Pavan Madduru is the visionary behind Silence Speaks, driven by a passion for leveraging technology to address systemic inequities.

A former Vodafone AI pioneer, with over two decades of experience in artificial intelligence innovation, Pavan has dedicated his career to creating ethical, inclusive solutions that prioritise humanity and dignity.

His leadership has been instrumental in developing groundbreaking technologies that bridge societal divides, particularly in underserved communities. Under his guidance, Silence Speaks is redefining global accessibility through collaboration, representation, and scalable impact.

Adrian Pickering is a highly accomplished technologist with over 25 years of experience driving innovation and leading technical teams across diverse industries. An expert in software development, systems architecture, and strategic leadership, Adrian has a proven track record of delivering cutting-edge solutions that address real-world challenges.

As Chief Technology Officer, Adrian is focused on advancing communication tools for the Deaf and hard of hearing community. With a passion for inclusive technology and a commitment to accessibility, he is leading the development of innovative solutions that empower this community, ensuring their voices are heard in an increasingly digital world.

Marion Marincat is a Deafened entrepreneur and accessibility strategist with over a decade of experience advancing inclusive solutions for the Deaf and hard of hearing. After becoming profoundly Deaf at 26, he turned lived experience into purpose, founding multiple ventures including Hearology and Sound Affects - an initiative dedicated to audio inclusion and sensory wellbeing.

As a facilitator in the WHO World Hearing Forum, Marincat brings global insight into the barriers and breakthroughs in hearing health. With a background in finance, behavioural science, and tech, he blends commercial acumen with deep empathy.

At Silence Speaks, he leads commercial strategy and operations - ensuring the company’s growth is firmly grounded in accessibility, innovation, and impact. His vision is simple: to make communication equitable, intuitive, and inclusive for everyone.

Rt Hon Chloe Smith is former Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology, and led the legislation that recognised British Sign Language in UK law in 2022. Chloe has been a vocal advocate for British Sign Language (BSL), collaborating with organisations like the British Deaf Association (BDA), and serving as trustee of the national hearing loss charity RNID.

Her political career has been marked by a steadfast commitment to advancing accessibility and fostering dialogue between governments, businesses, and communities.

As Chair of the Board, Chloe ensures our work aligns with both technological excellence and societal impact, paving the way for a more accessible future.

Dr. John Lee Allen, Managing Partner at RYSE Asset Management and influential tech investor, is driving strategic partnerships and international expansion, drawing on his background as an NHS doctor and audiology specialist.

Leveraging his technical background as a surgeon and engineer, he has helped companies to secure multimillion-dollar investments and gain entry into Silicon Valley's renowned accelerator, Y Combinator. Notably, he has led investor partnerships with the largest digital health accelerator in Europe, DigitalHealth.London, and with industry giants Novartis, Medtronic, and the NHS, driving the selection and rapid scaling of innovative early-stage companies that are transforming lives.

Robert Tiffert is a Deaf Full-stack Software Engineer who joined Silence Speaks shortly after graduating from Code Institute. A lifelong tech enthusiast, his curiosity for how computers work began in childhood. He famously took apart his grandfather’s computer (and even bypassed the parental control password) just to explore and play games.

Before pivoting to tech, he spent eight years in the food industry as a Food Safety Specialist, where he also built and managed a company website that significantly contributed to the business's growth. His passion for understanding the intersection of business and customer needs led him to pursue a part-time Bachelor of Business Studies at University College Dublin. He explored topics such as integrating Eastern philosophies into Western leadership and management approaches.

Upon graduation, recognising the growing impact of AI in the food sector and its potential in accessibility, he enrolled at Code Institute to study programming. During his studies, he became increasingly aware of the limited AI tools designed to enhance communication for the Deaf community. This insight, combined with his fluency in multiple sign languages, including Polish Sign Language (PJM), Irish Sign Language (ISL), Indian Sign Language (ISL), British Sign Language (BSL), and American Sign Language (ASL), inspired him to contribute to more inclusive technology solutions. At Silence Speaks, he brings a unique blend of technical skills, life experience, and cultural insight to both the Full-Stack Development and AI teams, helping to shape products that serve and empower the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

Jayanth Srinivasan is a Junior Full-stack Software Developer with a solid foundation in both front-end and back-end technologies. An engineering graduate from Vellore Institute of Technology, he brings hands-on experience in developing dynamic, user-centric applications across both mobile and web platforms.

Jayanth has worked extensively with frameworks like Flutter and React Native, building applications that leverage both local and serverless databases to deliver seamless, personalized user experiences. One of his standout projects is a sign language learning app, designed to offer accessible resources for beginners. The app has reached over 75,000 users globally, reflecting both its impact and usability. His technical contributions span across implementing structured data flows, integrating features such as local notifications, CRUD operations, and secure data backups—all with a strong focus on performance, scalability, and user experience.

