Meet the Judges of Open Programme One

Nancy Cruickshank

Nancy was appointed an Operating Partner of Exponent in 2021, joining from Carlsberg Group where she was Chief Digital Officer. She is currently Chair of Go City and Wowcher for Exponent and is a Non-Executive Director of Flutter Entertainment Plc, Allegro Plc, Oodle Financial Service, backed by KKR, and OFI – Olam Food Ingredients, listed in Singapore. Nancy was previously a NED at TelecityGroup, one of Europe’s most successful technology companies, until 2016.

A serial technology entrepreneur and executive, her last startup, MyShowcase, was named by the Sunday Times as one of the 15 fastest-growing start-ups in the UK. Prior to this Nancy launched Condé Nast online in 1996, overseeing Telegraph Media Group’s Digital business and developing the Fashion & Beauty market leader, Handbag.com. Born and raised in London, New York and Hong Kong, Nancy has a BA in History from Leeds University. Her special interests include people and culture, the customer experience and digital transformation.

Q: How are you involved in the world of digital technology and innovation?
Nancy: I had a 25-year Exec career, 50% as a serial consumer tech Founder/CEO and 50% as CEO of consumer tech scale ups or Chief Digital/Transformation Officer inside larger corporates. Today, I am an Operating Partner in a London-based PE firm, where I spend three days of my week Chairing two consumer technology marketplaces, and time working on our deal teams exploring new investment opportunities. I am also a portfolio Non-Executive on five boards outside of Exponent, the common components to these being scale consumer tech and digital transformation.

Q: How do you know Jersey and what are your connections to Jersey?
Nancy:  I was pleased to speak at one of Digital Jersey’s virtual events during the pandemic, and I am impressed with what they are doing! So I was delighted to be invited to be a judge.

Q: What makes a good idea a great one?
Nancy: Outstanding execution via a highly collaborative, connected and curious team.

Q: What does innovation mean to you?
Nancy: Solving problems more effectively than others have done previously.

Q: Aside from digital technology, what do you like to do in your spare time?
Nancy: I live on a farm in the Surrey Hills and I have five dogs, so I am the mad dog lady! I love to walk, write, read, cook, keep up a decent level of fitness, ski (in the winter) and spend time with friends and family.

Andy Stanford-Clark

Andy is an innovation leader in IBM Research, accelerating innovative and transformative technology projects with clients. He is an IBM Distinguished Engineer, a Master Inventor with more than 40 patents, and leads IBM’s Quantum Ambassador team in the UK. Based at IBM’s Hursley Park laboratories near Winchester, he has been working in the area we now call the ‘Internet of Things’ for more than 25 years and co-invented the ubiquitous Internet of Things messaging protocol called MQTT.

He has a BSc in Computing and Mathematics, and a PhD in Computer Science. As well as being an Honorary Professor at the University of East Anglia, a Visiting Professor at the University of Newcastle, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southampton, Andy is also a Fellow of the British Computer Society.

Q: How are you involved in the world of digital technology and innovation?
Andy: I am a Software Engineer by profession, and a keen hardware hacker and maker in my spare time. I enjoy making 3D printed devices that include lots of coloured LEDs and connect to the Cloud to create “ambient” displays of information.

Q: How do you know and what are your connections to Jersey?
Andy: I live on the Isle of Wight, so I have a lot of empathy for living on a rock surrounded by water! I have been connected with Digital Jersey for a number of years and have given several seminars on the island.

Q: What makes a good idea a great one?
Andy: To me, a great idea is one that elegantly solves a real-world problem. I have most of my great ideas in the shower – a highly recommended place to think. Developing a prototype to try out the idea quickly enables me to work out if it was a rubbish idea or a great idea. There are lots of rubbish ideas – and that’s absolutely fine. I learn from every one of them.

Q: What does innovation mean to you?
Andy: I see innovation as the intersection between invention and application – that is, inventing something which can be applied to a real-world problem. Without that practical application, inventions are far less satisfying, as they won’t do anything to help people or change the world in some way.

Q: Aside from digital technology, what do you like to do in your spare time?
Andy: I am a keen long-distance runner, with quite a lot of half marathons under my belt in recent years. I also enjoy hiking, completing Hadrian’s Wall and St Cuthbert’s Way in recent years.

Joe Dignan

Joe is a technology subject matter expert with over 30 years’ international experience in the digital transformation arena. A professional hybrid, at home in both the public and private sector, he has experience of delivering public sector programmes in the UK, Europe, the Far and Middle East. This is balanced by working in the private sector for companies such as Microsoft where he was the Worldwide Industry Managing Director for Local and Regional Government.

