Elevate, lead and succeed

09:00 Breakfast and registration 

Tea, coffee, and networking.

09:30 Opening Remarks

Professor Steven Rhoden, Dean of the School of Business, University of Central Lancashire

09:40 Conversation café 

We will be kickstarting the day with an engaging networking exercise. You’ll receive a set of innovative questions that will encourage you to get to know fellow business leaders, sharing your journeys and discussing the challenges you’ve faced along the way. 

10:00 Keynote address: SME cyber hygiene 

As technology evolves, so do the threats to your business. SMEs with limited security budgets, a lack of cyber skills, and no clear strategy against an invisible enemy, often find themselves falling victim to data-hungry hackers. The consequences? Damaging breaches that can severely impact your competitiveness and reputation.

Dan Giannasi, Detective at the North-West Regional Organised Crime Unit, and Head of Cyber and Innovation at the North-West Cyber Resilience Centre, will reveal cybercrime secrets and the steps your business should follow to stay secure in today’s digital landscape.

• The attack: Discover real-world examples of the most common cyber-attacks on SMEs and how to avoid them.

• The evidence: Watch a live demonstration of a cyber-attack in action — could your business survive? 

• The defense: Uncover the essential steps SME’s can take to safeguard their business against digital threats.

Dan Giannasi, Head of Cyber and Innovation, North-West Cyber Resilience Centre

10:30 Meet the Greater Manchester Business Growth Hub 

This session will see Matt Richardson, Head of Leadership, Skills and Social Impact at the GM Business Growth Hub, talk about the regions business support ecosystem, the solutions and fully funded support available from succession planning, finance and sustainability, and much more.

Matt Richardson, Head of Leadership, Skills, and Social Impact, Greater Manchester Business Growth Hub

10:40 Employee recruitment, retention, and productivity panel

Find and retaining the right people for your business is fundamental to sustained growth. But with stiff competition from big businesses and increasing shortages of skilled staff, how can you find, keep and motivate employees without sacrificing productivity?

During this panel discussion, expert practitioners and business leaders will share tried and tested management tools and techniques that nurture talent recruitment, retention, and development.

Key takeaways will include:  

• Innovative and agile strategies to understand what employees want and become an employer of choice.
• The importance of employee well-being in improving productivity.
• Effective conflict management tools.

Matt Richardson, Head of Leadership, Skills, and Social Impact, Greater Manchester Business Growth Hub  

Karim Samani, Managing Director, WellbeingandErgonomics  

Emma-Louise Fusari, Founder, In-House Health 

Ruby Melling, Founder, Talentloop

11:20    Mid-morning Break

11:40 SME MASTERCLASS: THE psychology of power and leadership

For SME business leaders, even a basic understanding of organisational psychology can lead to increased employment engagement, improved communication, stronger collaboration and higher performing teams.

In this thought-provoking masterclass, Jennifer will help you understand the “why” behind the “how” of utilising power for different types of leadership styles. She will provide practical ways for you to lead with greater impact and drive your business forward.

Topics covered include: 

• How to assess your personal leadership style and how it impacts the culture of your organisation.

• The five different types of power and how to adjust your leadership approach in different scenarios.

• Power mapping and planning to adapt your leadership style and find the best way to communicate with your team.

Jennifer Dootson, Founder and Director, Lightbulb Moments: Illuminating Leadership

13:10 Closing remarkS

Professor Steven Rhoden, Dean of the School of Business, University of Central Lancashire

13:15 Lunch