We are delighted to announce that our keynote speakers for 2026 will be Issac Samuels, Hayley Trowbridge, Lewis Hou, and a special addition: our very own Vicky Ward.
Isaac Samuels and Hayley Trowbridge
Isaac is a dedicated advocate for social justice and co-production, with decades of experience in driving systemic change. They are members of a number of influencing groups and networks within adult social care, disability rights and connected areas where they use their platform, skills and lived experience to play a key role in shaping policy and practice. Isaac works across charities, universities, local authorities, and government to embed lived experience in decision-making. They are currently the Lead Commissioning Officer (Co-Production and Inclusion) at Greenwich Council. Passionate about ensuring that marginalised voices are truly listened to, Isaac champions inclusive services that reflect diverse needs. Their work is rooted in narrative power, equity, anti-racism and the belief that change is always possible.
As Head of Partnerships and Practice at People’s Voice Media, Isaac is one-third of the Shared Leadership team who are responsible for the organisation’s overall strategic direction. In their specific role, Isaac leads the development of the Community Reporter network and our approaches to storytelling and co-production. They develop partnerships with individuals, groups and organisations that support our aim to change the world, one story at a time. Isaac embeds anti-racism and equitable practice into all aspects of our work, leading on the delivery of programmes that support inclusion and the platforming of often unheard voices.
Hayley specialises in creative and participatory research methods that centre co-production, lived experience storytelling, and future-thinking to drive system change. With a background in the third sector, she has spent two decades working across the UK and Europe to dismantle hierarchies and foster more equitable approaches in research, policy, and public services. Hayley’s work is rooted in a deep commitment to social justice, with a focus on amplifying marginalised voices and embedding anti-racist practice.
Lewis Hou
Lewis Hou is Founder and Director of Science Ceilidh, which is an intermediary organisation supporting cultural and knowledge democracy in Scotland. He is passionate about knowledge and cultural democracy – how we can recognise, value and support everyone’s creativity and expertise to enable local action, knowledge production and social justice.
Lewis currently coordinates Community Knowledge Matters network and The Ideas Fund funding directly and supporting grassroots communities across Scotland to lead participatory research on mental wellbeing, culture and climate change. He is one of the UK Creative Community Fellows, and now Faculty of Community Building in that programme, and was recently awarded the Beetlestone Award for leadership in the science engagement field.
Lewis is also now undertaking an Engage Fellowship with the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement exploring systems change to support more diverse knowledge production. He also explores his creativity through Scottish traditional music and dance – including playing the fiddle – and more recently training in urban dance styles.
Vicky Ward
Vicky is a Reader in Management in the Department of Management and Director of Research Engagement for the University of St Andrews Business School and has a passion for bringing people working in knowledge mobilisation together and supporting people to make a difference with research. Outside the department she leads the RURU Network (Researching and Understanding Research Use) and has chaired the UK Knowledge Mobilisation Forum since 2018. Her research portfolio includes work on knowledge brokering in a range of settings and she has undertaken research on parliamentary research services, embedded researchers, research-policy partnerships, and interprofessional working.