Samantha Job was the Director for Defence and International Security at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) from March 2019 to August 2022.

Samantha has been a career foreign service officer since 1992. She has worked on geographical issues from South East Asia to the Middle East and thematic issues from war crimes to how to use social media in foreign policy. A theme of her career has been security policy, where she has led policy formulation on counter-proliferation, EU Security and Defence Policy and counter terrorism. Her work has taken her to Thailand and the UK’s Mission to the UN in New York, where she was the counter terrorism and counter proliferation specialist.

From 2013 to 2015, Samantha was the joint Head of the North Africa Department in the FCDO in London. From 2016 to early 2019, Samantha was the Foreign and Security Policy Counsellor at the British Embassy, Washington, engaging with the US government across all aspects of national security policy. Samantha is a strong supporter of diversity and inclusion, and is the National Security Council’s (NSC) gender champion.

Mr. Anders Ahnlid is the Director-General of the Swedish National Board of Trade, appointed as of 2020. Prior to this role, Mr. Ahnlid, has served the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in various capacities such as Swedish Ambassador to Finland, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the EU in Brussels, Ambassador to the OECD and to UNESCO in Paris as well as Minister, Head of the Trade and Economic Department at the Embassy of Sweden in Washington DC.

Within the MFA he has also been Director-General for Trade, Deputy Director-General, Head of Department for International Trade Policy as well as Trade Policy Analyst at the National Board of Trade that he currently heads. He was a negotiator in the GATT Uruguay Round that led to the creation of the World Trade Organization.

Mr. Anders Ahnlid holds a University degree in Political Science and Economics, University of Lund.

Emma Bäcke is the Country Manager UK at Vinnova - specializing in international collaboration focusing on initiatives related to the United Kingdom, supporting Swedish stakeholders in building strong partnerships and driving innovation across borders.

A background in finance with extensive experience from Bank for international settlements, the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority and the Swedish central bank as a senior economist responsible for cooperation with the Bank of England.

Joel is dual qualified in Taxation (ATT) and Surveying (MRICS). With a background in the engineering and construction industries, he has spent the last 10 years advising on tax incentives related to capital investment and research and development.

Joel specialises in the development and management of large-scale tax incentive claims including multi-year R&D initiatives and high-value, complex construction projects.

He works across multiple sectors but has particular expertise in renewable energy/clean tech, engineering and manufacturing, life sciences and real estate.

Joel has extensive experience in formulating tax-technical arguments in support of contentious claims and of facilitating negotiations with the tax authorities.

Christian Hafner is a Partner at Groth & Co, where he leads the patent department. He is a European patent attorney with a broad technical background spanning medical technology, mechanics, and AI-driven solutions, and advises companies on patent strategy and innovation, with particular experience supporting start-ups and scale-ups in turning technology into sustainable business value.

Michael Jerlin is Chief Operating Officer at Voyado, with a long track record of helping customers achieve real business results. With more than 30 years of experience in retail, he brings deep industry insight and a strong customer-first perspective.

Since joining Voyado in 2010, Michael has played a key role in building and scaling the company’s Customer Success and Services organization. His work has contributed to strong product adoption, high customer satisfaction, and consistently low churn — while supporting Voyado’s expansion into new international markets.

In his current role as COO, Michael is responsible for turning strategy into execution, scaling operations for international growth, and leading business development — ensuring that customers continue to succeed with Voyado.

Jess is Chief Partnerships Officer at Boardwave, Europe’s scale up community which connects more than 2,000 founders, CEOs, Chairs and NEDs of high growth tech and AI companies across 15 countries. She leads Boardwave’s partnerships programme, working with leading investors, banks, consultancies and technology providers to help Boardwave's members access the relationships, expertise and capital needed to scale towards €100M ARR and beyond. Jess brings 15 years experience building and managing global partner ecosystems within venture and PE-backed software businesses.

Carl Pihlgren is a former Partner with EY Sweden. He is based in Stockholm, Sweden and has been with the company since 1995. Carl has graduated from the University of Lund with his Masters degree in Law. Furthermore, he has a Masters degree in European Law from Queen Mary University of London. Before joining Ernst & Young he worked at the Administrative Court of Appeal in Gothenburg. Carl currently works with multinational companies, inbound and outbound investments as well as international mergers and acquisitions. He was previously based out of London and New York, where he worked at the Swedish Tax Desk.

Carl is a Director at The Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK and the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce in New York (SACCNY). In addition to this, he is also a frequent speaker at different tax seminars in Sweden and abroad, a diligent publisher of articles focusing on Swedish and International Tax matters.

Alexander is a Manager at EY specialising in UK innovation incentives for life science and biotech companies, with over nine years’ experience in medical research and six years advising on R&D tax relief. He holds a PhD in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine from the University of Nottingham and completed postdoctoral and research roles at University College London, developing deep expertise across regenerative medicine, biomaterials, and drug development.

Alexander now works closely with innovative life science, pharmaceutical, and biotech businesses to access UK incentives such as the SME and RDEC schemes, supporting companies from early UK entry through to scale up. He combines strong scientific credibility with practical regulatory and financial insight, and has extensive experience managing HMRC enquiries, making him well placed to advise growth-focussed biotech and life science companies on how to capitalise on the value of their innovation within the UK ecosystem.

Lukas Thiel is a Partner and Swedish architect with 30 years’ experience. He was one of three founding architects that moved from Stockholm to London in 2015 to set up White Arkitekter’s London Office. Alongside his Swedish credentials as a member of SAR (Sveriges Arkitekters Riksförbund) he is an accredited architect in the UK registered with the ARB and the RIBA. The London Office has grown and is now employing 32 architects.

Mercedes White is a UK Civil Servant currently driving the delivery of the UK Prime Minister’s Global Talent Taskforce initiative, focused on attracting world class innovators to support national growth and international competitiveness.

With experience as a British Diplomat specialising in technology diplomacy across Southeast Asia, Mercedes brings a global perspective to her work, shaped by extensive engagement with key sectors including life sciences and technology. She is passionate about creating opportunities for companies to export to and from the UK, building connections, and advancing the UK’s position as a hub for exceptional global talent. 

Fredrik Warneryd is the Chief Executive for the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK, one of the largest and most active foreign chambers in the UK. Prior to joining the Chamber, Fredrik held many leading positions in the City of London. With more than 25 years of experience within the Nordic teams of Banque Paribas, Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, UBS and Credit Suisse, he has earned extensive knowledge and expertise in both the UK and Nordic markets.