Margaret ThatcherConference 2026

Alex has been CEO of Currys, the UK and European market-leading technology retailer, since 2018, leading an ambitious transformation that has driven big increases in colleague engagement, customer satisfaction and financial performance. He was previously CEO of Shop Direct, now the Very Group (2012–18), where he led the business's digital transformation from a catalogue retailer to the UK's second largest e-commerce pureplay. Before that, he was managing director of Lombard, leading the turnaround of Europe's leading asset finance company (2008–12), and commercial director at Barclays. He began his career in strategy and operations consulting with Kalchas and Bain & Company. He is a scholar of Worcester College, Oxford, a leadership council member of Business in the Community and a non-executive director of RS Group plc.

Robert Colvile is Director of the CPS and Editor-in-Chief of CapX, as well as a columnist for The Sunday Times. He was previously head of comment at the Daily and Sunday Telegraph and news director at BuzzFeed UK. His book The Great Acceleration: How the World is Getting Faster, Faster was published by Bloomsbury in 2016. In December 2019 he took a leave of absence to work as one of the authors of the Conservative Party's election manifesto. He is an adviser to the JCB Group, on the Advisory Board for PricedOut, and was an expert member of the Government's Strategic Trade Advisory Group between 2020 and 2023.

Charlotte Crosswell OBE has been involved in capital markets, fintech and technology throughout her career, as CEO, Chair, Board Advisor and Non-Executive Director. Prior to her current roles, she was the founding Chair of the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT), Chair and Trustee of Open Banking, and CEO of the fintech industry body Innovate Finance. She works closely with entrepreneurs, financial services firms, academia, government and global regulators on fintech advocacy and digital transformation. Charlotte received an OBE for her contribution to financial services in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2021.

Anne-Laure Le Cunff is an award-winning neuroscientist, author and entrepreneur who studies curiosity, both in the lab and in life. Her research at King's College London explores how our brains seek, learn and adapt, spanning areas from ADHD to AI and mental health. She founded Ness Labs, a science-based learning platform, and her weekly newsletter is read by 130,000 people. Her bestselling book Tiny Experiments offers a practical guide to transforming uncertainty into curiosity and self-discovery. Previously she worked at Google as an executive on digital health projects and was an entrepreneur in residence at Entrepreneur First.

Annabel Denham is a Columnist and Senior Political Commentator at The Telegraph, where she previously edited the Comment and Opinion pages. Before this, she worked at the Institute of Economic Affairs, City AM, and as a Parliamentary researcher for Lord (Peter) Lilley.

Dana Denis-Smith OBE is CEO of Obelisk Support, which she founded in 2010 to provide flexible legal solutions for clients. She also founded the First 100 Years campaign in 2014, celebrating the centenary of women in law, which has since evolved into Next 100 Years. She was awarded an OBE for services to women in law in 2024, and was elected Deputy Vice President of the Law Society of England and Wales in 2025, becoming President in 2027. She serves on the Law Society Council representing women solicitors and is a regular keynote speaker on law, gender equality and legal technology.

Ben Francis MBE is the co-founder and CEO of Gymshark, one of the world's most recognised fitness brands. In 2020 Gymshark secured a deal with General Atlantic that valued the company at over £1bn, making it one of the few British businesses to achieve unicorn status since 2001. Ben started Gymshark at 19 while studying at Aston University, famously juggling his studies with working as a pizza delivery driver to fund the venture. In 2018 he was named in Forbes' 30 Under 30 in Retail and E-commerce, the same year Gymshark's revenue reached $120 million. In December 2020 he was named EY's UK Entrepreneur of the Year, and in 2022 received an honorary degree from Aston University. In January 2023 he was appointed MBE for services to commerce and the economy.

