Bio: Lorna is CEO and co-founder of LYVA Labs. Having secured £10.5m from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, LYVA Labs provides a range of support for innovative businesses including innovation workshops to help develop an idea, pre-seed investment to health & life sciences and deep tech start-ups in Liverpool City Region and innovation vouchers for collaborative R&D projects.

Steve Beel is Chief Executive at Freeport East, one of twelve Freeports across the UK established by the UK Government. Freeport East aspires to be the UK’s leading centre for global trade, green energy, innovation and application of digital technology, which in its first two years of operation has attracted over £250m of new investment and created 2000 jobs.
Steve has over 20 years’ experience across energy & infrastructure, international diplomacy, economic development & trade. Prior to his appointment at Freeport East, Steve was a British diplomat and head of the UK’s development partnership with Zambia. Earlier in his career he worked at Ofgem as a Commercial Director where he was involved in many of the UK’s largest offshore wind and electricity interconnector projects, and before that at Hutchison Whampoa and PwC.

As Innovate UK’s Director of Mobility, Claire champions innovative sustainable solutions in the realm of mobility within the Net Zero Domain. She leads strategic transport initiatives aimed at accelerating the transition to a net zero economy, collaborating with industry, research institutions, and government bodies. Claire’s interests reach across all transport modalities, exploring innovations in AI and digital twins, connected and autonomous vehicles, sustainable aviation fuels, EV battery developments, sustainable shipping, hydrogen transport, skills development, aerospace, low and zero emissions propulsion systems, novel materials for low carbon infrastructure, and new transport modalities. She shapes the Mobility portfolio’s direction, guides strategic investments, manages programs, and fosters partnerships to develop cutting-edge technologies and services. By addressing transport challenges, Innovate UK’s Net Zero Domain contributes meaningfully to the global sustainability agenda and Net Zero targets.

Chris Stanley is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in the rail industry. His distinguished career began working in IT supporting & implementing various railway IT systems. He quickly progressed to lead one of the five national IT teams.
After a three-year hiatus from the rail industry, Chris returned to lead a variety of IT projects of varying scales. His expertise led to a secondment, during which he successfully delivered an externally regulated project aimed at enhancing asset data. This initiative resulted in the design and creation of five regional asset data teams, one of which Chris was appointed to lead.
In 2023, Chris was appointed Head of Asset Data for Network Rail. He holds a MSc in Information Capability Management from Cranfield University, a Postgraduate Award in Business Leadership from Warwick University, and is a member of the Institute of Asset Management.