Flora joined the University of Hong Kong (HKU) in May 2021, as the Chief Information Officer and University Librarian. She is responsible for both the Central Information Technology (IT) Services and the Library leadership. She is also an officer of the University. Her focus is to drive digital transformation for the library and the central administrative systems supporting Human Resources, Finance, Estate Office and other departments within the University. The administrative systems transformation, research, learning and teaching digitalization, system infrastructure and security improvements are key achievements. She has led many first, including the launch of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and AI chatbot and other smart campus technology to improve the student experience and administration efficiencies. HKU will launch its first High-Performance Computing Data Center in 2025. For the library side, she improved the operational efficiencies by adopting various technology such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System, she also increased the library digital collections and transformed student study spaces. And in 2024, she established a 7th branch library specifically for digital fine arts. Prior to joining the University of Hong Kong, Flora was the Group Chief Information Officer of Dairy Farm Company Limited, one of the Asia’s largest multi-banners FMCG retailers in food, health and beauty, home furnishings and convenience with 2019 revenue of $22B USD. Flora has been a pioneer in organization-wide digital transformation, including cloud migration, data analytics, and a consumer loyalty program. Prior to Dairy Farm, Flora was the Vice President of Information Technology at Johnson & Johnson in New Jersey USA and in Singapore. Before Johnson & Johnson, Flora held leadership position at General Motors in Michigan USA. With her extensive working experience in serving clients in 16 countries worldwide, Flora is familiar with the business environments and cultures globally. Flora holds a Master of Applied Science in Engineering from the University of Waterloo in Canada, and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto in Canada. She completed a CXO Leadership Exchange Program at INSEAD, Singapore and a Women on Board leadership program from the Harvard University.

Alison Chojna joined London South Bank University in 2008 and became Director of Library and Learning Resources in 2016. Since then, she has held a range of strategic roles and led several cross-institutional initiatives, including serving as Interim Executive Director of IT Innovation & Transformation (2019–2021). Her leadership has spanned the implementation of a university-wide student enquiry model using Salesforce, the development of a new library building, oversight of library services at partner colleges, and coordination of the university’s welcome and induction programme. Alison has also been the institutional lead for customer service improvement. Currently, Alison is leading a three-year professional services transformation programme at LSBU. During this period, she has stepped away from her role as Group Director of Library, Skills and Customer Services to focus fully on driving transformational change across the university.

Ciara McCaffrey (BA, MLIS) is the University Librarian and Director of Library and Information Services at the University of Limerick in Ireland. She played a leadership role in delivering the outstanding Glucksman Library, which includes highly innovative, technology-enhanced spaces and the only Automated Storage and Retrieval System housed within a library in Europe. She currently serves as Chair of the Consortium of National and University Libraries in Ireland (CONUL). She is also a member of the LIBER Architecture Group and the DARIAH-IE National Coordinating Committee. Previously she co-chaired LIBER's Digital Skills for Library Staff and Researchers Working Group and the National Open Research Forum (NORF) Skills and Competencies Working Group. More information and open access versions of Ciara's publications are available on her LinkedIn and ORCID profiles.

Wendy White is Director of Library and Learning Services (University Librarian) at the University of Southampton. She is a member of the SCONUL Technology and Markets Strategy Group, with a particular focus on AI for Libraries and Technology Enhanced Learning Spaces. She also sits on the RLUK Board. Her areas of interest focus on libraries in the context of cultural change and socio-technical innovation, and in enablers for ethical research, educational and civic practice.

Paola is head of engagement (digital transformation) at Jisc. She lead digital transformation programmes in the higher education sector, with a particular focus on libraries and senior institutional stakeholders across academic, student, information, and research services. She has held a variety of roles at Jisc, heading up teams that delivered programmes, products, and services in areas such as content and discovery, scholarly communication, and digital preservation. She first joined Jisc as programme manager for its flagship national digitisation initiatives.

David Clover is the Director of Library Services and Digital Skills at Middlesex University and Co-Chair of SCONULs Organisational Development Strategy Group. He also sits on the Steering Group of the M25 Consortium of Academic Libraries, for which he co-facilitates the M25 Leadership Briefings and is a member of CILIPs Professional Registration Panel. David is an active coach and mentor and (among other professional interests) is concerned with staff and workforce development, change management and digital transformation.

Anna provides strategic leadership, a compelling vision alongside compassionate and effective management of the University Library in support of the University’s Vision for research, education and innovation. Anna works closely with her Executive team to provide high-level advice to the Chief Operating Officer and the University’s Executive Board in relation to library and information services and wider information policy including open scholarship and digital innovation in knowledge creation, sharing and management. Anna is a member of the University’s Senate, the Research and Innovation Committee, the Education Committee and the Information Management and Security Group. She is also a member of the Professional Services Director Forum. Anna is an Executive Board member of LIBER (Association of European Research Libraries), a member of RLUK (Research Libraries UK), serves on the White Rose Libraries executive board and is a member of the SCONUL Content Expert Group for journal negotiations (Society of College, National and University Libraries).

Jennifer is the Director of Library and Learning Services at Robert Gordon University, responsible for the university’s Library and Art & Heritage staff, spaces, services and collections. Before joining RGU in 2023, Jennifer was Deputy Director of Libraries & Museums at University of St Andrews and prior to that held a number of leadership positions in academic and commercial libraries. Jennifer is passionate about the value of collaboration and shared services and have been Vice Chair of Scottish Universities Press (SUP) since 2022. SUP is a fully open access publishing press coordinated by the Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL) and managed by 20 member libraries on a not-for-profit basis.

