AI Forum

Tim is the co-founder of Mighty Atoms, a national fractional CMO business helping SMEs get big-brand marketing expertise without the overhead. With 25 years of marketing experience at leading names like Pepsi, Starbucks, PizzaExpress, and Virgin, Tim knows what it takes to build brands that connect and perform.

Before launching Mighty Atoms, Tim led standout projects like launching Frappuccino in the UK for Starbucks, introducing Westfield Stratford City on the Olympic Park, and giving PizzaExpress a fresh edge with seasonal menus.

Over the past 15 years, Tim has shifted focus toward digital—acting as CMO at TD Direct Investing and Virgin Money’s fintech ventures, while supporting more than 20 online SMEs. At Mighty Atoms, Tim and his team blend big-brand thinking with startup agility, helping businesses sharpen their marketing and commercial strategies, develop brands and products, and level up digital performance—from web builds to campaign analytics.

Mighty Atoms’ fractional CMO model offers growing businesses senior marketing expertise that’s flexible, data-driven, and delivers results. In the last four years alone, the team has supported 40+ SMEs to scale smarter and faster.

Rebecca Fitzgerald is an enterprise leader in Financial Services with vast experience across Customer Experience, Service & Retail, Risk & Compliance, Financial Crime, Transformation, IT, and Data. Specialising in strategic leadership underpinned with a Masters in the subject, Rebecca's career in recent years has anchored in Data, Digital and Technology, successfully delivering multi-million-pound transformation programmes and achieving operational effectiveness.

As Director of Data and AI at Yorkshire Building Society, Rebecca shapes and embeds the Data Strategy, promoting data as a critical asset, and enhancing data literacy. More recent work focusing on AI strategy, Rebecca is leading the charge on advancing capabilities. Rebecca advocates for ethical, responsible leadership in driving forward advancements, ensuring value add to society and economic growth, balancing optimism for AI with pragmatic business sense. Her representation and engagement within commerce and academia is commendable, providing thought leadership and entrepreneurial spirit to tackle complex problems and make a difference for people and communities. 

Rebecca is also the Vice President for Bradford's Chamber of Commerce and a Non-Executive Board member of the West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce. She is known for her commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, advocating for Socio-economic, Accessibility & Neurodiversity, and supporting future skills agenda's with a key focus in developing pathways for next-generation STEM careers.

Gavin Mander has over two decades experience within data and technology, with a large proportion focussed on helping organisations enhance their data capabilities to deliver business value. As the Founder and Director of a digital and data consultancy, Gavin aims to empower organisations to become self-sufficient in how they manage and leverage their data to support their business objectives.

His experience covers the full data lifecycle, including the creation of robust data governance structures, cloud-based data solutions, and real-time analytics frameworks. Gavin's career spans a number sectors including Retail, Health & Social Care, Technology and Pubic Sector; this has included Head Of & Director level roles within FTSE100 organisations and he has led delivery of public sector programmes of national significance. He has previously contributed to industry data management forums and podcasts on data strategy.

Gavin is currently focussed on defining what AI-Ready Data means for businesses who want to 'tune-in' AI for their business needs, in particular with the opportunities opened up by Generative AI.

Dr Sarah Ashbridge is a defence analyst focusing on the relationship between climate change and armed forces. She is an Affiliate Expert of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and an Associate Researcher of the Climate Change and (in)Security Project at the University of Oxford.

Sarah developed the Greening Defence Programme at RUSI to help armed forces navigate the ways in which climate change creates international security risks. She was later appointed as a Principal Analyst within the Support and Sustainability Programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) where she led initiatives to support external engagement and knowledge transfer.

Professor CD Neagu has 20+ years of funded research leadership. He is the AI Research (AIRE) Group Leader, the academic liaison for Turing University Network, Academic Coordinator for Exchange Studies in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, active speaker on Responsible AI.

His research focuses on fundamental approaches for Responsible and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence, and applications in Digital Technologies for Engineering, Product Safety, Healthcare, Social Media, BIMs and Arts. This research has been motivated by his desire to advance the AI field by studying systems from rigorous computational and philosophical perspectives.

The main theme throughout his academic work is to develop models of multidisciplinary information systems by the fusion of know-what, know-how and computational information. He strongly believes Computer Science is now media for knowledge acquisition, analysis, design, and validation and leads research towards the AI technologies that serve responsibly sustainable aims that play vital roles in the progress of science and society.

