Berkshire branch: Committee

Meetings

We meet from 7 till 9 pm on the first Tuesday of every month, online or in person when we can. Our meetings are open to all members. Please ask our secretary for joining instructions if you would like to attend all or part of any meeting, whether to contribute or just learn more about what we do. There would be no obligation to join the committee. See contact us link below.

Chair
Paul Leroy

Paul is originally from Johannesburg, South Africa where he studied heavy current electrical engineering and data communications, intending to go into industrial automation. After graduating from The University of the Witwatersrand in 1998 he quickly moved from electronic research and development for heavy industry into networking. He has worked in many roles from network design, network implementation, enterprise sales for a carrier ISP and everything in between.

He moved to the Berkshire in 2018. He is currently working primarily as a Google Cloud trainer across all disciplines (Architecture, Data Engineering, Application Development, DevOps and Machine Learning) and is also involved in a small SaaS startup as CTO.

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Treasurer/Early Careers Advocate
Daniel Broomhead

Daniel is a Jack-of-all trades within the Computer science field with a passion for Cyber, security and networking, whilst his job mainly revolves around data and solution architecture. He is the Artificial Intelligence Lead for the company's UK division, and the Lead developer in their Emerging Technologies team. He is always eager to join new projects and learn more, developing his skills in any aspect of IT / CS.

Daniel joined the BCS during his time at university, and swiftly became the President of the University of Reading's Computer Science Society, and the BCS Student Chapter there.
Daniel has had strong relationships with the BCS and has also maintained other positions amongst other committees, such as the Open Source Specialist group (OSSG). Now Daniel resides as the Treasurer for the Berkshire Branch.

Secretary
Andrew Fieldsend

I was encouraged to join the BCS by my first employer, becoming a member in 1988, a Chartered Engineer and European Engineer in 1993 and a fellow in 2008.

After being an inactive member for some years due to work commitments, I joined the Berkshire committee in 2002, becoming Secretary in 2003, Chair from 2004-2010 and Secretary again from 2015 onwards. Outside the BCS, I am also a fellow of the IAP and member of the ACM and IEEE, where I am active in the Standards Association.

I originally graduated in Computational Science from the University of Leeds, and subsequently gained a postgraduate diploma in computing for commerce and industry from the Open University. I have had a variety of experience in my career to date, including software development, system operations and support, project management and a period as a self-employed consultant. I am now a Technical Consultant for DXC Technologies based in Aldershot.

LinkedIn Profile

STEM Ambassador/Education Liaison Officer
Chris Todd-Davies

Born a long time ago in NZ and moved to Queensland where I attended high school and University. Came to UK in the 70’s and have been here ever since. I am married with 2 children and 3 step-children and have lived in Reading since 2009.

Now semi-retired, I was previously a Senior Project Manager with a German IT multinational. My projects were mainly for transition and transformation of IT infrastructure and systems following acquisitions or outsourcing. Over the last ten years I worked throughout the UK and in US and Europe on IT change projects.

My activities now focus around the BCS events such as TeenTech and getting volunteer links between local charities and colleges in and around Reading. I work with Tony Levene who focuses on the Wokingham area. I am also a regular attendee at ‘SocialTech’ meets and Reading Geek Night.

Newsletter Editor
Michael Dzandu

I hold a BSc in Computer Science and Psychology; and an MPhil in Information Studies (librarianship) degrees from the University of Ghana. I am currently a Doctoral Researcher at the Informatics Research Centre / Business Informatics Systems and Accounting, Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK. My research aim is to develop a framework of human information interface for knowledge activities to support context-specific decision making on stored information in information systems.

Prior to this, I worked as an Assistant Lecturer in the University of Ghana teaching IT related courses. I founded and served as a Senior Partner of Micky Informatics Consult in Ghana, and provided IT sales and services, information consultancy, software development and research consultancy to small, medium and large-scale organisations. I also worked on several resource teams, delivering IT and records management training for employees in Ghanaian industries.

I have interest in human-technology interactions, knowledge management and analytics. In my spare time I enjoy football, and an active member of Reading Athletics Club and Parkrun.

I joined BCS in 2015, and currently volunteer as the Newsletter Editor for the BCS Berkshire branch. I like the enthusiasm and passion of the Committee members, and my role as part of the communications team helping to provide timely information to BCS Berkshire members.

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Inclusion Officer
Buki Ogunleye

I have been in the IT sector for 20+years, starting as a system engineer and graduating to architecture design, becoming an Enterprise Architect before becoming a people manager. I have worked with various technology companies always selling technology to customers from Novell from back in the days to Oracle as my immediate past employer and currently work as a Cloud Solution Architect Manager with Microsoft. I have a masters degree in Information Systems Management from University of Salford and have a recent passion for Design Thinking. I joined BCS last year after being invited and introduced by Coding Black Females (CBF), a group of black IT females that mentor and promote the growth of IT within black females. I love sharing my knowledge and learning new things.

General members

Ugo Ekpo

Ugo is a Cyber Security professional who has worked in the IT industry for over 25 years. He has a BSc(Hons) in Computer Science, PGDip in Software Engineering, Master’s degree in Cyber Security, and is an entrepreneur and Chartered Member of British Computer Society.