Gareth is joint interim Director for Library Services at Cardiff University and Chair of the WHELF LMS Management Board. Previous roles include programme manager for the WHELF LMS and library roles in the Welsh Senedd/Parliament and House of Commons Library. He has also worked in the civil service, managing legislation and developing policy. Allison joined Dublin Institute of Technology (now TU Dublin) in 2004 having previously worked at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business Library. She is also a qualified taxation consultant and previously worked at management level in international corporate tax consulting with KPMG’s Silicon Valley office following a number of taxation consulting positions in Ireland. Allison is Secretary of Ireland’s Consortium of National and University Libraries (CONUL) and a former Chair of the Irish University Association’s Librarians’ Group. She is a member of the Irish Research eLibrary (IReL) consortium’s Governance Committee and is Chair of the Library Association of Ireland's Professional Standards Committee.

As White Rose Libraries Executive Manager, Kate Petherbridge works across the University libraries of Leeds, Sheffield and York on areas of formal collaboration between these three partners. Her role includes responsibility for White Rose University Press as Press Manager, and she also oversees the shared repositories services. Previously, Kate was Reader Services Librarian at the Bodleian Library in Oxford.

Liz joined the British Library in 2013 as Head of Strategy Development, introducing the Living Knowledge vision and embedding new organisational values and core purposes. Other roles at the British Library have included responsibility for partnership development, community relationships and increasing access and inclusion. Prior to this, Liz worked as a Civil Servant advising on policy, strategy and partnerships locally, nationally and internationally. Liz has previously served on the board of both Libraries Connected and the Chartered Management Institute and is in her second term as an elected member of the IFLA Public Libraries Section, the global voice for public libraries. Liz is also a member of Coventry University’s Governing Body.

After a PhD in Palaeoecology, Judith started her librarianship career at the University of Birmingham and Birmingham City University before moving to the University of Worcester where she is now Director of Library Services. She was involved from the outset in the development and implementation of The Hive, still the UK’s only integrated academic / public library, and continues to enjoy the challenges and opportunities it presents. She was delighted to be able to contribute her experience of library design and innovation as Chair of the SCONUL Library Design

Vicky is the Head of Library Learning and Teaching at the University of Sheffield and Chair of the IATUL Special Interest Group for Information Literacy. In 2023 she was awarded an AHRC-RLUK Professional Practice Fellowship, to lead a participatory action research project entitled The Creative Library (Liberate the Library!) https://www.rluk.ac.uk/ppfs-fellows-2/. The research solidified a collaborative relationship between the University Library and the Students’ Union. This built on her PhD research where she reimagined information literacy to be more inclusive of the missing voices of patients. The Fellowship project established creative workshops in the Library’s Digital Commons to include a broader range of missing voices, aligned with the liberation priorities of our students. This work has since been scaled and sustained through an annual festival: Lib Fest. Her research interests broadly map to an overarching theme of libraries as sites of transformative learning.

Alison is Associate Director at the University of Sheffield Library, with a focus on education. She leads the strategic development and delivery of the library’s services and facilities to support education in the University and has a keen interest in the library as a place to support student experience, inclusivity and belonging. Her portfolio includes Library information and advisory (frontline) services, learning and teaching services, faculty engagement and study space development. More broadly, she is a member of a number of University Committees including the Student and Academic Experience Committee and act as key contact for the Students Union. Alison and the teams work closely with colleagues across the University, including Student & Academic Services and Marketing, Admissions, Recruitment & Communications.

Susan Halfpenny is Deputy University Librarian at the University of Aberdeen, where she oversees the development of information learning services and customer experience. She has led a range of initiatives to develop digital literacies and enable digital scholarship. She is passionate about the role the libraries play in providing access to the world’s knowledge; positively impacting the wider community through partnerships, open research and development of critical literacies

Dave is Associate Director for Librarians and Academic Enhancement at University of Greenwich, where he’s worked for just over 10 years. He leads the library services which incorporates academic skills, as well as the technology enhanced learning and academic development teams. He’s previously worked at University of Kent, London School of Economics, and King’s College London. Dave is Secretary and Trustee of the M25 Libraries Consortium. He is also a Chartered librarian, Senior Fellow of the HEA, and Fellow of the CMI.

Ann-Marie James has served as Director of Library and Learning Services at Aston University since June 2023, bringing with her a longstanding interest in strategic leadership. Beyond the world of libraries, Ann-Marie is an accomplished international chess player. She holds the title of Woman FIDE Master (WFM) and proudly represented England in the 2014 Chess Olympiad. In this panel session, she will share insights drawn from both of her professional and personal passions, offering a unique perspective on leading confidently through transition, shaped by her professional career and competitive chess.

Amina Shah is the National Librarian and Chief Executive of the National Library of Scotland. Amina has more than 25 years' experience in the cultural sector, including senior positions in public and academic libraries, third sector and the arts. She has a strong interest in diversity and inclusion, and the role libraries, literature and culture play in empowering individuals and communities. Amina is a Visiting Professor at Robert Gordon University, previous President of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Studies, a Lay Member of Court at University Dundee, a Trustee of the Friends of the National Libraries , the Institute of Advanced Studies in the Humanities at Edinburgh University and a member of the Advisory Boards for the British Library, The Huntarian Museum, Towards a National Collections (funded by AHRC) and DiSsCO (AHRC) Additionally she is the Chair of the Legal Deposit Libraries of UK and Ireland.

Emma Walton is the Director of Library Services at Loughborough University and Co-Chair of SCONULs Organisational Development Strategy Group and until last month was Chair of the Mercian Collaboration.