Dame Wendy Hall

Dame Wendy Hall DBE FRS FREng is one of Britain’s most accomplished computer scientists and a leading voice in web science, artificial intelligence and digital ethics. A pioneer of the early internet age, Wendy has spent her career shaping how technology evolves and how society governs it. As a virtual keynote speaker, she shares rare insight drawn from decades at the forefront of innovation, combining academic brilliance with a deep understanding of the social impact of technology. Her talks engage audiences around the world, exploring the human side of AI, data and the web.

Wendy began her career after studying mathematics at the University of Southampton, where she later became the university’s first female Professor of Engineering in 1994. She was part of the team that created the Microcosm hypermedia system, one of the precursors to the World Wide Web, and went on to found and lead the Multimedia Research Group. Her passion for discovery led her to co-found the Web Science Research Initiative in 2006 alongside Sir Tim Berners-Lee and others, which formally established web science as an academic discipline. Wendy later became Executive Director of the Web Science Trust, a global foundation dedicated to understanding and shaping the web’s future.

Throughout her career, Wendy has held senior leadership roles across the most influential organisations in computing and engineering. She served as President of the British Computer Society and later the Association for Computing Machinery, the world’s largest computing body. She has also been Senior Vice President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Chair of the Ada Lovelace Institute, and Co-Chair of the UK Government’s Artificial Intelligence Review. Appointed Regius Professor of Computer Science at Southampton in 2017, Wendy continues to advise governments, businesses and international organisations on digital ethics and AI policy. In 2023, she joined the United Nations High-Level Advisory Board on Artificial Intelligence, further cementing her position as one of the world’s foremost authorities on the subject.

Wendy’s achievements have earned her numerous honours, including Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, election as a Fellow of the Royal Society, and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. She has received multiple honorary degrees and awards, including the Suffrage Science Award, the Duncan Davies Medal, and the Anita Borg Award for Technical Leadership. As a speaker, Wendy brings clarity and vision to complex topics, helping audiences navigate the opportunities and responsibilities of emerging technologies. Her sessions are both technical and human, inspiring organisations to innovate ethically and shape a digital future that works for everyone.