We are delighted to have amazing and insightful speakers coming to the Conference this year, take a look at them here:
Sharanjit Leyl
International Broadcaster, Moderator and Chancellor of Bath Spa University
A familiar face on global news channels, Sharanjit Leyl has brought you the news from Asia on BBC World News and Bloomberg TV for a quarter of a century.
Last year, she was installed as the new Chancellor of Bath Spa University, making her the first female Chancellor of the university.
She brings her razor sharp journalistic insight and knowledge to every project.
Chris Stephens
Director of the Holburne Museum
Chris Stephens has been Director of the Holburne Museum, Bath, since July 2017. Before that, he worked at Tate in London for twenty-one years, for much of that time as Head of Displays at Tate Britain and Lead Curator of Modern British Art. His numerous exhibitions include some of the Tate’s most successful shows, such as ‘Barbara Hepworth: Centenary’ at Tate St Ives in 2003 and, in London, ‘Francis Bacon’ (2008), ‘Henry Moore’ (2010), ‘Picasso and British Art’ (2012) and ‘David Hockney’ (2017). As a leading expert on modern British art, he has published extensively and his book – St Ives The Art and the Artists was published in 2018.
Simone Homes
General Manager of Bath Philharmonia
Simone Homes is General Manager of Bath Philharmonia, a professional orchestra committed to transforming lives through the joy of live orchestral music. In a portfolio career spanning over 25 years, she has worked for numerous arts and heritage organisations in roles that focus on inclusivity and participation, including Public Engagement Manager at the Holburne Museum and audience development consultant to Arts Council England. From producing community music projects and festivals in East London to international conferences on carnival, Simone is committed to making creativity and music part of everyday life.
Rob Campbell
Head of Heritage Services at Bath and North East Somerset Council
Rob has worked in the Museum and Heritage industry since 2005. This has included delivery of the £5m ‘Lord Ashcroft Gallery’ at the Imperial War Museum and the renovated interpretive experience at Stonehenge for English Heritage. In 2017 Rob took on the role of Director of Curatorial and Museums for Sydney Living Museums in Australia. He had operational, curatorial and commercial oversight of 12 historic properties in and around Sydney, including Hyde Park Barracks – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In his current role he overseas the operations of B&NES Council’s heritage assets including the Roman Baths. These activities turn over circa £23m p/a and realise a multimillion pound profit that the Council uses to deliver for the most vulnerable people in B&NES. Rob is interested in the creation of innovative museum and heritage experiences that maximise commercial return, social impact and emotional outcomes for the widest possible audience.
Tarquin McDonald
Chief Executive of Bath Rugby
Tarquin McDonald has worked his way up through Bath Rugby after initially joining in 2012 as Finance and Strategy Director. A decade later, Tarquin is now Chief Executive of the club, having served as Managing Director from 2014, and being named Chief Executive in 2017. Not known as a CEO for sitting back, Tarquin plays a hands-on role in all elements of Bath Rugby, Bath Rugby Foundation and Farleigh Performance Ltd. He is known to be a tenacious, proactive and compassionate leader who leads from the front.
Recently becoming a trustee of Bath Rugby Foundation, the charitable arm of Bath Rugby, Tarquin wants to make an impact during his tenure. He believes being a trustee is “both a privilege and an honour” and has seen first-hand the work the Foundation do across Bath and the surrounding areas.
He believes Bath Rugby Foundation can take inspiration from Bath Rugby and is passionate about instilling high-performance expertise from the club into the Foundation to allow it to go from strength to strength. He also sees it as vital that the club takes heed of the way the Foundation seamlessly integrates itself into the local community. Tarquin hopes that the growth of Bath Rugby Foundation continues its current trajectory so that it can have maximum impact in the city.
