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Judging Panel

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Meet our 2026 judges! Click their images to view profiles.

Chair of the Judging Panel

Maria Stefanova

Head of PMO – Artificial Intelligence, MSc, SPC
International Airlines Group (IAG)

Priya Gandhi

Senior Director of Quality
Aristocrat Technologies Incorporation

Basit Tanveer

Head of Business Platforms
Lebara

Apoorv Kashyap

Head of AI
Santander

Prof. Henry Tse

Global Head of Products and Services
BAE Systems Digital Intelligence

Michal Kendereski

​VP AI & Solutions
Publicis Health

Damian McAlonan  

AI & Digital Solutions Director
Mark Allen Group

Mohit Panwar

Head of AI Product Management
Honeywell

Julie Wall

Professor of AI & Advanced Computing
University of West London

Silky Vaidya

Portfolio CTPO and WIBD EMEA Leader
Women In Big Data

Ajwad Ali

Head of AI Engineering
AXA UK

Ahmed Elah

Senior Director of AI & Technology Transformation
SkyShowtime

Mohamed ElMikaty

Director of AI
Fusionride Technology
Maria Stefanova

Maria Stefanova

Head of PMO – Artificial Intelligence, MSc, SPC

International Airlines Group (IAG)

Bio: An accomplished leader in Agile PMO, Digital Transformation, and SAFe methodologies, Maria has experience in a broad spectrum of industries, including legal, financial services, entertainment and logistics.

In her current role, Maria is focused on the use of Artificial Intelligence to enhance and simplify various processes and create more efficient work practices.

A devotee of lifelong learning, Maria holds multiple degrees that complement her experience, including MSc in Business Information Systems, International Diploma in Business Analysis, Certified SPC, BSc in Industrial Engineering and Management, and others.

Priya

Priya Gandhi

Director of Quality

Aristocrat Technologies Incorporation

Bio: Priya is the Director of Quality at Aristocrat Technology Inc. Holding degrees in Engineering and IT Marketing, she uses her knowledge and expertise in Automation and Emerging Tech to inspire her team and improve their digital processes especially quality. Priya has a pragmatic style of leadership and is passionate about making the workplace a better place for her team, both in its culture and in its workflow. She can often be found reading up on the latest developments in Artificial Intelligence and Robotic Process Automation, some of her personal interests.

Basit

Basit Tanveer

Head of Business Platforms

Lebara

Bio: I help companies solve complex business challenges using technology and leveraging data to drive revenue growth and optimise operational cost. As a problem-led leader with over 20+ years of experience in managing complex digital and data transformation initiatives.

I have led remote agile teams of over 200+ professionals and successfully transitioned technology departments to improve collaboration, efficiency, predictability, quality, operational excellence by simplifying processes and integrating business areas to deliver sustainable business value

My expertise includes tech strategy, product engineering, team building, decommissioning legacy technology, re-architecture, cloud migration, insourcing, near-shoring, and resource optimisation, with a proven track record of reducing OPEX.

I have been recognised for implementing award-winning intelligent data platforms and excel in cultivating successful relationships with stakeholders while managing multi-million-euro budgets.

Apoorv

Apoorv Kashyap

Head of AI

Santander

Bio: A proven Digital AI & Data executive, Apoorv trailblazes business + technology strategies to help Financial Services, Retail and Telco companies increase digital sales, improve customer & employee experiences, and reduce operating costs.

During the past two decades, Apoorv has become:

• A trusted advisor to the CxOs and P&L champions in Insights & Analytics, Chief Data Office, eCommerce
• Battle-hardened in the deal-formation through to delivery of complex AI/ML-led Data Transformation programs
• A leadership-team executive with growth and profitability targets

At EY, Apoorv:

• Drives AI & Advanced Analytics go-to-market at key Financial Services accounts
• Proudly delivers Customer delight with strategic engagements
• Mentors a growing and diverse team of Tech Consulting rock stars

Apoorv has a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Computer Science, is an accredited Chartered Management Consultant, and has kept himself upto date on the rapidly evolving Data & AI technology via certifications such as GCP and Snowflake.

Outside of work, Apoorv spends most of his time with family & friends, outdoors!

Prof. Henry Tse

Prof. Henry Tse

Global Head of Products and Services

BAE Systems Digital Intelligence

Bio: Henry Tse is an experienced Technology and Market Innovation Leader with over 20 years of expertise in managing complex systems across diverse sectors, including safety-critical engineering, security, energy, and transport innovation. Currently, he serves as the Global Head of Products and Services at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, where he drives new innovations, including AI, into solution offerings to meet clients’ evolving needs.

Previously, Henry made significant contributions at Connected Places Catapult, collaborating with stakeholders to develop commercial solutions addressing critical societal challenges. His pragmatic approach and leadership style foster the creation of strong, effective teams that work across boundaries to drive positive change.

In addition to his industry roles, Henry holds several esteemed positions: Adjunct Professor at the University of Southampton, Chair of the UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Hub Strategic Advisory Network, and Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Michal Kendereski

​VP AI & Solutions​

Publicis Health

Bio: Michal leads AI and digital strategy at Publicis Health UK where he turns generative AI from slideware into products that teams actually use. Over nearly two decades in enterprise, consumer and healthcare markets he has built a reputation for making complex technology simple then scaling it across organisations in ways that make work faster, ideas braver and risk manageable. He designs company-wide shifts that connect strategy to day to day workflows so creative, operations and compliance teams move in the same direction.

Michal often highlights that successful AI transformation depends as much on culture and leadership as it does on algorithms. He works with leaders to treat AI not as a narrow IT project but as a shift in the operating model, rethinking how work flows, how decisions are made and how teams are accountable for outcomes. Combining a creative technologist’s curiosity with a transformation leader’s commercial focus, he helps organisations build teams that actually want to use the tools, leaders who own the change instead of delegating it and AI capabilities that outlive the pilot phase.