Over the years, Ugo’s professional responsibilities have included management roles in testing with extensive experience in billing, quality assurance, systems configuration and has successfully delivered multi-million pound programmes, working for blue chip companies such as BT, Fujitsu Services and O2 UK.

Ugo is interested in projects where Artificial Intelligence / machine learning solutions are developed to mitigate Cyber Security problems, and Cloud Computing issues. He is involved in research projects which focus on developing Cyber Security solutions for African institutions and businesses.

He has written and published the following:

1. Introduction to Cyber Security: Fundamentals - available in hard copy and as an audio book
2. Digital Evolution: Security & facts about cloud computing, IOT and 5G technologies
3. Test Management for the 21st Century - to be published early in 2021.

Ugo supports charities such as the British Heart foundation, British Polio Fellowship and Alzheimer’s Society. He is also involved with some humanitarian projects in Nigeria. His hobbies include meeting new people, listening to music, being creative and reading interesting books.

Carlo Petrini

"Per Aspera Ad Astra" is my life motto. I am Italian and I always loved to live in England, therefore I moved to Guildford-Surrey in 2007 and I became naturalised-British citizen on August 2016. I am married with an Italian woman and we have one son (the reason of my existence).

For the last 15 years I spent lots of hours and money to get the top cybersecurity certifications. I am fascinated by quantum-cryptography and anti-ransomware tools using deep-learning AI solutions. I did not manage yet to acquire a professional experience in the cyber-arena but…never say never!

I joined BCS in 2016 but so far I had not dedicated enough attention to grow within any branch: this is why I am so excited to be part of the BCS Berkshire Committee now! Currently, I am at MBCS level but I am considering to apply for the Chartered IT Professional (CITP) level.

Back in 1996, I graduated in Electronic Engineering at the Marche Polytechnic Italian University of Ancona. My professional career covered always IT and Telco sectors across different job roles within Services and Support areas. Only recently I moved into the Customer Success Management with my current employer Red Hat.

Dinesh Chacko

Dinesh Chacko is the founder and managing director of Oldfield Build Ltd, a technology consulting firm established in 2022.

With over two decades of extensive experience in the IT industry, Dinesh Chacko is a Chartered IT professional with BCS specialising in Digital Strategy, Infrastructure Management, Cloud Transformation, and DevOps Automation. His expertise spans Administration, Technical Support, Software Design, Coding, Testing, and Quality Assurance of application software.

Throughout his career, Dinesh has taken on roles as a software developer, software architect, and team leader. He has contributed to diverse projects across a wide range of sectors, including Telecommunications, Banking, Financial Services, UK Public Sector, Oil and Gas, and EU Institutions.

Additionally, he has worked directly with IT solution integrators, serving both small and large organizations.

Dinesh is particularly passionate about emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and Cybersecurity. He excels in developing highly scalable and distributed systems using leading Cloud vendors and the creation of complex cloud infrastructures.

Femi Royale

Femi Royal is an Investment Associate at a global InvestTech company based in the UK. A professional member of the British Computer Society (BCS), he brings a robust background as a Business Analyst, with expertise spanning Agriculture, Finance, and Education sectors.

Femi has been a driving force behind innovative projects, leading global discussions on emerging technologies such as blockchain, drones, robotics, renewable energy, and agricultural innovations across nearly 30 countries worldwide.

Femi is also a published author, with notable works including:

• Aliu, O.R. (2024). Effect of digitizing food systems from agriculture on youth employment in African countries. Discovery Agriculture, 10: e11da1563. DOI:10.54905/disssi.v10i21.e11da1563

• Royal, F. (2018). Leveraging technology to achieve food security in Nigeria. Young African Leaders Journal of Development, 2(1). DOI:10.32727/24.2018.51

Femi has worked directly with private sector organizations, multinational corporations, international financial institutions, United Nations agency, and government bodies to digitize Nigeria’s agribusiness landscape. His work has positively impacted nearly 1 million farmers across 36 states in Nigeria, contributing to projects valued at over $200 million.

In his spare time, Femi enjoys playing Lawn tennis and is deeply passionate about the sport.

Christopher Sly

I’ve been fortunate to build a diverse and dynamic career across the technology landscape. My journey began with an early passion for IT, sparked by owning my first computer (Amiga 600) and being among the few in my school to study Information Technology. This passion led me to pursue a degree in Entertainment Technology at the University of Portsmouth, where I honed my skills and began my professional path in games testing at EA Games.

My transition into solution design and presales began with a start-up development team focused on data capture and automation solutions. This experience allowed me to cultivate a deep understanding of full-stack technologies and align technology strategies with CIO, CTO, and CEO objectives whilst working for a world-renowned learning technology organisation.

As a Senior Solution Architect, I’ve had the privilege of bridging the gap between sales, design, and delivery. My portfolio in this space, within a global BPO for CX (customer experience) innovation, includes AI-enabled CX solutions for Central Government, including AI-driven intelligent automation and data science initiatives, particularly in chatbot, speech, and text analytics.

Currently, I work at IBM, within the Nordcloud family, where I help clients navigate their continuous journey towards cloud transformation and infrastructure modernisatio.

Documents

The Committee and Council share electronic documents to help organise the branch. They also have access to a secure committee area linked from the BCS members’ login.