The event was hosted by Oli Barrett OBE, serial co-founder and presenter voted as one of GQ’s Most Connected Men, along with Hannah Prevett, Deputy Editor of the Times Enterprise Network.
The event kicked off with a keynote by Simon Squibb, the creator of HelpBnk, a serial entrepreneur and investor, who spoke about the importance of work life balance and creating a workplace environment where employees are encouraged to contribute to community through acts of generosity. This is not just appealing to your customers or clients, but it also boosts the health and morale of your team – and allows you to give back to the community. He was joined by Alexander Wood, the founder of Alexandra Wood Bespoke, Amy Knight, director & co-founder of Must Have Ideas, Chris Kemp, CEO & founder of Ingenuity Group, Mike Greene, chairman and CEO of Best Wealth Network & Director and James Sinclair, founder and CEO of Partyman Group, who spoke about commercial growth strategies and ways to scale your business to the next level.
Andrew Grill, AI expert and podcast host, jumped on the second keynote of the day to share his expertise on how businesses can implement AI to scale up. Alison Wright, SME Director of Microsoft, Cassie Gasson, Co-CEO of Thrive and Eric Schwartz, Chief AI Officer, Tricon Infotech joined him for an exciting panel discussion around how small businesses can use AI tools to transform the way they run day-to-day operations – and also discussed ethical and legal issues around AI.
Dr Alka Patel, the founder of The Million Hour Club, took to the stage for the third keynote of the day. She gave an informative speech on the importance of health and wellness, sharing her data-led approach to detecting and treating health issues in her clients. Dr Patel was joined by a passionate panel discussing diversity and inclusion in the workforce, featuring Al Malhotra, the founder of Diversity Economics AI, Judith Germain, a multi-award winning leadership consultant, Kristjan Byfield, the co-founder and mission commander of The Depositary, Rachel Morgan-Trimmer, a consultant and founder of Firebird along with Alex Patridge, the founder of UNILAD and LADbible, and host of the ‘ADHD Chatter’ podcast, who spoke about how to build an inclusive work culture with hybrid workers.
Sam Smith, the former Chief Executive of finnCap Group Plc, spoke about the different stages of scaling a business – and what it takes to build a company from the ground up. Andrea Reynolds, Founder & CEO, Swoop, Richard Bearman, Managing Director, British Business Bank, Hatty Fawcet, CEO and founder of Focused for Business and Louise Doyle, CEO and founder of needi.co.uk, spoke about the set backs female-founded businesses face, and touched on the importance of mentoring.
Joseph Foster, the co-founder of Reebok, shared his inspirational journey starting one of the most successful footwear brands in the world. He shared wonderful anecdotes of his journey, including how Michael Jordan used a flag to cover up the Reebok logo on his outfit after a game. The flag was sold on auction for US$1.8 million.
Alex Shephard, Sales Director of Universal Partners, Julianne Ponan MBE, CEO and founder of CreativeNature, Thomas Hal Robson-Kanu, founder & CEO of The Tumeric Co. and Shalini Khemka CBE, founder, Chief Executive & Board Director of E2Exchange, spoke about international expansion covering legal and ethical implications of exporting products abroad – and how to navigate unchartered territories.
On Day 2, Joseph Valente, winner of The Apprentice UK 2015, an entrepreneur and business coach took to the stage, teaching the audience how to scale up their business with sales, while sharing his incredible journey transforming a one-man boiler installation business into the fastest growing trades companies in the UK. He was later joined by Chloe Clover, CEO of Wander, Mark Finlay, Chief Commercial Officer of Moneypenny and Nicola Cook, Chief Opportunity Officer & CEO of Company Shortcuts, who took a deep dive into commercial growth and how building trust with clients and customers can spearhead your business in the right direction.
Brian Horsburgh, the UK SMB Director at Dell Technologies, discussed the positives of AI and the ways businesses can operate and scale with new technologies. He was later joined by Aine Rogers, Managing Director of Cisco’s SMB UKI theatre, Andy Wilson. Senior Director of New Product Solutions at Dropbox and Besnik Vrellaku, Founder and CEO of Salesflow.io, spoke about how businesses can use AI as a solution to optimise processes within the business.
Shaa Wasmund, Serial Entrepreneur, Sunday Times Best Selling Author, jumped on the third keynote of the day, sharing her inspirational journey into business with tips on how entrepreneurs can build resilience and a go-getter attitude. She joined an exciting panel with Amy Hopper, founder of TOA Group, Joanna Howes, founder and CEO of The Change Creators and Niki Avraam, workforce and leadership expert and legal entrepreneur, who spoke about the benefits of a hybrid working model on employee morale and productivity.
Chris Forbes, co-founder of Cheeky Panda, spoke about his journey building a sustainable business with eco-friendly products. He was joined by Sakina Buoy, chairman of Somerset Toiletry Company, Simon Crowther, CEO of Flood Protection Solutions and Johnny Paterson, the co-founder of Dr.PAWPAW, who touched on ways to incorporate sustainability across different types of business, including the services industry – without having to empty your pockets.
Mr Paterson then took to the stage on how he built a multi-million pound business from £20k, sharing his journey from his humble beginnings to scaling an incredible business across the globe. Jade Buffong-Phillips, founder and CMO of Mane Hook-Up, Pavlo Phitidis, co-Founder & CEO of Aurik Business, Lucie Macleod, founder & CEO of Hair Syrup and Phillipa White founder and CEO of TIE leadership, took to the stage for the final panel discussion of the day, sharing their experiences on how they took their business across the borders, the do’s and don’ts and how to break barriers.
Looking to 2026
You may have heard the news by now that we have booked our dates for Elite Business 2026!
That’s right – on the 11th and 12th March 2026 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 register with a 75% discount code: SUPERVIP, so secure your discounted tickets TODAY.
Thank you
The Elite Business Live team would like to personally thank you for your participation in EBL2025. Here’s to 2026 – we’ll see you there!
