Daran is Director & Head of Business Development at Dains Accountants. He has spent more than 30 years working in the banking sector across the Midlands and North West. For the last 25 years, he has worked in Corporate Relationship Banking and Business Development and he is acutely aware of the need for quality professional advisors and ‘true’ business relationships. Daran’s approach is to build lasting relationships with SME and Corporate Businesses based on the long term aspirations of the business. By drawing on his expertise in banking, he also challenges current arrangements and sources new facilities including grant funding to facilitate future growth.

Former NatWest Bank Corporate Banking Director, Chair of Stafford Railway Building Society and member of Staffordshire University Board of Governors for 10 years, including 4 as Deputy Chair and 4 as Chair of the Board. Awarded an MBE in Her Majesty The Queen’s 2016 Birthday Honours for services to business and higher education. Appointed Her Majesty’s Deputy Lieutenant of Staffordshire in 2014.

Managing director at Plinkfizz, Fiona has 25 years corporate client and agency experience of planning and delivering successful marketing campaigns. Increasing engagement and improving productivity of digital marketing activities for clients is Plinkfizz’s speciality, by helping companies communicate effectively with audiences using critical-lateral thinking and a strategic approach. Awarded “Best Small Agency” in the Northern Marketing Awards and the only agency in Staffordshire to be listed in the Top 40 PR agencies by Prolific North, she is passionate about celebrating the success that her team achieves for their clients. Also living in the area, Fiona is an ambassador for the development of business across the region, advising high growth potential organisations. She is also passionate about enabling young people to reach their potential, which has lead her to launch a social enterprise, supporting the education sector nationally.

Geoff Riley is Chief Executive of Staffordshire & Black Country Business Innovation Centre (BIC) based in the Sutherland Institute, Longton. Geoff has a background in electrical and electronic engineering and has held senior positions in both SMEs and large public and private sector organisations. After a number of years managing and delivering engineering training at the Michelin Tyre Company, Geoff moved to the public sector and worked for a time as a lecturer in FE. From here he rose to become Head of a successful Commercial Development Department at Newcastle under Lyme College before moving to the Consortium of Staffordshire Colleges as External Funding Projects Director. After two years with the Staffordshire Consortium, Geoff moved to the Staffordshire and Black Country BIC as Chief Executive and has successfully developed the ‘Local BIC’ concept enabling incubators to be established at the point of need and a portfolio of support packages to help new high value, high growth and technology based businesses. Geoff has been extensively involved in European and National funding initiatives for the past 27 years. He has served on a number of key Staffordshire and West Midlands regeneration groups and acts as innovation and incubation advisor. Geoff acts as a quality auditor for the European Business Network throughout the EU.

Mark has worked in the financial services industry for over 25 years. With his wealth of experience as a Financial Adviser, he advises a wide range of clients including business, trusts and private clients, specialising in investments, pensions, protection, tax efficient savings and inheritance tax. Mark joined Brewin Dolphin 11 years ago and is a Senior Financial Planner

Throughout his career in further and higher education, spanning more than 25 years, Paul Williams has established public-private sector partnerships and networks with business and agencies linked to place marketing, enterprise development and culture-led regeneration. His consultancy and research interests focus on all aspects of destination management, as well as special interest tourism marketing. He has written extensively on the place-shaping role of Business Improvement Districts; night time economies; social shopping; and experiential retail destinations. More recently, he was instrumental in championing and shaping Stoke-on-Trent’s bid to become UK City of Culture and he currently chairs the city’s Cultural Destination Partnership.

Sally McGill, Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Executive, joined the Executive Team of Staffordshire University in July 2019. She is responsible for the University’s financial, commercial and environmental sustainability and also the newly formed Centre for Business, Innovation and Enterprise. Sally has worked in the Higher Education sector for over ten years, having held senior finance roles at both Durham University and the University of Manchester. Sally is a graduate of Durham University, where she studied modern languages, and holds a master’s degree from Sheffield University in Information Technology Management.