Tech Talks Live 2025

Leeds Digital Festival is the largest tech event in the North, and a celebration of digital culture in all its forms – and this year, we’re thrilled to be hosting a day of live tech talks in the heart of Leeds for the first time.

Across five sessions, Audacia will be joined by Solus, the Legal Ombudsman, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and other leaders across industries to explore topics in software, engineering, data, and AI - from delivering enterprise systems using augmented team models, to taking AI from PoC through to production, and implementing effective AI governance frameworks and processes that work in the real world.

Whether you would like to join us for one event, or the whole day, tickets are available for each event, so please express your interest to the talks you would like to attend individually.

Date: Wednesday 1st October

Location: Wellington Place, Leeds

Agenda:

13:00 - 13:45

Making Augmented Models Work – Designing, Scaling and Maintaining Systems with Solus

Critical systems must do more than work – they must perform under pressure, scale seamlessly, and operate continuously. Delivered by speakers from Solus and Audacia, this is a practical case study in enterprise-grade software delivery. This session explores the journey from a small departmental tool to a 24/7, business‑critical system supporting 3,000+ users.

Speakers:

Dan Cage – Head of Technology, Solus

Rhys Smith – Principal Software Engineer and Delivery Manager, Audacia

Mark Dyer – Head of TechOps and Infrastructure, Audacia

Find out more information and register your interest here.

14:00 - 14:45

Policies, Principles, People – Delivering AI Governance with the Legal Ombudsman

As AI becomes integral to decision-making, clear governance is essential – yet turning policy into practice remains a challenge. In this session, discover practical ways to design and implement AI governance that works in the real world. Joined by experts from the Legal Ombudsman, we’ll explore frameworks, processes and lessons for responsible, sustainable AI adoption.

Speakers:

Stephen Moore – IT Manager, The Legal Ombudsman

Chris Bentley – Senior Data Scientist, Audacia

Matthew Cross – Senior Business Analyst, Audacia

Find out more information and register your interest here.

15:00 - 15:45

The Role of AI in Modern Software Engineering - Tools, Trends, Impact & Pitfalls

AI is reshaping software delivery – but is it speeding things up or creating new challenges? This session explores how AI tools like pair programmers and coding agents are influencing enterprise software projects today, revealing where they help, where they add friction, and what this shift means for trust, accuracy, team dynamics, and the future of engineering roles.

Speakers:

Richard Brown – Technical Director, Audacia

Edward Carr – Principal Software Engineer, Audacia

Find out more information and register your interest here.

16:00 - 16:45

Taking AI from PoC to Production with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)

With up to 88% of AI pilots failing to reach production, what does it take to deliver a successful, live deployment? This session, joined by experts from the MHRA and grounded in a real-world case study, explores why so many projects stall and shares lessons from a successful GenAI implementation – covering the full AI project lifecycle, from idea to live, regulated deployment.

Speakers:

Amy De-Balsi – Programme Manager, MHRA

Phil Gillibrand – Deputy Director - Strategy and Architecture, MHRA

Adam Brookes – Head of Consultancy, Audacia

Ryan Crompton – Principal Software Consultant, Audacia

Chris Bentley – Senior Data Scientist, Audacia

Find out more information and register your interest here.

17:00 - 18:00

From Hype Curves to Strategy: What’s The Plan for 2026?

Audacia are hosting a panel discussion between leaders from different backgrounds and industries to discuss how they, and their organisations, are reacting to the rapid advances in technology whilst balancing efforts in maintaining stability.

This event is invite only - please email events@audacia.co.uk for more information.

18:00 Onwards

An Evening with LDF: Drinks with Friends & Partners

An evening for customers, partners, friends and the wonderful technology community to join us for an informal drinks reception. Whether you have joined us for one session, or the full schedule, or just want to pop in after work, come and join us to catch up with peers and enjoy an evening with people building technology across our city (and beyond).

This event is invite only - please email events@audacia.co.uk for more information.