Passionate about leveraging technology to solve real-world challenges, Jayanth consistently explores AI-driven enhancements to improve app functionality and engagement. He thrives in collaborative environments and is deeply committed to continuous learning and building meaningful, innovative solutions.

Deblina Bhattacharjee is an interdisciplinary AI researcher, and Assistant Professor at the University of Bath. Her work bridges Computer Vision with Arts, developing AI-driven solutions for creative domains. Deblina's research focuses on generative models, 3D reconstruction, multimodal large language models, depth estimation, visual saliency, and multitask learning, aiming to push the boundaries of AI integration into society.

Beyond research, Deblina passionate about Cognitive Systems & AI Ethics, exploring how AI interacts with human cognition and understanding its ethical and societal impacts. Her goal is to develop AI systems that are responsible and inclusive.

Sharvari Gaitonde is passionate about using technology to solve real-world challenges, this led her to join SilenceSpeaks as an AI Engineer. From the moment she learned about the initiative/product, she was excited by the opportunity to contribute to a cause that leverages AI to help people. In her role, she focuses on developing AI-powered sign language avatars, driven by the opportunity to create innovative solutions with real-world impact. The team's enthusiasm and the project's vision of enabling accessible, expressive communication continue to motivate Sharvari every day.

Rohit Raj is an AI Engineer at SilenceSpeaks, where he is dedicated to developing cutting-edge AI solutions that enhance communication for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

What drew him to SilenceSpeaks was the organization’s inspiring mission—developing innovative solutions with real-world significance. In his role, Rohit thrives in a dynamic, supportive environment where each day presents new learning opportunities. He is passionate about using his interdisciplinary knowledge to contribute to projects that bridge science and technology, and he is eager to continue growing in the rapidly evolving world of AI.

Professor of AI and Chair of the Deep Tech Innovation Centre at Warwick University with 30+ years of IT, business and management experience across multiple industries, including Financial Services, Retail and Products, Media, Telecoms & Technology and Health & Public Services.

Consulting with CEOs and their boards on AI strategy, delivery, governance, operating model, responsible AI, ethics, innovation, change and scaling AI.

An AI influencer, thought leader, international keynote speaker, author and community leader on AI having an extensive network within the AI community globally.

Craig Flynn is a proud and profoundly Deaf individual with a distinguished career dedicated to advocating for the Deaf community. He attended the Royal Cross School for the Deaf and Dumb in Preston and has spent his career ensuring better communication, access, and equal opportunities for Deaf people.

As Head of Data Translation at Silence Speaks, Craig leads efforts to bridge the communication gap, ensuring accurate data handling and translation. He has played a key role in the British Deaf Association (BDA) committee, contributing significantly to raising awareness about Deaf rights worldwide.

Craig has also worked as a Rehabilitation Officer with the RNID, supporting Deaf individuals in residential homes, and later led the Deaf community, campaigning for equal opportunities and social awareness. As Director of Deaf Way in Preston, he was responsible for overseeing finances, staff, and operations. In addition, Craig served as an intermediary for the Home Office within the court system, ensuring Deaf individuals received a fair trial and that interpreters accurately conveyed information. His extensive experience and unwavering commitment to Deaf advocacy make him an invaluable asset to Silence Speaks.

Elvis Paun is profoundly Deaf, proudly Roma Gypsy, from Romania. Fluent in 6 languages, he adopted British Sign Language as his first language.

Elvis was educated in a mainstream school within a "hearing impaired unit". This is where he learnt BSL, and from initiation was a symbiotic collaboration for his life. It has given him vocation and passion towards supporting D/deaf people and to advocate the advancement and rights of the D/deaf community.

Elvis Paun's life experience informs his work very strongly. Within a Business Environment context, both his role within Channel 4, and his apprenticeship as a Disability Advisor has engaged his skills, and given him the opportunity to work towards these aims, providing in-depth knowledge of business policy, strategies and tech. His passion has been ignited by innovative new projects that have adopted change and team collaboration. This foundation of networking, management and team working inform his trajectory towards greater improvements both in business, personal and social arenas.

Elvis's dream to be a television presenter; to continue to represent for D/deaf community, its people, and culture via an on-screen presence. With a more visible platform, this will allow further influence regards informing policy, law and general society. To promote a social model within his business career and within society where equity is at the forefront of everyone's mind, and understanding that disability is only felt within the sphere of exclusion, under-provision and lack of awareness. Education and visibility are key to changing minds and lives.