Damian McAlonan

AI & Digital Solutions Director

Mark Allen Group

Bio: Damian McAlonan is AI & Digital Solutions Director at The Mark Allen Group, where he leads ‘Magnify’, the Group’s proprietary AI-powered engagement platform connecting insight and intelligence across 150+ B2B brands. With over 30 years in FTSE 100 media leadership, Damian has driven the fusion of digital, data, and AI to reinvent publishing for a new era. A Chartered Marketer (CIM) and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), he stands at the intersection of AI, creativity, and growth.

Mohit Panwar

Head of AI Product Management

Honeywell

Bio: I currently serve as the Leader and Head of AI Product Management at Honeywell, where I lead the strategy and execution of user-facing, enterprise-scale AI products. My work focuses on applied and generative AI solutions deployed across real-world industrial and operational environments, including systems that integrate multimodal inputs such as text, vision, and operational data to drive measurable business and customer impact. Throughout my career, I’ve evaluated and guided AI initiatives from concept to production, balancing technical innovation with usability, scalability, governance, and responsible AI practices. I work closely with engineering, data science, design, and business leaders to assess AI solutions not only for sophistication, but for their ability to deliver meaningful, ethical, and lasting impact—an approach that strongly aligns with the mission of the AI Awards.
Julie Wall

Julie Wall

Professor of AI & Advanced Computing

University of West London

Bio: Julie Wall is a Professor of AI and Advanced Computing at the University of West London. She is a member of the British Standards Institution (BSI) and serves as an expert in the field of AI. Her research focuses on designing intelligent systems to process and model temporal data, with a particular emphasis on speech and language applications.

With extensive expertise in neural network architectures, Julie has explored a range of models, from biologically inspired designs to computationally efficient machine and deep learning architectures. She has applied these techniques to various data structures, including tabular, audio, images, video, and 3D feature data, achieving significant results. Julie has also developed production-grade deep learning and natural language understanding systems for a variety of platforms, including virtual and augmented reality environments. Her extensive research contributions have been widely recognised through the publication of a US and UK patent and 50+ high-quality research papers.

Silky Vaidya

Portfolio CTPO and WIBD EMEA Leader

Women In Big Data

Bio: Silky is an innovator of patented deep tech and a senior executive leader of global engineering & product organisations for nearly the last two decades, of leading Engineering organisations globally across 20+ countries in EMEAR, APAC, North America, LATAM and building high performing teams, delivering $20billion+ revenue worth pioneering deep tech and complex, innovative solutions and initiatives, notably at GoStudent (EdTech, AI, Marketplace, Payments), Anaplan(ERP, FinTech, Infrastructure), CDK(Automotive, ERP, E-commerce, IOT/Mobility, Digital Twins), CISCO (Unified Communication, Radio Access Tech -4G/5G, IOT, Wifi) and Cambridge Silicon Radio (Unified Communication, Radio Access Tech -4G/5G, IOT, Wifi).

She has led (Incubated, VC, PE backed) Series A to Series E scaleup/start-ups into M&A and PE Exits to Cambridge Silicon Radio, CISCO, Qualcomm, Samsung, Cobham, AeroFlex, and PEs like Francisco Partners and ThomaBravo.

She is currently an Interim Chief Technology and Product Officer for driving Engineering and Product excellence and growth, working with a portfolio of Scaleups, Unicorns, Founders as well as at Enterprise level to lead Technology, Strategic Engineering and Product Direction from vision to execution as a Player-Coach with the C-level and Senior Leadership teams.

Ajwad Ali

Head of AI Engineering

AXA UK

Bio: Ajwad is an experienced AI professional specialising in the financial services domain, where he has led technically on delivery and supporting products and services across Conversational AI, DocAI and Agentic AI. He is currently the Head of AI Engineering for AXA UK, leading on enterprise wide solutions and has previously served in Senior Architect and Prinipal Engineer roles for Lloyds and NatWest. Ajwad puts a strong emphasis on human-centred AI (HCAI) when building AI applications.

Ahmed Elah

Senior Director of AI & Technology Transformation

SkyShowtime

Bio: Ahmed Elahi is the Senior Director of AI & Technology Transformation at SkyShowtime. He pioneered the enterprise ‘Technology & Innovation’ workstream from zero, building the function from inception while leading the strategy and delivery of Generative AI and automation. His work has delivered substantial business efficiencies and enhanced operational productivity across the organisation. With a background managing complex, enterprise-level P&Ls and an MBA thesis on AI Adoption, Ahmed provides a C-suite perspective on moving AI from an idea to an enterprise-wide, governed reality.

Mohamed ElMikaty

Director of AI

Fusionride Technology

Bio: Mohamed ElMikaty is a driven AI Technology Leader with 15+ years of experience building and scaling global AI and ML initiatives from the ground up. Having criss-crossed academia and industry throughout his career, he specialises in bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and real-world deployment, delivering practical and high-impact AI solutions across Entertainment, Defence, Healthcare, Forestry, Autonomous Driving, and Robotics. His work has contributed to patented technologies, high-performance perception systems, and AI deployments used globally at scale, motivated by the belief that “Humans can see, recognise, and decide, so can computers.” He has led and grown multidisciplinary AI teams across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

He currently serves as Director of AI at Fusionride Technology and previously worked as the primary Technical Specialist in AI within Jaguar Land Rover’s Assisted and Automated Driving division. Dr. ElMikaty earned his PhD and MSc in Computer Vision and Machine Learning from Imperial College London.

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