BASDA Annual Summit 2026
‘‘Beyond AI Hype – Innovation and Transformation in Business Software”
#BASDASUMMIT2026
Date: Wednesday, 22nd April Where: The Wellcome Collection, London This is an all-day event.
Artificial Intelligence dominates the headlines – but what’s happening beyond the hype?
Join us in 2026 for a forward-looking member event focused on real innovation and genuine transformation in business software. This event will cut through the noise to explore how organisations are using technology in practical, measurable ways to drive efficiency, growth and competitive advantage.
Our event will also take place shortly after the publication of HMRC’s new strategy, giving members a timely opportunity to hear directly from HMRC on its priorities, direction and implications for the software development industry. This event will provide valuable insights into what the strategy means in practice and how our industry should be preparing for what comes next.
Designed specifically for the business software developer community, this event will bring together industry leaders, practitioners and technology experts to share insights, case studies and perspectives on what’s working today and what’s coming next. Expect thoughtful discussion, honest debate and actionable takeaways you can apply within your own organisation.
Our Keynote Speaker is JP Marks, First Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive, HMRC. Additional confirmed speakers include Tom Skalycz, Chief Technology Officer, HMRC with more announcements to follow shortly.
The Summit will focus on:
- Moving beyond AI buzzwords to real business outcomes
- How modern business software is transforming operations, decision-making, and customer experience
- Lessons learned from successful (and challenging) transformation journeys
- What innovation leaders should be prioritising now for 2026 and beyond
This is an opportunity to connect with peers, gain fresh insight, and help shape the future direction of business software within your sector.
BASDA has taken onboard member feedback and this flagship event incorporates the topics that are key to members’ businesses in both the near and medium term – providing access to speakers and panellists along with valuable networking with peers during and after the main event.
Cost to Attend:
Member: Early Bird (until 28th February) £99 + VAT + Eventbrite fees
Member: General Ticket (after 1st March) £125 + VAT + Eventbrite fees
Non Member: Early Bird (until 28th February) £149 + VAT + Eventbrite fees
Non Member: General Ticket (after 1st March) £199 + VAT + Eventbrite fees
Booking closes: 3pm on 15th April 2026 We’ve kept costs down and held the price steady, so you get the same great event and access to early bird tickets. And… if you are booking for more than 1 attendee from your organisation use the code ‘MULTIPLE‘ at checkout to avail of a discounted rate of 15% on your booking.
Summit Agenda
Time
Session
Registration, Breakfast and Networking
BASDA Summit Starts
Welcome & Opening Remarks by Kevin Hart, CEO & Executive Chairperson, BASDA
10.15 – 11.15
Tom Skalycz, Chief Technology Officer, HM Revenue and Customs
With one of the largest IT estates in the UK, even Europe, HMRC’s CTO, Tom Skalycz, provides an exclusive insight into their technical strategy leading into the next decade and beyond, and how this is evolving to meet all their tax duties and accompanying transformation, including the OECD’s Tax Admin 3.0.
This session will explore both the external interfacing developmental plans – critical to the provision of our members’ services – along with the internal transitions to strategic platforms, architecture and how these provide the potential for far greater data federation and exchange plus informing how we may need to pivot services to optimise these platforms and further stimulate our collective innovation agendas.
Tom will also touch on new ways of working within HMRC that will positively change HOW this strategy is getting delivered.
11.15
Coffee Break & Networking
11:30 – 13:00
Interactive Session: Shaping Software Standards
Join an early-stage conversation with HMRC post the launch of their software strategic approach – which BASDA and a number of our members have been key contributors to – in order to help shape their resultant set of software standards, which will be pivotal to our industry’s commercial and technical success.
Together with a set of key policy principles, these standards aim to ensure a thriving, quality, innovative, equitable and competitive business software landscape, serving the entire ecosystem.
This interactive session is your opportunity to:
- Explore priority areas for developers
- Identify barriers and key enablers to adoption
- Contribute to the design of practical, industry-aligned standards
Led by Chris Simons, Deputy Director, Intermediaries at HMRC and BASDA CEO, Kevin Hart, this session will be a great opportunity to help shape how these standards will be developed and implemented.
Crucially, it is also your opportunity to help define not just what good looks like, but critically, what doesn’t – along with ensuring that we have clarity on expectations, oversight and appropriate enforcement.
Have your say. Collaborate. Build upon last year’s Summit to help shape a ‘thriving’ business software future.
