Westminster Forum Projects

About Arqiva

Arqiva is a leading provider of communications, media and infrastructure services, delivering secure, scalable and sustainable connectivity. We enable content and data to be seamlessly transmitted across technologies and platforms, both in the UK and internationally, enabling a switched-on world to flow.

Our network delivers universal access to broadcast television and radio services from c.1,450 sites across the UK, providing quality, uninterrupted access to essential broadcast services. Arqiva also operates over 80 ground satellite dishes for Direct-to-Home (DTH) TV and are the UK’s largest independent reseller of satellite capacity, with a growing presence in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) up-linking.

With over 7.5 million smart meters currently connected, and an additional ten million forecasted over the next five years, Arqiva is the UK’s largest provider of smart meter connectivity. We play a key role in supporting water and energy companies with reliable, long-range managed data services.

With a legacy dating back to 1922, Arqiva has been at the forefront of broadcasting and connectivity innovation. We carried the world’s first national radio service, enabled the BBC’s first television broadcast in 1936, and supported Europe’s first satellite TV test in 1978. In the 2000s, we played a pioneering role in launching the UK’s national DAB radio and digital terrestrial television (DTT) networks.

Behind the scenes, our teams deliver millions of vital connections every day, supporting major UK and international broadcasters, independent radio groups, and national utilities.

Arqiva is owned by a consortium of infrastructure investors and is headquartered in Hampshire, with UK offices in London, Buckinghamshire, and Yorkshire, and operational centres in the West Midlands and Scotland.

British Broadcasting Corporation

The BBC’s mission has remained the same for 100 years; to enrich people’s lives with great programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain.

The BBC is the most-used brand in the UK for media. We are one of the most-used UK public services, reaching 9 in 10 UK adults and nearly 8 in 10 young adults on average per week. BBC News is the most trusted news brand in the UK and in the US, and we are the most trusted international news provider globally.

The Corporation is funded through a television licence fee and 95% of our controllable spend is focussed on content and delivery with just 5% spent on running the organisation. As the largest investor in original UK content, the BBC contributes around £5bn to the UK economy each year, delivering £2.63 of direct economic impact for every £1 spent, with 50% of that economic impact outside of London.

The current Royal Charter, which started on 1st January 2017 sets out five public purposes for the BBC. They are:

• To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them.
• To support learning for people of all ages.
• To show the most creative, highest quality and distinctive output and services.
• To reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all the United Kingdom’s nations and regions and, in doing so, support the creative economy across the United Kingdom.
• To reflect the United Kingdom, it’s culture and values to the world.

BT Group is one of the world’s leading communications services companies. We’re based in the UK but we serve customers in around 180 countries. We develop and sell communications propositions and services, and build and operate the networks that are essential to modern lives, businesses and communities. We operate as a single business, made up of organisational units. There are customer-facing units that sell propositions and services and corporate units that support the whole group.

BT Business

Our three brands – BT, EE and Plusnet – connect UK consumers to information, entertainment, friends and family, at home and on the move. Between them, they provide the whole of the UK with connectivity. We buy access to fixed-line and broadband infrastructure from Openreach, and we use EE’s mobile network to provide mobile phone services. We connect more than 1m business customers and public sector organisations with our extensive portfolio of communications and IT solutions. We also provide network products and services to communications providers operating in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Openreach

Openreach builds, and sells access to, the network that connects the UK’s homes and businesses. Openreach also provides wholesale ‘last mile’ fixed access from homes and businesses to exchanges, and installs and maintains the fibre and copper communications networks.

Global

We are a leading business connectivity, communications and IT services provider to major multinational corporations in around 180 countries. We own an extensive global voice and data network providing managed services, security and network and IT infrastructure services, enabling customers’ digital transformations. We partner in countries worldwide for access to voice and data infrastructure and we buy enterprise technologies and equipment for our customers from the world’s leading technology providers.

The DMA is the voice of the data and marketing industry. Our Code sets the standard for all marketers to “do data right” so that growth is fuelled by integrity and customers trust the brands who sell to them. We recognise that great marketing starts with great people and that when teams are skilled, motivated, and diverse they create marketing that is authentic, representative, and impactful. That’s why we advocate for a legislative framework that balances innovation with privacy and for investment in the skills needed to harness the power of data as a force for good. For more information contact chris.combemale@dma.org.uk or visit www.dma.org.uk.

KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership, operates from 20 offices across the UK with approximately 17,000 partners and staff. The UK firm recorded a revenue of £2.72 billion in the year ended 30 September 2022.

KPMG is a global organisation of independent professional services firms providing Audit, Legal, Tax and Advisory services. It operates in 143 countries and territories with more than 265,000 partners and employees working in member firms around the world. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee. KPMG International Limited and its related entities do not provide services to clients.

Within KPMG’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice we focus on the most pressing issues faced by our sector clients. Companies are facing a wide variety of challenges from economic uncertainty and talent shortages to supply chain disruption, not to mention wider geopolitical pressures and the ongoing impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift towards online content consumption during the pandemic altered the business model for many companies. Even purely digital companies must keep up with rapidly evolving customer expectations. Technological disruption and increased competition are also forcing TMT companies to regularly finetune their strategies. This is in addition to a renewed focus on compliance with data protection policies. Keeping up with the change is a challenge for many but at the same time, firms have new growth opportunities.

According to KPMG’s latest Global Tech Survey, sixty-seven percent of tech executives who were surveyed expect to embrace emerging technology platforms in the next two years. The launch of 5G networks and accompanying gigabit wireless speeds and ultra-low latency will enable further redefinition of the boundaries between linear, online and live entertainment. Cloud gaming and e-sports, IOT-enabled devices, AR/VR applications, HD mobile video are just some of the emerging services and use cases that compete for consumers’ attention and share of wallet. Media executives are striving to develop sustainable business models balancing short term financial goals with long term ambitions. There are also new opportunities for media companies as they explore new platforms such as the Metaverse and Web3.

In addition to these emerging technologies, we now also have generative AI in the mix which has really taken off in the last year. The latest KPMG 2023 CEO Outlook survey revealed that business leaders are continuing to invest heavily in generative AI in search of a competitive edge for the future, listing the technology as a top investment priority in the medium term. Not only are tech companies focused on developing this technology and how it can be used to help their clients and consumers, but companies across most sectors are looking at how this technology will impact the future of their businesses. For example, we’ve seen media companies looking at generative AI’s role in the newsroom. Businesses should be looking at how they can benefit from using generative AI whilst carefully considering and managing the risks these developing technologies present.

KPMG has a 360-degree understanding of these hot issues and the specific threats faced by each of the media segments – digital platforms, television and radio broadcasting, advertising, music, film and news publishing. Our collaborative approach across key international hubs such as London, Silicon Valley, New York, Shanghai and Tel Aviv brings to our clients a powerful lens and repository of insights to help tackle the strategic and operational challenges ahead.

About Arqiva

Arqiva is a leading provider of communications, media and infrastructure services, delivering secure, scalable and sustainable connectivity. We enable content and data to be seamlessly transmitted across technologies and platforms, both in the UK and internationally, enabling a switched-on world to flow.

Our network delivers universal access to broadcast television and radio services from c.1,450 sites across the UK, providing quality, uninterrupted access to essential broadcast services. Arqiva also operates over 80 ground satellite dishes for Direct-to-Home (DTH) TV and are the UK’s largest independent reseller of satellite capacity, with a growing presence in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) up-linking.

With over 7.5 million smart meters currently connected, and an additional ten million forecasted over the next five years, Arqiva is the UK’s largest provider of smart meter connectivity. We play a key role in supporting water and energy companies with reliable, long-range managed data services.

With a legacy dating back to 1922, Arqiva has been at the forefront of broadcasting and connectivity innovation. We carried the world’s first national radio service, enabled the BBC’s first television broadcast in 1936, and supported Europe’s first satellite TV test in 1978. In the 2000s, we played a pioneering role in launching the UK’s national DAB radio and digital terrestrial television (DTT) networks.

Behind the scenes, our teams deliver millions of vital connections every day, supporting major UK and international broadcasters, independent radio groups, and national utilities.

