WC2B 5PS LONDON 43 Parker Street WC2B 5PS LONDON
Voir le plan
HEC UK Data Club and the Franco-British Data Society are delighted to invite you to a panel and networking on:
AI and Me: How AI is Shaping People and Professions
Panel & Networking
Wednesday 8th October 2025 at 6:30pm
HEC UK House, 43 Parker Street WC2B 5PS
in partnership with the Franco-British Data Society
Thank you to the French Embassy for supporting this event through the Campus France network & France Alumni
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AI is no longer just a technical tool—it’s a daily presence that is reshaping how we live, learn, and work. This panel explores the human side of AI: how individuals are experiencing and adapting to the rise of intelligent systems, particularly in the workplace. From shifting skillsets and evolving roles to personal development and organisational change, we’ll look at how people are navigating this transition.
With insights from a coach, a change management expert, an HR leader, and a researcher, the discussion will reflect on the psychological, structural, and cultural dimensions of AI adoption—highlighting both the challenges and opportunities of this new human-machine dynamic.
Discover our panellists!
 | Sophia Fannon-Howell is Head of Innovation Implementation for BP’s Trading & Shipping business, where she leads transformative digital innovation projects across global energy and commodity markets. Her expertise spans AI, data management, and emerging technologies, with a focus on solving complex business challenges, unlocking value, and driving sustainable growth. She has spearheaded pioneering initiatives, including bp’s first Generative AI chatbot and advanced renewable energy modelling, while mentoring talent and championing DE&I in STEM. With over 20 years’ experience, Sophia has transformed underperforming teams into high-performing units, developed global data strategies, and built agile, distributed organisations that deliver measurable impact on platforms such as Azure, AWS, and Palantir Foundry. Outside of work, she is a trustee of The British Hen Welfare Trust, an animal welfare charity, where she brings her commitment to sustainability and social impact into her personal life—promoting efficient, data-driven decision-making in support of animal welfare. |
 | Claire Gaffney, Bilingual Corporate Executive Coach Educated in both France and Ireland in sociology and psychology, Clare is dedicated to developing individuals and teams in their specific organizations and social contexts, supported by her bilingual and bicultural background of 30 years in HR and people development. She is accredited at the Associate of the French Coaching Society (SF Coach), Certified MBTI, Certified in Co-development (solution-oriented approach for peers) and expert in sociology and psychology. She runs collective and individual coaching at key moments in career or corporate situations. Learn more |
 | Barbara McGillivray is Senior Lecturer in Digital and Computational Humanities at King’s College London, where she leads the Computational Humanities research group. She is Principal Investigator of the ERC-selected project Computational Corpus Annotation for Quantitative Analysis of Latin Lexical Semantics (COALA), Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Open Humanities Data, and convenor of King’s MA programme in Digital Humanities. Her research explores how computational methods can help us understand language change, from ancient texts to modern data. Previously, she worked as a language technologist at Oxford University Press and as a data scientist at Springer Nature, and was a Turing research fellow at the University of Cambridge and The Alan Turing Institute, where she co-led the “Living with Machines” project. Her latest book, Applying Language Technology in Humanities Research (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020), brings together her experience at the intersection of technology, language, and culture. Learn more. |
 | Ganesh Venkatesh, Director at Unilever Ganesh's purpose is to transform uncertainties into opportunities and deliver solutions that create a paradigm shift. With a work experience of over 20 years with leading IT and CPG companies, Ganesh's current role in Unilever as the Global Organized Retail Customer Development Analytics Director. Prior experience includes Head for External Data Ingestion, Insights through Visualization and Continuous Improvement through Intelligent Automation, LEAN and Design Thinking in Information and Analytics. A people manager with experience of managing large teams across locations, delivering organizational impact programs along with business savings. Specialized in managing cross functional programs and leverage process innovation along with Next Gen technology. |
EVENT SUMMARY
- Date: Wednesday 8th October 2025
- Time: 6:30 to 9:30pmm
- Address: HEC UK House 43 Parker Street, London WC2B 5PS Map here
- Format: Panel discussion & networking cocktail
- Tickets: Infinity Pass and fee-paying members £20 / Alumni & External £30 / Online £5