Professor Hassan Ugail, Director of the Centre for Visual Computing and Intelligent Systems at the University of Bradford, is a distinguished computer scientist specialising in visual computing and artificial intelligence (AI). He champions the application of AI to address real-world challenges in digital health, innovative engineering, and sustainable societies. His primary research focuses on human biometrics, particularly the development of advanced AI solutions for facial recognition and analysis. Notably, his work contributed to identifying the two Russian spies involved in the Salisbury Novichok poisoning case, a major international story in 2018. In 2023, Professor Ugail was a presenter at the 199th Royal Institution Christmas Lecture, where he showcased the role of AI in facial recognition. The Royal Institution Christmas Lecture, held in London, has a storied history dating back to 1825, with Michael Faraday—known as the father of electricity—delivering the inaugural lecture.

Mark Barrett is a data science and automation expert with a proven track record of helping companies unlock the full potential of their data. Amongst many others, he has delivered innovation for leading organisations including Ferrari, the NHS, and Travelodge - driving time savings, process improvements, and new revenue streams.

Today, Mark works with large organisations to embed innovation at scale, while also building Software as a Service businesses in collaboration with other domain experts. Each venture combines data science, automation, and software development to create tools that solve real-world problems.

Mark has been:

• Selected as one of ""The top 50 creative companies"" in England by Creative England / The Telegraph
• Selected as one of the top 50 ""New Radicals"" in the UK by The Observer
• Selected as one of the top 50 Innovators in Healthcare by Health Service Journal
• Created the 1st Open Data app to get to #1 in iTunes"

Muhamed Farooque is a Business Performance Management and Strategy Specialist focused on leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to solve business challenges and drive organizational growth.

He is the Founder and CEO of Excelledia, a consulting firm specializing in People, Process, and Technology for Business Performance Management. Farooque established Excelledia Ventures in the UK to design AI-powered business solutions, including the development of isorobot, an enterprise management system specializing in governance, strategy, risk, compliance, and internal audit.

He also founded Dezign Space to prototype business ideas and the AI Center of Excellence (AI CoE) framework, which enables businesses of all sizes to adopt AI without large teams or investments.

Adam is a CIO, CTO and Chief Architect with 20+ years experience working in technology, the last 10 having been in agile, cloud and digital roles at SME and leadership levels. He leads Axiologik’s architecture and strategy practice and have experience across financial services, telecommunications, retail, manufacturing, construction, government & healthcare sectors (some gained whilst in consulting organisations).  

Adam has worked with a broad array of technologies, vendors and partners including to drive innovation such as robotic automation, machine learning and AI. I work with senior leadership teams, advising not just on how to select and deploy the right technology, but also how to get the most out of it. This includes ensuring transformation and adoption is value and user-centric, whilst defining the overarching business ecosystem and operating models. He is also a mentor and coach, passionate about DE&I and a qualified mental health first aider. 

He is also a University of Bradford Alumni, having graduated with a degree in Environmental Science & Geography in 1996.

Dr Andy Fraser is a recent doctoral researcher who spent 5 years interpreting seismic data for the classification of organic sediments as well as investigating the use of AI neural networks in archaeological prospection. Andrew is the AI Lead on Subnordica, an ERC Synergy project investigating the archaeology of marine palaeolandscapes. By deploying AI tools and models to analyse and interpret composite datasets, he will provide precise targets for investigation to maximise the efficiency of archaeological prospection while minimising the disruption to seabed habitats and existing infrastructure in the southern North Sea. 

Previous work included interpretation and mapping of geophysical data for the Europe’s Lost Frontiers ERC funded project and a 12-months fellowship investigating AI interpretation of seismic data. He has authored several papers on the investigation of early Holocene landscapes under the southern North Sea as well as Machine Learning tools for geophysical interpretation.

Joshi is a Senior Associate Global Academic Program Manager at SAS, a global leader in data analytics and artificial intelligence, building trusted, successful relationships between academic institutions, industry, and SAS. Joshi enjoys supporting students, teachers, and professionals to use AI and analytics to make smarter, fact-based decisions and prepare for the future.

Joshi holds an MSc in Management from the University of Leeds. At SAS, he develops and nurtures industry-academia partnerships that empower students and educators to use cutting-edge AI and analytics software for their education and research, ensuring they are industry ready

Dr Takao Maruyama joined the School of Management in 2019 and is currently Assistant Professor in Business Analytics.  He is also Programme Leader for MSc in Logistics, Data Analytics and Supply Chain Management (https://www.bradford.ac.uk/courses/pg/logistics-data-analytics-supply-chain-management/). 

