Event details
Date: 2nd December 2026
Time: 3 - 5pm
Location: RICS, 12 Great George Street, London SW1A.
The session will include expert presentations, a live demonstration, roundtable discussion and networking lunch.
About the event
As organisations accelerate their AI ambitions, many are finding that legacy technology is becoming a barrier to progress. Organisations are under increasing pressure to embrace AI, improve productivity and accelerate transformation, yet many find their ambitions constrained by complex legacy estates, rising technical debt and concerns around governance, risk and operational resilience.
This roundtable will explore how organisations can modernise with confidence, creating the foundations needed to adopt AI and emerging technologies while maintaining control, reducing risk and protecting critical services.
The discussion will be opened by Jahangir Khan, Legacy Application Programme Lead at Defra, who will share lessons from Defra’s modernisation journey, including the challenges of balancing transformation ambitions with operational realities.
Designed as a discussion-led session, the event will provide a confidential forum for senior leaders to share experiences, explore challenges and discuss practical approaches to modernisation and AI readiness.
Our speakers
- Ed O'Brien, Cloud Practice Lead, Sopra Steria
- Jahangir Khan, Programme Director, Legacy Applications Programme, Defra
This event is the first in a series of executive discussions focused on helping organisations navigate the challenges of legacy technology, modernisation and digital transformation. Future sessions will explore a range of topics shaping the technology agenda, creating an ongoing forum for collaboration, insight sharing and peer discussion.
Key themes
We'll explore:
- Hidden financial and operational risks within legacy estates.
- Modernisation strategies that balance innovation with governance, resilience and control.
- Approaches for reducing technical debt while maintaining business continuity.
- Preparing legacy estates for AI adoption and future innovation.
- How AI-enabled approaches can support modernisation at scale.
- Building a modernisation roadmap that delivers value today while enabling future capabilities.
What you'll take away
By attending, you'll gain:
- Practical perspectives on reducing risk across legacy technology estates.
- Insights into modernisation approaches being adopted by other organisations.
- A better understanding of how to prepare legacy estates for AI adoption.
- Access to peer discussion with leaders facing similar challenges.
- Actionable ideas to help move modernisation programmes forward with confidence.
Invite-only executive roundtable
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