On Day 1 Richard Harpin, Founder and Chairman of Home Serve, kicked off the first keynote speech of the day on commercial growth, speaking about his career journey and how he built his billion-pound business. Richard started several businesses in his early career, which included selling high fashion earrings, before launching HomeServe, an international home repairs and improvements business. He was later joined by Pavlo Phitidis, Founder and CEO of Aurik Business, Dr Rashada Harry, Enterprise Technologist of Amazon Web Services and Simon Squibb, Founder Helpbnk, who spoke about how to optimise sales, the importance of looking after existing customers, and why you should always keep your eye on the prize.
Piers Linney, former BBC’s Dragon Den and co-founder of Implement AI jumped on the second keynote speech to talk about the importance of implementing AI in your business, and how artificial intelligence is transforming the way SMEs are hiring employees and running their operations. He was joined by Elena Sinel, Founder of Teens in AI, Erika Brodnock MBE, founder and CEO of Kinhub and McVal Osborne, co-founder of The Future Communicator who wowed the audience on ways they can use technology and AI to transform their business, while also addressing the ethical issues around AI.
Charlie Rogers, founder of Undefinable Community and founder’s associate of The Portfolio Collective gave an insightful keynote about how the nature of work is changing, and why many employees are now opting for side hustles, particularly the younger demographics such as millennials and Gen-Z. He was later joined by Charlie Mullins OBE, Founder of Pimlico Plumbers, Millimo Banji, Founder and CEO Tapin, Shaa Wasmund MBE, serial entrepreneur and Sunday Times Best Selling Author and Tamara Littleton, Founder & CEO of The Social Element Agency, for a passionate panel discussing the pros and cons of working from home. Some of the panellists were pro remote working – while others were not as much.
Alex Von Schirmeister, Managing Director of Xero UK and EMEA took to the stage for the financial management keynote, speaking about late payments and how this perpetuating issue is impacting SMEs. Andrea Reynolds, Founder & CEO of Swoop, Emmanuel Asuquo, a financial advisor as seen on BBC One, Channel 4 and ITV, Liz Barclay, Small Business Commissioner and Richard Bearman, Managing Director of British Business Bank, spoke about how businesses can address the issue of late payments, how to speak to debtors and ways they can alleviate the issue through government initiatives.
In the last keynote of the day, Mirela Sula, CEO & Founder of the Global Woman Club and Global Woman’s Magazine inspired the audience with her incredible story of how she turned her life around as a single mother, arriving in the UK from Albania with just a handbag and a dream. Seven years later, she grew a network of aspiring female entrepreneurs through the Global Woman Club, mentoring and transforming women’s lives. She was later joined by Eric Partaker, CEO Coach & Mentor at the Peak Performance Expert, Judith Germain, Founder of The Maverick, Shalini Khemka CBE, Founder, Chief Executive & Board Director of E2Exchange, who spoke about growth mindset and how to transform your life with some simple mindset shifts. They also spoke about the perks of getting a life coach, which can be a great investment if you need extra guidance and support in your business journey.
Day 2 of Elite Business Live 2024 was equally as insightful…
The second day of EBL 2024 saw a line-up of exciting speakers, starting with Arti Halai, former television presenter with ITV News and BBC now turned entrepreneur and investor. She spoke about her career journey as a broadcast journalist before co-founding several businesses and becoming a communications coach. Arti touched on the importance of PR and branding and how to effectively speak to your target audience. She was later joined by Stephanie Melodia, Founder, Bloom and co-founder BOMBA, Jacob Nomafo, Co-Founder of LucidMeme, Jason Graystone, serial entrepreneur and investor and Sophie Milliken MBE, Founder & CEO of MOJA Group, who answered questions from the audience on how to handle your own PR as a small business, along with ways you can create the right PR strategy for your brand.
On the second keynote speech of the day, Alison Edgar MBE, businesswoman & TV Boardroom adviser for Amazon Prime jumped on stage to speak about how to utilise data and technology to transform your business. Phil Hobden, Head of Strategy & Growth at Know-It, Sachin Agrawal, Head of ZOHO, UK and Sarah McVittie, Co-Founder of Dressipi, jumped on the panel to discuss ways SMEs can incorporate technology into their business without breaking the bank.
In the Talent & Regulation segment, Chelsey Baker, Founder & CEO of National Mentoring Day, inspired the audience with a captivating speech on the importance of mentoring. She spoke about how business owners and leaders can find mentors and touched on the positives of becoming a mentor. She was joined by Dr Lynda Folan, Managing Director of Inspired Development Solutions, Matthew Phelan, Co-Founder of The Happiness Index, Pip Jamieson, Founder & CEO of The Dots and Rob Wall, Leadership Coach & Consultant, who spoke about why having a mentor in a different industry can be a great asset in your career, while speaking about their experiences on mentoring and having a mentor.
Allyson Stewart-Allen, Chief Executive of the International Marketing Partners was the next keynote speech of the day on the International Expansion segment. She spoke about the importance of understanding cultural norms and differences in global markets, and how businesses can appeal to customers abroad by learning the dos and don’ts of the country they’re planning to invest in. She was joined by Garima Srivastava, Senior Trade & Customs specialist at The Institute of Export & International Trade, Russell Dalgleish, Founder & Managing Partner at Exolta Capital Partners and Kim Antoniou, Founder, Auris Tech, who spoke about the pros and cons of having boots on the ground, as well as their top strategies for international growth.
The last keynote speaker for the day was Paul Hargreaves, the Founder & CEO of Cotswold Fayre & Flourish, who spoke about sustainability and ways to reduce your carbon footprint in your business. He was later joined by Caitlin Hicks, Sustainability Manager, Nuevo, Lovelda Vincenzi, Moderating Specialising in Climate and Sustainability Events and Tamma Carrel, Founder of Imvelo Ltd, who led an exciting panel speaking about about the importance of environmentally sustainable business practises, and how SMEs can do this without having to increase costs.
Looking to 2025
You may have heard the news by now that we have booked our dates for Elite Business 2025!
That’s right – on the 12th and 13th March 2025 we will be returning. If this year was anything to go by, next year is going to be another incredible two days.
For a limited time, you can make the most of our exclusive early access rate and secure your discounted tickets TODAY.
Thank you
The Elite Business Live team would like to personally thank you for your participation in EBL2024. Here’s to 2025 – we’ll see you there!