He has experience of being on the World Bank’s Smart City Expert Framework, a member of the Stakeholder Group for the European Commission’s Smart Cities and Communities Group and the EU-China smart city expert group while he is also a research fellow at the Centre for Urban Science and Performance at Kings College London. He has published widely on the development of Smart Islands.

Q: How do you know and what are your connections to Jersey?
Joe: I am recognised internationally as a Smart Islands expert and spent two years as a special adviser on IoT to the Board of Digital Jersey. I always describe Jersey as the ‘Goldilocks’ Island in that is a perfect microcosm of larger states. Unlike many islands, it has a diverse and strong economy and is the perfect place to act as a sandbox.

Q: What makes a good idea a great one?
Joe: Having a good idea is the easy bit. What turns a good idea into a great idea is the tenacity to bring the idea to life and then fight to keep it alive.

Q: What does innovation mean to you?
Joe: The old saying on business success, “Do one thing 1,000% better or do 1,000 things 1% better” still stands true and the plethora of rapidly maturing new technology can facilitate both.

Q: Aside from digital technology, what do you like to do in your spare time?
Joe: In the spare time I have, I follow rugby. My mind thinks I am playing but my body knows it’s sitting on a sofa! I am looking forward to when the Jersey Reds get into the Prem.

Saeema Ahmed-Kristensen

Professor Ahmed-Kristensen is the Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor of Research & Impact for the Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy at the University of Exeter (London office), Director of DIGITLab (a £12.7m UKRI-funded Research Centre) and a Chair of Engineering Design and Innovation. She was previously the Head of Programme for Design Products in the School of Design at the Royal College of Art, and prior to that she was based at Imperial College as Professor, was Deputy Head of the Dyson School of Design, and held the role of Joint Head of Programme for Global Innovation Design – a dual MA/MSc programme – with the RCA.

She holds a first class (Hons) degree from Brunel University in Product Design and a PhD from the Engineering Design Centre, University of Cambridge, where she served as Engineering Fellow of Murray Edwards College. She led the Design Engineering and Innovation Group at the Technical University of Denmark.

Q: How are you involved in the world of digital technology and innovation?
Saeema: Having studied as a product designer, and then having worked in the world of design and innovation all my life, digital technology and how it is adopted is a major part of my research.

Q: How do you know Jersey and what are your connections to Jersey?
Saeema: I was previously fortunate enough to have been involved in a two-day workshop with representatives from the Government of Jersey, industry and others to understand the opportunities and challenges faced by Jersey.

Q: What makes a good idea a great one?
Saeema: A great idea is not just novel but it can be realised and be useful – for example, to impact and improve lives, environment, or the economy.

Q: What does innovation mean to you?
Saeema: Innovation can be at all levels, in materials, processes, or new systems.

Q: Aside from digital technology, what are your interests or hobbies?
Saeema: I enjoy being out in nature, whether hiking or in water, and dabbling with creative ventures, from resin and felting, to home brew kombucha or visiting arts exhibitions.

Alan Brown

Professor Alan Brown has been delivering impact as an entrepreneur and in business for over 30 years, working predominantly in software delivery to power business transformation. He is also a university professor, researcher, coach and trusted adviser to start-ups and established organisations across the public and private sector. He has written several books on enterprise software delivery and digital transformation, and holds a Professorship in Digital Economy at the University of Exeter, UK and a Fellowship at the Alan Turing Institute, the UK National institute for data science and AI.

Q: How do you know Jersey/what are your connections to Jersey?
Alan: I have been working with Digital Jersey for more than 5 years to provide input to the island’s digital strategy approach. I have always been impressed with the initiative and energy that has been driving the Digital Jersey team and its work. As a result, I have made several visits to Jersey to meet with the team, talk with digital entrepreneurs on the island, and exchange ideas with those defining the digital strategy for Jersey.

Q: What makes a good idea a great one?
Alan: Coming up with good ideas is difficult. But that is only the start. They must be refined, developed, shared, and delivered to become great businesses.

Q: What does innovation mean to you?
Alan: Innovation is a way to take ideas and test them in context to solve problems that matter to people with needs, desires, ambitions, and opportunities.

Q: Aside from digital technology, what are your interests/hobbies/what do you like to do in your spare time?
Alan: Spare time!??! I didn’t realise I was allowed any!