Northern Ireland Alumni National Conference
Thur October 23rd 2025
Northern Ireland Alumni National Conference
Highlighted speakers:
Kieran Kelly Founder and CEO, ubloquity
Vasilij Nevlev Managing Director, Analytium
Ciaran May Founder, Natural Resilience
The Northern Ireland Alumni National Conference returns this October with more speakers, sessions, and opportunities to network. Designed exclusively for Northern Irish alumni of the Help to Grow: Management Course, the conference will feature a hands-on, two-part AI session; inspiring keynotes on scaling, agility and resilience in leadership; an alumni-led panel sharing real-world business strategies; and further learnings on Module 4: Vision, Mission and Values. It’s your opportunity to gain new connections, practical insights, and leave with tools you can apply straight away to take your business further.
Agenda
08:30 Breakfast and registration
Tea, coffee, and networking.
09:00 Opening Remarks and Networking
M.N. Ravishankar Dean and Head of Queen’s Business School, Queen’s University Belfast
09:20 Welcome from the Department of Economy
Senior Government representative Department of Economy
09:30 It takes a village to raise a Start-up
Kieran believes Northern Ireland’s start-up community thrives not because of its size, but because of its grit, agility, and willingness to work together. His keynote will share his lived reality of building ventures from the ground up in an ecosystem where collaboration is essential. Whether scaling into global trade corridors or helping local manufacturers embrace digital transformation, Kieran has consistently seen how partnerships across government, academia, and industry fuel innovation. His message is clear: entrepreneurial success is a team sport, and sustainable growth comes when we build ecosystems of trust, support, and shared ambition.
Kieran Kelly Founder and CEO, ubloquity
10:15 AI in Practice: practical tools and advice to boost your business
In this two-part session you will discover how real businesses are using AI to save time, boost productivity, and make better decisions without needing to hire a data scientist. Led by Help to Grow: Management alumnus and AI consultant Vasilij Nevlev, this session will blend live demos, relatable case studies, and hands-on breakout activities to help you spot AI opportunities in your own business.
You’ll explore smart tools like ChatGPT, NotebookLM, and no-code automation platforms like n8n, and leave with a blueprint you can test during the breakout sessions. Whether you’re new to AI or looking to take the next step, you’ll walk away with clear ideas, not just theory.
Vasilij Nevlev Managing Director, Analytium
11:00 Mid-morning break
11:25 Ai in practice: breakout sessions
For this half of the session, grab your laptop, tablet, or iPad as Vasilij guides you through:
- NotebookLM podcast creator: using your business’s existing content (blog posts, newsletters, or case studies), you’ll learn to generate a podcast script that answers typical customer questions.
- Chat with your spreadsheets: build a simple chatbot interface that pulls answers from spreadsheet data using n8n.
- Prompt Engineering Sandbox: understand the power of well-crafted prompts and how to adjust them for different business use cases.
- Firestudio with Gemini 2.5: show the power of generative design using AI by creating website drafts or campaign content in minutes.
Vasilij Nevlev Managing Director, Analytium
12:10 Lunch
13:15 real talk on business best practice
This panel of seasoned SME leaders will explore what truly drives success in today’s evolving business landscape. From leadership resilience and strategic thinking to employee engagement, export challenges, and pricing strategies, this open and honest discussion will spark fresh ideas and provide actionable insights to support your business growth.
Laura Buckley Director, Stephen Clarke Consulting
14:00 Translate, cascade, communicate: bringing strategy to life
Build on Module 4: Vision, Mission and Values as we explore it in the context of internal communication, operation, and strategy.
- Strategy deployment and operational excellence – how can they work together and have equal power and significance?
- How to make strategic mission and vision come alive through the ‘translate and cascade’ method
- Communicating and embedding strategic intent to different parts of the business appropriately to encourage buy-in, motivation and productivity
Ruth Mercer Academic Course Director and Lecturer, Ulster University
15:00 Authentic Leadership
In this session, Ciaran will explore the two sides of leadership and resilience – beyond outdated systems that focus solely on performance metrics and KPIs. He’ll challenge the idea that human traits are a weakness in business, and show how ignoring them can lead to stress, burnout, and disconnection.
Together, we’ll examine what the corporate world often labels as ‘soft skills’ like emotional intelligence, authenticity, and vulnerability, and why they’re essential to leading effectively and sustainably as you scale. Ciaran will also offer ways to reframe emotional challenges such as imposter syndrome, overwhelm, and loneliness, helping you build resilience from the inside out.
Ciaran May Founder, Natural Resilience
15:45 Closing remarks
M.N. Ravishankar Dean and Head of Queen’s Business School, Queen’s University Belfast
16:00 networking
16:30 Doors close
Please note: speakers, timings or format of our events may change due to circumstances beyond our control. We will inform delegates of any changes at the earliest opportunity.
Enquiries
If you have any questions, please get in touch by email at HTGM.Events@smallbusinesscharter.org or contact the Small Business Charter by phone on 020 7634 9584.
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