SheChain Live SESSIONS

Thursday 1 October 202, 9:30am to 5:30pm

Conversations Worth Being In

You won’t come to SheChain Live to sit quietly at the back of a conference room. You’ll come to find answers, make connections and get closer to the people and opportunities that can move your business forward.

Across the day, our stages and rooms will tackle the conversations that matter when you’re building, growing or leading a business.

Want to win bigger contracts? Get into retail? Find investment? Raise your profile? Build a stronger team?

Find the sessions that matter to you – then build your day around them. You won’t be able to do everything. Choose wisely.

What do you want to get out of the day?

No two businesses are the same. Explore the agenda and choose the sessions that matter most to you.

Whether you’re looking to secure your next customer, understand procurement, raise your profile or hear from women and our allies who’ve built global brands, you’ll leave with practical ideas you can put into action.

Four spaces. One very full day.

DISCOVERY STAGE
Keynotes – Panels –
Big Conversations

GROWTH LAB
Practical Workshops – Business Skills

ITV CONFIDENCE ON CAMERA
Three Sessions

EXHIBITION & CONNECTIONS
Open throughout the day

Explore the Sessions

Not sure what to choose? Here’s what you’ll actually get from each one.

ITV Confidence on Camera

Become the Face of Your Business

Room: TBC | Time: Three 1hr sessions throughout the day – 10am, 11:30am & 1:15pm

Visibility changes everything. At SheChain Live, we’re bringing ITV into the room to help you step forward as an expert voice; with confidence, clarity and authority.

Led by Lucy West, Head of ITV News Granada Reports and double BAFTA winner, this will give you real, on-camera experience with one of the UK’s most respected broadcasters.

The media is actively looking for credible experts. Too often, women aren’t the ones being seen or heard. This is your opportunity to change that.

If you have expertise to share and want to raise your profile, this is your space. Build confidence on camera, speak with authority, move from behind the business… to being recognised as the voice of it.

This isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about showing up as you; clearly, confidently and with purpose. Because your voice doesn’t need permission. It needs a platform.

Inside the Buyer’s Mind

Ever wondered why your business wasn’t shortlisted?

Room: Discovery Stage | Time: 10:00am to 10:30am

The Discovery Stage is Powered by Help to Grow: Management

This fast-paced Procurement Hotseat puts buyers centre stage.

Hear directly from procurement professionals as they answer the questions every supplier wants to ask but rarely gets the opportunity to.

No jargon.

No corporate script.

Just honest conversations about what buyers really want.

You’ll discover:

  • What makes suppliers stand out
  • Why great businesses still lose opportunities
  • Common mistakes buyers see time and again
  • What helps businesses build long-term supplier relationships

Jaxx Nelson is UK & Ireland Country Manager at WEConnect International, helping women-owned businesses connect with corporate buyers and access global supply chains. With more than 15 years’ experience in business development, partnerships and supplier engagement, she understands what buyers are looking for and how businesses can become procurement-ready. Passionate about creating opportunities for women founders, Jaxx champions practical pathways to contracts, growth and long-term commercial success.

The Buyer Decision Blueprint

Stop selling what you do. Start showing buyers why you’re the right choice.

Room: The Growth Lab | Time: 10:00am – 10:30am

The Growth Lab is Powered by GS1 UK

Procurement isn’t just a process. It’s psychology.

Discover how buyers assess risk, evaluate suppliers and make decisions, then learn how to position your business to become the obvious choice.

You’ll discover:

  • The psychology behind buyer decisions

  • Why capability alone isn’t enough

  • How to build trust before price becomes the conversation

  • A practical framework you can apply immediately

Mick Ramsden MCIPS is Founder of The Pro Club and Managing Director of Essential Sourcing. A Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, he has spent his career leading procurement functions across complex supply chains, helping organisations make better buying decisions and reduce commercial risk. Passionate about opening procurement to a wider supplier base, Mick works with businesses to understand how buyers think, strengthen supplier positioning and create more opportunities for innovative SMEs.

Breaking New Ground

Women leading in industries where they’re still the minority.

Room: Discovery Stage | Time: 10:40 to 11:10am

The Discovery Stage is Powered by Help to Grow: Management

Success doesn’t always come from following the expected path.

Join an inspiring panel of founders and business leaders as they share how they’ve challenged assumptions, built credibility and carved out successful careers in industries where women are still underrepresented.

This isn’t a conversation about barriers.

It’s a conversation about confidence, resilience, opportunity and leading change.

