This is your alternative to vote for the 2026 version of Computer Weekly’s annual UKtech50, our definitive listing of the movers and shakers in UK technology – the chief info officers, trade executives, public servants and enterprise leaders driving ahead the UK’s digital financial system.
Whoever tops the listing will probably be the person who, in the opinion of our judges and readers, holds the most affect over the way forward for the UK tech sector in 2025 – and therefore the way forward for IT professionals throughout the nation.
Our skilled judging panel has chosen a shortlist of fifty leaders proven under – chosen from greater than 480 nominations, that had been steered by readers, the Computer Weekly group and the judges themselves. Now we would like your vote on who you suppose deserves the coveted high spot on this 12 months’s listing.
The judges’ number of the high 50 was influenced by a number of vital tech traits – not least the significance of technology in a difficult financial local weather. The listing displays the rising affect of synthetic intelligence (AI) and the want for ethics in the IT sector, the large digital ID agenda and the persevering with progress of startups in the UK.
Judges had been additionally eager to advertise range in the tech group – in phrases of gender, ethnicity, geography, trade sector and firm measurement, amongst others.
The work undertaken by IT leaders in each sector over the previous 12 months has proven resilience and innovation, and the high 50 listing displays the arduous work of each organisations and people.
Last 12 months, the 15th annual UKtech50 noticed Google DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis topped the winner for his work inside the AI area.
Whoever tops the listing in 2026 will probably be the person who, in the opinion of our judges and readers, holds the most affect over the way forward for the UK’s digital financial system. The winner will probably be introduced at an occasion in London on 2 July.
Read extra about UKtech50 2026 here and submit your vote now – merely click on on the button subsequent to the person you want to vote for and click on the “submit” button under the listing. Voting closes at 5pm on 15 June.
Our due to the group at recruitment specialist Harvey Nash for their help with this 12 months’s UKtech50.
The full shortlist can also be proven in alphabetical order, with quick biographies, at the finish of this text.
Alan Carson, CTO and co-founder, Cloudsmith
Carson based Cloudsmith in 2016 along with co-founder Lee Skillen. The Belfast primarily based cloud-native common artifact administration firm has grown considerably in the previous few years. The firm lately introduced a $72m sequence C financing to proceed additional progress.
Alex Kendall, CEO, Wayve
Kendall is the CEO and co-founder of Wayve, the UK startup utilizing synthetic intelligence to construct a next-generation autonomous driving system. Under Kendall’s management, Wayve has rapidly grown from a small startup to a real competitor and disruptor in the autonomous automobile trade.
Alison Kay, VP and managing director, AWS UK & Ireland
Alison Kay took on her position at AWS in November 2024 after an 18-year stint at EY. In her position at AWS, she has labored to assist corporations from startups to giants with their digital enterprise transformation. She additionally sits on the board of the UK Investment Council.
Allison Kirkby, CEO, BT Group
Kirkby joined BT Group as its CEO in February 2024, succeeding Philip Jansen. Kirkby, who’s the first girl to carry the job of BT CEO, got here to BT from Swedish telecoms supplier Telia, the place she additionally served as CEO. She has been on the board of BT Group since 2019 as a non-executive director
Ann O’Neill, co-founder and CEO, Adora Digital Health
O’Neill based digital well being platform Adora in 2021. The platform and app is designed to help girls navigating peri-menopause and menopause, and combines AI-driven personalised steering with direct entry to healthcare professionals, providing help and training to alleviate signs and improve wellbeing. She can also be a member of the McKinsey Digital Health Global CEO Group, the place she is dedicated to redressing the healthcare imbalance that disadvantages girls and numerous communities each in life and in the office.
Anne Keast-Butler, director, GCHQ
Keast-Butler joined GCHQ as its director in May 2023, turning into the first girl to guide the organisation, succeeding Jeremy Fleming. Prior to becoming a member of GCHQ, Keast-Butler served as the MI5 deputy director-general, and has a protracted historical past as an intelligence skilled. In her position at MI5, Keast-Butler led on MI5’s operational, investigative and protective security work, together with the company’s response to Russia’s conflict on Ukraine. She has additionally beforehand frolicked seconded to GCHQ as head of counter-terrorism and severe organised crime.
