Discover how to build and maintain a robust, agile supply chain capable of meeting the ever-evolving demands of Defence. Then explore the challenges and opportunities in Defence procurement from the perspective of a micro-SME.

The Talks

‘Managing an Agile Supply Chain to Support Defence’ with Jaynie Davies

Supporting the Defence Supply Chain Strategy, Jaynie explores the landscape of supplier engagement, entry and through life management to enable a robust, agile supply chains with the ability to proactively respond to the demands of Defence, against such operations as the support to Ukraine.

‘Innovation in Defence: What’s holding us back?’ with Tony Reeves

Tony Reeves provides a view of the challenges and opportunities in Defence procurement, as seen from the viewpoint of a micro-SME, and how the tensions between in-flight programmes and innovations play out.

Drawing on the insights from a three-year research programme into Innovation in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, they have identified a list of ten blockers and barriers to adoption of new capabilities, and the multi-level “learning by doing” that is now required in order to truly deliver innovation based on commercial capabilities.

Our Speakers

Jaynie Davies has over 30 years of experience in the Defence sector, leading teams in Commercial and Supply Chain environments. She is currently the Director of Commodity Support Services (CSS), a virtual entity, providing the combined operation of TVS Ltd (delivering the Inventory, Commodity, Category Management) and Leidos Supply Ltd (responsible for the Commercial Management, Procurement, Receipting and Governance) for the Leidos UK programme, Logistics Commodities and Services Transformation programme (LCST).

Jaynie also serves as the Director of Leidos Supply Ltd, a subsidiary of Leidos Europe Ltd, awarded the LCST in 2015. This programme integrates various services to transform the UK’s defence supply chain, managing over 600 suppliers and £1.5bn in military commodities. Previously, she was Head of Procurement for Babcock Defence & Security and held key roles at EADS Airbus, including Head of Subcontract Commercial and Head of Project Sourcing. Jaynie is a member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Chain (MCIPS).

Tony Reeves is the Chairman and Founder of MAIAR Ltd, a Northamptonshire-based small business working primarily in the Defence and National Security environments.

Tony entered industry in 2009 after a successful career in the Royal Air Force, and subsequently spent 5 years in a small Defence business based in Malvern before roles at CGI and Raytheon. He left Raytheon to start his own business in 2016, which grew successfully over the following 7 years, culminating in the acquisition of RJD Technology in 2023 and the merging of the business operations into a single whole. The business was re-branded to MAIAR Ltd in December 2023 and Tony is now one of three directors. MAIAR stands for Mission Advantage, Intelligence Analysis and Research, although there is another, deeper reference if you look hard enough…

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In collaboration with .NET South West, we have two fantastic talks lined up on .NET Aspire and Static Sites with Astro

Event Details

• Date: Thursday 30th October
• Time: 19:00 – 21:00
• Location: iO Associates, St. Bartholomew’s House, Lewins Mead, BS1 2NH
• Register: RSVP on Meetup.com to confirm your spot

The Talks

‘Building Cloud-Native Applications with .NET Aspire’ – Carl Sargunar (Technical Director, Mondo Media)

.NET Aspire is a relatively new but rapidly emerging opinionated framework, designed to help developers navigate the complexities of building cloud-native distributed applications. It’s built on top of the familiar .NET ecosystem, but what makes Aspire special is how it simplifies some of the trickiest aspects of cloud development—like service discovery, configuration management, observability, and modular application design—all while keeping scalability and cloud-readiness front and center.

In this session, we’ll start by setting up a brand-new Aspire application, looking at everything from local development to handling the various challenges of deployment in production. Along the way, we’ll dive into Aspire’s history, its core principles, and where it fits in the .NET ecosystem.

Now, full disclaimer—I’m no Aspire expert (and let’s be honest, with how new it is, nobody really is yet), but that’s kind of the point. Whether you’re completely new to Aspire, just starting to dip your toes in, or have been exploring it for a while, this session is about learning together. We’ll be sharing what we know, discovering how .NET Aspire can make our lives easier when building distributed cloud applications, and maybe even figuring out where we go next with it as a community.

‘Bake, Don’t Fry – Astro & The Content Delivery API’ Adam Prendergast (Technical Director, Absurd)

Are you ready to revolutionise your Website Development development with the power of Umbraco CMS and static sites? The Content Delivery API has opened a world of possibilities for headless applications, including allowing us to embrace swift, scalable pre-rendered sites.
In this session, we’ll dive into the concept of ‘Bake, Don’t Fry’ and the world of static site generation, spotlighting Astro as a leading framework.

