Our sincere apologies: one of tonight’s speakers has a family emergency and is no longer available to speak on our panel, and unfortunately she cannot find a team member to fill in. We feel her contribution is an essential part of this event so have made the difficult decision to postpone tonight’s event.
We will provide you with the new date as soon as we can.
We will refund everyone who paid for the event later today and will give you a code to join us as our guests on the new date.
We would be very grateful if you could acknowledge receipt of this message by writing to info@wittgroup.org.
We are very sorry that we have had to postpone. Thank you very much for your understanding and we hope to see you on the new date.
Best wishes,
The WiTT Board
Annette, Audrey, Helen, Michelle, and Yasmeen
In a normal year the WiTT board would have a healthy debate about topics to address in our upcoming panel discussions: a new angle on AI? Data centres? Fibre vs. satellite? Is mobile still a separate area? But this is not a normal year: “UK drives off Russian submarines lurking near subsea cables”; “Russian spy spacecraft have intercepted Europe’s key satellites, officials believe”; “Big Tech’s new reality: Data centers are a war target”. It was clear we should address the topic of defence tech.
Wars in Ukraine and Iran have led Western governments to increase military budgets, especially in areas related to technology. In fact in June 2025 Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves announced the biggest sustained increase in defence spending in the UK since the Cold War — £5 billion — with a focus on innovation in drone and laser weapon technology as well as AI for precision targeting and other applications.
WiTT’s panel will take a closer look at some of the technologies being funded and developed to improve preparedness. We’ll also discuss the threats to our tech infrastructure, and the larger legal and ethical issues that arise from the use of some of these technologies: can autonomous systems be trusted to target combatants only? Does the UK need to own more of the cloud and data centre infrastructure we’ve come to rely on? Do we need to modify procurement strategies?
WiTT board director Yasmeen Majid will chair our panel. Our speakers will include:
- Silvia Grant, Deputy Director and Head of Technology & Futures, Chief Technology Office at National Armaments Department, UK Ministry of Defence;
- Mimi Keshani, Co founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Hadean; and
- Ali Smith, Associate, Bird & Bird.
Other speakers will be announced closer to the event date.
We’ll begin at 6:00pm with networking. The panel will run from 6:45 to 7:45, including Q&A. Drinks and canapes will be served after the panel finishes.
The event will take place at Bird & Bird, 12 New Fetter Lane, London, EC4A 1JP. WiTT thanks Bird & Bird for hosting.
Please use this link to register.
Please email info@wittgroup.org if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you on September 9th!
The WiTT Board
Annette, Audrey, Helen, Michelle, and Yasmeen
Biographies
Panel Chair
Yasmeen Majid
WiTT Board Director
Yasmeen Majid joined the WiTT Board in 2017, following 10 years as an active member. Throughout her executive career, she led global functions and transformations in tech-oriented and tech-driven organisations in several industries and geographies. She enjoys mentoring and continues to actively promote the benefits of a diverse workplace.
In addition to being a WiTT Director, Yasmeen holds several non-exec roles. She is a Trustee for the Mulberry Schools Trust, and Chair for one of its 14 Local School Governing Boards at Mulberry Stepney Green Science, Maths and Computing high school. As well, she is a Trustee on the board of the Neville Abraham Foundation, a philanthropic organisation focused on sponsoring opportunities for young people in sport, music and personal development.
Yasmeen’s executive roles have included Global Director for Transformation/Business Change in Atos’ sCloud Business; Director for Global Network Change and Operations for Aviva; Head of Transformation for Vodafone’s Managed Service and Cloud Business; Chief of Staff at Direct Line Group; and Head of Professional Services, Project and Product Management at Multimap/ Microsoft in the UK as well as several years of Tech, Management and Consultancy (KPMG) roles, in France and Canada.
Yasmeen holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science from McMaster University, Canada, and an MBA from EDHEC-Theseus, France.
Speakers
Silvia Grant
Deputy Director and Head of Technology & Futures, Chief Technology Office at National Armaments Department
UK Ministry of Defence
Dr Silvia Grant is the Deputy Director and Head of Technology & Futures within the Chief Technology Office at National Armaments Department, UK Ministry of Defence. Her leadership focuses on exploiting emerging technologies, driving multi-disciplinary innovation, and transforming complex digital infrastructure into practical frontline capabilities. A pioneer for user-centric design in defence, she ensures that central technical systems are fundamentally aligned with the operational needs of armed forces personnel.
Mimi Kashani
Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer
Hadean
Mimi oversees corporate development at Hadean, a UK-based technology company specialising in AI & spatial computing to provide the most accurate representation of the real world.
She is focussed on growing Hadean exponentially through key strategic deals, partnerships, and funding opportunities. Mimi was instrumental in early proofs-of-concept for Hadean’s technology – publishing work on protein-protein interactions and COVID-19 pandemic modelling, as well running world record breaking EVE Aether Wars demos with CCP Games.
Before Hadean, Mimi worked in several early stage software startups and studied nanoscience at UCL and the University of Cambridge, working with Nokia on graphene-based flexible electronics for her research.
Ali Smith
Associate
Bird & Bird
Ali Smith is an Australian qualified lawyer in Bird & Bird’s Tech Transactions team in London. She advises clients on a range of technology matters, with a particular focus on complex technology procurement and large-scale outsourcing projects.
Her work supports technology transactions ranging from software licensing and SaaS arrangements to large-scale outsourcing and technology transformation projects. She enjoys helping clients navigate the legal and commercial risks that arise when developing, buying or selling new technology, including AI-enabled and automated solutions.
Ali works with clients from start-ups to multinationals and advises both customers and technology providers, which gives her a practical understanding of priorities and risk on both sides of a deal. She primarily advises clients in the Technology and Defence sectors, and also works across areas including financial services, utilities and aviation.
Ali’s background advising government clients on commercial contracting and procurement at a leading Australian law firm gives her a practical appreciation of the pressures clients face when bidding for, or delivering, public sector contracts. This is an area that is evolving rapidly as defence organisations adopt more sophisticated technology.