SMMT Events

SMMT Connected 2024

SMMT Connected 2017

Thursday 14 March 2024
08:30 – 16:30 GMT, QEII Centre, London

More than a century ago the first cars transformed how people travelled. They enhanced our lives, enabling us to go further, faster and in greater comfort, and improving the lives of millions of people across the world. Today, a new generation of vehicles is emerging – vehicles that are connected, laden with technology, defined by software and increasingly electrified.

The UK automotive sector is at the forefront of this revolution, investing significantly into new technologies and collaborating with government and stakeholders to introduce them on the roads when regulation permits.

Oxa Ford Ranger, Stagecoach autonomous bus AB1, Aurrigo Auto-Dolly, Ford Mustang Mach-E

The fourth edition of SMMT Connected provided an unparalleled opportunity to discuss and showcase the latest innovations and developments in connected and automated vehicle technology. Bringing together more than 400 senior representatives from industry, government, media, and key stakeholders across deeptech, autotech, insurance, telecoms, infrastructure and wider transport sectors, this pre-eminent industry event focused on how the UK can remain at the forefront of this technological revolution and reap the economic, societal and environmental benefits the technology promises to deliver.

Keynote speakers

We heard from Secretary of State for Transport, The Rt Hon Mark Harper MP, in a political keynote speech alongside Bryn Balcombe, Autonomy Systems & Regulation Expert, Oxa; Bill Esterson MP, Shadow Minister for Roads; Robert Smith, Director of Technology AI and Data Science, Digital Catapult; and Dr. Céline Laurent-Winter, Vice President Connected Vehicle Platforms, BMW Group, and Maria Cristina Galassi, Project Leader – Automated/Connected Vehicles and Safety at the European Commission DG GROW.

SMMT Connected vehicle display: Stagecoach autonomous bus AB1, Aurrigo Auto-Dolly, Ford Mustang Mach-E

Connected panellists

  • Johannes Springer, Director General, 5GAA
  • Ali İhsan Danışman, Chief Commercial Officer, ADASTEC
  • Amelia Armour, Partner, Early Stage Funds, Amadeus Capital Partners
  • Prof. David Keene BSc. CEng. FIET FRSA, Chief Executive Officer, Aurrigo
  • Lee Callaghan, General Counsel – Group Centre & International Group Competition Counsel, Aviva
  • Isobel Pastor, Head – Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, Department for Transport
  • Robert Smith, Director of Technology AI & Data Science, Digital Catapult
  • Tom Stringer, Product Strategy Director, JLR
  • Kevin Green, Director of Policy and Communications, Logistics UK
  • Rob Rugman, Head of IT Architecture, Motability Operations
  • Cerys Wyn Davies, Partner, Pinsent Masons (Moderator)
  • Jim Sanders, Director of Innovation, Royal National Institute of Blind people (RNIB)
  • Peter Hafmar, Vice President & Head of Autonomous Solutions, Scania
  • Andrew Hart, Chief Executive, SBD Automotive
  • Ben Gardner, Partner, Shoosmiths (Moderator)
  • Maria Uvarova, SVP of Software Product, Stellantis
  • Dr René Hosse, Head of AD System Definition & Assurance, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
  • George Ivanov, Head of International Policy and Government Affairs, Waymo
  • Sarah Gates, Director – Public Policy, Wayve
  • Joe Poynter, Director of Enterprise Partnerships, what3words

For information about future registration, exhibition and partnership packages, please contact Seventy Events team by email: connected@smmt.co.uk

Event Partners

Highlights from SMMT Connected 2024

The UK is poised to benefit from a £66 billion annual economic uplift by 2040, according to a landmark new report. Connected and automated mobility: The UK economic and market opportunities sets out the extensive socio-economic benefits for Britain if connected and automated mobility (CAM) technology is adopted in a range of commercial applications, from self-driving cars and logistics vehicles to automated buses, taxis, shuttles and even tractors.

CAM tech enables vehicles to drive without human intervention while connecting with each other and surrounding infrastructure. Boosting rollout would not only cement the UK’s status as a global leader in this next gen tech, but it would also create some 342,000 additional jobs across the economy from now to 2040, with 12,250 in automotive manufacturing. 3,900 lives could be saved, too, with 60,000 serious accidents prevented across the same period, all while delivering potentially lower insurance premiums, less stressful journeys and greater travel freedom for those with disabilities. Businesses could benefit from more efficient movement of goods and industrial processes.