Ticket Price: £55 + VAT per person
The North East’s reputation for shipbuilding and heavy engineering once made it the envy of the world. Now, it is our success in technology that has replaced the old industries and restored our status on the global stage.
Innovators bursting with ideas are writing our future history and showing that once again this region can be a world leader.
The North East boasts world class natural scientists, chemists, physicists and engineers and some of the country’s most exciting bio-technology companies are based here.
We have world leading digital, electronic and gaming companies and IT innovators that are the envy of other regions. We are rich in ideas and loaded with talent. But as with any sector, we have to ask are we truly maximising our potential? Are we providing the support, the funding and the infrastructure for ideas to be turned into commercial realities and for our new technology businesses to achieve long term, sustainable success?
Having hosted outstanding conferences covering the general issues faced by entrepreneurs over the past five years, the Entrepreneurs’ Forum is now turning its attention to specific sectors.
First we focused on the creative communications sector, with our very successful conference in November of last year and now we are turning the spotlight on the technologies industry.
Our Harness Technology Conference on February 27 in Sedgefield, County Durham, will bring together entrepreneurial businesses and academics involved in science, technology and engineering.
Entrepreneurs’ Forum members all agree on one thing: the best way to develop your business is to talk to those around you and listen to their experiences.
Writer, former BBC Tomorrow’s World presenter and Durham University graduate Judith Hann will introduce our outstanding line-up of speakers.
Our keynote speaker is Trevor Baylis, inventor of the clockwork radio, bestselling author of “Clock This” and founder of the Academy of Invention.
Speakers
Facilitated by Forum favourite Jeff Grout
Guest Speakers
Trevor Baylis
Inventor of the clockwork radio, bestselling author of “Clock This” and founder of the Academy of Invention, Trevor Baylis is a charismatic and passionate advocate of invention and creativity.
Trevor was awarded the BBC Design Award for the Freeplay radio and he is frequently invited to participate in both radio and TV programmes.
He now runs Trevor Baylis Brands plc, a company dedicated to helping inventors to develop and protect their ideas and to find a route to market.
Judith Hann
Judith Hann is one of Britain's leading science journalists and broadcasters and is known to millions for the 20 years she spent presenting BBC's ‘Tomorrow's World’ as well as other programmes on technology, health, food and the environment.
She is in great demand by decision makers eager to benefit from her views on new technologies and futurology.
With her husband, the television news specialist John Exelby, Judith runs a media training and presentation skills centre teaching people how to make the most of themselves and companies how to make the most of the media.
Roy Stanley
The Tanfield Group plc
Roy Stanley is a visionary entrepreneur who founded The Tanfield Group in 1996.
Under his guidance and leadership, Tanfield grew from an engineering company with ten employees into the world’s leading manufacturer of zero emission commercial electric vehicles and aerial work platforms. Tanfield now employs over 1,200 people worldwide, with manufacturing capability in Kansas, California, New Zealand and the UK, plus sales and distribution subsidiaries in Japan and Australia. Sales have grown from £12m in 2004 to over £40m in 2006 and are estimated to exceed £100m this year.
Will Dracup
He's taken his company founded in 1989 and made it a fantastic global success mixing digital imaging innovations with all the - 'omics' fields. Started off in a shed, quite literally (!), with funding coming from various credit cards!
Nonlinear Dynamics helps scientists sort data and put it to good use. The company is a worldwide provider of bioinformatics solutions to the life-sciences industries. Its Progenesis Discovery Informatics platform is used by contract research organizations and biotech and pharmaceutical companies researching the uses of proteins to treat diseases.
Dr. James Bellini
Dr Bellini is an expert in technology and the future outlook for business within the context of the Internet, virtual markets and related developments in e-culture and business re-invention.
After gaining a Masters from Cambridge University, a PhD from the London School of Economics and a spell as a university teacher, he was the first British member of the renowned futurology think-tank, the Hudson Institute, founded by Dr Herman Kahn in the USA.
A leading futurologist and business trend spotter, James focuses on key management challenges related to issues of collaborative commerce, new business ‘eco-systems’, future consumer trends and transaction data business strategy for future growth; social, technological and economic trends.
Fiona Cruickshank
Fiona is a registered pharmacist with more than 20 years experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing, having graduated from the School of Pharmacy at London University in 1987.
The Specials Laboratory is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of unlicensed medicines for retail pharmaceutical and healthcare markets. Fiona set up the Prudhoe-based firm in 1999 with business partner Brian Dougherty.
Specials Clinical Manufacturing is the sister company of The Specials Laboratory. Established in 1994 with a £5 million investment in cutting edge technology, the company offers a range of services to the medical sector, including preparation for complex clinical trials, development of new drug delivery methods and sterile syringe filling.
Employing over 150 people and serving the needs of 5,000 pharmacy customers, the company has quickly became a market leader and was recently listed in Sunday Times Fast Track 100 league table.
Fiona was awarded North East Woman Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003 and is currently the Goldman Visiting Professor of Business Innovation at Newcastle University Business School. Along with Brian, she is passionately committed to supporting local knowledge economy and entrepreneurship in the North East, with a particular focus on the pharmaceutical sector.
Before setting up her own business, Fiona spent over 10 years working across the UK and held senior positions in community pharmacies, hospitals and industry.
Sponsored by
“The North East, with its leading universities, cutting edge research and growing knowledge-based economy is a rich source of deals and groundbreaking technologies.”
“There are strong links between the theme of the Harness...conference and North Star Equity Investors. We are delighted to be involved as lead sponsor with our two funds- the North East Proof of Concept Fund and the North East Co Investment Fund - both set up with ONE NorthEast AND ERDF support, to help growing businesses in the region.”
Marion Bernard, chief executive of NorthStar Equity Investors
Register
To register for Harness please complete the Online Booking Form.
Or call the conference line on 0870 850 2233, or email conference@entrepreneursforum.net
Agenda
Harness runs from 9.30am to 4.30pm.
Please note the agenda below is subject to change: