow.

Michelle specialises in contract (in particular sourcing contracts), consumer, data and intellectual property law.She has a particular interest in artificial intelligence, adtech, NFTs and Web3, and currently acts as a mentor for Abbey Road’s music tech incubator.

Michelle was awarded the Global Sourcing Association’s Rising Star Award in 2022 and was recently certified as a Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) Trained Professional. In her spare time, Michelle is a Chair for Accumulate London (Arts School for the homeless).

Originally a commercial property solicitor at Eversheds in Newcastle for 8 years, working for a variety of occupier clients, which included Greggs! I moved in house to Greggs in 2013 towards the start of their in-house journey, as the first lawyer was only appointed in 2011. I quickly moved from supporting with predominantly property matters to supporting the wider business especially the procurement and marketing teams. I now head a 12 strong legal team which works across most functions in the business and includes property and commercial solicitors as well as a data specialists.

Simon French joined Panmure Gordon in 2014 and rose to the position of Chief Economist and Head of Research. He has been an economics columnist for The Times for the past 8 years, is No.1 Extel in the City of London broker rankings, and is a regular guest on BBC Radio, Sky News, Bloomberg and CNBC. Prior to this, Simon French worked for the UK government at the Cabinet Office as Chief of Staff to the UK government's Chief Operating Officer.

Tom has over a decade of experience advising clients on large scale technology related transactions, typically as part of a client’s digital transformation journey, from outsourcings to software licensing.

Tom also specialises in advising new entrants and established players in the AI market on the procurement, governance and management of AI and on compliance with relevant regulations.

Tom has gained significant industry insight through client secondments, including to a multinational consulting company where Tom worked alongside regional local counsel and key stakeholders within the organisation to establish and implement a global AI governance programme, as well as supporting in negotiations with major AI vendors.