This February, the regional business team at Business Desk North West will be hosting a special BusinessDesk.com event designed to look at the issues and challenges facing family firms.

Founder of The Family Business Network, Sue Howorth was invited to be part of the panel of family business experts that will be hosting a discussion at the event. Alongside Sue will be Claire Smith – Head of business development at Moneypenny, Doug Wilson – Investment Director at private equity specialists Connection Capital, and James Brown – Co-founder and Director of family law firm Hall Brown.

The Family Business Seminar will take place on the morning of February 13, at Manchester Business School, in partnership with specialist law firm Hall Brown, and Manchester Business School. The event is free-to-attend event and is aimed at regional family businesses.

Topics covered by the panel of experts and business leaders during the debate will include:

• Planning for the future and managing succession
• Managing growth
• Staff engagement and staff attraction
• Wealth protection and managing shareholder relationships

Speaking about the event, Sue said, “I’m really looking forward to being part of an engaging and interactive debate at the Business Desk event. The panellists come from a diverse range of backgrounds and so there should be plenty of interesting input and insight on all the topics. This will be a great event for anyone leading or running a family business in a senior role and hope to see plenty of familiar and new faces on the day”.

Background on the other panellists:

Claire Smith, Head of business development at Moneypenny, qualified as a solicitor before moving into the world of business development, specialising in the legal sector. She headed up Connect2Law, the UKs largest referral and support network for law firms, before moving to join the national legal brand QualitySolicitors. Moneypenny is the UK’s leading telephone answering specialist and was launched by brother and sister Rachel Clacher and Ed Reeves.

Doug Wilson, investment director at private equity specialists Connection Capital, is responsible for sourcing, executing and managing Connection Capital’s Private Debt transactions. He is a qualified accountant and fellow of the ICEAW with seven years of corporate finance experience across a number of roles, including transaction services at PWC, acquisition finance at Bank of London and the Middle East and, most recently, early stage structured finance at Silicon Valley Bank.

James Brown, co-founder and director of family law firm Hall Brown, has expertise in all aspects of family law, but specialises in divorce involving complex financial issues. He has acted for, and advised, a wide range of clients from teachers, doctors, and lawyers through to celebrities. He has particular expertise advising entrepreneurs and their ex-partners/spouses having acted in cases involving £100,000, up to £100m at every level from Magistrates’ Court to Supreme Court.

Richard Brown, managing director of Cheshire family-owned firm Abbey England. The business was founded in 1982 and is a market-leading wholesale supplier of premium British made materials and tools to businesses in both the UK and abroad. Abbey England a family firm rooted in traditional values and we always try to offer the best service and quality at the best possible price. The company is still fully owned by Richard’s family which is seen as one of the business.

John Broderick, managing director of Manchester based national vending and refreshment business Broderick’s, is on a mission to change the face of vending…. he’s the son of the founding father and he and his co-director brother Peter have re-engineered the Broderick’s offering, embracing the latest technology and healthier/free from snacking options to make vending 21st century relevant. Originally a successful NW regional operator the company now has clients throughout the UK and Southern Ireland from household names to SMEs. There are currently three generations of Broderick family members involved in the firm including chairman John Broderick. John is still actively involved in the company as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.

To attend the event, click here https://www2.thebusinessdesk.com/product-category/family-business-seminar-2020/

Be quick, there are limited tickets left!