Dr Jo Morrison
Director of Digital Innovation at Calvium
As part of her role, Jo works to improve the social, cultural, economic and environmental prosperity of towns and cities through digital innovation is a core area of her work. In particular, discovering the opportunities and value that digital placemaking affords public, private and third sector clients involved in large scale developments, regeneration, and heritage – with the aim of creating more pleasurable, sustainable and citizen-centred places. Jo is also a Co-Founder of the Association of Collaborative Design and an Expert for The High Streets Task Force
Cleo Newcombe-Jones
Regeneration Manager at Bath and North East Somerset Council
Cleo is an urban designer and town planner working for Bath & North East Somerset Council as the Council’s Regeneration Manager. She has significant experience working on the strategy, design and delivery of development, environmental and regeneration projects. Her team works to deliver regeneration projects with a portfolio of project valuing £24 million.
As part of her role she works on urban projects with a focus on Bath City Centre, and the market towns of Keynsham and Midsomer Norton as well as local High Streets.
She is also a Panel Member for Design West, the South West Region’s centre of excellence for design and placemaking.
Carl Fletcher
Sales Director at Gradwell Communications
Carl Fletcher is a seasoned Sales Director with over 12 years of experience driving business growth and optimising operations through technology solutions. Carl has successfully led numerous projects with local, national and international organisations that have streamlined operations, enhanced productivity and increased profitability. His deep understanding of technology, combined with a keen insight into the unique needs of small and medium-sized enterprises, enables him to deliver tailored solutions that produce tangible results.
Amy Gilbert (Walker)
Marketing Director at Gradwell Communications
With over 14 years of experience, Amy is a seasoned marketing expert with a comprehensive skill set spanning all aspects of the field. Based in Bath, she has collaborated with a diverse array of business owners, helping them establish robust marketing strategies and revitalise their brands and company cultures. Currently at Gradwell Communications, Amy oversees business development and marketing initiatives, driving the generation of qualified leads and resources for both the direct and channel segments of the business.
Emma Colwill
Co-founder of Not Impossible
Emma Colwill is Co-Founder of Not Impossible – an EdTech start-up on a mission to fuel social mobility by fixing work experience for less-advantaged young people. Emma has 20+ years’ experience in sales and business development with premium lifestyle brands, most recently as Global Business Development Director for Bristol B-Corp Pukka Herbs. She has developed and led teams her whole career and is passionate about helping young people discover their interests, opportunities and potential.
Pip Galland
Chair of Trustees at Bath Mind and Employment Senior Associate at Burges Salmon
Pip joined Bath Mind in October 2017, and is currently the Chair of Trustees. By day Pip is a HR and Employment Law Solicitor and Trainer and is therefore able to draw on her legal knowledge as a trustee. Pip also works with Bath Mind to provide training to businesses to upskill their staff on how to manage and support the implications of mental health in the workplace.
Lucy Cotterell
HR Consultant from Mogers Drewett
Lucy has 20 years experience in HR, over this time she has worked at Director level for over 9 years for a regional Further Education College. She joined Mogers Drewett in January 2017. Her experience includes responsibility for HR across all functions including Resourcing, Relations, Reward and development at both operational and strategic level.
She likes to provide practical solutions to people related issues and help with ensuring HR is aligned to organisational objectives. Her approach is consultative, practical and balanced between meeting organisational and individual needs.
Ann-Marie Gilbert
Digital Marketing Trainer at Google Digital Garage
Annie Gilbert is a digital marketing trainer. She has worked with the Google Digital Garage for over 7 years. Her background is in course creation and delivery for multiple clients and prior to that she has had her own business so knows the highs and lows and everything in-between that is involved in tech startups. Her career prior to starting her own business was in marketing with a fast trajectory into digital from 2010. She is passionate about supporting and developing small and medium-sized businesses with their confidence and digital skills.
Christine Braithwaite
Marketeer at Google Digital Garage
Christine is a true Marketeer. For over 20 years she has obsessed with audiences on behalf of huge brands, SMEs, startups and the 3rd Sector.
Christine is a digital evangelist but never forgets that businesses need to be able to implement her strategies in the real world. She is a Charity Trustee, volunteers with children, and is a skilled trainer and mentor, having been part of Google’s Digital Garage since 2015.
Marina Sossi
Performance mentor and Mind & Body Coach
Marina Sossi is an artist, theatre director and expert in creativity, recently relocated from London to Somerset.