Arqiva is owned by a consortium of infrastructure investors and is headquartered in Hampshire, with UK offices in London, Buckinghamshire, and Yorkshire, and operational centres in the West Midlands and Scotland.

British Broadcasting Corporation

The BBC’s mission has remained the same for 100 years; to enrich people’s lives with great programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain.

The BBC is the most-used brand in the UK for media. We are one of the most-used UK public services, reaching 9 in 10 UK adults and nearly 8 in 10 young adults on average per week. BBC News is the most trusted news brand in the UK and in the US, and we are the most trusted international news provider globally.

The Corporation is funded through a television licence fee and 95% of our controllable spend is focussed on content and delivery with just 5% spent on running the organisation. As the largest investor in original UK content, the BBC contributes around £5bn to the UK economy each year, delivering £2.63 of direct economic impact for every £1 spent, with 50% of that economic impact outside of London.

The current Royal Charter, which started on 1st January 2017 sets out five public purposes for the BBC. They are:

• To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them.
• To support learning for people of all ages.
• To show the most creative, highest quality and distinctive output and services.
• To reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all the United Kingdom’s nations and regions and, in doing so, support the creative economy across the United Kingdom.
• To reflect the United Kingdom, it’s culture and values to the world.

BT Group is one of the world’s leading communications services companies. We’re based in the UK but we serve customers in around 180 countries. We develop and sell communications propositions and services, and build and operate the networks that are essential to modern lives, businesses and communities. We operate as a single business, made up of organisational units. There are customer-facing units that sell propositions and services and corporate units that support the whole group.

BT Business

Our three brands – BT, EE and Plusnet – connect UK consumers to information, entertainment, friends and family, at home and on the move. Between them, they provide the whole of the UK with connectivity. We buy access to fixed-line and broadband infrastructure from Openreach, and we use EE’s mobile network to provide mobile phone services. We connect more than 1m business customers and public sector organisations with our extensive portfolio of communications and IT solutions. We also provide network products and services to communications providers operating in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Openreach

Openreach builds, and sells access to, the network that connects the UK’s homes and businesses. Openreach also provides wholesale ‘last mile’ fixed access from homes and businesses to exchanges, and installs and maintains the fibre and copper communications networks.

Global

We are a leading business connectivity, communications and IT services provider to major multinational corporations in around 180 countries. We own an extensive global voice and data network providing managed services, security and network and IT infrastructure services, enabling customers’ digital transformations. We partner in countries worldwide for access to voice and data infrastructure and we buy enterprise technologies and equipment for our customers from the world’s leading technology providers.

The DMA is the voice of the data and marketing industry. Our Code sets the standard for all marketers to “do data right” so that growth is fuelled by integrity and customers trust the brands who sell to them. We recognise that great marketing starts with great people and that when teams are skilled, motivated, and diverse they create marketing that is authentic, representative, and impactful. That’s why we advocate for a legislative framework that balances innovation with privacy and for investment in the skills needed to harness the power of data as a force for good. For more information contact chris.combemale@dma.org.uk or visit www.dma.org.uk.

KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership, operates from 20 offices across the UK with approximately 17,000 partners and staff. The UK firm recorded a revenue of £2.72 billion in the year ended 30 September 2022.

KPMG is a global organisation of independent professional services firms providing Audit, Legal, Tax and Advisory services. It operates in 143 countries and territories with more than 265,000 partners and employees working in member firms around the world. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee. KPMG International Limited and its related entities do not provide services to clients.

Within KPMG’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice we focus on the most pressing issues faced by our sector clients. Companies are facing a wide variety of challenges from economic uncertainty and talent shortages to supply chain disruption, not to mention wider geopolitical pressures and the ongoing impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift towards online content consumption during the pandemic altered the business model for many companies. Even purely digital companies must keep up with rapidly evolving customer expectations. Technological disruption and increased competition are also forcing TMT companies to regularly finetune their strategies. This is in addition to a renewed focus on compliance with data protection policies. Keeping up with the change is a challenge for many but at the same time, firms have new growth opportunities.

