On Wednesday 25 January 2023, Chief Disruptor held the British Army Digital Transformation Conference at the Cavalry and Guards Club. The conference, attended by Chief Disruptor members, the British Army, as well as technology leaders from across Defence, focused on the Army’s Digital Transformation Programme (Programme THEIA).

The full-day conference included:

• Workshops on emerging technology trends within defence including cloud, recruitment and retention, data accessibility and ownership and cybersecurity.
• Discussions shaping the Army's approaches and solving cross-industry problems.
• The latest updates and insights on Programme THEIA, the Land CEMA programme, and the Defence context.

Many thanks to all the speakers, facilitators, table hosts and scribes from across the Army and particular mention to our keynote speakers who included:

• Major General John Collyer, Director Information and CIO, British Army
• Colonel Toby Courage, Programme Director, Land CEMA Programme, British Army
• Brigadier Stefan Crossfield, Head of IX, CDO, Principal AI Officer, British Army
• Charlie Forte, CIO, Ministry of Defence

During the conference, Emma Taylor, Founder and Managing Director of Chief Disruptor re-signed the Armed Forces Covenant with Ministry of Defence representative and Chief Disruptor Members' Advisory Board member Lieutenant General Tom Copinger-Symes CBE.

During the signing ceremony Emma said:

“Chief Disruptor values the sacrifices made by members of the Armed Forces in the defence of the UK, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Furthermore, we wholeheartedly agree with the covenant’s principles that those who have served, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens; and that special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most - such as the injured and the bereaved. 

To that end, we are delighted to be reaffirming our commitment today to endeavour in our business dealings to uphold these key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant. I would also like the challenge the industry leaders attending today who are not already signed up to the Covenant to do so, and to think creatively about how best you can do so.

It was an honour to receive the prestigious MOD Employers’ Recognition Scheme Gold Award last year, recognising our support to the Armed Forces to date, and we look forward to further developing our support to the Armed Forces in future.

With an imperative across Defence to innovate and disrupt in order to meet the Defence Command Paper’s aspiration for the UK Armed Forces to become one of the most integrated, digital and agile forces in the world, and to meet the challenges presented by war in Europe, Chief Disruptor is proud to be supporting the Armed Forces at this critical time."