13:00
Lunch & Networking
14:00 – 14:45
Keynote Speaker:
JP Marks, First Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive of HM Revenue and Customs
JP Marks brings invaluable insights from his leadership at HMRC and will share perspectives on the latest strategic priorities that will impact our industry. In his presentation, JP will set out HMRC’s strategy to 2030 and beyond, exploring why deep partnership with software providers is critical to delivering a modern, resilient tax system.
He’ll highlight the importance of fostering an open working culture, where collaboration and transparency enable great innovation and better outcomes and touch on work already undertaken (and underway) in the 9 months since he took the reins.
Attendees will gain insight into HMRC’s automation and transformation agenda, including the evolving role of AI, the growing interdependencies across the tax ecosystem, and why working in the open and collaborating with software partners is pivotal to achieving long-term, system-wide change, and discuss key enablers in achieving this.
Closing Remarks
Awards, Reception & Networking
By Attending you will
- Hear first-hand experiences and gain practical and insightful information, enabling your organisation to be aligned and understand opportunities to innovate and collaborate through HMRC’s vision and key supporting programmes.
- Hear from key specialists about industry challenges and opportunities along with the developing landscape that is, and will further, transform business operations.
- Have the opportunity to meet with peers from across the industry and enjoy networking
Benefits
Access to valuable insights to help ensure that your business is/will be fully fit for purpose to fully capitalise upon future needs and opportunities
Receive guidance and advice from industry experts, speakers and your peers throughout the day
Network with your peers – extend your business and personal network
Previous Attendees Say…
‘ My observation is more about the way that BASDA came across on the day….I’ve been attending the Annual Summit for a number of years, there’s no doubt in my mind that in the last couple of years BASDA is showing a growing confidence in itself. This growth reflects well on the organisation and, more importantly, elevates the status of the Association in the eyes the external attendees.’ ‘The talks assisted us in future business strategic planning and the event was a great way to network with other software providers that face similar issues to ourselves.’ ‘ Really varied bunch of topics. Learned about lots of areas I wasn’t familiar with before.’ ‘ The summit educated me and demonstrated that by attending I would be better placed to service my clients in the future.’
Confirmed Speakers
JP Marks
First Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive, HMRC
John-Paul (JP) Marks started as First Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive of HM Revenue and Customs on 6 April 2025.
Since January 2022, he had been Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government, where he was responsible for the development, implementation and communication of government policies and Principal Accountable Officer, leading the Civil Service in the Scottish Government.
He was appointed Director General, Work and Health Services at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in April 2019. Before this, he was a Director General for Operations on temporary promotion from March 2018.
His roles outside the Civil Service include Chair of the Civil Service Lifeboat Fund.
Tom Skalycz
Chief Technology Officer, HMRC
Tom joined HMRC in November ‘21 as Chief Technology Officer. With a varied experience between public and private sector Tom has moved within various parts of IT to be as well-rounded as possible. A software developer by heart with a big focus on business value it was a natural move into architecture (both Solutions and Enterprise).
Chief Technology and Design Office (CT&DO) was formed in CDIO to provide strategic technology leadership for HMRC both in terms of what shape the technology takes and how HMRC go about delivering it. CT&DO has responsibility for high level technology design (Architecture and Service Design) and detailed Architectural Solution Design for all enterprise wide programmes and projects and policy impacting work.
Chris Simons
Deputy Director, Strategic Approach team in the Intermediaries Directorate, HMRC
Chris’ team are responsible for agreeing HMRC’s overall approach to intermediaries in the tax system, including our specific approach to those intermediaries that exploit their position to cause harm. He also leads our work to implement the intermediaries strategy in the tax software and umbrella company markets.
Chris previously led the programme implementing the Off-Payroll Working reforms that took effect in 2021. Prior to that he has led large operational compliance teams and been the Permanent Secretary’s Principal Private Secretary.
Kevin Hart
CEO & Executive Chairperson of BASDA
Kevin has worked in a number of senior capacities for several blue-chip companies across several sectors and is currently Strategic Partnerships Manager at Nest. With a passionate belief that BASDA has a crucial role to play in the business software industry, punching well above its weight, Kevin is committed to delivering incremental value to members including a more diverse and representative General Council.
Book Your Place
All bookings are made through Eventbrite.
Tickets can be purchased up until 3pm on 15th April 2026