According to KPMG’s latest Global Tech Survey, sixty-seven percent of tech executives who were surveyed expect to embrace emerging technology platforms in the next two years. The launch of 5G networks and accompanying gigabit wireless speeds and ultra-low latency will enable further redefinition of the boundaries between linear, online and live entertainment. Cloud gaming and e-sports, IOT-enabled devices, AR/VR applications, HD mobile video are just some of the emerging services and use cases that compete for consumers’ attention and share of wallet. Media executives are striving to develop sustainable business models balancing short term financial goals with long term ambitions. There are also new opportunities for media companies as they explore new platforms such as the Metaverse and Web3.

In addition to these emerging technologies, we now also have generative AI in the mix which has really taken off in the last year. The latest KPMG 2023 CEO Outlook survey revealed that business leaders are continuing to invest heavily in generative AI in search of a competitive edge for the future, listing the technology as a top investment priority in the medium term. Not only are tech companies focused on developing this technology and how it can be used to help their clients and consumers, but companies across most sectors are looking at how this technology will impact the future of their businesses. For example, we’ve seen media companies looking at generative AI’s role in the newsroom. Businesses should be looking at how they can benefit from using generative AI whilst carefully considering and managing the risks these developing technologies present.

KPMG has a 360-degree understanding of these hot issues and the specific threats faced by each of the media segments – digital platforms, television and radio broadcasting, advertising, music, film and news publishing. Our collaborative approach across key international hubs such as London, Silicon Valley, New York, Shanghai and Tel Aviv brings to our clients a powerful lens and repository of insights to help tackle the strategic and operational challenges ahead.

We are Boehringer Ingelheim - a different kind of partner

In 1885, in the southern German town of Ingelheim, Albert Boehringer started a small bio-technology company founded on innovation and social responsibility. More than 135 years later, Boehringer Ingelheim is a global pharmaceutical company, making medicines for people and animals. Today’s world is vastly different from Albert’s, but our founding purpose remain the same. We remain driven by a desire to transform lives for generations.

Boehringer Ingelheim remains family-owned, which is unusual and valuable in the broader landscape of pharmaceuticals. We are not beholden to the stock market like others, instead we answer to society. We plan in generations, not quarters, meaning we can take long term decisions that may not drive profit overnight but will ultimately benefit people.

Nowadays, the way we deliver healthcare improvements is inherently more sophisticated than Albert could have imagined. When we look at the specific challenges of improving health here in the UK, they are complex. However, we are clear about how our unique strengths can deliver value, focusing on three core areas: patient-centric data and digital technologies, sustainable healthcare and innovation with empathy.

When it comes to innovation and drug development, we take on the biggest challenges in medicine, focussing on unmet need. We are at the forefront of advancing research through open-source innovation and sharing expertise as well as molecules for research with the wider Life Sciences community. Our clinical trials include input from patients at all stage to ensure their needs are being met as we develop solutions.

We are committed to sustainable healthcare, planning for the long term alongside the NHS, helping it meet objectives outlined in The Long Term Plan.¹ We run numerous collaborative working projects, piloting new models of care aiming to improve patient outcomes as well as helping the NHS.

We are determined to help tackle the challenge of climate change. In 2021 we switched to 100% renewable energy, our green fleet policy has reduced vehicle emissions by almost 20% within the last three years and we expect to be carbon neutral in operations by 2030. We are reducing the water footprint at our manufacturing sites and protecting clean water in the communities in which we operate. Additionally, we utilise aspects of circularity to reduce overall operational waste to landfill, as well as applying eco-design and green chemistry concepts to all new products. Our ambition is to be net zero by 2045.

We are actively engaged in improving UK air quality, specifically around hospitals and community health centres. In 2022 we worked with Newcastle Hospitals and Global Action Plan to develop a Clean Air Framework supporting every ICS to become a ‘Clean Air Champion’.

Now more than ever, data and digital technology is playing a critical role in helping to accelerate innovation. Vital to the success of this transformation is ensuring patients and health and care professionals are involved and supported. Together with the AHSN Network and the University of Plymouth, we have published: How to involve and engage patients in digital health tech innovation – An Evidence Based Guide which provides practical steps on the principles of best patient and public engagement. This will also be made available as CPD via the ORCHA Digital Health Academy, the UK’s first online educational platform for health and care professionals on digital health.

