She writes: It was a rare treat to be in the company of some illustrious names from the political and business arenas at the BCC’s annual conference in Westminster.
The line-up was impressive with Ed Miliband, Vince Cable, William Hague and Lord Heseltine headlining this year’s event, but it was the more vibrant characters whose words really resonated with me when it came to outlining the plan for a ‘building a new model economy’.
Dr Nicola Millard, BT’s Futurologist, brought enthusiasm, insight and engagement in abundance as she talked about the changing behaviour of today’s workforce. Her thoughts on the recent shift to the ‘coffice’ – a place where there’s coffee, cake and connectivity – will strike a chord with many of us who are happy to plough plenty of hard-earned cash into coffee shop tills so we can work with a caffeine supply on tap.
Millard also talked about the death of the 9-5 and how working culture is now 24/7 with the limitless ability to stay in touch and communicate via various devices and social platforms. Her message was clear: embrace and evolve! It was music to my ears, although I can’t be sure everyone in the conference shared my enthusiasm – my guess is that many of those in attendance were in the ‘scared to do social’ bracket. I say this with evidence to back it up: I was one of only a very small minority tweeting from the event using the dedicated hashtag…
Coming to the discussion with a very different approach was Wayne Hemingway MBE – the no-nonsense founder of famed clothing company Red or Dead. Not one to hold back, Hemingway pushed the agenda for creativity outside the big cities as a tool to retain ambitious young people for the local job market and called for representatives from Chambers of Commerce from around the UK to step up to the challenge.
Since the conference I have been intrigued to know more about this captivating speaker who unashamedly slipped the f word into an otherwise rather sober panel debate, much to the amusement of the audience. After a quick Google search I discovered some curious facts… a) the father of this Morecambe-born entrepreneur is in fact a wrestling legend and authentic Red Indian and b) Hemingway holds a Geography and Town Planning degree from University College London. Digging a little deeper, I see that Hemingway’s more recent business activities bring together some of his diverse skills – HemingwayDesign has greatly influenced the aesthetics of various housing projects around the UK and is a leading light in urban design.
If you get the chance to listen to Wayne Hemingway, I’d make a beeline for him. He’s a shining example of all that’s good about British entrepreneurial spirit –determined, creative, human and above all, he’s got the courage of his conviction to propel his vision forward.
We’re lucky to work in an industry where creativity is at the centre of everything we do but I wonder how much creative thinking goes on in boardrooms up and down the UK… hopefully enough to make a difference.
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