East Midlands: Nottingham

Breakfast and refreshments will be provided.

Dr Nicola Lynch, Head of Derby Business School 

We will be kickstarting the day with an engaging networking exercise. You will be given a set of business-focused questions and encouraged to discuss the answers with your peers. This is your opportunity to share and hear from other business leaders about their journey.  

Since winning family business of the year, Sam has been on a mission to continuously refresh and transform the heirloom. Through the use of Entrepreneurial Operations Systems (EOS), Sam has successful taken the business from a top-down to a culturally driven approach, that aims to move away from outdated practices and processes.

With 50% of the businesses’ revenue coming from exporting to over 50 countries, Sam has found a way to nourish this generational achievement whilst introducing new elements into the business. This hard work and dedication towards transformation and being a leader his team can rely on, is just one of the many reasons he was awarded Young Director of the Year in 2019.

In this 30-minute session you’ll discover how Sam:

• Innovatively broke a top-down approach.
• Implemented EOS into a well-established business.
• Maintained a successful export strategy.

Sam Kirk, Managing Director, J-Flex Rubber Products  

There comes a time in any non-family or family-owned organisation’s growth journey when the leader’s role must transform to suit the new multi-layered structure of the business. Led by Mel Archbould, a seasoned business leader and former Managing Director of a family business in the engineering sector with over 17 years of experience, this session will guide you through this crucial transition.  

With business growth, there is often an increasing demand for strategic focus on long-term goals, customer-centric initiatives, and overarching strategies. Effectively managing and shrinking your to-do list requires the cultivation of trust, mastering the art of delegation, and implementing a well-defined goal-setting framework. This session will empower you to gain the confidence needed to restructure your priorities without hindering the progression from small-scale to medium-scale operations.  

Key takeaways from this session will include:

• Learning how to navigate the complexities of a family-business dynamic and the core values throughout a generational transition.

• Embracing an ambitious yet achievable goal-setting framework.

• Access to business leader self-assessment tools.

• Case studies of successful business transformations.

Mel Archbould, CEO of Cloud Busting – Practical scale-up support for SMEs.

Many employers have noted it has become increasingly difficult to motivate and retain their staff. How can you ensure you’re keeping employees engaged without sacrificing productivity? 

During this panel discussion, expert practitioners and local business leaders will share tried and tested management tools and techniques for nurturing talent development and a feeling of purpose amongst your employees. 

Key takeaways will include:

• Discover effective recruitment strategies.
• Learn how to build a high-performing workplace culture.
• Learn how to meet employee’s needs on a budget.
• Learn how to improve your visibility and brand awareness.

Chaired by Sarah Pass, Advisory Board Member of Engage for Success 

Carly Mason, Head of Human Resources, Juno Women’s Aid

Matthew Staniforth, Employer Engagement Manager, Nottingham Trent University

Caroline Hunt, Director, Emerald Starfish

Jon Parker, Director, Integrated Transport Planning

How does a business know how to do the right thing at the right time? Business founder and consultant Dr S Cham S Kang will share his insights into why some businesses fail whilst others succeed, and why marketing and innovation are at the heart of the answer.

Dr Cham S Kang, CVO of Qinesis and Director of East Midlands Chamber  

Grab some lunch, make new connections and engage with business support.