You’ll discover:

  • How they built credibility in competitive industries
  • The assumptions they’ve challenged along the way
  • What they’ve learned about leadership, confidence and resilience
  • Why different perspectives make better businesses

Lee Chambers is the Founder and CEO of Male Allies UK, helping organisations engage men in inclusion, allyship and creating more equitable workplaces.

An award-winning entrepreneur, speaker and author, Lee has been recognised as a UN Women Changemaker of the Year and received the Freedom of the City of London for services to equality. He also serves on several boards championing leadership, inclusion and social impact.

Known for his practical and thought-provoking approach, Lee challenges traditional thinking and inspires meaningful action, encouraging businesses to move beyond conversation and create lasting change.

Naomi Timperley is an award-winning business consultant, Co-founder of Tech North Advocates and UK Lead for Global Tech Advocates. Named the second Most Influential Woman in UK Tech by Computer Weekly in 2024, she has spent more than 14 years mentoring hundreds of start-ups and growth businesses, championing innovation, collaboration and greater representation across the tech sector. Naomi is also a passionate advocate for stronger protection against online abuse, turning her own experience of digital stalking into a drive for change.

Preeti Choudhary is a serial entrepreneur and Founder of Pro-Business Consulting and Kaayu Rituals. Through Pro-Business Consulting, she helps MedTech and healthcare businesses navigate regulation and bring products into public and private healthcare markets. Drawing on more than 18 years’ experience in healthcare and regulatory affairs, Preeti has now taken that expertise into consumer wellness, launching Kaayu Rituals to blend Ayurvedic wisdom with modern science and regulatory rigour.

Michaela Wain is an established business woman within the construction industry. She is the managing director of Design and Build UK, Women in Construction, Vantage Utility Connections holdings, and Framework Marketing. Michaela was a finalist on BBC The Apprentice and later secured the investment after her exposure on the show. She is passionate about ED and I in construction. She started the first ever Women in Construction awards and has spoken about this topic at the House of Lords, on GB News, ITV News and BBC News. She works closely with female led charities and mental health charities to help both women and men in the industry.

Michaela wants to see a change in the construction industry. To see more money spent in the North, having inclusive environments for all to thrive in and allow SMEs and micro businesses to win more contracts.

Kate Morement is Co-Founder and Director of Restore Compliance, bringing more than 20 years’ experience in business growth, operations and compliance across the construction, environmental and building safety sectors. A board-level leader with a track record of building high-performing teams and navigating complex regulatory environments, Kate is passionate about raising standards, creating inclusive workplaces and building businesses where people and performance can thrive.

Kay Slade is Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s Regional Civils business, with responsibility for leading its operations across the UK. She previously led the North-West region as Area Director, overseeing the delivery of major infrastructure projects and establishing a strong pipeline of work with local and regional authorities across the transport, flood and coastal markets. Kay began her career in law, specialising in major projects, construction and engineering, and holds a Law degree from the University of Cambridge and an MBA from London Business School.

Gateway to Growth: Winning Public Sector Contracts

Think public sector contracts are only for big businesses? Think again.

Room: The Growth Lab | Time: 10:40am -11:10am

The Growth Lab is Powered by GS1 UK

Winning government work doesn’t have to be complicated. In this practical session, Kathryn Pearson demystifies public sector procurement, showing you how to build relationships before tenders are published, write stronger bids and compete with confidence.

You’ll discover:

  • Why most contracts are won before the tender is released

  • How to engage buyers early and build credibility

  • Practical bid writing tips that improve your chances of success

  • How SMEs are winning contracts worth millions

Kathryn Pearson is Managing Director of JGP Consultancy, helping SMEs find and win public sector contracts. Through JGP’s hands-on Tender Guide service, she and her team have supported businesses across sectors including healthcare, construction, rail and logistics to secure billions of pounds in public sector contract value. Kathryn is passionate about making procurement accessible and helping smaller businesses compete with confidence.

Emma Jones CBE

Late payments are costing businesses time, money and growth.

Join Emma Jones CBE, UK’s Small Business Commissioner, for a practical update on fair payment practices, the Government’s Late Payment Bill and what every founder should know to protect cash flow and build stronger business relationships.

Room: Discovery Stage | Time: 11:20am – 11:35am

The Discovery Stage is Powered by Help to Grow: Management

Emma Jones CBE is the UK’s Small Business Commissioner and one of the country’s most recognised champions of entrepreneurship.

Founder of Enterprise Nation and co-founder of StartUp Britain, Emma has spent more than 20 years helping small businesses start, grow and access new opportunities.

A passionate advocate for fair business practices, procurement access and supporting founders to thrive, Emma brings a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing SMEs today.

Show Me The Money

Find the right funding. Avoid expensive mistakes.

