Dave Stubberfield, from Carter Consultancy, led the first keynote of the day for Commercial Business Growth. Using the metaphor of toast, he talked about how business growth can be like choosing the bread and selecting your toppings for your morning breakfast. Just like choosing your employees, processes, customer experience and brand – every step represents how you shape your business.
Rich Maloney, Senior Director of Global Integrated Campaigns at Sage led an insightful panel discussion with his colleague Sophia Adhami, Senior Director Product Office along with Stephen James, Founder of British Veteran Owned, and Stephen Morgan, co-founder of British Veteran Owned. They spoke about how businesses can adopt AI and integrate it into their day-to-day operations – and the practicalities around digitisation.
Mark Sweeny, the Chief Executive of De Novo Solutions, took the stage to speak about digital transformation and how to drive performance with innovation while improving cash flow, productivity and profitability.
Emma Jones, the UK’s Small Business Commissioner hosted an insightful panel discussion about how to make life easier for small businesses while addressing the issue of late payments. Richard Jeffrey, National Director of The Growth Company, Tracey Kilty, Start Up Loans Relationship Director at British Business Bank spoke about the vast amount of support available to help SMEs grow such as loans, mentors, advisors and networks. Eunice Mwale, Managing Director at Lovehands Care Services spoke about the Help To Grow Management course and how it helped transform her business in its early stages. Meanwhile, Paula Croft, Director for Small Business at the Department for Business and Trade said she recognises that small businesses are the “heart and backbone” of the economy.
Next, George Meagher, Business Development Lead at Tik Tok Shop spoke about how many well-known high street brands are now jumping on this online sales platform – and how businesses can use this to access millions of potential customers. He was later followed by Ed Gilmartin, Partnerships Lead at TikTok Shop UK
Reality TV star Sam Thompson and Ben Hacker, co-founders of Content Jungle, took to the stage to share their insights on how businesses can achieve viral success on social media. They introduced their new platform, which connects companies with trusted videographers and photographers to produce high-quality content designed to elevate their online presence.
The audience posed questions about their own challenges with TikTok. Sam and Ben responded by brainstorming ideas with the crowd, offering tips and creative strategies for producing content with viral potential.
Alison Shadrake, Founder and CEO of Adia PR, discussed how businesses can develop a strong PR strategy to build brand credibility and gain recognition in both the press and online. She was later joined by AI expert and podcaster Andrew Grill, who explored how PR is evolving in the age of AI and how to build a presence online and in the media, which can enhance visibility through AI-driven research, comparisons, and recommendations.
Steve Forsdick, Business Development Director at Market Location, led a talk exploring how reliable B2B data has become a vital part of modern business infrastructure. The discussion focused on setting clear standards for high-quality data, including verification, governance, compliance, and the commercial benefits of accurate information.
Christina Hamilton, CEO of ClearCourse, chaired a panel with Billy Price and Josh Barling. The panel explored the growing challenge of “app overload” faced by SMEs, where businesses rely on numerous tools for functions such as accounting and management. They explained why technology delivers the best results when it works seamlessly with people, helping SMEs reduce friction, improve efficiency, and focus their time on higher-value work.
