If Carlsberg Did Conferences: Towards Deep Tech in Digital Trust

If Carlsberg Did Conferences: Towards Deep Tech in Digital Trust in Europe

The “If Carlsberg did conferences” quote is not mine, and will appear later.

Tuesday, 24 June 2025 will be a day I will long remember — and was the day we scarcely ran two conferences together, and in different places. In Edinburgh and Istanbul, we hosted the International Conference on Digital Trust, AI and the Future, and which was part of the EIT Digital DTTI Trust4Futures programme [here]. We also broadcast it live and had sold out the event weeks before — with more than 500 people registered. It was also the first event for the newly created Scottish Centre of Excellence in Digital Trust and DLT [here], and which is supported by Scottish Enterprise and FinTech Scotland.

Back at conferences after a long break! Yesterday’s International Conference on Digital Trust, AI and the Future at Edinburgh Napier University was an absolute brain boost. My last one was Financial Cryptography in Italy (Dec 2023), and since then, the doctorate had taken over. This felt like the perfect reentry: a day full of fresh thinking, real-world applications, and great minds from across tech, policy, finance, and research.

The day was packed with standout moments — from Dr. Mark Tehrani, Amit Gupta, Derek A Whigham, Peter Ferry, Martin Halford, Martin Trotter, Martin Docherty-Hughes, and Chris Tate. Days like this remind me why I’m so passionate about this space. When brilliant minds come together to tackle the biggest challenges in digital trust and AI, magic happens. The future is being built by conversations exactly like these [here]

This week we’ve attended the Conference on Digital Trust, AI and The Future, organised by the Digital Trust Taskforce Scotland & Prof Bill Buchanan OBE FRSE at the Edinburgh Napier University. I was genuinely amazed by the high-calibre speakers on the panels, the level of insight into the future of Web3, blockchain, cryptography, and AI was incredible. It reminded me just how far the Web3 space has come. It’s no longer niche, it’s spilling into the mainstream, and I’m excited to see how the world adapts to it!

It was great to see student work being presented, too:

What an incredible day at the International Conference on Digital Trust, AI and the Future in Edinburgh! This was truly a fantastic conference that brought together an exceptional line-up of leaders from technology and financial services, alongside academia and public sector innovators. The agenda was nothing short of incredible, showcasing the very best thinking on how we’re shaping our digital future.

It was a wonderful conference. Well organised, insightful, thought-provoking. Personally, I picked up a bunch of notes & got to learn about innovations in Fintech & emerging technologies.

“If Carlsberg did conferences” [here]:

Tuesday saw me head up to Edinburgh Napier University for the first international conference to launch the new TRUST; Scottish Centre of Excellence in Digital Trust and DLT. It was a fantastic day’s learning, listening to subject matter experts.

It was a fantastic day’s learning, listening to subject matter experts [here].

“Very grateful to have had the chance to learn from world leaders in cryptography, cybersecurity, blockchain and AI” [here]:

Fantastic day at Edinburgh Napier University with Crypto Prof and Trust4Future International conference on Digital Trust, AI and the future, some fantastic presentations on trust, high security data protection platforms, PQC, blockchain, and AI. I’ve just wrapped up the Trust4Future programme and attended the International Conference on Digital Trust, AI and the Future with my colleagues Katy Fraser and Toju Dediare. After a career that’s taken me from Policing to Financial Services InfoSec to my current role leading Cyber Security Consultancy at i-confidential I’m always driven by a sense of purpose in keeping people and things safe.

“Diamonds A Quantum Computer’s Best Friend” [here]

“Thanks to all involved for hosting a fantastic day’s learning, some of it scary and all of it thought provoking! [here].

You painted a picture of the GOAT and oh boy did Bruce Schneier live up to expectations, he was a fascinating listen and I loved his come back on you when you asked “Will AI destroy us.” His analogies of other things that arrived on the scene in previous decades that ended up supporting our lives, rather than destroying them was excellent. Great day and thanks to all at Edinburgh Napier University for hosting us in the beautiful auditorium, always a pleasure [here]

If you needed proof that 𝗔𝗜, 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺 are fun topics for learning and conferences then just check out all the happy faces in Bill’s pictures from the Trust4Future conference yesterday [here]:

Thank you Digital Trust Taskforce Scotland for opportunity to chair the terrific conversation with brilliant innovation leaders , bringing alive through practical delivery the valuable role of DLT in shaping the future of finance [here]:

“An exceptional conference that showcased digital trust as the foundation for building strong, authentic connections in the digital age!!” [here]

“In a world where trust is becoming the new currency, exploring how technology can protect and preserve it has never been more critical. The Trust4Future conference brought together global thought leaders, innovators, and changemakers to explore the future of trust, technology, and security” [here]:

I had the opportunity to attend the workshop, and I found this talk session to be truly insightful, perhaps the most insightful one throughout the entire workshop series [here].

Great day connecting and learning from some of the top talent in the digital trust ecosystem here in Scotland! [here]

Great day at the International Conference on Digital Trust, AI & the Future 📍 Edinburgh. Brain is full 🤯. Huge thanks to our awesome hosts for organizing such a fantastic event [here].

From the Edinburgh side, the whole focus on Digital Trust has been led by the Digital Trust task force, and led by Peter Ferry and Sarah Forbes:

And which has led to the creation of the Scottish Centre of Excellence in Digital Trust and DLT, and which launched last month:

And here are some more photos from the conference [here]:

Let’s build a new world of trust!