We’ll explore how to go from a basic Astro setup to introducing the Content Delivery API for a CMS-powered static site. We’ll look at improving the developer workflow with TypeScript, streamlining the publishing process, and showcasing cost-efficient hosting solutions.

I’ll guide you through Astro code examples and show how you can enhance the development process, leaving you equipped to make informed decisions about integrating this innovative strategy into your projects.

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Connect with fellow tech enthusiasts on Thursday 17 October from 18:00 at the Cheltenham & Gloucester Tech Meetup.

A big thank you to our hosts allpay who will kindly be providing food & drinks on arrival.

Event Details

• Date: Thursday 17 October
• Time: Arrival from 18:00. Talk from 18:30.
• Location: allpay, Whitestone Business Park, Whitestone, Hereford HR1 3SE
• Who: This iO Meetup will suit software developers, tech enthusiasts, and students.
• Register: RSVP via Meetup.com to secure your free spot.

The Talk

Demystifying EDA – Andy Morrell (Principal tSoftware Engineer, TelXL)

Event Driven Architecture shouldn’t be complicated. Andy guides us through pitfalls and easy ways to simplify your architecture. Andy uses a mix of on-prem and cloud providers in his day to day work so expect the unexpected.

Our Speaker

A 20 year professional in the software development industry although a coder from the young age of 8 means Andy Morrell has a wealth of knowledge that spans decades. A dad, motor & contact sport enthusiast and LEGO builder.

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Connect with fellow Thames Valley tech leaders on Wednesday 13th November from 17:15 at the Tech Leadership Collective of the Thames Valley, organised by iO Associates and hosted by FISCAL Technologies.

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Event Details

• Date: Wednesday 13th November
• Time: Arrival from 5:15pm. Talks from 5:45pm
• Location: FISCAL Technologies, 448 Basingstoke Rd, Reading RG2 0LP
• Who: This iO Meetup will suit tech leaders including: CTOs, CIOs, CEOs, Founders, Directors, Heads of and Managers
• Register: Complete the registration form here to secure your spot.

An opportunity to network with fellow tech leaders in the Thames Valley area before two thought-provoking talks from Glyn Roberts and Aditi Agarwal on empathetic leadership and managing technical debt.

Chatham House Rules will be in place for this event.

The Talks

Empathetic Leadership (Glyn Roberts, CTO of Digital Solutions at Vention)

Empathetic Leadership Empathetic leadership calls for understanding your team members’ perspectives, recognising how their work environment impacts them, and adapting your leadership style to meet their needs. It involves being mindful of individual requirements and challenges. To lead with empathy, key practices include active listening, encouraging open communication, considering diverse viewpoints, showing appreciation for each team member, and leading by example. This talk will delve into the principles of empathetic leadership, the qualities that define an empathetic leader, and the positive impact empathy can have on workplace dynamics.

Managing Technical Debt (Aditi Agarwal, CTO at Blue Light Card)

Aditi offers invaluable insights into balancing innovation with operational efficiency, drawing from her experience in creating empowered teams that deliver transformative results. Her expertise is tailored to equip technology leaders with actionable strategies for long-term success.

Our Speakers

Glyn Roberts is a seasoned technology professional with 20 years of experience working with hundreds of companies across the UK and Europe. He brings deep knowledge of a range of technology stacks, cloud solutions, and distributed team performance strategies to his work. Diverse tech companies that build leading-edge products routinely tap him to be an engineering advisor, interim CTO consultant, and mentor. Outside work Glyn is a speaker at events, avid reader, runner and dog walker.

Aditi Agarwal has extensive experience leading digital transformation and architectural modernisation for global brands. As the CTO at Blue Light Card, Aditi spearheaded the re-architecture of a platform serving over 4.5 million customers across the UK and Australia. Known for her expertise in building and empowering high-performing product engineering teams, Aditi excels at fostering cultures of accountability and innovation. She has a proven track record of aligning technical strategies with business growth, enabling teams to deliver at pace while maintaining scalability and security. Now building her consultancy practice, she helps businesses manage technical debt, optimise team performance, and align technology strategies with business objectives.

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Exclusively open to Thames Valley-based tech leaders, we only have limited spaces available, so sign up today to secure yours.

Connect with fellow South West tech leaders on Wednesday 6th November from 16:00 at the Tech Leadership Collective of the South West, organised by iO Associates.

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Event Details

• Date: Wednesday 6th November
• Time: Arrival from 4pm. Talks from 4:30pm
• Location: iO Associates, St. Bartholomew’s House, Lewins Mead, BS1 2NH
• Who: This iO Meetup will suit tech leaders including: CTOs, CIOs, CEOs, Founders, Directors, Heads of and Managers
• Register: Complete the registration form here to secure your spot.

