Your Summit Agenda


Our carefully curated agenda features intimate fireside chats, dynamic panel discussions and focused breakout sessions where successful founders and CEOs share their triumphs, setbacks and wisdom. 



Main stage
Focus session
Break
8:15 – 8:55
Registration & Networking
9:00 – 9:05
Opening remarks
Main Stage


Shaun Prime

CEO, Business Leader

9:05 – 9:35
Welcome address: State of the nation
Main Stage

Graham Ruddick, Sarah Vizard and guests discuss the state of play for business in the UK and look at the proposals and solutions to help turn more promising businesses into large companies.

Graham Ruddick - Moderator
Editor-in-chief, Business Leader
Sarah Vizard - Moderator
Deputy editor-in-chief, Business Leader
Rupert Soames
Chair, CBI

Andy Gray
Head of commercial mid market, NatWest

Andy Gregory
CEO, BGF
9:35 – 10:00
Keynote Presentation: Lessons on scaling your business with Simon Arora
Main Stage

Simon Arora and his brothers bought the struggling discount retail chain, B&M, for £525,000 in 2004. When he left, it is valued at more than £5bn and is part of the FTSE 100. In our first keynote, he will tell the story of how B&M went from an ailing medium-sized business in Blackpool to one of the biggest companies in the UK, what he learned along the way and his advice for leaders wanting to scale up.

Simon Arora
Former CEO, B&M Retail

Graham Ruddick - Moderator
Editor-in-chief, Business Leader
10:00 – 10:20
Question time with shadow minister Andrew Griffith MP
Main Stage

Andrew Griffith MP, the shadow secretary of state for business and trade, interview by Hannah Guerin.

10:20 – 10:50
Fireside chat: Building excellence in teams with Brentford FC's Ben Ryan
Main Stage

Your people are the most important part of your business, so getting them to work well together is critical. In this fireside chat, leadership and mindset expert Catherine Baker talks to Brentford football club’s Ben Ryan about how to build a team that excels and why performance is more than the sum of its parts.

Ben Ryan
Performance director, Brentford FC

Catherine Baker - Moderator
Founder, Sport & Beyond
10:50 - 11:10
Morning networking refreshment break
11:15 – 11:45
The funding playbook: How to fund a growing business - Hosted by Investec
Main Stage

Navigate the evolving landscape of funding and investor relations in today's market. Master tactical approaches for successful negotiations, enabling you to secure optimal terms for your organisation.

Oliver Cardigan - Moderator
Head of consumer M&A - Investec
Mark Pomroy - Moderator
Private capital - Investec

Peter Briffett
Co-founder & CEO - Wagestream

Bernhard Niesner
Co-founder - Busuu
Morning focus sessions

Take a deeper dive into the topics impacting your business as you scale. Pre-book the session you would like to attend.

11:55 - 12:35
Track 1
Self-Leadership
Main Stage

Develop leadership skills to drive organisational success. Learn practical frameworks for self-awareness and emotional intelligence, enabling you to create meaningful impact across your organisation.

Jarmila Yu - Moderator
Founder, YUnique Marketing
Lucy Yeomans
Founder & CEO, Drest
Raina Summerson
CEO, Agincare
Richard Chambers
Founder & CEO, Get a Drip
11:55 - 12:35
Track 2
Funding landscape: Hosted by BGF
George Thomas

Gain expert insights from investors and business leaders on the best strategies for securing funding for your business. Navigate the ever-changing investment landscape, refine your negotiation tactics, and unlock the best terms to drive your organisation’s success.

Dougal Shaw - Moderator
Senior correspondent, Business Leader
Alex Snodgrass
Partner, BGF
Jamie Mitchell
Founder & CEO, Low6

Sam Heaton
MD & CEO, Stannp.com
Gurinder Dhillon
Founder & CEO, Otto Car
Joanna Jensen
Founder, Childs Farm
11:55 - 12:35
Track 3
Talent & recruitment: Hosted by Vestd
Robert Perks

The panel will explore key strategies mid-sized businesses can use to attract, retain, and develop skilled talent while scaling. The discussion will cover talent acquisition, employee engagement, leadership development, and adapting to workforce trends.

Ifty Nasir - Moderator
Founder & CEO, Vestd
Tessa Clarke
Founder & CEO, Olio
Richard North
President, Wow! Stuff
Sara Daw
Co-founder & CEO, The Liberti Group
Daniel Dunn
Founder & CEO, Paperplanes
12:35 – 13:20
Networking Lunch
13:30 - 14:00
Keynote Panel: 10KSB UK Putting SMEs at the heart of the growth agenda - Hosted by Goldman Sachs
Main Stage

SMEs are vital to driving national economic growth. This panel will explore the solutions that leaders of high-growth businesses believe are key to enhancing the UK’s growth prospects. As the country’s engines of growth, it is crucial that they are given a seat at the table and a voice in the decisions that impact them.

