mcr.leaders

mcr.leaders presents.....

Thu, Oct 1 · 6:00 PM BST

The Castlefield Rooms, 18-20 Castle Street, M3 4LZ, Manchester, GB

MCR.Leaders (the new name for Leaders Connected) is back and we can't wait to host you all on Thursday 1st October from 6pm at Castlefield Rooms (above Alberts Shed) in Manchester.

What do we have planned?

• 3 x fireside chats with technology leaders - Beccy Weeks (Chief AI Officer), Mikey Smith (Chief Product & Technology officer) & James Leech (Chief Product & Technology Officer)
• BBQ Food
• Free Bar
• Sponsor prizes
• Loads of networking opportunities.

Introducing our speakers:

Beccy Weeks: Chief AI Officer @ Citation Group
https://www.linkedin.com/in/beccyweeks1/

"I believe in purposeful innovation... technology that solves real problems and creates measurable value, not transformation theatre.

I've led technology organisations through every methodology shift of the past two decades.....AI is the most significant capability shift I've seen. But most organisations are approaching it wrong...The gains come from redesigning how decisions get made and where human judgement actually matters. I've learnt this the hard way."

Recognition:
→ National AI Awards 2025 - Winner, AI Innovation; Finalist, AI Adoption (cultural mindset shift)
→ Top 30 Software CTOs in Europe 2024 (Neon River)
→ Women in IT Awards 2018 - Finalist

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Mikey Smith: Chief Product & Technology Officer @ Simple Online Healthcare
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeysmithuk/

Mikey is an inspiring and forward-thinking AI First technology leader with more than 20 years’ experience building software, scaling engineering organisations and leading transformation across industries including retail and financial services.

Having led technology teams of c.100 people, Mikley has a proven track record of creating high-performing engineering cultures, scaling teams effectively and delivering complex technology programmes. His leadership style is grounded in empathy and servant leadership, with a strong belief in empowering engineers, creating clarity and aligning people behind a common purpose.

More recently, Mikey has become a passionate advocate for AI-First Engineering, rethinking traditional approaches to software development and building a new product engineering function around smaller, highly effective, AI-enabled pods.

He is particularly passionate about how AI can augment engineering teams, accelerate delivery and fundamentally change the way technology organisations are structured and operate.

Despite operating at CTO and executive level, Mikey remains deeply connected to engineering. He regularly pairs with engineers, mentors teams and explores emerging technologies firsthand, ensuring he understands both the opportunities and the real-world complexities facing modern engineering teams.

A strong believer in using data to drive better decisions, Mikey combines technical depth with calm, empathetic leadership and an ability to inspire people at every level of an organisation.

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James Leech (Chief Product & Technology Officer) @ Sainsburys
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesleechdigital/

James is a highly accomplished technology, product and AI leader with extensive board-level experience as a CTO, Managing Director and Chief Product Officer.

Today, as Director of Technology for Customer, Loyalty & Channels at Sainsbury’s, he is helping lead technology and product innovation across one of the UK’s largest retailers, spanning digital and in-store experiences, Nectar, Nectar360, MarTech and the wider customer ecosystem.

At the forefront of Sainsbury’s AI journey, James is leading the adoption of AI and Agentic AI across customer, colleague and retail technology — from AI-powered personalisation and intelligent automation to autonomous agents, exploring how emerging technology can transform customer experience, colleague productivity and commercial performance.

Throughout his career, James has built and scaled high-performing technology, product and engineering teams, led major digital transformations and turned emerging technology into measurable business value. A passionate advocate for innovation and AI-first thinking, he brings together commercial acumen, deep technology expertise and product leadership to challenge how organisations build, operate and grow.