Our people

Meet the guest speakers, leading academics and knowledgeable business consultants that are part of the Innovation Leadership programme.

Guest speakers

Our guest speakers are a mix of successful entrepreneurs, business professionals and leading academics to help expand your knowledge

Spotlight speakers:

Grant Leboff

Grant Leboff
CEO at Sticky Marketing Club

LinkedIn Profile

  • Author of five marketing books the CEO built a successful direct marketing company, which he started in 2002, Leboff sold it in 2008. As well as undertaking work as a Non-Executive Director, he now has a number of other business interests as well as writing from several papers and being a highly sought-after consultant and speaker for events all over the world.
Hazel Carter-Showell

Hazel Carter-Showell
Business Psychologist, C-Suite coach, adviser & international speaker

LinkedIn Profile

  • Hazel is a founding Director with 20 years’ experience of management development, recruitment and management consultancy; a graduate in business and psychology, CIPD Fellow with postgraduate qualifications in management learning and an expert in behaviour at work.
Les Jones

Les Jones
Designer, photographer, writer, speaker and magazine publisher

LinkedIn profile

  • A freelance creative director specialising in brand development and marketing having previously ran a design and marketing agency. As well as being the lead presenter and facilitator on a number of national and regional innovation programmes.
Annette Shipley

Annette Shipley
Leadership Consultant and Managing Director of Excellence3 Ltd

LinkedIn profile

  • With 40 years’ experience running businesses in a wide range of sectors including public, private, employee ownership and social enterprise. Currently Annette runs a consultancy business working with SME’s, large corporates and public sector organisations as a business growth and innovation coach.

Our team

Our team is made up of business consultants and a dedicated group of Entrepreneurs in Residence who can offer group and one-to-one guidance to help you get the most out of the programme.

Spotlight team members:

Will Prichard

Will Prichard
Entrepreneur in Residence at Keele University; Director at Enterprise Educators UK

LinkedIn Profile

  • Will has 10 years' experience in starting and growing businesses in industry sectors including social enterprise, events and tech. Over the past five years Will has worked with over 20 universities and incubators across the UK, Asia and the Middle East
David Lowe

David Lowe
Entrepreneur In Residence at Keele University; CEO of Catch-22 Solutions

LinkedIn profile

  • Provider of business mentoring, coaching and training to businesses who are already forward looking and dynamic, and committed to the growth and development their core business, diversification into other markets, or both. Helping to solve practical day to day difficulties and add value to strategies
Glenn Handforth

Glenn Handforth
Entrepreneur in Residence at Keele University; Director of The Ideas Facility

LinkedIn profile

  • A qualified coach and NLP Master Practitioner, member of the Uttoxeter Learning Trust and the Chair of the Board of Trustees at YMCA North Staffordshire Glenn has over 30 years of experience helping a range of individuals - from entrepreneurs to directors of SMEs - to address their leadership, vision and direction, strategy, brand communications, and operational challenges.