Technology & AI Summit

Chris de Gruben FRICS

Senior Director - AI in Property & PE / Data Consulting / AI Strategy, Artefact

Chris is a property generalist with nearly 20 years of global expertise in delivering strategic change. He worked and set-up successful property and valuation focused businesses in Asia and the UK. Chris enjoyed understanding how the built environment can be better managed and utilised for the benefits of all stakeholders. Today he leads multi-functional teams within a global data & AI focused management consultancy. He specialises in the implementation of cutting edge data science solutions along with the change management this entails across some of the UK's largest property companies. Beyond Artefact, Chris is the Vice-Chair of one of the PGP on Valuation within the RICS, defining what the future of the valuation trade should look like (in particular the uses of data and AI). He is also the co-chair of the AI, Data and Tech working group at the RICS where we are currently publishing new guidance and an external examiner for undergraduate built environment programmes at UCL and finally, an examiner for APC panels for the RICS.

Jennifer Schooling

Professor of Digital Innovation & Smart Spaces, Anglia Ruskin University

Jennifer Schooling OBE is Professor of Digital Innovation and Smart Places at Anglia Ruskin University. Her research focuses on the sociotechnical dimensions of digitalisation at the city scale, including the emerging challenges of AI in public-sector decision-making, especially in relation to ethics and safety.

Ioannis Brilakis

Professor of Civil & Information Engineering at University of Cambridge, Laing O'Rourke

Prof Ioannis Brilakis is the Laing O’Rourke Professor of Civil & Information Engineering at the University of Cambridge, leading research in construction information technology. An award-winning expert and author of 300+ papers, he advances automation, robotics, computer vision and digital technologies across the construction industry.

Dr Bola Abisogun OBE

Founder & CEO, AI-QS

Dr Abolade ‘Bola’ Abisogun OBE is a pioneering leader in digital construction, AI and diversity. Founder and CEO of AI-QS, he champions digital twin adoption through #PQS2030 and supports young people through the Digital Twin Skills Academy, alongside influential roles shaping industry policy, skills and transformation.

Alison Alexander-Birch

Partner, Real Estate Technology & Transformation Lead, Deloitte

With over 30 years of experience, Alison leads the UK Real Estate Technology and Transformation portfolio here at Deloitte. She specialises in addressing challenges in a rapidly evolving market, empowering developers, operators, and investors through digital solutions and emerging technologies. Her expertise includes leveraging Deloitte’s full breadth of services to deliver impactful transformation across both front-and back-office operations. Alison combines technology, strategy, and real estate advisory to help clients enhance agility and build sustainable growth platforms. Her work focuses on aligning business strategy with innovative technology, with a particular emphasis on Data & AI to drive innovation, maximise the potential of Human x AI, and create new growth opportunities while meeting evolving industry demands and preparing organisations for the future.

Maria Wiedner

Founder and CEO, Cambridge Finance

Maria's passion for real estate finance and particularly financial modelling is built on specialist roles in the highly quantitative fields of property derivatives, renewable energy and listed Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) analysis. With global consulting and leadership experience, Maria is an internationally recognised authority, speaker and thought-leader on the organisational benefits of best practice financial modelling in Real Estate. Maria is the CEO and principal trainer of Cambridge Finance, which she founded with the aim to bring top-quality real estate finance education to the property industry. Maria also founded in 2012, the diversity group for real estate, Real Estate Women (RE:WOMEN), with the objective to advocate for equality and more representation of minorities in senior positions.

Neil Pennell BTech (Hons), CEng, MCIBSE

Head of Design, Innovation & Property Solutions, Landsec

Neil Pennell is Head of Design Innovation & Property Solutions at Landsec. His role is to drive innovation in design and the application of new technology in buildings, including, AI, advanced analytics, IoT, modern methods of construction and smart building solutions.

Pip Morpeth

CEO, Method Grid

Pip Morpeth is CEO of Method Grid and a leading voice on the future of ways of working across professional services. With more than 20 years of experience in organisational transformation and complex project delivery, Pip focuses on a fundamental challenge facing organisations today: how to close the gap between strategy and execution. His work explores what he describes as the Operating Gap, the disconnect between an organisation’s strategy and operating model, and the clarity, capability, technology and behaviours required to make them work consistently in practice. He advocates moving beyond static processes, management systems and documents towards practical, digital ways of working that give people greater clarity on what good looks like, how work should be delivered and how technology can support them.

