Westminster Business Forum

Supporting new businesses to start and scale-up in the UK

Morning, Wednesday, 9^th October 2019
Emmanuel Centre, 9-23 Marsham Street, London SW1P 3DW

Keynote Speakers: Kelly Tolhurst MP, Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility, House of Commons; Emma Jones, Founder, Enterprise Nation and Co-Chair, Prime Minister’s Small Business, Scale Ups and Entrepreneurs Council and Alice Hu Wagner, Managing Director, Strategy, Economics and Business Development, British Business Bank

Magali Vaissiere

The UK space sector - developing the National Space Programme, commercialisation and access to finance, and the future for international collaboration

Morning, Thursday, 31^st October 2019
Central London

Keynote Speaker: Magali Vaissiere, Director, Telecommunications and Integrated Applications and Head, ECSAT, Harwell UK, European Space Agency

Mary Starks

The future regulatory framework for essential services - infrastructure investment, innovation and value for consumers

Morning, Tuesday, 12^th November 2019
Central London

Keynote Speakers: Mary Starks, Executive Director, Consumers and Markets, Ofgem and Sarah Hayes, Senior Regulatory Advisor, National Infrastructure Commission

Professor Dilys Wiliams

Sustainability, ethics and the UK fashion industry - next steps for business practice and options for policy

Morning, Wednesday, 20^th November 2019
Central London

Keynote Speaker: Professor Dilys Wiliams, Director, Centre for Sustainable Fashion and Professor, Fashion Design for Sustainability, London College of Fashion

Consumer protection in the UK - Smart Data, modernising consumer markets and the changing roles of regulators

Morning, Monday, 9^th December 2019
Central London

Keynote Speakers: Jason Freeman, Director, Consumer Law, Competition and Markets Authority; Charles Nancarrow, Director, Trade and Regulation, NAO and Matthew Vickers, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Ombudsman, Ombudsman Services

Financial reporting in the UK - the new regulator, ensuring quality and the future shape of the auditing market

Morning, Wednesday, 11^th December 2019
Central London

Denise Wilson

Women in the workplace - returnships, intersectionality and reassessing the gender pay gap

Morning, Wednesday, 11^th December 2019
Central London

Keynote Speaker: Denise Wilson, Chief Executive, Hampton-Alexander Review

Brian Holliday

Key issues for UK high value manufacturing - innovation and investment, skills and partnerships, and the future for international trade

Morning, Thursday, 12^th December 2019
Central London

Keynote Speakers: Clare Porter, Head of Manufacturing, BEIS; Brian Holliday, Managing Director, Siemens Digital Factory and Dr Eoin O’Sullivan, Director, Centre for Science Technology and Innovation Policy, University of Cambridge

Dr David Hancock

UK construction - modernisation, the workforce, and supporting productivity and growth following the Sector Deal

Morning, Tuesday, 14^th January 2020
Central London

Keynote Speakers: Dr David Hancock, Construction Director, Infrastructure and Projects Authority and Ann Bentley, Lead, Supply Chain and Business Models, Construction Leadership Council and Member, Global Board, Rider Levett Bucknall

Tabitha Jay

Disability in the workplace - removing barriers to recruitment and progression, creating inclusive workplace cultures, and next steps for policy and organisational practice

Morning, Tuesday, 21^st January 2020
Central London

Keynote Speaker: Tabitha Jay, Director, Joint Work and Health Unit, Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health and Social Care

Charlotte Crosswell

Fintech in the UK - regulation, innovation and growth

Morning, Thursday, 2^nd April 2020
Central London

Keynote Speaker: Charlotte Crosswell, Chief Executive Officer, Innovate Finance

Core Sponsors

The core sponsor of the Westminster Business Forum is Economic Insight.

In Production

The Westminster Business Forum is planning a very full programme for the next 12 months.

Please give us a ring on 01344 864796 or email email info@forumsupport.co.uk to discuss future conferences.

We'd be happy to share ideas on areas to focus on, speaker suggestions, and other ways of getting involved.

Parliamentary Patrons of the Forum

The parliamentary patrons of the Westminster Business Forum are:

Nigel Adams MP

Sir David Amess MP

Luciana Berger MP

Lord Cavendish of Furness

Christopher Chope MP

Lord Curry of Kirkharle

Baroness Drake

Lord Dykes

Lord Empey

Nigel Evans MP

Barry Gardiner MP

Patricia Gibson MP

Lord Gordon of Strathblane

Lord Harrison

Lord Hollick

Baroness Howe of Idlicote

Lord Inglewood

Lord Kennedy of Southwark

Rt Hon the Lord Kilclooney

Stephen Kinnock MP

The Earl of Kinnoull

Lord Lee of Trafford

The Earl of Lindsay

Ian Lucas MP

Lord Marland

Lord Mendelsohn

Lord Northbrook

Chi Onwurah MP

Lord Oxburgh

Lord Puttnam CBE

Lord Razzall

Lord Redesdale

Andrew Rosindell MP

Lord Sharkey

Rt Revd Dr Alan Smith the Lord Bishop of St Albans

Mark Spencer MP

Lord Storey

Lord Teverson

Lord Triesman

Derek Twigg MP

Lord Vallance of Tummel

Rt Hon the Lord Wakeham

Admiral the Rt Hon Lord West of Spithead

Baroness Whitaker

Viscount Younger of Leckie

Note: parliamentary patrons take no financial interest in the Forum.