Our 2026 Alumni Network Annual Conference brought together hundreds of SME leaders from across the UK. The day saw new connections forged, expert business insights shared, and real-world strategies for growth discussed.
Alongside networking and coffee, there were back-to-back sessions from visionary entrepreneurs who provided the honest stories behind their journeys to success.
Opening remarks were given by Flora Hamilton, CEO of the Chartered Association of Business Schools and Executive Director of the Small Business Charter. This was followed by an inspiring welcome address by Byron Dixon OBE, Founder and CEO of Micro-Fresh® and Chair of the Small Business Charter.
Once underway, the event featured talks from Justine Roberts, CEO and Co-Founder of Mumsnet; Huib van Bockel, founder of TENZING; and Deepak Ravindran, Co-founder of Oddbox. This was followed by a great panel discussion with guests Darren Pirie, Head of NatWest Group Accelerator & Strategic Partnerships; Paul Kenny, Director of Aquatrust Water and Ventilation; Emmanuelle Bastide-Wilson, Founder and Director of Dovetailors; Shirley Cooper OBE, Entrepreneur and Crown Representative Small Businesses at the Cabinet Office.
Notably, our fireside chat on purposeful leadership was hosted by Denise Nurse, BBC Presenter and CEO of DBN Enterprises. For those who recognise Denise from Escape to the Country, she will become even more familiar in our upcoming podcast.
These talks with business experts were just one element of the day, with breakout sessions covering every facet of business. From social media to AI, the speakers covered how to take a small business forward while discussing real issues raised by our alumni.
To top it off, the Minister for Small Business and Economic Transformation, Blair McDougall, delivered a speech highlighting the UK Government’s commitment to supporting SMEs.
It is a big commitment for any SME leader to be out of the office for the day, so we were delighted that so many of our alumni from across the UK were able to join us and had such a great experience.
Asked about the event, James Savage, Managing Director at Norwich-based engineering company Schema, said, “I really enjoyed the course when I did it a year ago, and it’s great to be back. Just coming here, seeing all the different people, and having all the insights from world leaders in business is so useful when you're growing."
Another of our alumni, Sophie Lucas, Chief of Staff at Birmingham-based marketing services agency Redbrain, also discussed the benefits of the day, “I find events like today really interesting. When you're in the day-to-day business, it's really hard to get out of your own head and take stock of what you are doing well. Coming to an event like this and talking to people in very similar positions allows me to start thinking about new approaches to our business.”
The Alumni Network Annual Conference is part of a programme of events and content delivered by the Help to Grow: Management alumni team.
You can find more information about the Alumni Network here.
