When a ransomware attack hit The Big Life group—a £35m social enterprise with a mission to change the world—Fay Selvan, its Chief Executive and Founder, didn’t just lead through the chaos; she stayed true to her organisation’s core values: honesty, courage, and focusing on people not problems.

In this heartfelt and inspiring talk, Fay shares the unvarnished reality of steering an organisation delivering mental health, addiction, wellbeing, and family services through one of its toughest challenges. She’ll reveal how they upheld integrity under pressure, navigated tough ethical decisions, and kept the focus on the people who rely on the organisation, even in the face of adversity.

This is more than a story about a cyber-attack—it’s a testament to the power of values-driven leadership and the resilience required to turn a crisis into a moment of growth. If you want to learn what it takes to lead with purpose and change the world, even when the odds are stacked against you, this is the talk for you

Fay Selvan
CEO
the Big Life Group

Kanika Selvan is back—and she’s asking the big question: “Do you like me?”

After the buzz around her 2024 “Pet to Threat” talk, Kanika is returning to the Women in Tech [Unfiltered] stage with something just as bold: “Women in Tech: Do You Like Me?” This time, she’s diving into the harsh truths of the likeability bias—the unspoken pressure on women to be liked at work and how it shapes the way we engage, lead, and are judged.

Kanika’s taking us on a fast-paced journey through the research, breaking down the good, the bad, and the downright ridiculous when it comes to being “likeable.” She’s questioning why this quality gets so much airtime and whether it’s even worth chasing in the first place.

Get ready for a mix of raw honesty, relatable stories, and Kanika’s trademark humour. From throwbacks to early 2000s R&B to pearls of wisdom from her mum (plus a special appearance from her dog Macduff), she’s sharing her own ups and downs with likeability bias in the tech world.

At the heart of it all, Kanika is asking two simple but powerful questions: “Do you like me?” and “Should I care?”

This talk will challenge the way you think about being liked and what it really means for your career.

Kanika Selvan
Managing Director
Beetroot Consulting

The rise of femtech is transforming the way we manage personal health data. From period trackers to fertility apps, these tools offer unprecedented convenience and insights. However, with the immense potential for positive impact comes a serious risk: the privacy and security of our most sensitive data.

This presentation examines the growing concerns surrounding data collection and usage in femtech apps. While these applications help us understand our bodies better, they also gather highly personal information that, if mishandled, can expose users to security breaches, surveillance, and exploitation. Why is this an urgent issue? Because unlike fitness trackers or social media platforms, femtech apps deal with some of the most intimate and vulnerable aspects of our lives—our health, emotions, and behaviours.

The discussion will explore the ethical implications of data practices in femtech, questioning whether the data collected is truly necessary or if it’s being over-mined for profit. Can we trust that our data is being protected, or is it being sold to third-party advertisers?

Additionally, the presentation will discuss solutions for building a privacy-first future in femtech, focusing on decentralised development. Imagine a world where your health data stays where it belongs—with you. This talk will challenge developers, regulators, and users to rethink how we approach digital privacy in femtech.
Ultimately, the discussion will address truly at stake: our health, autonomy, and trust. It’s time to demand more from the apps we use—and ensure that privacy is not sacrificed in the name of convenience.

Arohi Naik
Threat Intelligence Analyst
Juicy Media Ltd. /Cyber Defense Service(CDS)

Working in tech can be tough – fast-paced, long hours, high expectations… this kind of environment leaves us wide open to burnout more than any other industry – I know, because I experienced it first hand in myself and many team members around me over the years. From starting out as a content writer, to becoming a business founder and c-suite coach today, I’ve held a variety of roles in the tech space and worked with many leadership teams across the sector to help them get a handle on tech burnout… but one of the biggest contributing factors I’ve seen is still not talked about! Women don’t know how to use their hormones to get ahead.

