CambsB2B 2023: Our guide to the speakers
CambsB2B is back after a four-year break - and it will help local business people connect, get advice and inspiration and listen to expert talks.
Being held from 10am-3pm on Wednesday November 22 at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford it has been organised by the Cambridge and South Cambs Committee of the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce.
Supported by the Cambridge Independent, the event is expected to attract more than 800 people - and it’s free to attend by registering at cambsb2b.co.uk.
CambsB2B will include an exhibition hall on the ground floor, featuring a wide range of exhibitors representing sectors including everything from HR and recruitment, accountants, lawyers, marketing and design, coaching and training, printing and much more
The People & Productivity Zone will also be found on the ground floor, where some key issues facing employers will be discussed.
Upstairs in the Conference Suite will be a series of talks in the main room, plus speed networking and advice rooms on skills.
You can read Part One of our guide to CambsB2B here, featuring an interview with Faye Holland, chair of the chamber committee and director of cofinitive. Below is our guide to the speakers.
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Conference room
10.30am Richard Grimster, Price Bailey - UK tax legislation support for SMEs and business owners
Richard will discuss the intricate world of UK tax legislation, which spans over 21,000 pages of evolving text. He'll explore the challenges faced by SMEs and their owners due to rising tax rates and fiscal complexities.
Additionally, he will delve into the tax landscape for owner-managers and other timely issues. Get ready for insights into potential tax changes following the November 22 fiscal event, as Richard draws upon his experience in predicting the winds from Westminster later in the day.
Richard is a natural problem solver with expertise in the field of UK tax. He is a senior partner and head of tax at Price Bailey, a top 30 accountancy firm. With a wealth of experience spanning both private client and corporate tax matters, Richard is often sought after for his skills in handling complex or potentially contentious matters and advising on tax planning and future strategies.
11.30am Claire Clarke, Mills & Reeve - Creating an environment where our people thrive and others want to join
Mills & Reeve LLP is a national law firm known for its strong people culture, having been listed in Best Companies to work for for 20 years and recently achieved Platinum Investors in People.
Claire will talk through some of the challenges, practical steps, tips and learnings involved in seeking to create an inclusive environment at Mills & Reeve where people thrive and others want to join.
Claire Clarke is the managing partner of Mills & Reeve LLP and drives the firm’s leader in people experience strategy.
12.30pm Ekaterina Zerilli and Stuart Walker, Energy Saving Trust - Starting your net zero journey
We must act fast to avoid catastrophic climate change. We will discuss how you can develop a net zero strategy which allows your business to thrive whilst minimising its impact.
Ekaterina is a net zero consultant at the Energy Saving Trust, focussed on carbon measurement and planning. She has an MSc in sustainable resource management and developed the Measure-Plan-Act service.
Stuart is a senior consultant at the Energy Saving Trust with experience in product assessment and energy. He has a PhD in renewable energy and joined the organisation in 2022.
1.30pm Joe Moore, 4-Day Week Campaign - Make your case for a 4-day week
Joe has a background in business engagement and policy design, and he has previously used these skills to strengthen consumer rights globally. He is excited by the possibility of a 4-Day Week and its potential to improve businesses and society more broadly.
Joe will be making the business case for the 4-Day Week by highlighting its many benefits to employers, ranging from increased productivity and revenue to significantly improved recruitment and retention as well as helping to cut costs. This will be followed by a Q&A.
People & Productivity Zone
11am Phil Allen, The Practice Guy & Co-Founder of PRO - Why do more emotionally intelligent leaders have more productive teams?
With a background in psychology and more than 20 years spent developing leaders, Phil has worked with a wide variety of organisations, quickly building trust and a deep understanding of how people respond to learning. From being the head of leadership at Travis Perkins, Phil is a co-founder of Practice Room Online which specialises in supporting people to develop their Emotional Intelligence and interact better with people in those crucial conversation. He passionately believes in the power of practice and feedback to improve those human skills we need to succeed.
In this talk, Phil will talk about why those skills that we call “soft” are the ones that really make the difference to how effective, creative and productive teams can be. He will also look at what needs to be done to really develop those skills in new managers, particularly ones who have been promoted because of their strong technical capability.
12pm Nel Woolcott, Anne Corder Recruitment - The cost of not retaining your staff, How is your recruitment health?
In the current climate, where time to hire is extending, costs are rising and the impact of having roles absent for a long time is impacting on our team’s morale and performance.
We are currently working with a host of our clients to carry out a recruitment health check to support them in building out a manpower plan, understand their leaver risks, and do what they can to mitigate these.
In her session, Nel will share some hints and tips on how to carry out your own recruitment health check and what this might mean for your business.
Anne Corder Recruitment is an independent recruitment consultancy based in Peterborough – trading since 1995 we have a reputation for delivering outstanding recruitment services across the East of England, and nationally for some specialist roles, particularly HR.
1pm Kath Austin, Form the Future - Engaging with the next generation
When we ask the question ‘How do we engage with the next generation?’ often we might also be asking, ‘Why didn’t our latest recruit possess the skills to step into the role and hit the ground running?’ or ‘Why are schools not preparing young people for careers adequately?’.
Looking at these questions through the lens of businesses only gives us half the picture. To fully grasp how we should engage with the next generation there are fundamental steps businesses can take to understand young people and bridge the gap that exists. This starts with asking what they are missing.
Kath Austin has a background in the third sector and social entrepreneurship having founded BeeBee & Leaf, a manufacturing firm tackling single-use plastic. Since then, she has moved into the education sector looking at the changing needs of young people as they move through school and into their careers. Her focus is on bridging the gap between industry and students towards mutually beneficial partnerships resulting in confident, work-ready young people.
2pm Katie Allen - From cautious to confident: 3 things about DEI conversations you need to know
Katie Allen is a specialist diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consultant, executive coach and TEDx speaker. With decades of experience in people and culture, and commercial leadership positions, Katie is now on a mission to change the world of work by enabling a new wave of inclusive leaders who are confident to have the real conversations that matter. Katie started her own business, Katie Allen Consulting, in 2020 and has since helped thousands of leaders to fight the fear and move ‘from cautious to confident’.
She says: “As soon as the words ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ are uttered most rooms will go quiet and you can feel the fear levels rise. That look of ‘Oh no, please don’t make me say anything’ freezes onto faces. So, it’s understandable then when I say I’m a DEI Specialist the one thing people always confess to me is that they’re scared of saying or doing the wrong thing and offending someone.
“And the funny thing about this is that it’s not just a few people… it’s everyone. All of us share this concern! And ironically, not talking about this is the one thing that stops us from breaking the grip of fear, and starting to make the changes we need to grow and improve.
“That’s why I want to share with you three things you need to know today to help you fight that fear and move your conversations from a cautious tiptoe of hesitant language to confident dialogue and meaningful discussion.”
Advice rooms
Running throughout the day will be two drop-in advice rooms hosted by North Cambridgeshire Training Centre and the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP). These can be found in the first floor Conference Suite.
Speed networking
There will be two of the chambers’ iconic speed networking sessions taking place at 11am and 1pm. These are on a first-come, first-served basis so be there early with a handful of business cards!
Register now at cambsb2b.co.uk to attend.
