Costas Pantelides

Plenary speaker

Costas has extensive experience in the area of digitalisation for the process industries and its application to process design and operation. A key focus of his current work is the role that deep knowledge coupled with plant data can play in the ongoing digital transformation of process operations, and the architecture and design of general software platforms that can support this.

Daniel Simkiss

Plenary speaker

With over 15 years’ experience in manufacturing, food science, and AI – and recently named one of The Manufacturer Top 100 for 2025 – Dan is driving British Sugar’s digital transformation, bringing tools like digital twins and generative AI into one of the UK’s most established process industries. He has held multiple leadership roles across the supply chain at British Sugar and currently leads on their strategic adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies to enhance operational efficiency and innovation.

Sarat Kumar Reddy Molakaseema

Plenary speaker

Sarat Kumar Reddy Molakaseema is currently serving as the Chief Architect Officer at UniversalAutomation.org. With a strong background in engineering, he has dedicated his career to advancing industrial automation through open automation systems.

Valentijn de Leeuw

Plenary speaker

Valentijn de Leeuw is currently an independent technology strategy analyst. He also teaches leadership development and coaches individuals in the workplace, specialising in redirecting unproductive behaviour, preventative well-being approaches, and team performance improvement. Valentijn works with partners including Learning Tree International and KPL Knowledge Solutions providing teaching and consulting in international organisations.