Prior to joining the School of Management, Takao had gained more than 10 years of industry experience in data analytics in the higher education sector, analysing various types of quantitative data and communicating effectively key findings with senior management teams.  

Takao's research interest focuses on the application of data analytics in a wide range of areas including information systems, healthcare, logistics and supply chain management, and other relevant areas.  Takao has published papers in journals such as the Journal of Business Research, Information Technology and People, and New Technology Work and Employment. 

Professor Tillal Eldabi holds PhD and MSc in Simulation Modelling and BSc in Econometrics and Social Statistics. He has published over 100 articles in highly accredited journals and conferences and successfully supervising and graduating 18 doctoral students.

Over a period of 20 years, his main research area was focussing on the use of Simulation Modelling to solve healthcare problems. He developed tailormade modelling packages to support health economists and clinicians to decide on the best treatment programmes. Other works include modelling approaches to enable stakeholders’ engagement and modelling A&E departments.

More recently his works focused on developing frameworks for Hybrid Simulation for modelling complex systems with special emphasis on healthcare systems. Professor Eldabi has led and co-investigated several research projects worth more than a £2 million where he gained funding from national and international research councils such as EPSRC (UK), Qatar National Foundations, British Council, and UNDP – all related to modelling healthcare and Higher Education enhancement.

He is the cofounder of the Simulation Workshop UK and the Hybrid Simulation Track at Winter Simulation Conference. Professor Eldabi led the development and management of the PhD without Residence Programme at Ahlia University – Bahrain. It graduated more than 60 doctoral students, where 45% of them are female, the highest rate of gender parity the Gulf region as evidence of capacity building in diversity and inclusivity. Professor Eldabi also developed two innovative programmes: MBA in healthcare and BSc in Business Analytics.

Jiachen joined the Operations and Information Management Group in January 2016. Prior to this, she was a teaching fellow at the Department of Management Science, University of Strathclyde. She involved in two European Commission found projects during her PhD study from Nottingham Trent University, EU-Asia Link project and EU-IT&C project. The aims of the projects are to improve co-operation between Asia and Europe by increasing the mutual understanding of the complexity of transferring European information and communications technology to China, thus improving technology cross-flow and the quality of Europe-China partnerships.Her PhD project was focused on investigating the issues that have influenced SMEs in the processes of product life cycle and supplier selection.

Jiachen has been engaged with a range of professional activities. She has reviewed articles for journals such as International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making, International Journal of Design Engineering, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, Public Money and Management 92018), for Journal of Strategic Contracting and Negotiation (2018), etc. Jiachen was a member of the Member of the program committee for BLESS UWorkshop (2018), member of the program committee for The 19th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research (2018), and programme committee of the International Conference on Advanced Desing and Manufacture (2006, 2009, 2010, 2011). She is a member of SAP Global University Alliances Program Community.

Jiachen is currently working on British Council Sponsored project: "Bandar Lampung Enhanced Smart-health Services with Smart Ubiquity".

Nuno has extensive industry experience in operations management and business development at multinational companies such as Arthur Andersen, Deloitte, UEFA, and Carglass. He is a serial Angel investor with a portfolio across a diverse range of sectors (ICT, creative industries, life sciences, industrial production). He has been involved in teaching international business, entrepreneurship and management accounting for undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

His teaching experience in the UK began at Abertay University (2016-2018) as Lecturer, subsequently joining Coventry University (2018/2019) as Lecturer and Associate Course Director in Business Administration. At De Monfort University (2019-2023) he was a Senior Lecturer in Professional Development and Strategy, Leader of the Senior Leader Degree Apprenticeship and Deputy Programme Leader of the Senior Leader Master's Degree Apprenticeship (MBA). He has been publishing in leading journals in the area of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education such as the International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research, the Journal of International Business Education and the Journal of Teaching in International Business.

He joined Bradford School of Management in March 2023 as an Assistant Professor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, an area he is passionate about as a teacher and researcher, but also as a mentor for entrepreneurs and advisor/investor in start-ups.

Dr Ebru Surucu Balci joined the Business Analytics, Circular Economy and Entrepreneurship in September 2019. Dr Ebru holds a PhD degree in Maritime Business Administration. Prior to taking the lecturer position, she worked as a research assistant for over 5 years (2013-2019). Her research interests are circular food supply chains, digitalization of transport and logistic services, and social media engagement. She has publications in Computers in Industry, Journal of Cleaner Production, Service Industries Journal and Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management. 