Did you know that your body is likely holding a tonne of untapped potential when it comes to productivity and stress management? In this session, we’ll dive into the powerful connection between your mind and body together, uncovering how hormonal fluctuations in women can influence your energy, focus and even time management ability, while introducing you to the science-backed strategy of cycle syncing. This can transform how women experience the professional world around them, and focuses on learning how to work WITH the natural peaks and troughs of your body, rather than fight against them, so you can work smarter rather than just harder all the time. You’ll take away practical insights and actionable tools to optimise your performance, boost your well-being and feel more empowered even with a tough workload.

Caroline Canty
Founder & Director
The Craft Coaching Group Ltd

Unconscious bias is a pervasive influence within the technology industry, subtly shaping decisions, teamwork, and the trajectory of innovation. This influence, while not widely branded as the “silent disruptor,” operates under the radar, affecting diversity, equity, and inclusivity. Our proposal for the Manchester Tech Festival, “Unveiling and Disarming Unconscious Bias in Technology,” aims to bring this underrecognized force into the spotlight. We plan to delve into how unconscious bias manifests in tech, from recruitment and workplace culture to product design and user experience. Our talk will provide insights into identifying these biases and offer actionable strategies for mitigating their impact. By engaging with experts across psychology, technology, and diversity and inclusion, attendees will gain the knowledge and tools necessary to foster more inclusive and equitable environments. This initiative seeks to inspire a shift in the tech industry, encouraging a more conscious and reflective approach to innovation that prioritizes inclusivity and equity. Join us in making a meaningful impact on the future of technology by confronting and addressing the challenges posed by unconscious bias.

Melisa Pinto
Manger
PwC

Sanjna Mander
Head of Digital Continuous Improvement
Barclays

• Empathy: Helps build strong relationships, but when overplayed can make you seem like a pushover, or leave you with all the “unlikely to succeed” work.

• Grit: Perseverance was found to be the only common skill amongst highly successful people across 30+ different fields in research. It what’s needed to get stuff done, however when overplayed can lead to you throwing “good money after bad.”

• Storytelling: Done well it can help influence people, overplayed can kill your credibility.

Asheeka Hyde                                                                                                                                                                    Technology Director (Data & Analytics)
SSP Group

Parul Singh
Founder
Parallel Minds Neurodiversity Consultancy

Martha Awojobi
CEO
JMB Consulting

Jeremy Stockdale
CEO & Founder
Ylead

For decades, the advice for women in the workplace has been to “lean in” and climb the corporate ladder. Yet, this approach has not delivered the intersectional equity or workplace transformation many had hoped for.

Critics argue that attempting to challenge Business Patriarchy—built on individualism, dominance, scarcity, hierarchy, and consumption—by ‘leaning in’ to the same business model is inherently flawed. Enter the new wave feminist concept of Matriarchal Business Models.

 

This panel brings together three trailblazing female founders to explore how identity, leadership, and feminist values intersect with the evolving concept of matriarchal business models. Through their personal journeys in building and leading organisations, they will examine what these principles—centered on community, sustainability, care, and collaboration—might mean for the future of business.

 

This is not about conforming to a single framework. Instead, the discussion will open up space to challenge traditional business practices and explore how lived experiences and diverse identities shape leadership, businesses and drive innovation.

 

Key questions include:

 

●How do personal identities and experiences influence leadership and organisational culture?

●What might matriarchal business principles look like in action?

●Can these principles drive scalable, sustainable innovation, particularly in technology and business?

●How do leaders balance idealism with the demands of modern business ecosystems?

 

Join us for an exploratory and thought-provoking discussion that blends real-life experience with bold ideas, inviting a fresh perspective on leadership and innovation in business.

 

Fay Selvan
CEO
The Big Life Group

Lauren Coulman
Founder & Strategic Director
Noisy Cricket

Shrelle Fairweather
Digital Strategy Lead
Manchester City Council

Hilary Stephenson
Founder & Managing Director
Nexer Digital