Urbano Business networking breakfast

Urbano Business networking breakfasts bring together directors, business owners, entrepreneurs and management of companies from across London's corporate and commercial spectrum to share experiences, explore new opportunities and learn lessons to help them drive their businesses forward.

Previous Urbano business breakfast speakers have included Peter Barron - Google's Director of External Affairs, Jackie Sadek - CEO of UK Regeneration, Modwenna Rees-Mogg - CEO of Angel News, Jo Haigh (deal-maker extraordinaire), John Roberts - Director of HR at Ford's and other interesting and stimulating, innovative and experienced business people.

Urbano events are always very informal and relaxed, with plenty of time to network with the other attendees who either own, run or hold senior positions in their companies. The range of businesses represented is a cross-section of London's creative and professional sectors, all happy to share their experiences and connections.

Urbano's philosophy is that each attendee should look to pass a 'packet of value' to everyone they meet. These packets of value can be a piece of information, a promise to meet afterwards or make an introduction, or a host of post-event commitments that each specific conversation encourages.

In this way, each encounter is longer and more valuable than a room full of business people trying to sell to one another. You leave the event with plenty of such 'packets of value' and, of course, your own commitments to the other attendees. The Urbano website also supports these exchanges as some may be some time in the future and so the event is a catalyst to real business benefits!

About our speaker

Our special guest speaker is Richard Gillies, Director of Plan A, CSR & Sustainable Business for Mark's & Spencer

Richard joined M&S in 1984 and since then has worked in stores across the UK and abroad. He has held a series of senior M&S roles including Group Head of Change and Programme Management, People Development, Planning and Facilities, Operations - Executive Clothing. 

As director of store design and development, Richard was responsible for the £1.5bn modernisation programme. More recently, Richard has played a guiding role in the development and delivery of the M&S Environmental and Social sustainability plan, 'Plan A’. As Director of Plan A, CSR and Sustainable Business, he is now responsible for of sustainable development globally.

Richard is also a trustee at the BRE (Building Research Establishment).

Richard will share with us his experience of developing challenging programmes in such a large organisation, in particular looking at the M&S Plan A project and the business benefits this innovative sustainability programme has delivered - and sustainability isues in general.

Format

8:00am – Registration, coffee and pastries

8:20am – Presentation by Richard Gillies

8:50am – Q&A

9:00am – 10.30am Informal and facilitated networking

For each event, Urbano publishes an Event Group. This is an online group containing the profile of the other attendees. You can make initial contact and introductions as part of this group: no more rooms full of strangers! And the event group is archived so no more lost business cards and missed opportunities to connect after the event. To ensure maximum benefit, therefore please complete all information including uploading your picture!