Welcome to Manchester: The UK's AI Powerhouse
Manchester was the home of the First Industrial Revolution. Now, over 200 years later, Manchester is at the centre of the Fourth. Greater Manchester has established itself as the UK’s leading hub for AI and digital innovation, powered by bold leadership, strategic investment, and a unique culture of collaboration between public and private sectors.
This event brought together tech leaders Rich Thompson, CEO at ANS, Darren Hardman, CEO at Microsoft UK, Liz Scott MBE, Director at Turing Innovation Catalyst Manchester and Sue Daley OBE, Director, Technology and Innovation at TechUK for an evening of keynote addresses, panel discussions and networking.
We explored real life use cases and benefits of AI adoption, and were delighted to announce £3 million of funding to support UK businesses with AI transformation projects. Book an AI Workshop to discover how much funding you could be entitled to.
The UK’s First Microsoft Frontier Partner
ANS is the first UK Microsoft partner to achieve both the Microsoft Frontier Partner and Support Services designations — recognition of our proven ability to help organisations move from AI readiness to real‑world AI adoption, securely and at scale.
This dual designation validates the depth of our capability across governance, security and delivery, giving customers confidence that AI can be adopted safely, responsibly and with tangible business impact.
👉 Read the Frontier Firm guide to see how organisations move from AI readiness to real‑world impact — and what it takes to do it properly.
Turning AI Into Real Business Impact with Rich Thompson
This session focuses on how organisations can turn AI ambition into real business outcomes. Taking a people-first approach, it shows how AI can remove low-value work, unlock productivity, and enable teams to focus on higher-impact activities. Through practical examples and ANS’s own journey, it provides a clear view of how to adopt AI securely, build the right skills, and drive meaningful transformation at scale.
Microsoft and the Future of AI with Darren Hardman
This session focuses on how Manchester’s legacy of innovation positions it at the heart of the UK’s AI revolution. AI is not just a technology shift, but an economic and skills-driven transformation that is redefining how organisations operate and how people work. By expanding access to intelligence and automating complex tasks, AI is enabling businesses to move faster, boost productivity and unlock new opportunities across every sector. With strong collaboration between industry, education and government, Manchester is leading the way in building the skills, infrastructure and partnerships needed to shape a more inclusive, AI-powered future.
Manchester AI Ecosystem with Liz Scott MBE
This session explores how Greater Manchester is emerging as one of the UK’s most exciting AI hubs, and what that means for businesses looking to scale. From rapid ecosystem growth to real-world applications across health, education, and sustainability, it highlights how AI is already driving meaningful impact. The session also looks ahead to what’s next, outlining the opportunity for organisations to adopt AI, unlock growth, and play a role in shaping an inclusive, high-value digital economy.
Leadership In Conversation
At the AI Powerhouse, tech leaders Rich Thompson, CEO at ANS, Darren Hardman, CEO at Microsoft UK, Liz Scott MBE, Director at Turing Innovation Catalyst Manchester and Sue Daley OBE, Director, Technology and Innovation at TechUK explore how AI is reshaping organisations at unprecedented speed – going beyond technology to fundamentally transform how businesses operate. Success requires strong leadership, the right foundations in data and governance, and empowering people across the business to rethink processes and drive change. While challenges remain around culture, skills and adoption, the opportunity is significant- helping organisations innovate faster, stay competitive and unlock long-term growth.
The Gold Standard in Microsoft Services
What does ANS Microsoft Copilot Consulting and Managed Services Deliver?
ANS provides a comprehensive, secure, and expert consulting and fully managed AI services designed to accelerate your adoption of Copilot and Agentic AI — while ensuring your data and operations remain protected.
What’s included
Secure by Design: Robust identity protection, access controls, and compliance embedded throughout your AI journey.
Information Governance: Automated protection, data loss prevention, audit trails, and proactive compliance monitoring to meet regulatory obligations and protect sensitive data.
Intelligent Platform Management: Best-practice governance for agent environments, streamlined onboarding, and clear oversight of usage and adoption.
Expert Support: Specialist guidance, rapid incident response, and ongoing advisory services to ensure smooth operations and continuous improvement.
Operational Excellence: Performance optimisation, cost management, and support for innovation — helping you unlock value from advanced data and AI workloads.
Continuous Monitoring: Ongoing health checks, policy monitoring, and actionable insights to maintain a secure and efficient environment.
Request our Copilot and AI Workshop
In this Copilot and AI Workshop, we review your current landscape and provide a clear, actionable roadmap to help you adopt Copilot and Agentic AI safely and effectively.
Outputs from the workshop are:
- Estate discovery & scoping of your current environment
- Review across cloud, data, security and business solutions already in use
- Gap identification & roadmap for a successful roll‑out
- Use cases & measurable outcomes tailored to your business
- Adoption & enablement planning to drive real usage
Fill in your details and we'll be in touch.