Helen Gordon is Chief Executive of Grainger plc, the UK's largest listed residential landlord. She was appointed in January 2016 from RBS, where she had been Global Head of Real Estate Asset Management since 2011. Prior to that she was Director of Legal and General Property, Group Property Director of Railtrack and Managing Director of John Laing Developments. Helen is Senior Independent Director on the Board of Derwent London, a Non-Executive Director of Business LDN, Vice Chair and Board Director of the European Public Real Estate Association, and a Board member of the British Property Federation. She is Past President of the British Property Federation, was a member of the Government's New Towns Taskforce and Urban Centre Recovery Taskforce, and chaired the London Growth Commission.

Andrew Griffith MP is a former senior business executive who entered Parliament in December 2019. During the 2019–2024 Parliament he served as Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Exports Minister and Director of Policy in 10 Downing Street. In his 27-year business career prior to entering politics, he was COO and CFO of Sky plc and Non-Executive Director and Chairman of Just Eat plc. He is the Conservative MP for Arundel and South Downs in West Sussex.

Sir John Griffin founded Addison Lee in 1975, building it into the largest private hire business of its kind in Europe, with more than 5,000 drivers. In 2013 the American private equity firm Carlyle Group bought the business for £350 million. His interest in supporting young people into meaningful careers led him to become Chairman of the Advisory Board of Finito Education. He donated over £12 million to open The Griffin Institute at Northwick Park Hospital, the UK's largest robotics medical centre. He is also a Co-Operation Ireland Ambassador, working on grassroots peace-building efforts across the island.

Barney Hussey-Yeo is the founder and CEO of Cleo, an AI financial assistant serving millions of users globally. Under his leadership, Cleo has raised $137 million and reached a valuation of over $1bn. A former data scientist with a master's in machine learning from the University of Bristol, he built Cleo to bring financial guidance previously reserved for the elite to everyone.

Greg Jackson CBE is the founder and CEO of Octopus Energy Group, the UK's largest energy supplier. Octopus now serves 11 million customers globally, including 7.8 million in the UK, and operates across 27 countries. The Group manages a £7 billion renewables portfolio and leads businesses in EV leasing, heat pumps and solar, attracting over $3 billion in funding from international investors. Greg is a serial tech unicorn founder, having built both Octopus Energy and Kraken to multi-billion dollar valuations. In 2024 he was appointed CBE and named one of TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders. He was appointed a Non-Executive Member of the Cabinet Office Board in 2025.

Luke Johnson is chairman and co-owner of Gail's Bakeries, which has grown 15-fold since he first invested 15 years ago and now makes profits in excess of £50m. He recently took control of Inspecs Group PLC, a global eyewear business with £200m revenues. Previously he was chairman of PizzaExpress PLC, Channel 4 Television and The Institute of Cancer Research, among other companies and charities. He wrote a weekly business column in The Sunday Times, the FT and The Sunday Telegraph for a combined total of 20 years, and began his career as an investment analyst at a stockbroker.

Emma Jones CBE is the Small Business Commissioner, a role she took up in June 2025. She previously founded Enterprise Nation in 2005, which grew into an active small business membership community reaching more than 800,000 businesses each year. Before that she founded Techlocate in 2000, which was sold to Tenon plc when Emma was 27. She began her career at Arthur Andersen, where she set up the firm's Inward Investment practice. In 2011 she co-founded StartUp Britain. She served as SME Representative for Crown Commercial Service from July 2016. Emma was awarded an MBE in 2012 for Services to Enterprise and appointed CBE in 2021.

Nick King is the founder and Managing Director of Henham Strategy and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies. Henham was founded in 2020 and works with public and private sector clients on policy development and government relations, with a particular focus on investment, growth and localism. Prior to founding Henham, Nick was Chief of Staff to former Chancellor Sajid Javid and a policy adviser to Jeremy Hunt and Maria Miller. He worked in government between 2012 and 2018. He is a Policy Fellow at the University of Cambridge's Centre for Science and Policy, a Trustee of The Change Foundation and a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses alumnus.