Room: Discovery Stage | Time: 11:35 to 12 noon

The Discovery Stage is Powered by Help to Grow: Management

Not every business needs investment.
Not every investor is right.
Not every loan is a good idea.
Learn how successful founders financed growth, managed cash flow and made the decisions that shaped their businesses.
Whether you’re bootstrapping, scaling, raising investment or simply planning your next move, understanding your finance options could save you years of frustration and thousands of pounds.
Hear honest stories from founders who’ve crowdfunded, secured investment, self-funded growth and navigated the highs and lows of financing a business.

You’ll discover:

  • Which funding options suit different stages of growth
  • What investors, lenders and funders are really looking for
  • The mistakes founders wish they’d avoided
  • How to prepare before you need funding
  • When saying “no” to investment might be the right decision

With more than 30 years’ experience supporting businesses, Heather Waters is one of the region’s most respected connectors and champions of enterprise. She has spent decades bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, networks and organisations, creating partnerships and opportunities that help businesses grow and thrive.

Known for her ability to open doors and connect the right people, Heather is passionate about supporting, guiding and celebrating the success of others. Her collaborative approach and extensive knowledge of the business ecosystem have made her a trusted figure across the enterprise community.

A natural relationship builder, Heather believes that meaningful connections can be transformative, turning conversations into opportunities and ideas into action.

Sam White is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Stella Insurance, a purpose-led insurance brand created to challenge a traditionally male-dominated industry. Having launched her first business at just 24, Sam has built and scaled multimillion-pound businesses across international markets, combining commercial ambition with a determination to do business differently.

Ruby Raut is Founder and CEO of WUKA, the pioneering period care brand she launched following a Kickstarter campaign. From creating prototypes at home to building a multi-million-pound B Corp brand stocked by major retailers including Boots and Tesco, Ruby has experienced first-hand the realities of funding, scaling and growing a category-defining business.

Simon Truby is Senior Investment Manager at Business Finance North West, working with Business Enterprise Fund to help SMEs access the finance they need to start, grow and thrive. With 24 years’ banking experience across RBS, Lloyds and Yorkshire Bank, Simon brings a lender’s perspective on what makes a business fundable, what strengthens an application and how the right finance can support sustainable growth.

Emma Jones CBE is the UK’s Small Business Commissioner and Founder of Enterprise Nation. An entrepreneur herself, Emma started, grew and sold her first business before building Enterprise Nation into one of the UK’s leading small business communities. With more than 25 years’ experience building businesses and championing entrepreneurs, she brings a unique perspective on the financial decisions, investment choices and opportunities that enable small businesses to grow.

Alex Beardsley is Founder and CEO of Debeo, the fintech platform giving SMEs greater clarity and control over commercial finance. With more than a decade of frontline lending experience, Alex has built and exited a successful commercial finance brokerage and is now using technology to challenge an opaque and fragmented lending market, helping businesses better understand borrowing, affordability and the true cost of finance.

Supplier Risk & Cyber Resilience

Building Trust, Confidence and Stronger Business Relationships

Room: The Growth Lab | Time: 12:10pm – 12:40pm

The Growth Lab is Powered by GS1 UK

Cyber security is no longer just an IT issue – it’s a business issue.

Every organisation relies on suppliers, partners and third parties to deliver products and services. As supply chains become increasingly connected, understanding supplier chain risk has become an essential part of protecting your business, your reputation and your customers.

  • Would you know if one of your key suppliers was your biggest cyber risk?
  • How do you know who to trust?
  • What are larger organisations now asking of their suppliers?
  • And how can smaller businesses demonstrate they’re a safe and trusted partner?

In this practical, business-focused session, Sue will explore how businesses can better understand and manage supplier chain risk, helping them build stronger relationships, protect their reputation and give customers confidence.

You’ll leave with practical insights and simple actions that can help strengthen your supply chain, support business growth and build trust with customers and partners.

You’ll discover:

  • Why supplier cyber resilience has become a business and commercial advantage
  • What customers and procurement teams are increasingly looking for from their suppliers
  • The key questions every organisation should ask when assessing supplier risk
  • Practical ways to reduce supplier risk without unnecessary complexity
  • How good cyber practices build trust, resilience and stronger business relationships

Susan Johnson is the CEO of Intersect and has over 30 years’ experience in the IT Industry and is helping organisations of all sizes to strengthen their cyber resilience, improve supplier assurance and help leaders make informed decisions that support growth, resilience and trust.

From Product to Profit

More customers. More markets. Smarter growth.

Room: Discovery Stage | Time: 12:40pm – 1:10pm

The Discovery Stage is Powered by Help to Grow: Management

You’ve created a fantastic product. But where does the next stage of growth come from?

