Global business conference attracts thousands to East London

Elite Business National Conference at the Old Truman Brewery. (Image: Archant)

Ann Summers chief executive Jacqueline Gold, daughter of Hammers chairman David, also addressed crowds at the two-day Elite Business National Conference and Exhibition at The Old Truman Brewery in Shoreditch.

Elite Business National Conference at the Old Truman Brewery. (Image: Archant)

Among the many topical subjects, the role of women in the workplace featured high on the agenda and Ms Brady insisted there are no excuses for companies lacking a strong female presence in their upper echelons

“A company that doesn’t have women at the top should be explaining why,” she said. “They should write to their shareholders and tell us how many people they’ve interviewed, what skills they’ve demonstrated, so they’re showing how they’ve learned from that process.”

The conference was aimed at Britain’s most ambitious and fasted growing businesses and featured workshops, seminars and presentations from the likes of Michael Portillio and Michelle Mone.

The role of social media in the boardroom was also discussed and Ms Gold spoke about the benefits she had personally experienced.

She said: “One of the reasons for our success is the instinct and desire to know what our customers are thinking. Twitter provides an amazing opportunity to gather feedback from customers.

“If someone had told me two years ago that I could have the opportunity to engage and interact with any one of my customers and 10,000 colleagues, 24/7, 365 days a year, I wouldn’t have believed them.”

Businesses of all industries and sizes and Scott English, founder and director of organisers CE Media Events was delighted by the scale of the event.

“We couldn’t be happier with the positive reception that we’ve received from exhibitors, speakers and delegates,” said.

“I am immensely proud of the team for their hard work and dedication during what has been a gruelling nine months.”