She has worked internationally touring shows and collaborating with artists across a range of mediums including theatre, opera, butoh dance, installation and clowning. Marina has also created and delivered a number of transformational programmes and interdisciplinary projects. She also founded ‘Seriously Playful’ clowning and impro workshops.
Bill Brand
Expert in Embodied Leadership
Drawing on experience of over 50 roles as a leading actor in the West End theatre, film, and TV, Bill coaches successful leaders and their teams to develop the look, sound and feel of a charismatic leader and authentic communicator by optimising the content, structure, and style of their communication and presentation process. Bill has twenty years experience of coaching, consulting, and training people to present and communicate to maximum impact across diverse industries, including Energy, Law, Pharmaceuticals, Medical Technology, Hospital Management and Surgery.
Ali Vowles Chair
Professional event host, interviewer and media trainer
Ali Vowles is a multi-disciplinary freelance journalist and presenter who has worked for the BBC on TV and radio for over thirty years. Since going freelance Ali has used her trademark skills as an engaging interviewer, to host events, chair panels on any subject and offers media training to share her considerable experience of the industry. Her voice can be heard on short educational films and several audio publications including the Times Educational Supplement and Financial World.
Lynne Fernquest
CEO of Bath Rugby Foundation
Lynne Fernquest is CEO of Bath Rugby Foundation and an ex-Trinity Mirror editor. Bath Rugby Foundation is a charity that drives change through community and educational interventions and believes that ‘every child deserves a fair start in life’. The Foundation builds confidence, develops skills, and creates independent pathways for young people to thrive. It has an Alternative Learning Hub based at The Rec and is active in many schools, has after-school clubs, and during the Pandemic pioneered BreakOut holiday camps to support struggling families. Most recently the Foundation has harnessed 20 years’ worth of inclusion practice and launched a Lose the Labels training programme inspiring businesses to explore the many benefits of a diverse workforce.
Kate Abbey
Co-Founder and Director of the Bath Arts Collective
Kate Abbey is Co-Founder and Director of Bath Arts Collective (BAC), a community interest company that drives, develops and contributes to a varied and vibrant arts and culture scene across the city and further afield. She is an award-winning books and music festival & events programmer; specialising in curating conversations, amplifying diverse voices, supporting local creatives and creating inclusive experiences. Her first original festival with BAC is Curious Minds: a festival to ignite ideas which ran in March 2024 and featured over 30 book talks, film screening, writing workshops, live performances and walks across Bath.
BAC is currently working with Bath Royal Literary & Scientific Institute, The Holburne Museum, Salisbury Cathedral, Bowood House & Gardens, Bath Spa University, Ryedale Festival and Lammemmuir Festival.
Kate is also Artistic Director at Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival, festival programmer for Stratford Literary Festival and Trustee at Bath City Football Club Charity Foundation.
Lizzie Heffer
Marketing Director of Thrings Solicitors
With 15 years’ experience in professional services marketing and business development, Lizzie leads Thrings’ marketing and corporate communication functions. This is a strategic role in which Lizzie works closely with her team to identify and communicate both internally and externally – the brand values and USPs of Thrings. Lizzie’s remit is to plan, direct and oversee all the output from the marketing team, from corporate events to client surveys, from public relations to social media, from advertising to website content, from writing pitches to building strategic relations with clients and referrers. A key role for the marketing team is to position Thrings in the legal landscape and to differentiate the Thrings brand in a highly competitive marketplace. A recent project that the team worked on to accomplish advisers. The team rolled out the campaign across print and digital platforms to showcase the Thrings brand.
Anita Jaynes
Founder of The Business Exchange South West
Anita is Founder of The Business Exchange South West, an independent business-to-business publishing company covering Bath & Somerset and Swindon & Wiltshire championing these areas and helping businesses and organisations grow. Alongside this, Anita is involved in a lot of community activity, from judging and setting up local award schemes to supporting local charities and mentoring.
In 2022, Anita was named by f:Entrepreneur as one of the UK’s most inspirational female entrepreneurs.