Jon Foster - Moderator
Deputy Head of the Office of Corporate Engagement International (EMEA) - Goldman Sachs

James Uffindell
10KSB Graduate - Bright Network
Kavita Cooper
10KSB Graduate - Novo-K
Rosie Speight
10KSB Graduate - Equi London
14:00 - 14:30
Fireside chat: In conversation with Tom Beahon, Castore
Main Stage

Tom Beahon is the founder and CEO of the sportswear brand Castore, which was recently valued at £1bn. In this interview, he'll talk about starting the company and his journey as an entrepreneur.

Tom Beahon
Co-founder & CEO, Castore

Graham Ruddick - Moderator
Editor-in-chief, Business Leader
14:30 – 15:00
Fireside chat: In conversation with Will Shu, Deliveroo
Main Stage

Deliveroo's founder and CEO Will Shu, interview by Graham Ruddick.

Will Shu
Founder, Deliveroo

Graham Ruddick - Moderator
Editor-in-chief, Business Leader
Afternoon focus sessions

Take a deeper dive into the topics impacting your business as you scale. Pre-book the session you would like to attend.

15:10 - 15:40
Track 1
Marketing through the founder lens
George Thomas

Master strategic marketing leadership for founders and CEOs. Learn to evaluate team performance, understand crucial growth metrics and align marketing investments with business objectives.

Jarmila Yu - Moderator
Founder, YUnique Marketing
Camilla Barnard
Founder, Rude Health
Ben Jeffries
Co-founder & CEO, Influencer.com
Dominic Ponniah
Co-founder & CEO, Cleanology
Jennifer Quigley-Jones
Founder & CEO, Digital Voices
15:10 - 15:40
Track 2
Team Leadership
Robert Perks

Master the art of building and nurturing high-performing leadership teams. Learn proven methods for assessment, cohesion and executive development.

Kate Davis – Moderator
Executive coach
Lewis Blitz
Co-founder, Skinny Dip
Carol Shanahan
Chair, Synectics Solutions
Natasha Frangos
Managing partner, HaysMac
Melissa Snover
Founder & CEO, Get Nourish3d
15:10 - 15:40
Track 3
Your personal and business future perfect - Hosted by Forvis Mazars
Dinsdale Young

In this discussion with Forvis Mazars we aim to help business owners to ‘look up’ from the day to day and plan ahead, not just for the business, but for themselves and their families.

Sarah Vizard – Moderator
Deputy editor-in-chief, Business Leader
Adrian Gill
Head of client engagement for mid market (UK), Forvis Mazars
Dave Hilton
Partner & head of M&A , Forvis Mazars
Natalie Wright
Private client partner & head of UK family business, Forvis Mazars
15:10 - 15:40
Track 4
US Panel: Learning from our transatlantic neighbours  
Main Stage
Join us for a discussion with UK founders who have scaled into the US market. This panel explores the challenges and opportunities of transatlantic expansion, highlighting differences in business culture and strategies for success.

Jason Mahendran - Moderator
CEO, Growth Partner
Joanna Knight OBE
Former CEO, Moneypenny
John Stapleton
Founder, Covent Garden Soup
Morgan Fowles
CEO, TALA
Marcia Kilgore
Founder, Beauty Pie
15:40 - 16:00
Afternoon networking refreshment break
 16:05 - 16:25 
Fireside chat: In conversation with Multiverse's Euan Blair
Main Stage

Euan Blair co-founded the apprenticeships company Multiverse in 2016 and has built it into a company worth £1.4bn. In this session, he will discuss scaling his business in an interview with Business Leader's Sarah Vizard.

Euan Blair
Founder & CEO, Multiverse

Sarah Vizard - Moderator
Deputy editor-in-chief, Business Leader
16:25 – 16:55
Keynote Presentation: Richard Harpin's 9 steps to building a billion-pound business
Main Stage

Join Richard Harpin, founder of HomeServe, as he shares his journey from £50,000 start-up to £4.1bn sale. Drawing from his upcoming book, How to Make a Billion in 9 Steps, Richard will reveal the mindset, strategies, and critical decisions that separate high-growth companies from the rest.

Richard Harpin
Founder, HomeServe
16:55 – 17:15
Spring Statement: Instant reaction
Main Stage

Live podcast with Business Leader's editor-in-chief Graham Ruddick and guests

17:15 – 17:20
Closing Remarks
Main Stage

Business Leader CEO Shaun Prime will give his closing remarks on the Summit


Shaun Prime

CEO, Business Leader

   17:20 - 18:00            
Drinks reception