Whether you’re selling through your own website, at markets and events, on social media or already supplying retailers, every product business reaches a point where it needs to think differently.

How do you reach new customers? Enter new markets? Reduce your reliance on one platform? Scale without losing control?

Join founders who’ve taken very different routes to growth as they share the breakthroughs, setbacks and lessons that shaped their journeys. From retail and wholesale to subscription models, exports and marketplaces, this is an honest conversation about growing a product business in the real world.

At 49, Maxine Laceby co-founded Absolute Collagen with her daughter Darcy, turning a single-product idea into an award-winning £30m+ brand and one of the UK’s fastest-growing direct-to-consumer businesses.

With no previous business experience, Maxine has become a passionate advocate for women backing themselves and embracing new opportunities at every stage of life. Through Absolute Collagen’s bold Age Powerfully movement, she champions confidence, authenticity and the belief that it is never too late to start something extraordinary.

Her message is simple: trust your instincts, block out the noise and don’t let other people’s limitations define what is possible.

Katie Summers is Co-Founder of The Mellow Company, the wellness brand she helped grow from a walk-in wardrobe into a rapidly expanding retail business. Starting without major investment, the brand has scaled from online sales into major retail and broadcast channels including Superdrug, Holland & Barrett, Amazon and TV shopping.

Sanjay Aggarwal is Co-Founder and Chief Spice Officer of Spice Kitchen, the family business he started with his mum, Shashi, as a retirement hobby in 2012. From market stalls to an award-winning brand stocked by 600+ retailers, Sanjay has learned first-hand what it takes – and what can go wrong – when taking a product into retail. Today he shares those lessons with other founders, alongside continuing to grow Spice Kitchen in the UK and internationally.

Diane Hannah is Co-Founder of Herdy, the award-winning Lake District brand inspired by the region’s iconic Herdwick sheep. Since launching with her husband Spencer in 2007, Herdy has grown to more than 400 products, five stores, two ecommerce sites and an international wholesale business. With a global children’s publishing deal launching this autumn, Diane brings nearly 20 years of experience in building a distinctive, purpose-led brand while championing British manufacturing and supporting rural communities.

Kirsty Henshaw is Founder of Kirsty’s, the allergen-free food brand she created after her son was diagnosed with severe food allergies. What began in her own kitchen has grown into a successful food business with a purpose-built 14-allergen-free factory in Harrogate, producing nutritious meals without compromise. Driven by personal experience, Kirsty continues to innovate, challenge the food industry and make life easier for families navigating food allergies.

Charlotte Ayoub coming soon.

Founder Freedom

Experience Is The New Degree.

How to build a business that creates freedom not another full-time job

Room: The Growth Lab | Time: 12:45pm – 1:15pm

The Growth Lab is Powered by GS1 UK

What if the biggest thing holding your business back… is you?

After 22 years of building multiple businesses, leading teams and creating a successful franchise, Carla Chatburn discovered that growth doesn’t come from working harder it comes from building systems, developing leaders and creating a business that no longer depends on its founder.

In this inspiring keynote, Carla shares the lessons, mistakes and mindset shifts that transformed her from a time-poor business owner into the founder of scalable businesses built on the Beautinuity® Framework.

Whether you want to scale, build a team, create more freedom or simply stop being the bottleneck in your own business, this session will change the way you think about leadership forever.

You’ll discover:

  • Why your business still depends on you
  • The founder mistake that keeps you trapped in the day-to-day
  • How to turn your experience into systems that develop leaders
  • Practical ways to scale without everything relying on you
  • How to build a business that gives you freedom, not another job

Carla Chatburn is an award-winning entrepreneur, franchisor and founder with more than 22 years’ experience building businesses that create freedom. After transforming a single salon into the award-winning Pure Perfection franchise, she developed the Beautinuity® Framework, built around her belief that “Experience is the New Degree.”

Today, Carla mentors founders across multiple industries, combining leadership, scalable systems, AI, marketing and franchising to help them step out of the day-to-day. Her Founder Freedom approach helps business owners develop leaders, create repeatable systems and build businesses that can grow without everything depending on them.

How To Get Over Yourself & Get More Clients

If you’re tired of being the internet’s best kept secret, this session is for you.

Room: The Discovery Stage | Time: 1:20pm – 1:50 pm

The Discovery Stage is Powered by Help to Grow: Management

Algorithms change. AI is everywhere. Yet one thing never goes out of style – people buying from people they know, like and trust.

Elisabeth Carley-Leonard combines straight-talking advice, founder psychology and practical strategy to help you stop hiding behind your business and become the visible, influential founder your brand needs.

