Join us to explore if digital literacy is enough in the age of AI — or are new skills needed to truly close the digital divide?
SPEAKERS
Hosted by
Freddie Quek
Delphine Charlotte (Panel Chair)
Rebena Sanghera (Panellist)
Dr Lucy Caton (Panellist)
Paul Finnis (Panellist)
AGENDA
5:00pm – Introduction by Chair
5:05pm – Panel discussion
5.45pm – Q&A
6:00pm - Event ends
SYNOPSIS
As AI transforms how we live and work, is digital literacy still enough?
This webinar explores the evolving skills gap, questioning whether traditional digital skills prepare us for an AI-driven world.
Join us to unpack the differences between digital and AI literacy—and what’s truly needed to close the divide.
The panel examines the growing corporate imperative to upskill employees in AI literacy (required by the European AI Act), exploring whether meaningful compliance means basic online training or developing comprehensive programs that truly prepare workforces.
The panel will also define what this new competency entails
—from understanding AI fundamentals to critical evaluation skills
—and discuss the varying depths of knowledge needed across different organisational roles.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Freddie Quek (host)
Freddie Quek is a global technology leader who has worked across many industry sectors. He started the #JoiningTheDots initiative of 16 UK tech communities to address #digitalinclusion, became special advisor and Community Board member of the Digital Poverty Alliance and established the BCS Digital Divide Specialist Group.
He serves on the boards at University of Bristol, BCS Influence Board and eLife, and a member of the Technology Advisory Group of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
He is a Fellow of BCS and judge for the UK IT Industry and Women in IT awards.
Delphine Charlotte (Panel Chair)
Delphine is currently a Partner at Quince Consulting, working with C-suite leaders to navigate business transformation at the intersection of strategy, technology, and people. With over 10 years of international experience and fluency in three languages, her expertise spans consultancy in Talent Management, workforce planning, and implementing skill-based programs within Digital Transformations.
At EY, she developed talent strategies and learning frameworks to enhance human-AI collaboration. Her background includes specialized work in Skills Taxonomy development, complemented by certifications in Scrum, Design Thinking, and Data Analytics. Earlier career experience includes roles at Executive Search firms focusing on Financial Services, and positions at Credit Agricole in Financial Analysis and Law.
She is a BCS Member, and a Committee Member of the BCS Digital Divide Specialist Group who is the Champion of Digital Skills.
Rebena Sanghera (Panellist)
High Performance Skills Coach at WorldSkills UK.
Rebena Sanghera MSc QTLS CertEd MCE MBCS is a High Performance Skills Coach at WorldSkills UK. Specialising in AI literacy, future skills, and digital education, she has recently contributed through the JISC Gen AI literacy working group to provide guidance for Gen AI literacy for further education staff and students.
In addition to her coaching and mentoring roles, she is an accomplished speaker, an Early Careers Advocate for BCSWomen (Chartered Institute of IT), and a T Level Ambassador for the DfE’s T Level Ambassadors Network.
With a deep commitment to inclusion, digital parity and social mobility, she actively promotes the participation of diverse groups in the technology sector.
Lucy Caton (Panellist)
Lead, Centre of AI in Education, University of Greater Manchester
Dr Lucy Caton is the Lead for the Centre of AI in Education and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Greater Manchester.
Her current research focuses on the use of generative AI to support formative feedback processes for neurodivergent students—particularly those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in mainstream primary and secondary school settings.
She is co-editor of the forthcoming Routledge publication AI-Powered Pedagogy: Practical Insights for Educators, due for release in September 2025. Dr Caton also chairs and organises the annual AI in Education Symposium, a cross-sector event that showcases innovative, educator-led practices in the use of generative AI in classrooms.
The symposium is designed to amplify the voices of practitioners and key stakeholders, fostering collaboration and advancing understanding of AI’s evolving role in education.
Paul Finnis (Panellist)
former CEO of Digital Poverty Alliance, Co-Director of The NextPath Device Consortium.
I have worked for the last 40 years with and for ngos in the UK, internationally and in Vietnam. My personal focus has always been on helping young people to thrive in a difficult world and mainly through enabling their access to good education. My focus for the last 10 years has been specifically on digital inclusion and learning as well as connecting individuals around the globe who are unable to get online –predominantly schoolchildren.
I founded the UK-based Digital Poverty Alliance in 2018. I thought that I had retired on leaving my last role but that was not to be as there remains much to be done and great people to do that with!
I have literally just co-founded The NextPath Device Consortium
working with the tech sector to substantively increase the number of laptops being made available for reuse by those who have no access to the digital world.
THIS EVENT IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Digital Divide specialist group
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