An opportunity to network with fellow tech leaders in the South West region before two thought-provoking talk from Jen Beattie on breaking down the barriers for women in tech and Richard Tyler on creating a flexible, supportive and cost-effective organisation.

Chatham House Rules will be in place for this event.

The Talks

From Code to Confidence: Empowering Women in Tech – Jen Beattie (Head of Engineering at GivePanel)

Why are only 26% of people working in technology women? And why do 50% of those women leave the industry by the age of 35? This talk aims to dig deeper into the problems and barriers women face in the tech industry. From a lack of education and gender bias to periods and menopause. I’ll be taking you through how I got into tech and managed to stay there. Finishing up with some actionable strategies for technology managers to actively contribute to reducing the gender gap in the tech industry, going beyond statistics to address practical ways you can support and promote women in tech.

Beyond ‘Evergreen’: Creating a flexible, supportive and cost-effective organisation – Richard Tyler (Digital Transformation Director at bedigital)

Evergreen is increasingly stated as the objective for IT to avoid the need for big-bang changes and large costs but to gain the benefits, it’s not just IT that needs to change.

Our Speakers

Jen Beattie is passionate about leveraging technology to create meaningful change and empowering others in their journeys. With a background in Fine Art and a diploma in User Experience, she is dedicated to building inclusive digital experiences. Her tech career began as an unpaid intern at a Web Design company, and over the course of 10 years, she advanced to her current position as Head of Engineering at GivePanel, where she helps non-profits maximize their fundraising through social media.

Outside of her work in tech, Jen is training for powerlifting competitions and can often be found at the gym preparing for her next challenge.

Richard Tyler (more commonly known as RAT) is an experienced transformation lead who has worked with a range of public and private sector organisations to establish and drive major changes within the business and implement services which are used daily by millions of people in the UK and internationally.

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Exclusively open to South West-based tech leaders, we only have limited spaces available, so sign up today to secure yours.

As organizations continue to evolve in the digital age, the shift to cloud-based IAM solutions has become a critical step in enhancing security, scalability, and efficiency. At this roundtable, chaired by Andrew Pruitt (Senior Manager at Jabil), we explore the challenges, opportunities, and best practices associated with this transition.

Event Details

• Date: Thursday, October 24th
• Time: 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
• Location: iO Associates, 615 Channelside Dr, Suite 207, Tampa, 33602
• Register: Complete the registration form here.

Our Chair

The discussion will be chaired by Andrew Pruitt, Senior Manager at Jabil.

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We’re delighted to be partnering with Confused.com for our latest .NET Cardiff Meetup. This event brings together two thought-provoking talks that delve into the evolution of programming languages and innovative coding techniques. Whether you’re interested in the historical and philosophical aspects of programming or looking for practical ways to enhance your C# code, this event has something for everyone.

Event Details

• Date: Thursday 19th September
• Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
• Location: Confused.com, 2nd floor, Greyfriars House, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff (CF10 3AL)
• Register: RSVP via Meetup.com to secure your spot

The Talks

The Past, Present and Future of Programming Languages (Kevlin Henney)

Programming languages are a halfway house between the metal and the mind, a bridge between the world of circuits and the world of applications, the engineered and the social. Programming languages are the medium through which developers codify systems and fragments. In each programming language is embedded a philosophy (or many) of how to think about code, how to organise thoughts, how to design. Programming languages also define skillsets, ecosystems, jobs, loyalties and communities.

When we think of software and technology we often think in terms of progress and rapid change. Programming languages, however, typically move at a far slower pace. Mainstream languages are still embracing ideas that are decades old. Constructs that developers welcome as new to their language of choice are often older than the developers themselves. And over all this hangs the question, what of the future? How will current trends, from FOSS to LLMs, shape programming languages and their use? In this talk, we will take a tour of the past, present and future of programming languages.

Async method chaining in C# => super clear orchestration code (Andrew Poole, ClearBank)

What if there was a way to declaratively describe a chain or flow of async methods, which could be used when handling API requests or messages from a service bus queue or actually anywhere?

Recently, while refactoring a growing piece of business logic, Andrew found a way to achieve this. The logical conclusion is that related flows can be described in one place, in a single piece of orchestration, which is very easy to understand, navigate and debug.

