Maria Luciana Axente

Maria Luciana Axente is a renowned expert in responsible artificial intelligence and a compelling voice in the cybersecurity landscape. As the Founder and CEO of Responsible Intelligence, she works with business leaders, AI developers, and investors to transform AI risk into sustainable growth and market advantage. Maria is frequently invited to speak at global conferences and executive forums thanks to her clear, strategic approach to responsible AI – seeing it not as a regulatory hurdle, but as a powerful tool for innovation, resilience, and trust.

Maria’s journey began in digital consultancy roles at Euromoney Institutional Investor and Cognizant, where she honed her skills in transformation and emerging technologies. She joined PwC in 2014, moving swiftly into leadership roles focused on digital and AI strategy. By 2017, she was leading Responsible AI and AI for Good initiatives, advising clients on building trustworthy, ethical AI systems. Her credibility as a policy voice grew, and in 2019 she joined the UK Parliament’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Artificial Intelligence as an Advisory Board Member. In 2020, she was elected Chair of the Data Analytics and AI Leadership Committee for techUK, reinforcing her influence on national policy and industry standards.

In the years that followed, Maria continued to shape the responsible AI agenda both in the UK and internationally. She joined NATO’s Advisory Group on Emerging and Disruptive Technologies in 2022, offering insights into governance and strategic risk. At the University of Cambridge, she became a Senior Research Associate at the Intellectual Forum, helping to lead discussions on human-centred AI and sustainable tech growth. In 2023, she was appointed Head of AI Public Policy and Ethics at PwC, before stepping fully into her own venture with the launch of Responsible Intelligence in 2025. She also joined the Board of Advisors at Digital Leaders, helping the UK’s largest digital network craft meaningful AI strategies.

Maria is hired as a cybersecurity and AI speaker because of her rare combination of technical expertise, policy leadership, and commercial insight. She brings clarity to complex challenges, helping audiences understand how to build secure, ethical, and scalable AI systems. Her talks are grounded in years of experience advising global enterprises, governments, and international bodies – making her a trusted voice for those navigating the fast-evolving intersection of AI, ethics, and cybersecurity.