Agenda

Nahyun Kim is an international trade specialist with expertise in sustainable supply chain management. With over ten years of experience advising global stakeholders—including managing complex transition portfolios aligned with UNIDO and World Bank initiatives—she specialises in translating sustainable development frameworks into actionable, bottom-line strategies for global value chains. 

Nahyun currently manages an international projects portfolio at the British Standards Institution (BSI) and is a postgraduate candidate at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).

Idongesit (ID) is a Senior Digital Development Specialist and Development/Digital Economist. He serves as an Adviser for the UK Government's Global Digital Access Programme (DAP) and the Nigeria Country Lead, which facilitates inclusive digital transformation with partner countries across Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. In this capacity, ID offers expert policy advisory on inclusive digital development and digital transformation, including frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), providing critical policy and programme leadership. He effectively oversees digital programme delivery with diverse global partners, including the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA), British Standard Institutions (BSI) and numerous others.

In Nigeria, ID spearheaded efforts with the nation's apex digital regulator to develop the Nigeria National Broadband Plan 2020-2025 and collaborated with the Office of Nigeria’s National Security Adviser to formulate Nigeria’s National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy 2021-2026, both of which were launched by President Buhari. He has coordinated digital skilling initiatives in Nigeria, training over 1.5 million individuals, and has worked with more than 25 state governments to advance inclusive digital transformation and digital economy growth. Led efforts with KPMG and ONSA to develop and launch a cybersecurity toolkit for SMEs in Nigeria, and very recently, working with partners, developed and launched carbontrac.ai. The first AI-based digital carbon footprint tracker in sub-Saharan Africa.

His career commenced as a Software and Applications Engineer, including a tenure at Huawei Technologies, where he led the development of various proprietary technology solutions. An alumnus of the Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, ID is also a licensed Engineer by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and a certified member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

Jennifer Bisset is a Principal Consultant at BSI, the UK’s National Standards Body, with over 20 years of experience in international development. As part of the International Projects team, she works with global partners to deliver impactful economic, development, and sustainability outcomes, with a particular focus on strengthening institutional capacity—including quality infrastructure and trade facilitation—and promoting private sector development in developing and emerging economies.

Jennifer serves as Project Director on a range of large and complex programmes, providing leadership in project design and strategic oversight to ensure successful delivery and client satisfaction. A recent example includes managing BSI’s on-going partnership with the UK’s FCDO Digital Access Programme, to support developing and emerging economies advance their digital transformation through the use of international standards.

Penny Thairu is a banking and risk management professional with over 22 years of experience in commercial banking and central banking. She currently manages Operational Risk at the Central Bank of Kenya, where she focuses on risk governance, operational resilience, regulatory compliance, and business continuity. Her background includes payments operations, AML/CFT oversight, compliance supervision, and control enhancement across financial institutions.  She is also professionally trained in enterprise risk management, AML compliance, information security management systems, and management development. In addition to her technical expertise, she brings strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills, making her a well-rounded financial services leader

Abubakar Mahmud is an Information Technology professional specializing in cybersecurity, data protection, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance. He currently serves as an IT & Cybersecurity Officer at the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), where he manages data system security, ensures regulatory compliance, and protects digital archives.

He frequently represents the Honorable National Commissioner and CEO of the NDPC, acting as a panellist and technical presenter on AI Governance. Mr. Mahmud holds multiple certifications from the British Standards Institution (BSI) covering AI Concepts, AI System Impact Assessments, and AI Management Systems Requirements. His foundational experience includes technical capacity building at the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) and hands-on roles at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Huawei Technologies.