Scotland

Heather Robb, Chief Digital Officer, Edinburgh City Council

AI isn’t just for teaching and learning. This hands-on session is for school and Local Authority leaders who want to explore how AI and automation can reduce repetitive admin, free up staff time, and dramatically improve operational efficiency and effectiveness across their schools.
We’ll help you identify where AI can make the biggest impact, overcome common blockers, and understand what you need in place to make AI effective. You’ll leave with practical templates, a clear sense of how to get started – and where AI can make a difference and save staff time now.

James Weatherill, CEO, Co-Founder, Arbor Education

This presentation and short Q+A will cover the aims and ambitions of the Digital Front Door programme, focusing on citizens, plans for delivery and how Socitm members can support.

Jonathan Cameron, Deputy Director, Digital Health and Care, Scottish Government

In this session we’ll explore how Scottish Borders Council embarked on their journey to transform the way they deliver public services by harnessing the power of Microsoft Copilot. Learn how they got started – from initial vision to proof of concept – and how they engaged the right people to drive meaningful adoption and change.
We’ll share practical insights into:

• Where to begin: What sparked the initiative and how they built momentum
  Collaboration and leadership: Who was involved and how they aligned stakeholders
• Proof of concept: How they tested Copilot in real-world scenarios
• Tangible benefits: Early wins, workforce empowerment, and improved service outcomes
• What’s next: Their roadmap for scaling innovation across the council

Philip Andrews, Cloud & AI Lead – Scotland, Phoenix Software

Shumshad Ali, Public Sector Territory Manager – Scotland, Phoenix Software

Our Top Talent programme gives people the chance to develop their skills and grow as future leaders. Witness participants showcase their journey, presenting insights from the challenge they’ve been tackling. This is a chance to hear fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and the next generation’s approach to solving key sector challenges.

In this session, we’ll explore how one NHS organisation successfully modernised its IT infrastructure, using Veeam’s data protection and recovery solutions as a key enabler throughout the transformation. The presentation will cover the strategic drivers behind the infrastructure refresh, from ageing systems and increasing cyber risk, to new compliance demands and the need for more agile service delivery.

Andy Painter, Territory Manager, Veeam

David Craig, Digital Systems Specialist (Systems), NHS Lanarkshire

Dave Sanderson, Director of Member Services, Socitm

Heather Robb, Chief Digital Officer, Edinburgh City Council