Emma Colwill
Co-founder of Not Impossible
Emma Colwill is Co-Founder of Not Impossible – an EdTech start-up on a mission to fuel social mobility by fixing work experience for less-advantaged young people. Emma has 20+ years’ experience in sales and business development with premium lifestyle brands, most recently as Global Business Development Director for Bristol B-Corp Pukka Herbs. She has developed and led teams her whole career and is passionate about helping young people discover their interests, opportunities and potential.
Franco Bonadio
Founder and Creative Director of FB&Co
Franco has held senior leadership roles for creative agencies and businesses both in the UK and internationally. He has directed brand &
communications and innovation programs for many global organisations including: Nike, The Body Shop, Gucci, Fatface, Philips, Google and Citibank.
He recently completed a 2 year collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on a Climate Change Communication assignment and today he leads his own practice advising businesses with their brand and communications.
Franco gives lectures at Bath Spa University, moderates citizen panels at live events and leads creativity workshops. He is also a founding partner of The Art of Pasta at The Pasta Laboratory in Bath. In collaboration with Chef Frederico Uliana they run Pasta making and Art & design workshops.
Daniel Hanna
Cost, Procurement and Carbon Solutions Specialist at Auditel
Born and bred in Bath, Daniel is a Partner in the Auditel network of over 120 UK-based Cost, Procurement and Carbon Solutions Specialists that helps organisations understand, measure and reduce their carbon emissions in a meaningful and potentially self-funded way. Working with clients across all industry sectors, Auditel consultants deliver expert guidance and resources to help organisations on their journey through Carbon Neutrality to the long term goal of Net Zero.
Michael Musgrave
General Manager of The Apex City of Bath and Bath BID Board Director
Michael has been General Manager at the Apex City of Bath since August 2018 and guided the hotel and conference centre through a period of sustained growth. Originally from Northern Ireland, Michael has worked in hospitality throughout the UK & Ireland, working with brands such as The Doyle Collection; Hotel du Vin and IHG. Michael’s passion for hospitality started at a young age as a banqueting waiter in his hometown. He reached the rank of General Manager in London in 2009. Throughout his time in hospitality, a huge part of Michael’s day-to-day role has been managing and leading teams, from recruitment to training and development. Having an interest in who may join his wider team, Michael does like to get involved in meeting prospective candidates and being part of engagement events outside the hotel by attending job fairs; building relationships with local charitable partners and local colleges in the city of Bath.
“It is great to be part of the Bath Business Conference and showcase how the City is a great place to work and share what opportunities that can be afforded for all in the City and further afield. The opportunity to network with the various sectors and build relationships is key to ensure the City of Bath is a place to invest for future prosperity for all!” – Michael Musgrave
Dan Lewis-Jones
Dan moved to Bath in 2014 to study Acting at Bath Spa University. Since graduating with a Masters degree in 2019, he has worked as a producer for Theatre Royal Bath and as a Marketing Manager for Bath Festivals, The Grapes, and Budō. He has also taken on various freelance roles with Bath BID, The Garden Theatre Festival, and Bath Spa Productions. Last year, he produced his first feature film. Currently, Dan is the new venue manager of Burdall’s Yard. He is enthusiastic about collaborating with venues, creatives, and businesses to contribute to Bath’s vibrant cultural landscape for the community.
Andy Hawkins
Founder of Business on Purpose
Andy Hawkins, founder of Business on Purpose, has been in business for more than 20 years helping companies transform the way they work using technology.
He also spent 5 years doing community development in Africa and a further 5 years in environmental services.
Business On Purpose supports companies to measure and improve their social and environmental impact using the B Corp framework.
Bryn Williams
Bath Forum Venue Manager
Steve Butterworth
CEO of Neighbourly
Steve is CEO at Neighbourly, a platform which connects businesses with good causes for social good. Neighbourly enables businesses to make meaningful contributions to the local communities they serve through volunteer time, financial donations and surplus products. Over the past decade, Neighbourly has built a community of over 35,000 local causes and 80 corporate entities, collectively delivering more than £780 million in social value across the UK.
Steve is passionate about helping to redefine the role of business in building happy, healthy and long-term sustainable communities.
The Bath Business Conference brings businesses together to discuss topics that are important to them. 2024 is the third year of the conference and we are pleased to share that there will be more intelligent conversation, discussion and fun to be had!