Anne-Marie Imafidon, CEO, Stemettes; girls in tech envoy, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Imafidon is CEO, founder and head stemette at social enterprise Stemettes, which goals to encourage younger girls to decide on careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). She has change into a high-profile advocate and campaigner, participating in racing driver Lewis Hamilton’s fee to encourage a extra numerous workforce in engineering, and appeared on the Channel 4 present Countdown whereas common mathematician Rachel Riley was on maternity depart. Imafidon was voted the most influential woman in UK technology in 2020.
Blaise Metreweli, chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)
Metreweli is a profession civil servant, having joined the Secret Intelligence Service in 1999. She spent most of her profession in operational roles in Europe and the Middle East earlier than turning into its director basic, technology and innovation. In 2025 she turned the Secret Intelligence Service’s 18th chief, referred to as “C”, taking on from Richard Moore. She is MI6’s first feminine chief.
Brent Hoberman, entrepreneur; chair of Founders Factory & Founders Forum
Serial entrepreneur Brent Hoberman is the chairman and co-founder of Founders Factory, a London-based accelerator and incubator. He can also be a non-executive director and co-founder of Made.com, and has sat on the board of a number of corporations, together with EasyCar and Shazam. In 1998, he co-founded Lastminute.com along with Martha Lane Fox.
Carlos Selonke, CIO, Revolut
Selonke joined Revolut as its CIO in September 2021, following a protracted profession in the monetary providers trade, most lately at Santander, each in the UK and the US. At Revolut he’s accountable for the financial institution’s technology and banking operations, together with funds.
Charlene Hunter, CEO and founder, Coding Black Females
Hunter based Coding Black Females in 2017 to assist black feminine software program builders meet one another and community. Alongside her work at Coding Black Females, Hunter is a software program developer. She is an advisory board trade consultant in the University of Essex Online’s computing division, technical director at SAM Software Solutions, and technical director at full-stack and front-end coaching organisation Black CodHer Bootcamp.
Previously, Hunter was lead software program engineer at Made Tech, and has held roles akin to senior software program developer, lead Java developer, app developer and technical advisor at varied corporations. She was named a Computer Weekly Women in UK Tech Rising Star in 2020.
Daljit Rehal, chief digital and knowledge officer, HM Revenue and Customs; previous BCS President
Former Centrica IT chief Daljit Rehal was appointed chief digital and information officer at HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in September 2020. He is accountable for a funds of greater than £1bn and oversees a few of the highest-profile IT methods in authorities, akin to taxes, nationwide insurance coverage and the customs functions at the UK’s advanced post-Brexit borders. He sits on the board of HMRC. He has additionally taken on the position of senior accountable officer at Civil Service Live to advertise technology and innovation throughout all departments. Rehal can also be the president of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT.
Danielle George, chief scientific advisor for nationwide safety, GCHQ; Professor and vice-dean at the University of Manchester
George was appointed scientific advisor for nationwide safety in the starting of 2025 and took on the position in April that 12 months. She performs a vital position in offering recommendation and supporting supply of science and technology for the UK intelligence group.
Darren Jones, chief secretary to the Prime Minister, HM Government
Jones was appointed as prime minister Keir Starmer’s chief secretary in September 2025. He first received concerned in politics throughout the 2010 basic election, when he stood as a Labour candidate. He was beforehand the chair of Labour Digital.
Dave Smith, nationwide technology adviser, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Smith is the authorities’s nationwide technology adviser, a job he took on in April 2024 after former adviser Patrick Vallance stood down from the place. In his position, he advises the division on methods to finest construct on the nation’s technology strengths and champion the UK’s tech industries.
