Speakers

Brad Rosser |  Adrian Jenner |  Mark Smith |  François Moscovici |  Peter Sweetbaum |  Ian Martin |  David Elstein |  Martin Higginson |  Peter Pease | 

Brad Rosser is one of the UK’s most respected business builders and features regularly in the media. He began his career as executive assistant to the chairman with the Bond Corporation before moving to the world-renowned management consultant McKinsey and Co, later working alongside Sir Richard Branson as group corporate development director of the Virgin Group, overseeing the development of numerous brands within Virgin. He also led negotiations for the sale of 50 per cent of Virgin Money to AMP. Brad has since driven a host of start-up ventures, including Unilever to establish Unilever Ventures and the profit growth of the company he co-founded, Instant Access Properties, from £1 million to £13 million in three years.

Adrian Jenner, Managing Director, HSBC Insurance Brokers’ Mergers Acquisitions & Management Liability Practice

Adrian has specialised in Directors’ and Officers’ Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance since he joined in the Insurance market in 1988.

• In his previous role Adrian was a main board director at a leading specialist Lloyd’s private broking house and was the youngest director to be appointed to the Board. He was responsible for the International D&O division and its rapid development.

• Developed many bespoke policy wordings for his previous clients and has been at the forefront of developing unique and first to market products in the many new emerging global markets.

• Responsible for winning and handling many major clients many of whom face challenging shareholder activism through being publicly traded on the US exchanges.

• Whilst responsible for broking and client servicing he has not been without commendation from his clients over his assistance in often complex, emotional and large personal settlements under their D&O policies.

· Client responsibility has included Major commercial UK, Ireland, Sweden, Finland, Israeli & Indian companies. Many of whom have or had IPO’s to multi jurisdictions including NASDAQ or NYSE.

TMN is one of the UK’s largest online direct marketing organisations. The group was established in 1999 and floated on the LSE in 2000. The acquisition of the iD Factor and EDR in 2005 has helped turn TMN into a multi million pound turnover group with aspirations of dominating the online direct marketing sector.

Mark was appointed CEO in June 2004 and has driven the rapid growth of the Group and its recent acquisition activity. Following a period during which he was a consultant to the Group, he joined as Commercial Director in 2003 before assuming the CEO role. Prior to TMN, Mark had a 15 year career at the forefront of new media and publishing, including taking Rapide Publishing to a £20 million turnover during the 1990s, and helping DealTime UK, later Shopping.com, move to strong and consistent revenues from start-up.

François Moscovici has worked in organisations ranging from family businesses to global corporations. He is a partner at White Water Strategies, a firm of psychologists and business analysts dedicated to work with senior people on their big issues, from business development to board relations or personal coaching. His current clients range from luxury goods groups to large banks and professional services firms. He tutors regularly on the Oxford Strategic Leadership Programme.

Wavex is a provider of IT and communications services and support to SMEs and emerging corporate groups, supporting thousands of clients across Europe and the UK. Wavex was listed in the Deloitte ‘Fast 50’ list of growing technology companies in 2006 and 2007, and is to feature in the Sunday Times ‘Tech Track 100’ list.

Peter Sweetbaum is a qualified lawyer and former investment banker, who has held the position of Managing Director since 2002. He has extensive experience in the technology industry and has been involved in the broadband industry since its conception, developing and launching broadband access and content services in six EU countries.

Aged 47, Ian Martin is the Chief Executive of Avesco Group where he leads the executive management team. The Avesco Group is an International Media Services Group and is involved in the Staging of a number of events around the world from the Car Shows in Detroit to Elton John at the O2 arena in London. Avesco has grown largely by organic development and currently employs 600 people around the world with revenue of £90m.

Prior to Avesco Ian was Managing Director of Brockbank plc a Lloyd’s Underwriting Agency that is known for formation of Admiral Insurance.

He is a non-executive Director of Forest Support Services plc, Chelverton Asset Management Limited and Ascot Underwriting Ltd.

David Elstein has spent over forty years in the media industry. Most recently, his latest venture SparrowHawk Media was acquired by NBC Universal for £175 million. David spent four years as producer of ITV's This Week, six years as director of programmes at Thames TV, four years as head of programming at BSkyB. He was CEO of Channel 5 for four years, having launched the channel and taking it to a valuation of over £1 billion prior to his departure. David's other directorships include being chairman of XSN Plc, Screen Digest, Luther Pendragon Holdings, the British Screen Advisory Council and the Broadcasting Policy Group and a board member of Virgin Media Inc, Tele-Columbus Group (Germany) and Hardt Group UK.

Martin Higginson started his career as photo journalist at United Newspapers plc, a year later he acquired the BMX title he helped launch and took it to one of Britain’s biggest selling boys magazines before selling it to IPC Magazines at the age of 20. He spent two years as a publisher for IPC before leaving to establish his own publishing business, Lancastrian Holdings Limited. As this business grew it began to focus on interactive telephone competitions through its subsidiary Megafone. This business grew rapidly through its telephone scratchcard creation growing from a turnover of sub £1m to over £10m in only 3 years. On selling the business to Scottish Power plc, Martin became a senior executive within their subsidiary Scottish Telecom, now Thus plc, heading up their Internet and Interactive division which included preparing Demon Internet for the Thus plc £1bn plus flotation.

Upon leaving Thus plc he established Monstermob Limited in July 2000 to specialise in the delivery of content to mobile phone owners. The Monstermob Group floated on AIM in 2003. Today it operates in over 13 countries with a staff of over 1,000 employees. A majority interest in Monstermob plc was acquired by the Spanish company Zed in 2007 following a £32m cash share placement.

Martin was named North West Entrepreneur of the Year in 2002 and is a non-executive Chairman of Springdoo plc..

Martin is currently Chairman and CEO of Netplay TV, an interactive TV gaming business. Since taking control of the business in December 2006 he has grown turnover from £3.2m a month to over £19m per month.

QGS was founded by Peter Pease in 1987 and emerged from a centralised graduate recruitment and has developed into a leading graduate recruitment service used by thousands of young people each year to set them up for their perfect career.