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London Blockchain Event Series Hosts the Second Government Event on Blockchain’s role in Public Sector Reform

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LONDON, Feb. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The London Blockchain Conference (LBC) will host its second government event at the House of Lords, the second chamber/upper house of the UK Parliament on 4 March. This exclusive event will bring together innovators, policymakers, and public sector leaders to discuss the critical role of frontier technologies, such as AI, Blockchain and Digital Identities, in reshaping public services over the next decade. 

The event will focus on the ‘Role of Emerging Technology in Public Service Reform’.

While AI is at the forefront of discussions on aiding the Government’s ambitions to transform Britain’s ailing public services, this session will delve into the risks of overlooking the broader toolkit at the government’s disposal and how blockchain technology is a necessary partner for creating a safer and more accountable AI.

The session will feature a diverse panel of experts discussing how emerging technologies hold the key to addressing systemic inefficiencies and enhancing the impact of public services. The panel includes:

Alun Cairns, Business Consultant and Former Member of Parliament and Secretary of State of WalesThe Rt Hon Lord Jones of Penybont, Former Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh LabourZakki Ghauri, Director of Digital & IT, City of London CorporationJeni Tennison, Founder & Executive Director, Connected by DataRory Daniels. Senior Programme Manager, Tech UKPraful Nargund, Director & Founder, Good Growth Foundation

This exclusive closed-door discussion will be conducted under Chatham House Rules, fostering open and candid conversations among participants.

Following the success of the inaugural London Blockchain Summit at the houses of Parliament in November 2024, LBC’s promises to again unite tech leaders and policymakers for critical conversations shaping the UK’s future.”

The London Blockchain Conference remains committed to driving conversations that shape the future of blockchain technology in government and public services. 

About the London Blockchain Conference

UNITING ENTERPRISE, AI & WEB3 

At the London Blockchain Conference, we show how Blockchain will change the world and help people see another way to manage data, build scalable on-chain solutions and achieve great things. We do this by creating valuable, insightful, and engaging events that educate and inform, allowing you to connect and network to build strong business relationships. Our conference is the best avenue to see blockchain innovations, big ecosystem announcements, new product launches, technology updates, keynote speeches, panels, and fireside chats from blockchain leaders. Join us and experience it for yourself. 

Notes to Editors:

Alun Cairns, Business Consultant and Former Member of Parliament and Secretary of State

Alun is a former UK Cabinet member and Member of Parliament, in his 14-year career he served three Prime Ministers as Secretary of State for Wales, government whip, and minister. He was also a member of the UK Board of Trade. As a backbencher, Alun held leadership roles in several All-Party Parliamentary Groups, including Blockchain, Energy Security, Crypto and Digital Assets, and Qatar.

Currently Alun is working as a business consultant, advising a range of international companies.

The Rt Hon Lord Jones of Penybont

A former First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour for nearly a decade, Carwyn spent eighteen years in Government. Throughout his political career, Carwyn held various ministerial and Cabinet positions, including Secretary for Agriculture and Rural Development, Minister for Education, Culture and Sport, Leader of the House and Counsel General for Wales. Carwyn was elected as the representative of Welsh Labour on the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC). In this capacity, he contributed to the strategic direction and governance of the Labour Party at a national level. He serves as a Trustee of Labour’s Climate and Environment Forum. A graduate of Aberystwyth University, he was a barrister for ten years, specialising mainly in criminal law.

Jeni Tennison, Founder & Executive Director, Connected by Data

 Jeni is the founder of Connected by Data, a campaign that aims to put community at the centre of data narratives, practices and policies. She is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, adjunct Professor at Southampton’s Web Science Institute, and a Shuttleworth Foundation Fellow. Jeni was CEO at the Open Data Institute, where she held leadership roles for nine years and worked with companies and governments to build an open, trustworthy data ecosystem; a co-chair of GPAI’s Data Governance Working Group; and an Associate Researcher at Cambridge’s Bennett Institute for Public Policy. She sits on the Boards of Creative Commons and the Information Law and Policy Centre. She has a PhD in AI and an OBE for services to technology and open data.

Jeni sits on a newly formed panel of 12 digital professionals and academics who are helping the government make better use of technology across the public sector.

Zakki Ghauri, Director of Digital & IT, City of London Corporation

Zakki has been working in Local Government for the past 20 years and has worked for a number of London councils during this time. Zakki is currently the Director of Digital & IT for the City of London Corporation and the City of London Police, where his focus has been on stripping away complexity and bringing IT across the wider organisation together. 

