Speakers
Himal Mandalia
Himal is a digital transformation consultant who has worked across the UK government and globally with UNDP, and is formerly Head of Technology for GOV.UK. Over the past decade he has led and advised on high-impact digital services, in prisons and probation to education, and later on critical national infrastructure during the pandemic. His work focuses on systems, capability and culture: how organisations build the conditions for delivery, and how teams work with clarity, purpose and psychological safety.
Following a late diagnosis of ADHD and autism, Himal now speaks openly about neurodivergence and leadership, advocating for ways of working where difference becomes a strength. He is the founder of ADHD Pathfinding, an initiative exploring how the UK’s ADHD system could be more joined-up, humane and equitable. He also drinks earl grey, likes cats, and has a habit of popping up in unexpected places around the world.
Why change burns people out and how to design it differently
Digital transformation often swings between two failure modes: unsustainable heroics that burn people out, or well-intentioned environments where change stalls under the weight of consensus and risk paralysis.
Both patterns emerge when the conditions for change weren’t in place to begin with.
This talk explores how organisations can design those conditions: balancing productive friction with protected capacity so teams can surface problems early, adapt safely, and keep evolving.
Transformation isn’t just a resilience challenge. It’s an architectural one. When the conditions are right, care doesn’t become exhaustion, progress doesn’t depend on heroics, and change lasts.