Sara Portell is vice president of user experience at Unit4. Unit4 is a European headquartered SaaS provider and Sara is a key member of the company’s AI Steering Committee, which is responsible for overseeing how AI is integrated into the company’s internal processes as well as the software delivered to customers.

Sara has an academic background in ethnography, which has informed her approach to improving the way users interact with technology and it has become particularly important as she looks to ensure AI reflects the needs of all Unit4’s employees and customers. It is why she makes the argument that female leadership is critical if AI is to be deployed effectively as she understands how important diversity is to ensure the AI models used and how AI is implemented are done ethically and without bias.