Zakki sits on the Local Government Digital Panel, LGA AI Steering Group and also serves as a Local Government Association Peer for both Cyber Security and Digital – advising on national campaigns and projects to improve Cyber Security and Digitisation across the sector.

Rory Daniels. Senior Programme Manager, Tech UK

Rory joined techUK in June 2023 after three years in the Civil Service on its Fast Stream leadership development programme.

During this time, Rory worked on the Government’s response to Covid-19 (NHS Test & Trace), school funding strategy (Department for Education) and international climate and nature policy (Cabinet Office). He also tackled the social care crisis whilst on secondment to techUK’s Health and Social Care programme in 2022.

Today, Rory leads techUK’s emerging technologies activity across everything from immersive, web3, AI and robotics to space, gaming & metaverse.

This involves co-running techUK’s flagship Innovation campaign, managing four series (including the ‘Meet the Innovators’ interview series), and launching 4-6-month ‘sprint campaigns’ on transformative technologies and sectors.

Praful Nargund – Director & Founder of the Good Growth Foundation

Praful is a social entrepreneur and campaigner, who shaped education policy as part of Labour’s Council of Skills Advisors. Until 2023, Praful was the CEO of Create Fertility, which he built with a mission to innovate and make fertility treatment more accessible and affordable for families. He is also a co-founder of a social impact fund which aims to drive sustainable growth. Praful has won innovation and business awards from The Spectator, The Telegraph and London Business School. He ran as Labour’s parliamentary candidate in Islington North in the 2024 General Election against Jeremy Corbyn.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/london-blockchain-event-series-hosts-the-second-government-event-on-blockchains-role-in-public-sector-reform-302381529.html

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XLCS Partners advises Concurrent Utility Services on sale to UniTek Global Services

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NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XLCS Partners, Inc., a leading middle market investment bank, is pleased to announce that it served as exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent Utility Services LLC on its acquisition by UniTek Global Services, Inc., a portfolio company of New Mountain Finance Corporation (Nasdaq: NMFC) and its affiliates, and BTG Pactual Strategic Capital.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Concurrent is a licensed general and electrical contractor providing infrastructure development and maintenance services to electric utilities, telecom providers, and land developers throughout the Southeast United States. The company’s capabilities span overhead and underground utility construction, professional telecom services, emergency service restoration, in-building networks, environmental services, and data center development. Backed by a safety-first culture and an experienced workforce, Concurrent has built a strong regional platform and a reputation for quality across the markets it serves.

UniTek is a leading digital infrastructure services provider supporting the expansion of fiber and data center connectivity across the U.S. and Canada. With over 600 employees and 60 locations, UniTek delivers a full suite of infrastructure services. The acquisition of Concurrent accelerates UniTek’s Power Services Division, which launched in July 2025 to broaden the company’s maintenance, repair, upgrade, and new infrastructure development services for the power sector. Concurrent’s established Southeast footprint and power capabilities directly complement UniTek’s existing broadband and data center infrastructure platform, positioning the combined company to capitalize on growing demand for resilient, modernized power infrastructure. Concurrent will continue to operate under its established brand, maintaining uninterrupted service for its customers.

“Selling Concurrent was one of the biggest decisions of my career, and Anthony, Jay, and the XLCS team guided us through every step with professionalism and genuine care for our people,” said Steve Sarno, CEO of Concurrent. “They stayed fully engaged throughout, gave us honest and thoughtful advice, kept our best interests front and center, and delivered an outcome that exceeded our expectations. I would recommend them without hesitation to any owner considering a transaction.”

XLCS acted as the exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent, and the transaction was led by Anthony Contaldo, Partner, and Jay Cremer, Vice President. The transaction was completed on July 1, 2026.

About XLCS Partners, Inc.

XLCS Partners is a leading global investment banking firm providing M&A advisory services. Visit www.xlcspartners.com for more information.

Media Contact: 
Kendra Span 
kspan@xlcspartners.com
615-379-7783

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xlcs-partners-advises-concurrent-utility-services-on-sale-to-unitek-global-services-302833542.html

SOURCE XLCS Partners, Inc.

