Cathy Mulligan Keynote Speaker

Dr Catherine Mulligan is a leading thinker and practitioner working at the intersection of digital technologies, sustainability, and economic transformation. She is the Founder of Digital Crossroads, an initiative focused on shaping how digital systems are designed, governed, and deployed to deliver resilient, secure, and equitable outcomes. Alongside this, she is a Visiting Academic at Imperial College London, where she continues to contribute to research and teaching on digital transformation and real-world implementation.

Catherine brings over two decades of experience across industry, academia, and global policy. She has held senior executive roles, including Chief Technology Officer (North & West Europe) at Fujitsu, and has led large-scale digital transformation strategies across multiple markets. She has also built and led interdisciplinary research programmes spanning Europe, Asia, and beyond.

Her most recent book is Digital Sustainability, Designing Resilient Digital Systems’, co-authored with Shivam Kishore.    She has published a further eight books on emerging technologies.

She has advised the United Nations, governments, and multinational organisations on how digital technologies can drive systemic change—from climate action and infrastructure resilience to financial and economic transformation. She was a member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation and a World Economic Forum Fellow for seven years, including the Global Future Council on Data Policy.

Catherine is a recognised thought leader on digital systems, governance, and sustainability. She is a frequent speaker at global forums including the OECD, GSMA Mobile World Congress, Chatham House, the UK Parliament, and BBC media. She was also shortlisted as Best Speaker in the AI and Future Technology category for The Speakers Awards 2026.

She is also actively engaged in strengthening inclusive digital ecosystems, with a particular focus on connecting and supporting women in digital across industry, policy, and research communities.

Her work focuses on how digital systems can be designed and governed to deliver sustainable, secure, and resilient outcomes at scale.