Brett King

Managing Director, Method Grid

Brett King is the Managing Director of Method Grid and brings more than 20 years of experience across construction, operational excellence, business improvement and digital transformation. Having worked with leading contractors and technology businesses, he brings a real-world perspective on the challenges organisations face in turning strategy into consistent delivery. Brett’s work focuses on closing the gap between how organisations intend work to be done and how it actually gets delivered. He helps construction and infrastructure businesses operationalise their strategy, processes, standards and requirements, creating clearer ways of working that connect people, process, technology and data.

Tim Shelton FRICS

CEO, IOX

Tim Shelton FRICS is Chief Executive Officer of IOX and a senior built-environment leader with over 20 years’ experience across commercial management, programme leadership, digital transformation and technology. An RICS Fellow and UAE Regional Advisory Board member, he focuses on translating domain expertise, data and responsible AI into practical industry solutions. 

Gavin Britton

Chief Product Officer, IOX

Gavin Britton is Chief Product Officer of IOX and an experienced business and digital transformation leader. His career spans product development, technology strategy and major infrastructure delivery, including leadership of global teams of more than 200 people and the development of data and AI solutions that improve efficiency, predictability and decision-making.

Jim Walton

Managing Director, Ascend Studio

Samuel Opoku Daniels

Head of Technology & PhD Researcher, Zeepay JV UK & University of Essex

Privacy-by-design expert and Head of Technology at Zeepay JV UK, a UK-based fintech, and a PhD researcher at the University of Essex. His work focuses on privacy-by-design, AI-assisted GDPR compliance, and architecting secure, regulation-ready digital systems.

Gareth Thomas

Commercial Director, Watergate

Gareth Thomas is Commercial Director at Watergate, where he helps real estate owners and operators use AI and smart water technology to reduce waste, cut costs and improve building resilience. With over 20 years’ experience spanning Google, Samsung and dozens of high-growth technology businesses, Gareth is passionate about helping the built environment tackle one of its most overlooked sustainability challenges: water.

Zakee Ahmed

CEO and Founder, Buildable

Zakee Ahmed is the Founder and CEO of Buildable, helping real estate firms use AI across research, analysis and operations. He combines property industry experience with practical expertise in AI agents, automation and technology implementation.

James Brook FRICS

Co-Founder & CEO, Novello Chartered Surveyors

James Brook FRICS is Co-Founder and CEO of Novello Chartered Surveyors, one of the UK's largest home survey specialists. He leads its AI development, building agentic AI to produce surveys, the Scout property data platform, and upfront information products.

Ben Darley

CEO , Surventrix

Ben Darley is CEO of Surventrix Systems, a UK property technology company providing a digital platform for the surveying profession. At Surventrix, Ben has led the development of an expanding suite of AI-enabled surveying tools, applying technologies including computer vision, generative AI and intelligent data analysis to everyday surveying workflows. His focus is on moving the industry beyond AI experimentation towards practical, commercially valuable tools that can be deployed safely within professional practice. He is also Managing Director of FS Panel, a UK-wide valuation management business with more than 16 years’ experience supporting lenders, property companies and other organisations requiring professional valuation services. This operational experience gives Ben a detailed understanding of the real-world challenges facing surveyors, firms, and their clients.

Nina Young, FCA

CEO, Surveyors UK

Nina Young FCA is the founder and CEO of Surveyors UK. A chartered accountant and daily AI practitioner of four years, she translates the RICS AI standard into practical terms for firms, and publishes to 6,500 professionals every week.

Chris Brady

Founder, Metrix

Chris Brady, founder of Metrix and RICS Technical Partner, helps construction and surveying firms adopt AI and meet the RICS AI standard. His work has won clients over £4.8M and saves teams 14 hours a week.

Ryan Oakes AssocRICS

Head of Sales, Surventrix

Ryan Oakes is an AssocRICS Residential Surveyor and RICS Registered Valuer, having completed the SAVA Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation. He is currently Head of Sales at Surventrix, a technology platform designed to help surveyors and business owners manage their businesses more efficiently from one place. With a background in sales and management, Ryan has firsthand experience of completing the SAVA Diploma, working in the surveying industry.