Demis Hassabis, founder & CEO, Google DeepMind
Demis Hassabis based synthetic intelligence firm DeepMind in 2010. The firm, which was purchased by Google in 2014 for about £400m, is concerned in a number of AI tasks throughout sectors, together with the NHS. Before founding DeepMind, Hassabis accomplished a PhD in neuroscience at UCL. He is twice a previous UKtech50 winner.
Emran Mian, everlasting secretary, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Previously DSIT’s director basic for digital applied sciences and telecoms, Mian turned the division’s everlasting secretary in 2025. The profession civil servant has held a number of senior roles in authorities departments earlier than transferring to DSIT.
Geoff Huggins, digital director, Scottish Government
Geoff Huggins was appointed to lead the digital team in the Scottish government in July 2021, succeeding Colin Cook. He has held quite a few senior digital authorities roles in Scotland, together with director, digital third sector transformation, director of NDS Scotland – a directorate of NHS Education for Scotland – and director of well being and social care integration.
Greg Jackson, CEO, Octopus Energy
Jackson based and launched Octopus Energy in 2016. The firm’s inexperienced tech platform sits at the coronary heart of its success, and the firm has gone from power to power over the years. Octopus Energy is now the largest power supplier in the UK.
Helen Wylie, director basic and CDIO, DWP Digital
Helen Wylie turned chief digital and knowledge officer (CDIO) at the division in November 2024, after spending eight years as a part of its digital group in varied roles. She has a longstanding profession in the sector, having labored in a wide range of technology and digital supply roles in organisations together with the Bank of England, Experian and TNT Post Group.
Ian Chapman, CEO, UK Research & Innovation
Chapman joined UKRI as its CEO in August 2025, following 21 years at the UK Atomic Energy Authority. In his position as UKRI CIO, Chapman leads the organisation and its backing of researchers and innovators. He can also be a fellow of the Institute for Physics.
Ian Hogarth, chair, AI Safety Institute
Tech entrepreneur Ian Hogarth was appointed chair of the AI Safety Institute in June 2023, reporting on to the prime minister and the technology secretary. The organisation is concentrated on advancing AI security. He additionally led the authorities’s AI Foundation Model Taskforce.
Jade Leung, AI advisor to the Prime Minister
Leung is the prime minister’s AI adviser and the chief technology officer of the AI Security Institute the place she oversees evaluations for frontier AI fashions. Prior to becoming a member of authorities, Leung labored at OpenAI. She can also be a University of Oxford Rhodes Scolar the place she accomplished a PhD in the governing of AI.
James Wise, chair, Sovereign AI Fund
Wise was appointed chair of the authorities’s Sovereign AI Unit in November 2025. The unit, which is backed by practically £500m in funding, goals to show British AI analysis into corporations that may stoke financial progress. The unit acts like a enterprise capital fund, bringing collectively authorities, trade and buyers to develop UK AI corporations.
Joe Baguley, chief technology officer, EMEA, Broadcom
Joe Baguley has been the CTO at Broadcom (previously VMware) since 2011. He additionally sat on a number of advisory boards at the European Commission and was a founding member of the BCS datacentre specialist group. He additionally sits on TechUK’s cloud management board.
Julian David, CEO, TechUK
Julian David is the CEO of technology trade association TechUK. He was appointed as the director basic of Intellect in March 2012 and led its transformation to TechUK in November 2013. David has spent greater than 30 years in the technology trade, largely working for IBM in varied roles, together with vice-president for small and medium enterprise in the UK, Ireland, Netherlands and Africa after which for 5 years as vice-president for public sector in the UK, Ireland and South Africa.
Kanishka Narayan, parliamentary under-secretary of state for AI and on-line security, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Narayan was appointed to his position in September 2025 and is accountable for AI alternatives, the AI Security Institute, authorities semiconductor technique, on-line security and tech for progress. He can also be the MP for the Vale of Glamorgan.
Katie Prescott, technology enterprise editor, The Times
The Times’ technology enterprise editor Katie Prescott reviews on technology adjustments throughout the world. She additionally co-hosts the Times Tech podcast, which usually sees excessive profile friends reflecting on tech.
