About The MBS Group

The MBS Group is one of the world’s leading executive search firms operating exclusively in the Retail and Consumer industries, and the most successful sector-specialist firm in the UK. Our unparalleled sector knowledge and global network of contacts, and our passion and commitment to the highest level of client service, enable us to place the very best candidates in companies around the world. www.thembsgroup.co.uk

About Signal AI

Signal AI is one of the leading global decision augmentation companies, turning the world’s data into knowledge, powering business leaders across a range of industries to make informed and confident decisions. Customers include Deloitte, Bank of America and Google, as well as 40% of the Fortune 500, who use Signal AI’s decision augmentation solution for real-time market and media intelligence to uncover trends, risks and opportunities and support critical decision-making.

Signal AI’s brain, named AIQ, continuously “reads” over over 5 million news, blog, broadcast and regulatory documents each day extracting relationships between the companies, people, products, topics and other concept which can be used to help customers understand and predict the ramifications of their most critical decisions as well as unearth emerging risks and opportunities.

About Tortoise Media

Tortoise is a response to two problems

The daily noise: we are overwhelmed by information. The problem isn’t just fake news or junk news, because there’s a lot that’s good – it’s just that there’s so much of it, and so much of it is the same. In a hurry, partial and confusing. Too many newsrooms chasing the news, but missing the story.

The power gap: the divide between the powerful and the powerless is widening. We feel locked out. Alarmed by the lack of vision, hungry for leadership in business, technology and society. We believe in responsibility; we care about dignity.

Adam Sharp has forged a distinctive career of more than twenty years at the intersection of media, politics and technology. He currently serves as the President and CEO of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, overseeing the annual presentation of the coveted Emmy® Awards for Daytime, Sports, and News & Documentary television, as well as achievements in television Technology & Engineering.

From 2010 through 2016, Sharp was Head of News, Government and Elections at Twitter, advising journalists, news organizations, candidates and government officials in more than 20 nations. He became the longest-serving member of the company’s global media team, and its most visible broadcast spokesperson.

He appears regularly as a noted expert and speaker on digital communications and marketing, political affairs and strategy, and issues related to “fake news” and misinformation. Recent appearances include events hosted by the New America Foundation, the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, and multiple corporate appearances. He is represented by the Leading Authorities speakers’ bureau in Washington, DC.

Sharp served U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., from 2004 to 2009, first as a spokesman and later as Deputy Chief of Staff. He played an integral role in the creation of the Senate Centrist Caucus; the “Gang of 14” agreement to approve Supreme Court nominees and delay for nearly a decade the so-called “nuclear option;” bipartisan compromises on the federal budget and energy policy; and the federal response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

He has also held leadership roles at NBC and C-SPAN, is currently a board member of the National Press Foundation and a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and is a former President of the bipartisan U.S. Senate Press Secretaries Association.

Alexandra Mousavizadeh is a Partner at Tortoise Media, the slow-news media company founded by James Harding launched in April 2019. Alexandra is the Director of the Tortoise Intelligence team which specialises in global and industry indices and data analytics. Creator of the groundbreaking Global AI Index launched in December 2019, and the recently released Responsibility 100 Index. She has 20 years’ experience in the ratings and index business and has worked extensively across Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Previously, she directed the expansion of the Legatum Institute’s flagship publication, The Prosperity Index, and all its bespoke metrics based analysis & policy design for governments. Prior roles include Sovereign Analyst for Moody’s with specific focus on Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Armenia from 1995 - 2007. From 2013-14 she also covered Sub-Saharan Africa. Alexandra became head of Country Risk Management, EMEA, Morgan Stanley’s London office prior to taking up the role as CEO of ARC Ratings, a global emerging markets based ratings agency. She holds a degree in Economics and mathematics from the University of Copenhagen.

David Benigson is the CEO and Founder of Signal AI, a fast growing UK artificial intelligence company creating pioneering AI solutions to enable better decision making. Signal AI has built their customer base to over 600 of the worlds largest organisations including HSBC, Deloitte, EY, Citi and Barclays, has 150 employees globally with offices in London, NYC and HK, and has raised $50m in venture capital to date. David believes AI is one of the most exciting and significant technological developments of our time and has been recognised for his innovative approach to AI being personally nominated formally as a Forbes 30 under 30, DataIQ 100 Most Influential People in Data, and his TEDTalk on Augmented Intelligence is regarded as one of the most influential on the subject.

Di Mayze is WPP's resident data geek has over 20 years of technology and data experience across media, FMCG, finance and retail consulting for companies such as Hearst UK, dunnhumby & Walgreens Boots Alliance.

She joined WPP in 2014 as MD of Acceleration (part of Wunderman Thompson) and left in 2017 to become a freelance Data Strategy Consultant. She didn’t go very far away and having consulted for Wavemaker, VML, Geometry, Wunderman Thompson and MediaCom, Di joined the WPP CTO team and became Global Head of Data and AI in January 2020.

Di is a creative thinker with proven success in finding new solutions and revenue streams for traditional companies. She is particularly passionate about getting non-analysts excited about the possibilities of data. Di has an MBA from Cranfield School of Management and is a qualified Project Manager and a Neurolinguistic Programme Practitioner. This year she joined Gartner’s Chief Data Officer Group as a Governing Body member and was delighted to be included in the Data IQ Top 100 data leaders list

Jeremy Pee is a digital executive with extensive experience scaling businesses ranging from start-ups to global retailers.  He is currently leading the digital transformation at Marks and Spencer as the Chief Digital and Data Officer, with a focus on unlocking the power of data to personalise and create seamless digital experiences.  Prior to joining M&S, Jeremy was the Senior Vice President of Loblaw Digital, the digital unit of Canada’s leading retailer ($45B turnover).  At Loblaw Digital, Jeremy was responsible for building and growing a diversified portfolio of e-commerce businesses from inception to over $500M in six years.  Jeremy also brings nearly a decade of experience developing and leading corporate strategy (Loblaw Ltd, Staples Inc, Deloitte) combined with commercial P&L responsibilities.

Jeremy has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a degree in Engineering from University of Waterloo.