Today we employ over 700 people around the UK committed to transforming lives for generations. As we look to the future, we can’t pretend it’s going to be easy. But just like Albert all those years ago, we believe that challenge is the seed of innovation, from which progress will flourish.

For further information, please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.co.uk

About Burges Salmon

Burges Salmon is an ambitious, sustainable and inclusive firm that ensures its clients, people and wider communities flourish.

Our clients instruct us because we offer a different experience: unrivalled expertise, excellent service and exceptional value.

Those clients range from large organisations, entrepreneurial businesses and public sector bodies to private individuals and families. We are trusted to help with everything from everyday legal needs to business critical issues and all points in between. Working collaboratively, in partnership with clients, we form our thinking around their needs to ensure delivery of the right solutions when it matters.

Sector expertise

Energy

We understand the complexities of today’s energy market and anticipate where it is heading, providing our clients with the strategic foresight they need to succeed.

Our award-winning energy lawyers are at the cutting edge of the sector, helping clients to deliver groundbreaking projects and operate successful businesses across the renewables, water, nuclear, fusion, hydrogen, energy storage, energy distribution, clean heat, water and waste sectors. From regulatory insight to delivering key project rights and high-profile M&A and financings, we offer deep sector knowledge and expert advice throughout the entire life cycle of a project.

Find out more

Contact:
James Phillips, Partner
E: james.phillips@burges-salmon.com

Environment

We have a unique understanding of the evolving challenges of environmental law, shaped by experience working with a diverse range of clients for over 25 years.

As well as developing and working with our own clients, we work closely with other specialist teams across the firm, including health and safety, planning, energy, real estate, corporate and disputes to secure effective outcomes for our clients. Our clients include government departments, non-departmental public bodies, environmental regulators, large multinationals, SMEs and private individuals. We also act directly for international clients and increasingly support other international legal practices with specialist UK environmental advice.

Find out more

Contact:
Michael Barlow, Partner
E: michael.barlow@burges-salmon.com

Transport

Our industry-leading transport lawyers combine their sector insight with unparalleled expertise in transport law. With our collaborative cross-firm approach, we ensure the right team is built for each client.

Our advice spans all aspects of transport law, from funding and operations to construction and development. We work at the forefront of new transport technologies, offering innovative solutions informed by a deep understanding of operational and commercial challenges.

Find out more

Contact:
Chris Simms, Partner
E: Chris.simms@burges-salmon.com

OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations) is a leading UK awarding organization and is part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, which is in turn a department of the University of Cambridge. We are a large, global organization that offers world-leading academic research, learning and assessment, backed by the first-class teaching and research departments of the University of Cambridge.

We are committed to ensuring that all our assessments are fair, have sound ethical underpinning, and operate to the highest technical standards. Our organization is not for profit.

We provide GCSEs, A Levels and vocational qualifications to schools, colleges and many other types of institutions. OCR believes in a broad and balanced curriculum providing choices that can meet the needs of different learners and which support different approaches to teaching and learning. We provide GCSEs and A Levels in over 40 subjects and offer over 450 vocational qualifications, including Cambridge Nationals and Cambridge Technicals.

We develop our qualifications in close consultation with teachers, industry leaders and government to ensure they are relevant for today’s students and meet requirements set by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual).

Our heritage is long established and provides us with expertise across the full range of academic and vocational qualifications. Since becoming OCR in 1998, our experience, knowledge and skills have enabled us to build a reputation for reliably high standards.

We are proud to be part of the University of Cambridge and we are at the forefront of education. We support teachers, schools and Governments around the world.

We actively seek out high quality innovators in education and work with them in partnership to develop qualifications/assessments that supports their activity.

Welcome to Twinkl

We provide trusts, schools, and educators worldwide with innovative curriculum schemes, inclusion tools and resources, digital content and CPD—all at unbeatable value.

Trusted by over 6 million educators and 17,505 schools across 180 countries, our resources are created by qualified teachers and subject specialists to help you drive meaningful school improvement.

Whatever your context and wherever your learners are on their educational journey, we’re here to help you make a difference.

Discover whole-school solutions