Lila Ibrahim, chief working officer, Google DeepMind
In her position as DeepMind’s COO, Ibrahim oversees the enterprise operations of the firm, and its exterior engagement. With a tech profession spanning a long time, previous to becoming a member of Google DeepMind in 2018, she held a number of excessive profile management roles in the trade.
Liz Kendall, science, innovation and technology secretary, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Former pensions secretary Liz Kendall turned the secretary of state at DSIT in September 2025. Kendall, who has been an MP since 2010, was beforehand at the helm of DWP after Labour got here to energy in 2024.
Matt Clifford, chair, Advanced Research and Invention Agency
Matt Clifford is the chair of the Advanced Research and Invention Agency, which was arrange by the authorities in February 2021 to help high-risk analysis that has the potential to make a excessive influence on society. Clifford can also be the co-founder and CEO of Entrepreneur First, a pre-seed investor in deep technology startups.
Melanie Dawes, chief government, Ofcom
Melanie Dawes has headed up Ofcom since 2020 following her earlier position as everlasting secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, in addition to many different roles throughout the civil service. She has beforehand been a trustee at Patchwork Foundation, which goals to encourage under-represented younger individuals to take part in democracy, and a non-executive director of shopper group Which?
Mustafa Suleyman, CEO, Microsoft AI
Mustafa Suleyman was introduced as Microsoft’s head of AI in March final 12 months. The newly created Microsoft AI will concentrate on advancing the Copilot household of generative AI assistants and different shopper AI merchandise and analysis at Microsoft. Prior to becoming a member of Microsoft, Suleyman co-founded Google Deepmind, in addition to one other AI firm, Inflection AI.
Nicola Hodson, chair for UK&I, IBM; TechUK deputy president
Nicola Hodson joined IBM in January 2023 as its UK and Ireland CEO. Prior to becoming a member of IBM, Hodson spent 14 years at Microsoft in varied roles, most lately as vice-president of world gross sales, advertising and marketing and operations for area transformation. She can also be the deputy president of TechUK.
Paul Hardy, EMEA innovation officer, ServiceNow
Hardy turned the EMEA innovation officer at ServiceNow in June 2024. He has greater than 25 years in the technology trade beneath his belt, and previous to becoming a member of ServiceNow, he labored at Informa for greater than a decade.
Rene Haas, CEO, ARM Holdings
ARM announced in February 2022 that it had appointed 35-year semiconductor trade chief Rene Haas as chief government, succeeding Simon Segars, who stepped down after 30 years with the firm. Haas was beforehand president of the ARM IP Products Group since 2017, having joined the agency in 2013.
Richard Horne, CEO, National Cyber Security Centre
Horne was appointed CEO of NCSC in 2024. He joined from PwC UK, the place he chaired the organisation’s cyber safety apply. He can also be a GCHQ board member.
Rob Thompson, chief digital, knowledge and technology officer, Department for Health & Social Care
Former Home Office digital chief Rob Thompson joined DHSC earlier in May 2026. He is accountable for driving digital, knowledge and technology transformation throughout the division and NHS England. Prior to his practically decade lengthy stint at the Home Office, Thompson held a number of senior management roles each inside private and non-private sector.
Robin Tombs, CEO, Yoti
Tombs based Yoti, which created a digitally native id app, in 2014. The firm and its product has change into more and more well-liked in the digital ID market, and now has greater than 30 million downloads worldwide. He can also be a thought chief inside the technology trade, notably in the digital ID trade.
Sarah Cardell, CEO, Competition & Markets Authority
Sarah Cardell was appointed the CEO of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in December 2022, however held the position as an interim from July 2022. Prior to being named CEO, Cardell was basic counsel at the authority for eight years.
