Speakers

Cassandra is a digital innovation change leader whose work focuses on digital technology built for the end-user. Her experience spans both the public and private sector as well as academia. After working with McKinsey Consultants, in 9 months she delivered the UK’s first end-to-end e-mortgage operational system, servicing 750 IFAs and most major mortgage providers. Her digital tech ecosystem knowledge led to a Global Director post with Cable & Wireless Plc a worldwide ISP and Telecoms provider. Recently she led an academic team developing CrimeTech systems and has secured over £2million to develop innovative technology. Now she is spear-heading the challenge for innovation in the Public Sector specifically calling for new tech to support Adult Social Care securing DLUCH Digital Round 6 funding and is a member of multiple London-based consortiums fronting this work.

Tori Olphin is a Chief Data Scientist and Head of Research, with specialisations in predictive algorithm design in the public sector and in designing and running randomised controlled trials in live public sector environments. Tori has previously built predictive solutions for resource management and case allocation, and has tested such algorithmic tools using randomised controlled trials. In addition, Tori has worked on between 200 and 250 research projects in the public sector as a quantitative researcher and advisor, and has gained a lot of insight into the public sector research process. This understanding has been used in designing a research project lifecycle within Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit, and current work includes development of an algorithmic risk assessment tool for domestic abuse risk, as well as the running of multiple randomised controlled trials in live environments.

Jan Roar Beckstrom is the Deputy Director General and Chief Data Scientist at the Office of the Auditor General of Norway (OAGN), where he also heads the Innovation Lab. With over 15 years of experience in performance audit, mainly in methodology development, Jan has previously served as the Chair of INTOSAIs Performance Audit Subcommittee. He has also had brief stints as an academic researcher and in the Ministry of Culture. Jan is a sociologist with an MBA in auditing, with recent ventures into tech and IT.

Alex Hurrell is a trained economist, with over 15 years’ professional experience in international development and public policy research. He has extensive leadership and management skills, having run a huge range of complex projects and held a variety of senior leadership and management positions. He has a technical specialism in Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E), with specific technical expertise in impact evaluation (RCTs, quasi-experimental, theory-based), Value-for-Money (VFM) assessment, and the design and implementation of effective Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) systems to support programme accountability and impact.