The Leadership Conference Speakers

Leadership Conference Speakers

We are looking forward to welcoming many Channel Islands business leaders at Guernsey’s first leadership conference on 22nd June.

Our ambition is that Guernsey will be recognised as a centre of excellence for leadership and governance. We have chosen the speakers and designed the conference format to stimulate ideas and discussion around what great leadership looks like in practice. Our aim is to help our conference guests to influence and lead their businesses and organisations forward.

The event’s sponsors have also played an integral part in helping to make this event happen. We have to thank Investec Bank (Channel Islands), Specsavers, Rothschild Trust Guernsey, Carey Group Guernsey, Grant Thornton, Optimus Group and Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management.

We have five guest speakers who will each speak for 15 to 20 minutes on a crucial leadership issue before prompting discussion around the tables. When designing the conference, we deliberately wanted to bring a mix of speakers, with different experiences, who will each share their unique perspectives with the audience.

Guy and Julia Hands

Guy and Julia are Guernsey-resident, entrepreneurial business leaders. We wanted to include a high-profile couple with a keen understanding of how Guernsey works, who run businesses themselves and have an ability to speak with experience on sometimes controversial issues.

Their businesses are, on the face of it, very different. Terra Firma is one of Europe’s leading private equity investment firms, acquiring, transforming and selling asset-backed businesses. Hand Picked Hotels is a collection of individual, boutique hotels with superb, personal service at its heart. Each requires a strength of leadership to be successful. I am looking forward to interviewing Guy and Julia together, drawing on their experiences to understand the similarities and differences in the factors that contribute to success in their respective businesses. 

Matt Bird

I first met Matt in Guernsey two years ago, introduced by our then Chief Minister, Jonathan Le Tocq. Matt is a highly engaging public speaker, born of his conviction that the actual currency of business is relationships, not money. His book Relationology was my most influential read of 2015. As well as writing, advising, speaking internationally and running his consultancy, Matt is founder and CEO of the Cinnamon Network, enabling churches across the UK to significantly optimise their social impact. For me, Matt exhibits ‘servant leadership’ at its best, achieving phenomenal performance with humility and placing a high value on the power of relationships.

Major General Patrick Marriott

The military places a high value on leadership, identifying and developing leaders arguably better than any organisation in the country. The situations and conditions in which the armed forces operate require an exceptionally high level of agility, awareness and commitment - core leadership skills in any organisation. I was therefore keen to include a speaker with military experience. One of our associates, Kaaren Welsby, is a major in the British Army and helped us to connect with Major General Patrick Marriott as she served under his leadership in Iraq. The Major General has a distinguished career of 35 years in the British Army, including his role as Commandant of the Royal Military Academy.

Notwithstanding his impressive track record, it was during the first few moments of our initial telephone conversation that I knew without a doubt that the Major General would be an excellent speaker for our conference; he exuded a rare mix of authority, humility and humour that made an immediate impact on me.

Dr Lesley Dickie

I met Lesley at the Jersey Leadership Conference last year. I was impressed with her passion for the organisation that she leads - Jersey Zoo - and with her desire to press for excellence. Excellence not just in her organisation but in seeing Jersey and the Channel Islands take radical, leading positions on environmental and social justice issues. Leadership often requires a radical element that is prepared to stretch the boundaries, challenge the norms and ‘think big’. Lesley exudes these traits. Her desire to serve the community, with passion and vision for enhancing our environment with immediate and generational benefits, is infectious.

We are looking forward to a highly engaging and stimulating conference.

St Pierre Park Hotel, 22nd June from 4.00pm to 8.00pm, including a BBQ buffet. 

To find out more, including how to book, visit our website http://www.leadersconsultancy.co.uk/conference/

I look forward to seeing you there.

Phil Eyre

Founder, Leaders