Sarah Turner, CEO and co-founder, Angel Academe
Turner based Angel Academe, a pro-women and pro-diversity angel funding group centered on technology, and is at present CEO of the group. Until 2023, Turner was additionally an advisory board member of tech recruiter Spinks, and in 2007 co-founded consultancy Turner Hopkins, which helps companies create digital methods. Previously, Turner was an exterior board member and chair of the funding committee for enterprise capital fund the Low Carbon Innovation Fund and a board member of the UK Business Angels Association, the commerce affiliation for early-stage funding.
Sarah Winmill, BCS President; digital purposeful chief, Royal Navy
Winmill was appointed BCS president, taking on from Daljit Rehal, in March 2026, after holding the place of deputy president the 12 months prior. She can also be the digital purposeful chief for the Royal Navy at the Ministry of Defence the place she has spent the final six years of her profession. Prior to this, she labored in varied technology roles inside the British Transport Police.
Sonia Patel, interim chief technology officer, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Sonia Patel turned DSIT’s interim chief technology officer in March 2026 on a hard and fast 12-month contract. The CTO position was held by David Knott since autumn 2023, nonetheless, at the finish of 2025, he stepped down from the place on account of household causes. Prior to taking up the position at DSIT, Patel was instrumental in the NHS technology house. Patel joined authorities as the CIO of NHSX in 2020, proper in the center of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2022 she turned the system CIO of NHS England earlier than taking up the position of CTO in April 2024.
Suzanne Ashman, managing companion, Sovereign AI Fund
Technology investor Suzanne Ashman joined Sovereign AI in May 2026 the place she leads the £500m fund, figuring out AI corporations with progress potential. She can also be a former basic companion at LocalGlobe and Latitude.
Theo Blackwell, chief digital officer to the Mayor of London
Theo Blackwell was appointed London’s first chief digital officer in August 2017. Prior to this, Blackwell spent 15 years as a councillor in the London Borough of Camden, the place he led the implementation of an bold digital technique for the borough.
Tom Adeyoola, government chair, Innovate UK
Technology entrepreneur Tom Adeyoola turned Innovate UK’s new government chair and CEO in April 2025. He additionally serves on the steering board of The Startup Coalition, advocating for high-growth tech companies throughout the UK.
Wendy Hall, Regius Professor of Computer Science, University of Southampton; advisor throughout authorities and trade
Hall holds a number of positions at the University of Southampton, together with professor of laptop science and affiliate vice-president (worldwide engagement), and is an government director of the college’s Web Science Institute.
As properly as having been a member of the UK prime minister’s Council for Science and Technology, Hall was co-chair of the UK authorities’s 2017 AI evaluation, and was subsequently introduced by the authorities as the first expertise champion for AI in the UK
Yvonne Gallagher, digital director, National Audit Office
The NAO’s digital transformation skilled joined the auditor in 2013 the place she leads its digital insights group. Before becoming a member of the NAO, Gallagher held a number of high-profile technology roles, together with as the CIO of Affinity Sutton and the Ministry of Justice.
Zahra Bahrololoumi, president and CEO, Salesforce UK
As CEO of Salesforce in the UK and Ireland, Bahrololoumi is accountable for the workforce in these areas throughout all industries and features, and is especially centered on guaranteeing its clients are prepared for digital transformation. She sits on a number of boards, together with for Seeing Is Believing Coventry Place, Movement to Work and Cancer Research UK Corporate Partnerships, and is an impartial non-executive director on the TSB board. In 2023, she was awarded a CBE for providers to the info technology sector.
Zoe Kleinman, technology editor, BBC News
Kleinman has been technology editor at BBC News since September 2021. She has been masking technology information for practically 20 years on each radio and tv.
Judging the UKtech50
The judging panel was chosen to characterize completely different views in IT – so every particular person acted each as an neutral and skilled choose, in addition to an advocate for their space of curiosity. The judges had been:
- Laura Meyer, investor, Angel Academe; former CIO
- David Savage, group technology evangelist, Nash Squared
- James Woodward, director of communications at BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT.
- Matthew Evans, COO & director of markets at TechUK
- Roy Illsley, chief analyst, Omdia