Speakers

With more than 15 years at the forefront of the events industry, I've built a career shaping, scaling and leading experiences that sit at the intersection of commercial performance and creative ambition. From consumer festivals to large-scale B2B events, my work has consistently focused on what makes events not just successful, but meaningful - for audiences, partners and the businesses behind them. That perspective has led to my invitation to judge the Association of Event Organisers Excellence Awards, widely regarded as the UK's leading benchmark for excellence in the sector. It's a role I approach with both pride and responsibility, bringing a practitioner's lens to what truly defines standout performance in today's evolving events landscape. My career has been deliberately broad, spanning the full ecosystem of live events - working with brands, rights holders, talent and agencies, and leading teams through the realities of growth, change and delivery at scale. As Chief Executive of Pub in the Park, I oversaw the expansion of a nationwide festival series that combined award-winning food, live music and brand storytelling into a distinctive, community-led format. Today, at tfconnect, I work at a different but equally critical layer of the industry - helping to shape the leadership and talent behind the world's leading events businesses. Having spent years on the delivery side, I understand first-hand the pressures leaders face, from commercial accountability to team performance, and the pivotal role the right people play in navigating both. Across every stage of my career, a consistent thread has been a commitment to people - building teams, supporting careers and contributing to an industry that depends on both resilience and creativity in equal measure.