Meet the guest speakers and panel members guiding you through your day. Click to learn more about each of our guests.
Richard Clinton has a background in live music, community development, heritage-led regeneration, placemaking and cultural programming. His career spans work in the arts, heritage, and visitor economy, leading projects that connect cultural assets with local communities and economic growth.
As Chief Executive of Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust, he has overseen a strategic change that has seen the organisation quickly develop as a key community asset, increase its standing in the visitor economy whilst support community wellbeing. Richard has a track record in fundraising and development having secured £6 million for the 19th Century Stables Community Wellbeing development and £800,000 for wellbeing and active travel initiatives, ensuring the Abbey’s long-term sustainability and accessibility. He has developed partnerships across heritage, public health, and active travel sectors, delivering programmes that support wellbeing and engagement. As Chair of the Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) for West Northamptonshire, he works with public and private partners to strengthen the region’s visitor economy.
He is also Chair of Fermynwoods Contemporary Art, supporting innovative artistic projects that engage people and children and young people not in mainstream education with nature and place.
Delapre Abbey
Oliver Wicksteed has been a Trustee of the Wicksteed Charitable Trust since 1999 and became Chairman in 2006. During the ensuing years Oliver has driven significant strategic change, built a strong and diverse Trust board and maintaining a dynamic management team.
Oliver is enormously proud of the heritage of the park and has brought a great deal from his commercial perspective. He has overseen a period of great change at Wicksteed Park including reaching out to bodies such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund, successfully attracting significant funding to help recognise and preserve vital park assets for the community.
After major restoration projects in recent years, community engagement and visitor numbers have increased to over 800,000 each year underpinning Wicksteed Park’s position as a key destination in the county. He has also been very active in forming partnerships with other Northamptonshire based organisations to form mutually beneficial relationships to aid sustainable business and raise the profile of the county. Now retired from the North London based business he founded 33 years ago, Oliver is utilising his new-found freedom to develop and hone his practical, charity, business and design skills.
Oliver is proud to be part of the amazing team at Wicksteed Charitable Trust and Wicksteed Park and in 2019 Oliver was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of the county of Northamptonshire. This award was given in recognition of all the work he has done at Wicksteed Park and for the good of the county over the years.
Wicksteed Charitable Trust
Head of ESG at Silverstone Circuit, Stephane is leading the team to transform the iconic home of British Motorsport and host of the F1 British GP to become a sustainable business and leisure destination. Specialized in change management, sustainable development, event/venue operations and impact driven partnerships, he brings over 20 years of experience mainly acquired in the sports industry (through his collaboration with the ATP World Tour and WTA Tennis circuits, ITF, FIBA 3×3, FIFA Confederations Cup, World Roller Games, Mediterranean Games, F1 and MotoGP).
His main objective at Silverstone is to drive Silverstone Shift to Zero ESG strategy and decarbonization roadmap, including carbon footprint accounting, FIA 3* and ISO 14001/20121 certifications, installation of 2764 solar panels and 24 EV charging points, switching to renewable energy, including HVO Biofuel in all temporary generators, reducing single use plastic to 100% by 2026 and getting a low emission fleet of vehicles by 2030. Silverstone is signatory of the UNFCCC Sport for Climate Action committed to reduce 50% of its carbon emission by 2030 and achieve Net Zero before 2040.
Silverstone Circuit
Andy Paul, owner of Fliweel.tech, is dedicated to helping businesses use AI and automation to save on labour costs, increase revenue, and minimise the potential for errors. Fliweel.tech is an award winning AI and automation agency dedicated to streamlining business operations. Their mission is to enable companies to concentrate on higher-value tasks, reduce labour costs, increase revenue, and minimise errors. By building within your existing tech stack, they provide practical AI and automation solutions designed to enhance productivity and drive growth.
Fliweel Tech
Pulse Group Media is a leading publisher dedicated to promoting Northamptonshire as a thriving destination for business and leisure. As the publisher of NN Pulse Magazine—the county’s go-to lifestyle publication—and Business Times, Northamptonshire’s longest established business magazine, we actively support the region’s visitor economy.
Since 2015, NN Pulse Magazine has championed the county’s culture, attractions, and events, encouraging both residents and visitors to explore everything from heritage sites to contemporary venues. Meanwhile, Business Times, established in 1991, plays a crucial role in supporting local enterprise, including tourism businesses, by highlighting industry developments and initiatives like the Discover Northamptonshire Business Support Programme.
With a strong foundation in sales and marketing, Pulse Group Media connects tourism and hospitality businesses with their target audiences through high-impact print and digital advertising campaigns. By driving visibility for local attractions, events, and experiences, we play an active role in positioning Northamptonshire as a must-visit destination. We are delighted to take part in the Tourism Conference 2025, supporting the sector’s continued growth and celebrating the wealth of tourism opportunities across the county.
Pulse Group Media
Jordan Legg is the Chief AI Officer and Founder of Takara.ai, where he leads frontier research and applied AI/ML teams. A self-taught machine learning engineer, Jordan co-authored SwarmFormer, a groundbreaking AI architecture, and specializes in computer vision, multi-modal AI, and generative models. He is a recognized speaker at industry events, sharing insights on AI-driven business transformation, diffusion models, and the future of artificial intelligence.
Takara AI
Lewis Stringer joined the British Business Bank in October 2016 as the MEIF Senior Relationship Manager, covering the East and South Midlands and worked on the Bank’s high-profile Covid-19 response initiatives. He currently works in the UK Network Team for the Bank as a Senior Manager, covering the East & South-East Midlands and supporting demand-side initiatives, as well as the recently launched £400m Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) II.
Lewis has over 25 years’ experience in economic development including two years at Capital for Enterprise Limited (the Bank’s predecessor), where he worked in the Debt Team on the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme and former RDA legacy funds, ten years at East Midlands Development Agency (emda) in the Business Investment Team, where he managed a team and a series of grant, loan and equity funds, and investment readiness programmes, and five years at Nottingham City Council. Lewis also has over five years commercial and personal banking experience with Lloyds Banking Group.
British Business Bank
With over 18 years of experience in accounting, spanning commercial finance departments to practice compliance, I specialise in financial reporting, tax efficiency, and strategic planning. Throughout my career, I have worked with businesses of all sizes, ensuring accuracy in financial records and optimising reporting for informed decision-making.
For the past eight years, I have supported businesses within practice as a Finance Director, overseeing outsourced accounting departments and ensuring regulatory compliance. As a trusted adviser, I am dedicated to helping clients achieve financial stability and long-term growth. Our firm takes pride in delivering tailored financial solutions that meet the unique needs of each business, with a particular focus on the hospitality and tourism sectors.
J Sweeney Accountants
Paul joined Maven in 2024 and is responsible for new MEIF II debt investment across the South East Midlands as well as helping to manage the growing debt portfolio for the region. Supporting businesses across Northampton, Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire and Luton, he works with local SME’s to assist with their growth plans. Paul has over 17 years’ experience within the business and commercial banking sector and has worked for several banks and alternative lenders in his career.
Maven
A chartered accountant with over 20 years’ experience in finance, with a primary focus on supporting public and not-for-profit entities. Kelly trained and qualified at PwC working in their public sector office supporting and then leading audit teams working across local and central government, housing, charities, education and health clients.
From there Kelly joined Milton Keynes Council initially writing funding bids for the designated growth area and thereafter looking after a capital programme of +£100m and the treasury function. Before joining Wicksteed Park, Kelly worked for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, gaining a further accounting qualification, while looking after their UK and international offices.
At Wicksteed Park, Kelly holds overall responsibility for the park’s day-to-day operations, finance function and governance and is the liaison between the trading company and the parent charity.
Wicksteed Park
Phil Martin- Curriculum Manager for Culinary Arts, Travel, and Tourism, Northampton College, Northampton I am passionate about Hospitality and Tourism education, overseeing curriculum development to ensure students receive industry-relevant training. Committed to excellence, I value collaborations with industry professionals to equip learners with the skills and knowledge needed for successful careers within the Culinary and Tourism sectors.
As an active board member of the Northamptonshire Tourism and Business Network, a dedicated supporter of the Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards, Made in Northampton and the Hoteliers form I am proud to contribute to initiatives that celebrate and promote local talent, businesses, and opportunities within the industry.
Northampton College
