Matt Dawson to help build team cultures at DTX + UCX Manchester

Author: Beatrice

Manchester will play host to the north’s biggest digital and IT transformation event in May – with World Cup-winning rugby star, Matt Dawson, the former Director General of MI5, Dame Stella Rimington, and Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, headlining as the city gears up for Tech Week 2023.

Digital Transformation EXPO (DTX) has been a firm fixture in the region for seven years, running previously as IP EXPO. The 2023 event will see the greatest gathering of enterprise IT and digital professionals yet – with thousands flocking to Manchester Central on 17-18 May for keynote speeches, regional case studies, interactive panels, technical workshops and community socials.

In light of enterprise IT teams feeling mounting pressure to balance accelerated innovation with cost optimisation, the event will focus on the cornerstone theme: ‘Together We Transform’.

Uniquely placed to encourage collaboration, the combined showcase DTX + UCX Manchester 2023 will connect leaders in cloud, networks, data, devops, cyber security and the modern workplace to tackle the coming challenges together.

Attendees will discuss and debate how to optimise tech stacks, unravel legacy data systems, design a next-generation engineering strategy, operate feature-rich modern workplace toolsets, build threat-responsive ecosystems, and meet changing customer demands.

Matt Dawson – who is fast approaching the 20-year anniversary of his World Cup victory – will reflect on a long and varied career in a keynote interview on ‘Finding your edge: how to overcome weakness, trust your intuition and lead a team through hard times’. He will offer insights on how to build a world-class team culture, the lasting value of critique to guide tactics and what it takes to be your best, on and off the field.

Dame Stella Rimington – the first woman to become Director General of MI5, and dubbed the real-life M from James Bond – will share how to lead in times of challenge and change. Revealing how she has navigated a life of unexpected opportunities, Dame Stella will discuss why human insight is still critical to success when assessing information, even as artificial intelligence advances at rapid speed.

Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, returns to close the show on day one with a first-look at the digital vision laid out in the Greater Manchester Digital Blueprint for 2023-2026.

Other big hitters on the line-up include John Hobson, Chief Information Officer at Kellogg Company; Ben Morris, Global Director of Cyber Security at The Hut Group; Mivy James, Digital Transformation Director at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence; Adam Lindsay, Director of Business Operations at Groupon; Leanne Fitzpatrick, Director of Data Science at The Financial Times; Rob Black, Technology Director at Beauty Bay; and Risk Alkunshalie, Head of Technology at Manchester Airports Group.

The brands behind cutting-edge enterprise IT technology will also be ready to showcase the tools needed to power a digital future. Taking centre stage are Dell, AWS, Okta, Ring Central, Blue Jeans, Threatlocker, Slalom Build, Sophos, Intel, Sentinel One and Gamma, along with many other exhibitors.

Head of Research and Portfolio Development for DTX, Natasha Taylor, states, “Manchester is a world-leading hub of technology and innovation, which makes it the perfect place to host the biggest digital transformation and IT event the north has ever seen.

“This year is going to be the best yet – featuring a phenomenal line-up of guest speakers, a huge variety of exhibitors and some surprises on the show floor.

“We’re proud to bring together teams from all realms of the enterprise IT space, across every industry, to share ideas, tackle the latest challenges and troubleshoot tricky problems. Every year we witness the real-time collaboration needed to drive the delivery of ambitious transformation plans.

“DTX + UCX Manchester is the place where great minds discuss ground-breaking ideas, and we can’t wait to hear what the big topics of conversation are this year.”