Jimmy McLoughlin OBE is the host of Jimmy's Jobs of the Future and a former special adviser to the Prime Minister on business, technology and entrepreneurship, serving in Downing Street from 2016 to 2019. During a period of momentous political change, Jimmy helped shape the British government's relationship with domestic and international businesses. Jimmy's Jobs of the Future interviews entrepreneurs and business leaders about the jobs they are creating and what the future of our economy looks like. Guests include Rishi Sunak, Andrew Bailey, Ben Francis, Tony Blair and Alex Depledge. He is also an adviser to the King's Awards for Enterprise.

Louis Mosley oversees Palantir's business in the UK and Europe, including its work with public and private sector organisations. He sits on the UK Government's Defence Industrial Joint Council, chaired by the British Defence Secretary. A British national, he graduated from the University of Oxford in 2006.

Cécile Reinaud is the founder of Seraphine, the international maternity label she launched after starting her career in advertising. The brand established itself as a leader in the maternity wear market and became particularly well known as the favourite of the Duchess of Cambridge during her three pregnancies. Cécile grew the company's turnover to £40 million by 2020, exporting to more than 30 countries with a digital-first strategy and winning two Queen's Awards for Enterprise in international trade. She sold the business to private equity for a valuation of over £50 million in 2021 and now mentors entrepreneurs and serves on the advisory board of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women.

Michael Spencer is one of the UK's most successful entrepreneurs. His career in the City began in 1976 as an investment analyst at Simon and Coates. In 1986 he set up Intercapital, a specialist financial derivatives broking firm, which grew over ten years from four people to over 300 worldwide. In 1999 it merged with Garban plc to form ICAP, which Michael led as Chief Executive, growing it into a FTSE 100 company with more than 5,000 jobs. In 2016 he formed NEX Group plc from the remaining ICAP businesses, launching it as a technology-based financial markets services company. In 2018 NEX was acquired by CME Group, the world's largest financial exchanges group, and Michael was appointed a director and Special Adviser to CME.

James Thomson CBE serves as Deputy Chair of Policy and Resources for the City of London Corporation, overseeing strategic priorities and local government services for the Square Mile's 8,600 residents and over 678,000 workers. Elected as a Common Councillor in 2013, he serves on the Finance, Investment, Community & Children's Services Committees and the Capital Buildings Board, overseeing a £700m programme including the new City Courts complex and City Police Headquarters. He previously chaired the City of London Police Authority Board and served as a Special Constable for 12 years. James is a member of the City Bridge Foundation Board, which distributed over £75 million to social justice initiatives in 2024/25. He is a non-executive director of the Serious Fraud Office and chairs its Audit and Risk Committee. He was Chair and former CEO of MJ Gleeson plc and prior to that CEO of Keepmoat. Earlier in his career he held senior roles at Smith Group PLC, DTZ, and spent a decade in investment banking, including three years at HSBC living in South Africa advising the ANC-led Mandela Government of National Unity. James was awarded a CBE in the 2025 New Year Honours for Policing and Inclusion.

Jeremy Warner is assistant editor of The Telegraph and one of Britain's leading business and economics commentators. A serial award winner, he has also been honoured for an outstanding contribution in defence of freedom of the media by the Society of Editors for his refusal to reveal sources to Government inspectors. Known for his incisive, accessible style, he writes widely across the domestic economy, international economy, finance and business.

Tom Westgarth is Head of Growth at Fractile, a UK company building chips, systems and software to radically improve the speed and cost of running inference on the largest AI models. Their hardware will be produced at TSMC this year and available for commercial deployment in 2027. Previously, Tom worked on Science and Technology Policy at the Tony Blair Institute, and spent a year on secondment in the Sovereign AI Unit working on the implementation of the AI Opportunities Action Plan, focusing on AI for science and supporting the development of the AI for science strategy.

Lord Wolfson graduated with a degree in Law from Trinity College, Cambridge. He began his career at Next in 1991 as a Sales Assistant, joined the Board as Sales and Marketing Director in 1997, was made Managing Director in 1999 and appointed Chief Executive in August 2001. Since he became Chief Executive, Next shares have outperformed the FTSE 100 index by more than 500%. He has always had an active interest in economics, history and politics and was created a Life Peer in May 2010.