The past few months have shown how progress begins with open conversation. Across every event the herd have attended, the same themes have emerged: collaboration, curiosity and the need to build confidence in how we use technology to serve people better.
Those ideas have shaped our journey through a series of events that have brought together people across industries to explore where technology and human capability meet. From regional discussions on AI adoption to national debates on healthcare and public service transformation, each has been a chance to learn from others, share what we have seen in practice and build a collective sense of progress.
AI Unlocked: Curiosity that builds confidence
In September, our teams joined business leaders, innovators and designers in Wakefield for AI Unlocked, a regional event dedicated to helping West Yorkshire businesses explore how artificial intelligence can be used with purpose and confidence. Organised by AD:VENTURE, Wakefield Council, Wakefield First and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the day created space for open and practical discussion about where AI adds real value and how organisations can use it responsibly.
Panels and talks explored how AI is already shaping decision-making, automation and design across different sectors. There was a strong focus on accessibility, helping teams move beyond the buzzwords and see where AI can genuinely make work more human, not just more efficient.
Hippo’s Ed Hiley, Suze Hawkins and Liz Whitefield joined the speaker lineup to share their experience of large-scale transformation and responsible innovation, showing how thoughtful design and delivery can make emerging technology more approachable. They were joined by David Habesch and Lucie Johnson, who supported conversations around collaboration and practical adoption.
HETT: Responsible innovation in health
At HETT 2025, one of the UK’s leading healthtech exhibitions, clinicians, technology specialists and innovators came together to explore how digital systems can improve patient outcomes, workforce wellbeing and care delivery across the NHS.
This year’s show took place against the backdrop of the government’s ten-year plan for the NHS, with discussions focused on how digital transformation can help achieve its aims. From data governance to AI integration, the sessions highlighted the same challenge faced by many sectors: how to turn technological potential into practical, human-centred progress.
Our Technology Director, Ed Hiley, and Principal Consultant, Anna Lay, delivered a case study session titled From theory to reality: identifying complex patients with machine learning. They shared how, through our partnership with Mid Yorkshire NHS Teaching Trust, AI was used to build a decision support tool that helps frontline pharmacists identify complex patients earlier, prioritise care and build trust in technology through clear, responsible design.
Across the exhibition, Adam Tostevin, Selin Barnett and Robin Baines connected with colleagues from across health and care to share insight and explore how digital tools can make healthcare safer and more connected.
DigiGov Expo: Building AI capability at scale
DigiGov Expo, the UK’s largest public sector technology event, brought together leaders from across departments, suppliers and industry to explore what the future of digital government could look like.
This year, the conversations centred on capability and confidence, with sessions examining how to equip public servants with the knowledge and tools they need to adopt technology responsibly. Across discussions on data ethics, AI governance and user-centred service design, there was a clear shared ambition to make innovation more inclusive and transparent.
As part of the programme, we joined a session titled Upskill, uplift, empower: building AI capability in government at scale, where the focus was on how hands-on learning can turn curiosity into confidence. Drawing on experiences from AI Week, Policy Impact Workshops and Design in a Day, we explored how practical learning helps teams connect ideas to delivery and apply AI responsibly in real settings.
That experience reflected a principle we have seen across sectors: capability is not about producing experts, but about creating the conditions for people to test, question and apply new technology with confidence. When teams are given that opportunity, innovation becomes achievable and human.
Carrying the conversation forward
That same spirit continues this month as we head to London for Think Digital Government and Future Identity.
At Think Digital, Rheanna O’Donoghue will join a panel on upskilling and capability building, drawing on our experience from AI Week and other learning programmes to show how learning through doing helps teams build lasting confidence. She will be joined by Matthew Wilkes, Heather James, Mike Tattersall, Rosie Belsten and Suze Hawkins, who will be meeting peers and partners to explore how collaboration between suppliers and departments can strengthen capability across digital teams.
At Future Identity, the focus turns to trust and inclusion in digital identity. Hippo’s Head of Identity, Jim Small, will join a panel on customer access and experience to discuss how teams can simplify authentication while keeping trust at the centre. Ashleigh Davidson, Duncan Richardson and Tom Halson will also be part of the event, meeting others who are shaping the next chapter of digital identity.
Both events build on a principle that has guided all our recent work: digital confidence does not come from one-off training or new tools. It grows when people have the space to explore, test and learn safely and responsibly.