The Speakers

Kevlin Henney

Kevlin is an independent consultant, trainer, coder, speaker and writer based in Bristol. He’s interested in development practices, programming languages, software design and developer culture, as well as a bunch of other things you can ask him about over a drink. He’s co-authored two volumes in the Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture series and edited and contributed to a number of O’Reilly’s 97 Things books.

Andrew Poole

Andrew  has been writing code for a living for 15+ years, most recently as an L5 Senior Software Engineer at ClearBank since 2020. He loves solving problems, design and architecture, communicating ideas and the incredible creativity of software engineering. He’s interested in event sourcing, immutable architecture and distributed systems. He also enjoy mentoring others and building great team culture. He has previously been a successful team lead, but what really drives him is striving to write elegant, intentional code which is easy to understand and maintain. He absolutely loves C# and only really dabbles in other languages in order to write better C#. Outside of work Andrew is a husband and father of 2 who enjoys playing bass guitar and making things in his shed.

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iO Associates are thrilled to introduce our latest episode in The Defence Series – An enlightening conversation with Stuart Warner, Head of Systems Engineering at Espanaro

During our insightful discussion, we delved into:

• Stuart’s transition from BAE to Espanaro and the change in pace and environment that comes with moving to a smaller, nimble company.
• How Espanaro is positioning itself with its engineering services in the defence sector and other industries.
• The critical role of systems engineering within Espanaro’s operations and its importance in delivering complex engineering solutions.
• Stuart’s personal journey from his physics background to becoming a systems engineering leader.
• The increasing complexity and interconnectedness in defence technology and the essential role of systems engineering in managing technical challenges.

The ever-important aspect of cybersecurity in defence systems and Espanaro’s approach to building secure systems by design. Addressing the skill shortage in the industry and the importance of early career development in nurturing engineering talent. The unique challenges and opportunities in managing early career professionals versus experienced engineers. Espanaro’s thriving culture, focusing on making work a place where people enjoy what they do and ensuring they deliver what they promise.

As part of The Defence Series, we aim to connect individuals from diverse backgrounds – whether you have previous service history, are working within the MoD, or for a prime contractor, or if you are simply interested in learning more about the evolving landscape of defence engineering.

Stay tuned for more enlightening conversations in our Defence Series!

Alternatively, if you would like to join our LinkedIn Group to find out more and stay up to date with our latest events and insights, please click here.

Join us on Wednesday 25th September from 17:30 at FISCAL Technologies for two fascinating talks on ‘Exceptional Security’.

Event Details

• Date: Wednesday 25th June
• Time: 5:30pm – 8:00pm
• Location: FISCAL Technologies Ltd, 448 Basingstoke Rd, Reading RG2 0LP
• Register: RSVP on Meetup.com to secure your spot

The Talks

Shifting Left with Burp Suite – Danielle Dias (Senior Software Engineer, Just Eat Takeaway.com)

In this talk, Danielle will highlight the importance of a proactive “shift-left” strategy in cybersecurity, focusing on early detection of vulnerabilities. She’ll provide an overview of Burp Suite, a key web application testing tool, and demonstrate its features. Attendees will gain insights into common exploits and learn the basics of effective security testing.

How to avoid exceptions – Callum Linington (Principal Engineer, InsurX)

This talk explores the role of exceptions in programming, starting with a deep dive into why exceptions exist and the common pitfalls they introduce. We’ll examine the problems that exceptions can cause, such as code complexity, performance overhead, and difficulty in debugging. The session will then focus on alternative strategies for handling errors more gracefully, including the use of error codes, monads, and validation techniques. Finally, we’ll wrap up with practical tips and tricks to minimize the occurrence of exceptions and write more robust, maintainable code. This talk is essential for developers looking to enhance the reliability and efficiency of their software.

A big thank you to our hosts, FISCAL Technologies, who will be providing food & drink during the half-way break. Parking is available at the venue.

There are only 36 spots available, so RSVP to secure yours today.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 24th September!

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iO Associates are proud to be supporting Chester Devs over the next 12 months, delivering monthly events that provide programmers/developers the opportunity to hear a talk from an industry expert, share experiences and, of course, enjoy some pizza.

On Tuesday 3rd September, join us, as we take part in Chester Devs’ annual Recruiter Panel, providing members with a valuable opportunity to ask questions, hear more on the latest hiring trends, and gain valuable knowledge to support their tech career.

Come and join us and find out more about iO Associates and ask the questions that matter to you.

The Details

• Date: Tuesday 3rd September
• Time: 7pm – 9pm
• Location: That Beer Place, 116 Foregate Street, Chester (CH1 1HB)
• Register: RSVP on Meetup.com to secure your spot