Finance Futures: The Executive Summit – Event Highlights

Finance Futures: The Executive Summit brought together over 150 finance leaders, industry experts and business decision-makers for a half-day of thought-provoking discussions and networking. Hosted by TheBusinessDesk.com in collaboration with Headstar, the event explored three key themes shaping the future of finance: Economic Growth, Business Growth and Personal Growth.

Navigating Economic Growth in Uncertain Times

The summit opened with a keynote speech from Andrew McPhillips, Chief Economist at the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, who struck a balance between optimism and realism. Touching upon the current global uncertainty, Andrew stressed that policy clarity and strategic action are key, and businesses need to build on their current strengths to help increase economic growth.

The Business Outlook panel continued the discussion, with leaders from Volkswagen, Theakston Brewery, CBI and Produmax sharing their perspectives.

Building Sustainable Business Growth

Growth isn’t just about scaling—it’s about doing so sustainably and intelligently.

Kicking off this session, Sarah Ashby, CFO of Mamas & Papas, shared a crucial lesson:
“There’s a right time to make difficult decisions. Don’t wait until the bad times. Take action early and course correct. It’s important to build in contingency. Don’t assume every star will align.”

The panel discussion that followed featured finance leaders from DNA Payments Group, PIB Group, BGF and Mansfield Pollard who spoke about attracting and retaining top talent. As Ben Priestley, CFO at Mansfield Pollard, put it, “You need to get people young, train them, treat them well, and, if you can, hold onto them.” Preete Janda, CFO at DNA Payments Group, reinforced that message adding, “It’s important to get people who are willing to get their hands dirty and muck in when times are tough. Hold onto them when you find them and pay them well. Give them the market rate.”

Authentic Leadership and Personal Development

The final session shifted the focus to Personal Growth, with attendees breaking into discussion groups to explore how to develop their own skills and their teams. The insightful panel included speakers from Be World Class, Myenergi, Arc Inspirations and Headstar’s very own Managing Director, James Roach.

Ciara Allan, Finance Director at Arc Inspirations, shared her journey of embracing her own leadership style, “I spent a lot of my twenties trying to be what I thought I needed to be to succeed. But I’m a working-class girl from Ireland who is more comfortable walking around the factory floor than sitting in corporate meetings. I needed to have the confidence to be me.”

Closing the event, Sharon Naidoo, CFO at TransUnion, delivered a powerful keynote speech on authentic leadership, highlighting, “Navigating the corporate landscape is about trying to strike a balance between fitting in and standing out. We should be making sure that everyone has a seat at the table and embracing each other’s diversity.”

What Attendees Said

Feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive, with guests praising the fantastic line-up of speakers, commenting on how much they enjoyed the “very insightful” agenda and coining the summit “an excellent event – five stars!”

Another attendee added, “I thought it was a great pace, interesting debates and interesting, varied speakers,” while others reflected on the “engaging and inspiring panel discussions” and concluded that it was “an amazing day – so well organised and executed.”

A huge thank you to all our speakers, attendees and partners who made Finance Futures: The Executive Summit such a success. This year’s event may be over, but the conversations are only just beginning…