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XLCS Partners advises Concurrent Utility Services on sale to UniTek Global Services

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NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XLCS Partners, Inc., a leading middle market investment bank, is pleased to announce that it served as exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent Utility Services LLC on its acquisition by UniTek Global Services, Inc., a portfolio company of New Mountain Finance Corporation (Nasdaq: NMFC) and its affiliates, and BTG Pactual Strategic Capital.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Concurrent is a licensed general and electrical contractor providing infrastructure development and maintenance services to electric utilities, telecom providers, and land developers throughout the Southeast United States. The company’s capabilities span overhead and underground utility construction, professional telecom services, emergency service restoration, in-building networks, environmental services, and data center development. Backed by a safety-first culture and an experienced workforce, Concurrent has built a strong regional platform and a reputation for quality across the markets it serves.

UniTek is a leading digital infrastructure services provider supporting the expansion of fiber and data center connectivity across the U.S. and Canada. With over 600 employees and 60 locations, UniTek delivers a full suite of infrastructure services. The acquisition of Concurrent accelerates UniTek’s Power Services Division, which launched in July 2025 to broaden the company’s maintenance, repair, upgrade, and new infrastructure development services for the power sector. Concurrent’s established Southeast footprint and power capabilities directly complement UniTek’s existing broadband and data center infrastructure platform, positioning the combined company to capitalize on growing demand for resilient, modernized power infrastructure. Concurrent will continue to operate under its established brand, maintaining uninterrupted service for its customers.

“Selling Concurrent was one of the biggest decisions of my career, and Anthony, Jay, and the XLCS team guided us through every step with professionalism and genuine care for our people,” said Steve Sarno, CEO of Concurrent. “They stayed fully engaged throughout, gave us honest and thoughtful advice, kept our best interests front and center, and delivered an outcome that exceeded our expectations. I would recommend them without hesitation to any owner considering a transaction.”

XLCS acted as the exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent, and the transaction was led by Anthony Contaldo, Partner, and Jay Cremer, Vice President. The transaction was completed on July 1, 2026.

About XLCS Partners, Inc.

XLCS Partners is a leading global investment banking firm providing M&A advisory services. Visit www.xlcspartners.com for more information.

Media Contact: 
Kendra Span 
kspan@xlcspartners.com
615-379-7783

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xlcs-partners-advises-concurrent-utility-services-on-sale-to-unitek-global-services-302833542.html

SOURCE XLCS Partners, Inc.

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Fathom Applauds Introduction of the FRONTIER Act, the First Federal Blueprint for Independent AI Verification

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Reps. Lori Trahan (D-MA-03) and Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23) introduce a bill to build a competitive marketplace of independent verifiers for frontier AI models.

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fathom welcomes the introduction of the FRONTIER Act, the most complete federal framework yet for independent, third-party verification of frontier AI. The legislation is built to earn public trust as AI technology continues to accelerate. As frontier systems begin to take autonomous action in the world, the gap between what these models can do and our ability to keep them in check is widening. FRONTIER is the starting point to close that gap.

“AI governance keeps running into the same wall. The technology is hard to measure and it moves faster than any law can keep up with,” said Andrew Freedman, Co-Founder and CEO of Fathom. “Trying to write the perfect rules and freezing them in place won’t work. What will work is a competitive market of independent verifiers who are accountable for real-world outcomes and who the government can actually count on. The FRONTIER Act shows we can move fast and still get this right.”

The bill gets the fundamentals correct. It sets one public standard – the adequate mitigation of catastrophic risk – and holds both the AI companies and their independent verifiers accountable to it. FRONTIER does not freeze a single testing method into statute. Instead, it licenses competing verification organizations, allows them to sharpen their methods, and gives the government the power to revoke a license when a verifier’s work does not hold up in the field. That is how you build a system that keeps pace with the science instead of falling behind it.

Fathom thanks Reps. Trahan and Obernolte for their leadership, and for their courage in releasing a discussion draft, inviting scrutiny, and incorporating substantive improvements from across the field. One priority improvement as the bill advances: giving the government a fuller range of tools to act upstream – for pushing companies to close identified gaps in risk mitigation early, rather than only once a catastrophe is imminent. We are committed to working with these sponsors, committees of jurisdiction, and Congressional leadership to continue refining the bill in the weeks and months ahead.

About Fathom
Fathom is an independent nonprofit whose mission is to build a governance architecture that helps society navigate the transition to a world with AI by fostering trust, safety, and innovation. Fathom has developed and championed the independent verification model for AI and works with policymakers across the country to put it into practice. Learn more at http://fathom.org.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fathom-applauds-introduction-of-the-frontier-act-the-first-federal-blueprint-for-independent-ai-verification-302833546.html

SOURCE Fathom AI Inc.

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