You’ll discover:

  • Why other businesses seem to get noticed more than yours
  • How to stand out in an AI-driven world
  • The simple content strategy that builds trust and attracts clients
  • The confidence to stop waiting for the perfect moment and just start

Elisabeth Carley-Leonard is an award-winning founder, bestselling author, and visibility strategist. As the creator of Vibes & Visibility, she helps purpose-led entrepreneurs grow their follower counts and their bank accounts through founder marketing – a strategy that’s 3x more trusted and 22x more memorable. Recognised with the Outrageously Authentic Award and featured in the bestselling book Beyond The Mirror, Elisabeth is known for showing up with unapologetic authenticity and teaching founders how to do the same.

What Problem Are You Really Solving?

People Don’t Build Great Businesses. Great Businesses Build Great People.

Room: The Growth Lab | Time: 2:00pm – 2:30pm

The Growth Lab is Powered by GS1 UK

Struggling to recruit? High staff turnover? Teams under pressure?

Laura Davies challenges business leaders to look beyond the vacancy and uncover the real issue. From leadership and culture to onboarding and capability, she’ll explore why the most successful businesses don’t just attract great people – they create businesses where great people want to stay.

You’ll discover:

  • Why hiring isn’t always the answer
  • What drives people to stay, grow and perform
  • What successful businesses do differently
  • Practical ways to build a business where people thrive

Laura Davies is the Founder and Managing Director of Marshall Harmony, a recruitment business supporting manufacturing and engineering companies to solve problems through people. With 26 years’ experience in recruitment, Laura is known for her honest, people first approach and for challenging the traditional perception of the industry.

She founded Marshall Harmony with her “why” at the heart of the business, naming it after the middle names of her two children. Laura is also the host of the Hire Me… Maybe? podcast, an #SBS Small Business Sunday winner, a best selling author, and a passionate supporter of Women with Metal and Acorns Children’s Hospice.

Pitch Me Quick!

Can you make the room remember your business in 45 seconds?

Hosted by Christine Nichols and Dani Wallace, Pitch Me Quick! is your chance to put your business in front of founders, buyers, retailers, investors and decision makers.

Room: Discovery Stage | Time: 2:40pm – 3:10pm

The Discovery Stage is Powered by Help to Grow: Management

Here’s how it works…

Submit a 45-second video pitch – portrait format, telling us:

  • Who you are
  • What you do
  • Why people should remember your business

Make it memorable, think outside the box so we want to know more.

We’ll showcase 10 video pitches throughout the session before inviting three businesses to pitch live on stage.

Expect plenty of energy, encouragement, a few surprises and some fantastic prizes, including one opportunity that money simply can’t buy.

How to enter

Email your 45-second video to info@enterprisevisionawards.co.uk by Friday 11 September 2026.

Christine Nichols

Co-Founder, Atlantic Pacific Global Logistics

Christine co-founded Atlantic Pacific Global Logistics in 2000, growing the business into an award-winning international logistics group with operations across the UK, USA and Ireland. A King’s Award for Enterprise winner and EVAS alumna, Christine is passionate about helping businesses think bigger, grow sustainably and seize new opportunities.

Dani Wallace

Founder, IATQB | International Speaker | Author

Known as The Queen Bee, Dani Wallace is an international speaker, bestselling author and founder of IATQB. She has inspired thousands of entrepreneurs to build confidence, raise their visibility and back themselves, bringing plenty of energy, humour and encouragement wherever she goes.

Fireside Chat with Karen Millen OBE

From £100 to a Global Fashion Brand

How do you build one of Britain’s most recognised fashion brands?

Building a successful business is rarely a straight line. In this warm and honest conversation, Karen Millen OBE will share the lessons behind creating an iconic brand, the challenges and setbacks she has faced along the way, and the resilience required to reinvent yourself and keep moving forward. Expect personal stories, practical wisdom and an inspiring reminder that success often comes from having the courage to begin again.

Room: Discovery Stage | Time: 3:15pm to 4pm

The Discovery Stage is Powered by Help to Grow: Management

The Exchange

One Conversation Could Change Everything.

The Exchange gives you the opportunity to book one-to-one conversations with experienced business leaders, specialists and industry experts throughout the day.

Our experts will be announced soon, with advance booking opening before the event.

Whether you’re looking for fresh ideas, honest advice or practical solutions to a specific challenge, these focused sessions are designed to help you move your business forward.

You might want to talk about:

Business growth

Procurement and supply chains

Funding and investment

Marketing and visibility

Recruitment and leadership

Cyber security

Retail and routes to market

PR and media

Strategy and scaling

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