Justin Young

CEO, RICS

Justin is CEO at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the professional body that promotes and enforces standards across the land, real estate, construction and infrastructure sectors. He was previously a Chief Operating Officer for 13 years, with particular expertise in the legal and property sectors. He was Knight Frank’s first COO and previously Global COO at HFW and South East Asia COO for Clifford Chance. He has extensive international experience and began his career as a tank commander with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

Anthony Meadows

Chief Digital Information Officer, RICS

Anthony Meadows leads the organisation's global digital, data, technology and AI strategy. With more than two decades of experience delivering large scale business and technology transformation, Anthony has helped organisations navigate the opportunities and challenges presented by emerging technologies while maintaining trust, resilience and effective governance.

Anil Sawhney

Global Head of Sustainability, Data and Technology, RICS

Anil Sawhney is the Global Head of Sustainability, Data and Technology at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). He leads a portfolio of global initiatives that advance RICS’ strategic objectives across sustainability, digital transformation and data innovation, helping shape the future of the built environment. Dr. Sawhney contributes to the development of industry knowledge, strategic solutions, professional standards, guidance, education and training, with a particular focus on leveraging technology and data to drive sustainable outcomes.

Onur Demirci

Subject Matter Expert and Consultant in Data and AI, RICS

Onur is a senior professional specialising in the governance and responsible application of AI within regulated valuation practice. He serves at RICS as a Subject Matter Expert in AI and Data (RICS Consultant), contributing to the development and implementation of technical guidance and supporting professional standards across global surveying practice. He is Co-Technical Author of AI in Real Estate Valuation – Global Guidance (1st Edition), supporting implementation of the RICS Global Standard: Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in Surveying Practice (2025) and shaping structured governance frameworks for AI-enabled valuation within regulated professional environments. He co-developed and delivers the RICS “Global Harnessing AI and Data in the Built Environment” programme and chairs a specialist RICS working group contributing to AI-related professional standards. As Founder and CEO of a venture capital-backed, RICS-regulated AI-supported digital valuation firm serving financial institutions, he led the business to successful acquisition by an international investment firm.

Tom Storey MRICS

Senior Specialist – Data, Tech & AI, RICS

Tom Storey MRICS is Senior Specialist - Data & Technology at RICS, leading its global data, technology and AI programme. He works with industry, regulators and technology partners to support responsible innovation and digital transformation across the built environment.

Chris Walsh

Director of Education and Skills, RICS

Chris is Director of Education and Skills at RICS, a position he has held since June 2026. At RICS Chris will be working closely with colleagues across the organisation to implement the QPD programme, as well as optimising the education offer for candidates and members. He has a longstanding interest in digital education, lifelong learning, the intersection of digital capabilities and technology, and contemporary approaches to curriculum and assessment design. He has held senior education positions at the Law Society and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, along with academic positions in the US and the UK. He has a PhD in contemporary American Literature and an MSc in Digital Education.

Dr. Yishuang (Sherry) Xu

Senior Lecturer in Real Estate /Programme Director of Real Estate Finance and Investment,, University of Manchester

Dr. Yishuang (Sherry) Xu is a Senior Lecturer in Real Estate and Programme Director of Real Estate Finance and Investment at the University of Manchester. She is the founder of Plinthos, an AI-powered ESG compliance platform for UK real estate funds and chartered surveyors. Her research focuses on machine learning in property valuation, ESG performance in REITs, and AI applications across the real estate lifecycle. Sherry is the author of PropTech Innovations in Real Estate Investment and Finance (Routledge, 2026) and several other titles on sustainability and tokenisation in the built environment.

Mark Holmes

Director, Cloud & AI Platform, Microsoft

Mark Holmes is a Director at Microsoft, where he has spent the past 15 years helping organisations harness the power of technology to transform. Today, he specialises in AI, Cloud and Data, working with business and technology leaders to translate AI ambition into real-world transformation, helping customers create measurable value through AI.

Megan Hanney Davies MRICS

Founder, Cedar Nova Advisory

Megan is an industry leading Technology Transformation advisor. She bridges the gap between strategic goals and operational delivery. With roots grounded in traditional practice as a Chartered Surveyor, Megan has established herself as an emerging technology specialist. She spent 7+ years at CBRE and has executive certifications in AI from Harvard Business School and Blockchain Strategy from the University of Oxford. She has advised global organisations on digital strategy, operating model design and business transformation. She has been nominated by Estates Gazette and Insider for numerous property awards and is recognized as a thought leader in the future of real estate with insights published by Property Week, RICS and Saïd Business School.