Get Ready to Be Inspired: Our Dynamic Speaker Lineup!

The heartbeat of the Festival of Business lies in the power of ideas, insights, and inspiration. Brace yourself for a speaker lineup that is set to ignite your passion, fuel your curiosity, and propel your business mindset to new heights!

Join us for engaging talks and thought-provoking discussions that challenge the status quo. With interactive Q&A Sessions you can directly connect with our speakers and dive deeper into their insights.

You can hear from our speakers in the Club Lounge throughout the day and we are delighted to welcome back Former BBC Radio & Television Presenter Etholle George as our host.

Etholle spent almost 25 years working as a full time broadcaster and presenter and during that time worked locally here in Essex for BBC Essex, as well as further afield, presenting a wide range of mostly all speech programmes. At BBC Look East TV she was not only a newsreader, but also presented Sunday Politics live for many years. Etholle also worked as a continuity announcer at Radio 4 Extra, and has hosted all manner of corporate presentations, events and videos. Today Etholle works locally in Chelmsford as the Head of Strategic Partnerships at International Property Media, home of the International Property Awards and International Property & Travel Magazine. 

Headline Speaker: Dame Prue Leith

Dame Prue Leith DBE is one of the country’s foremost authorities on all things culinary. A British-South African restaurateur, chef, caterer, television presenter/broadcaster, businesswoman, journalist, cookery writer and novelist, she is currently best known as one of the judges on the hit TV series Great British Bake Off and The Great American Baking Show, there is a long and illustrious past which led her to this position. 

During her time as a caterer and restaurateur Prue became a sought-after non-executive director for major companies. Her first appointment was to the board of British Rail, followed by appointments to the boards of Safeway, Whitbread, Woolworths, Belmond (formerly Orient Express Hotels), to name a few!

Read more...

Keynote Speaker: Joe Denham - Serial Entrepreneur

Joe Denham has a diverse background, moving from a career which started in Barclays Bank in the early 80’s, into data communications (witnessing the birth of the internet) then owning an innovative online delivered IT training company based in Dubai which was sold under a NASDAQ merger in the late 90’s; to having his own show on Shopping TV for a number of years; to owning a 120 acre farm in France (producing horse feed) before co-founding the famous VegTrug.

Over a career of more than 40 years, Joe Denham has trained many salespeople through stand-up presentations and lectures – this is a presentation not to be missed!

Read more...

Opening Speaker: Denise Rossiter - Essex Chambers of Commerce

Denise Rossiter is CEO of the Essex Chambers of Commerce, one of the 53 Accredited Chambers which together comprise the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) national network. 

Denise joined Essex Chambers in 2004, and recently celebrated her 20th Anniversary at the Chambers. Her first role was as Operations Manager, responsible for the operational control of the Chamber’s infrastructure, staffing and income generating businesses through Membership, Events & Training, and International Trade, after a wide ranging career as a qualified Credit Manager in the wine trade and pharmaceutical industry, in financial services and running her own business networking company.  

She was appointed Chief Executive of Essex Chambers of Commerce in 2010 and is passionate about customer service and communication. Denise has overseen a transformation in the way the Chamber supports its Members, external perceptions of the organisation and the development of its external engagement with politicians and policy makers at all levels of government.

Opening Speaker: Cllr. Ball - Essex County Council

Cllr Tony Ball has been the Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability at Essex County Council since May 2021. Having had the Economic Development Portfolio before that, from 2019-2021.  He also sits on the LSIP Board, the County Councils' Network, the Essex Local Highways Panel for Basildon, the Local Government Association General Assembly, and the Youth Strategy Group for Basildon.

Cllr Ball has a long history of public service, having previously been the Leader of Basildon Borough Council and representing the Wickford North Ward from 1998 to 2014.

In his current role, Tony focuses on improving educational outcomes and lifelong learning opportunities across Essex. He is passionate about how employability and skills interventions can support businesses in Essex with their workforce development and growth. 

 

Whilst we endeavour to ensure the attendance of our advertised speakers, exhibitors, vendors and displays, we cannot be held responsible for any last minute changes.
All timings are approximate and subject to change. We advise arriving as early as possible to avoid queues and missing any speakers or displays.