I am a lecturer in Circular Economy and Innovation at the University of Bradford, School of Management. I am fascinated by the power of design and the impact of designers' and managers’ choices and decisions to build a more sustainable and circular world. That is why as a designer and researcher, I explore how changes in design can facilitate or hamper take-back and collection, reuse, repair, remanufacturing or recycling processes. And how design changes impact businesses in terms of their business models and value chains.

In my doctoral studies, at the Delft University of Technology, I specifically studied the role of design in the effective recycling of electronic products and companies’ drivers and barriers for implementing design for recycling. My current research interests include exploring various sectors, including electronics, textiles, plastics, foods and packaging, as empirical data on the composition of different product categories and how they behave through various circular economy strategies are lacking.

Ultimately, I inspire and educate designers and managers to recognize the power of their choices and decisions through the development of design and managerial guidelines and methods.

Dr Kamran Mahroof is an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Analytics and Programme Leader for the MSc in the Applied Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics programme, at the University of Bradford, School of Management.

He has extensive industry experience having worked in various role for leading organisations, most recently for Morrisons Plc, where he led various productivity initiatives in Logistics. Kamran continues to hold a strong connection in several industries through his ongoing research. His industrial experience has helped shape his research interests, whereby he is actively researching in the areas of Supply Chain Management, Circular Economy, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Societal Impact of Emerging Technologies.

He regularly publishes in high quality, high impact peer-reviewed journals, such as International Journal of Production Economics, Journal of Business Research and Information Systems Frontiers. Kamran makes regular appearances on national television, radio and in other media and has written several articles for the Press, along with other internationally renowned publications, such as for the World Economic Forum. He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education (FHEA).  

Dr. Öznur Özdemir Akyıldırımis an Assistant Professor of Logistics and Supply Chain Management at School of Management, University of Bradford. She has joined Bradford University from Istanbul Technical University in Turkey, where she was working as an associate professor of production and operations management.

Prior to this position, she worked as an assistant professor at Rotterdam School of Management in Erasmus University in the Netherlands and Akdeniz University in Turkey. Between 2019-2020, she also served as a research associate at the Centre for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability under the University of Zurich in Switzerland.

During her PhD, she spentone year in the USA and studied as a visiting scholar at Georgia Institute ofTechnology.

Her research interests revolve around sustainable operations management and circular economy. She has published her work in highly respected journals such as Production and Operations Management, European Journal of Operational Research, International Journal of Production Economics, Decision Sciences and Journal of the Operational Research Society.

Dr Smit Luyt hails from South Africa where she has been teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate modules on Sustainable Development and Green Economy at Stellenbosch University. She has also worked as a senior research manager, policy advisor and project co-ordinator on a number of projects across Africa.

She holds a Doctorate in Public Management and Development Planning, a Master's and Post Graduate Diploma in Sustainable Development, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and Administration and a National Diploma in Public Relations Management.

Her interests and expertise relate to sustainable development, systems thinking, renewable energy, resource use, green/circular economy, gendered aspects of growth and development, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable and ‘just’ cities.

Dr Syeda Hina is a Lecturer in Business Analytics at the University of Bradford, School of Management. Prior to joining the School of Management, Dr Syeda had gained more than 12 years of teaching and research experience. Her primary areas of research activity are supply chain management and technology, logistics, transportation planning, sustainable agricultural and energy logistics, data analytics and other relevant areas which come under the broad research area of quantitative social sciences. She is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Dr Zahid Hussain joined the school full time in 2002 and has taught at all levels since including executive education, MBA, DL etc. He possess tremendous amount of academic and management experience and possess many other suitable qualifications. He teaches with passion, rigour and meticulousness. He can undertake wider multidisciplinary research within the university that has better impact, hence meeting the university’s pledge to making knowledge work. He is a member of HEA and several other professional bodies (Member of HEA, BCS,BAM, UKAIS). He has won several awards in distinguished teaching and is helping to deliver the faculty vision of enhancing levels of student satisfaction. This will help to achieve the faculty objective of excelling teaching. He is external examiner to University of West London and Imperial College London and in the past was external to Aston, Open University and University of East London. His research is usually applied and industry based. Several of his recent articles have been ‘best read’ and/or ‘nominated as best papers’ by academics. However, Zahid has and continues to supervise world class research of highest merit involving many well-known organisations, such as NATO, SAP, Mercedes, Emirates Airline, British Telecom, Mauritius Government, Asda, PACE, BBC, Airbus UK, NHS and many more including many SMEs. He is a permanent speaker/presenter on learning and improvement topics at the local community radio – MACS.