The Festival of New Business is a one-of-a-kind event designed exclusively for UK independent agencies and consultants – empowering them to learn, network and thrive.
From data and systems to pitching and client management, this unique 1-day event takes you through every step of the new business journey.
Gain invaluable insights from leading experts, connect with like-minded professionals, and walk away with actionable strategies to elevate your agency’s success.
Unlock Your Business Growth Potential
Whether you’re a founder, CEO, MD, New Business Director, Account Director or Consultant – everyone plays a role in driving new business.
Join us at the Festival of New Business, One Birdcage Walk, London, on Tuesday 7th October, and discover how to transform opportunities into long-term success.
WHY ATTEND?
Hear from the Experts
Gain insights from successful business leaders and agency owners who’ve cracked the new business code.
Learn Proven Techniques
Discover actionable strategies tailored for independent agencies.
Connect with Your Tribe
Build meaningful connections with like-minded peers and collaborators.
Leave with a Game Plan
Walk away with clarity, confidence and a focussed strategy to grow your business.
OUR SPEAKERS
AJAZ AHMED
Ajaz Ahmed is the founder of the independent agency Studio.One. He is also the founder of AKQA which grew to 5,500 people and won 83 Agency of the Year Awards with Ajaz as CEO.
Ajaz won the Spears Impact award for his philanthropy through ajaz.org which makes grants to charitable organisations.
He is also the author of the books Velocity and Limitless.
KATIE STREET
Katie Street is a bold, no-BS marketing strategist, speaker and founder of Street Agency, where she helps global brands like Shopify, Stripe and Contentful turn marketing into real sales conversations. As the host of the Marketing in the Madness podcast, she interviews the brightest minds in marketing, tech and innovation – challenging outdated strategies and uncovering what actually works. Katie is a fierce advocate for women in marketing and tech, leading mentorship programmes for women at E.On Next and spearheading the Female Leaders Club and stage at MadFest, ensuring more female voices are heard at the highest levels.
PETER BOUTROS
Peter Boutros is a high-octane global business leader with an energetic personality and an unstoppable drive for results. With over 30 years of global experience, Peter has delivered more than US$15 billion in business growth across five continents – transforming brands, supercharging sales and leading high-impact teams to deliver consistent EBITDA success.
From powerhouse companies such as The Walt Disney Company, Pixar, Nestlé, Kenmore and Craftsman, Peter has held C-suite roles including CEO, President, Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Marketing & Brand Officer. He’s renowned for his bias for action, customer-first mindset, partnerships and collaborations, and ability to spark bold ideas – then execute flawlessly.
From powerhouse names like The Walt Disney Company, Nestlé, Creata and Birds Eye, Peter has held top-tier roles including CEO, President, Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Marketing & Brand Officer. He’s renowned for his bias for action, customer-first mindset and ability to spark bold ideas – and turn them into flawless execution.
SIMON RHIND-TUTT
Simon Rhind-Tutt, founder of Relationship Audits & Management, will be delivering “Retaining and Growing Existing Clients”. Based on over 32 million data points and decades of frontline client insight, Simon will challenge the status quo of agency thinking. While many continue chasing new business, Simon reveals why your greatest growth opportunities lie not outside your agency, but within your current client roster.
PETE MARTIN
Founding director at B-Corp creative agency Always Be Content, Pete is one of the UK’s most experienced creative strategists. His ESG experience covers working on energy saving with major utilities, on health and social issues with government and on democratic participation for hard-to-reach groups. In 2023 in New York, he won the Gramercy Institute Award for Sustainable Marketing.
JAMIE GRACE JEFFERSON
Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Equator, Scotland’s leading, and a UK top 5, independent Digital Transformation Consultancy. She works hands-on with project and client teams to create remarkable digital experiences that achieve business goals by meeting human needs – creating game-changing websites, national integrated campaigns, start-up brands, and business models and strategies across almost every sector from finance (Vitality, Virgin and AXA), utilities (SSE, OVO and Spark) to travel (Malmaison, Village, Rocco Forte) and consumer goods (Baxters, Macallan, Paul Mitchell) to name a few.
TOM HEAD
Architect of G3NR8 | AI Strategy & Innovation. 20 years in digital. Built multiple 7-figure agencies. Trusted by brands like Samsung, Red Bull Racing, JP Morgan, Tesco, and The Guardian. Now leading G3NR8 – an AI consultancy helping businesses stay ahead with strategy, training, and real-world solutions that actually deliver.
PAUL SQUIRREL
Paul, Founder & Managing Director at MISSION Hubs, is a ‘serial networker’ – a crime for which he has not yet been arrested! His career spans over 25 years working for and with agencies as an account handler, new business director and a consultant. But the thing that gives him a real buzz, is connecting people around the world to work together and make great things happen.
WILL WALSH
Will ran a digital agency (Givergy) for 7 years expanding into US, Canada, Hong Kong and Australia in record time, before co-founding and running Wonderhatch, a creative agency, for last 7 years. While Wonderhatch is yet to set up abroad, it has recently won work in Saudi Arabia and is beginning to look there and to the US; Will has spent time investigating the options and has joined UKAEG.
AISHLING CONLON
Beyond Borders: Turning Global Opportunity into Growth Strategy –
This session dives into the how of international growth. We’ll unpack the real-world tactics UK independent agencies are using to win overseas clients, form strategic partnerships and create global relevance without overstretching. If you’re serious about unlocking new business beyond borders, this one’s for you.
LUKE FRIBBENS
As the CEO and Founder of Cold Banana, Luke leads a team dedicated to empowering businesses with innovative web and AI solutions. With over 11 years of experience spanning roles as Technical Director, Head of Development, Front-End Developer, Back-End Developer, and Systems Architect, he has built and planned online experiences that combine technical excellence with strategic vision.
Luke’s passion lies in ensuring every system created is meticulously planned, architected, and executed to the highest standard. This commitment to quality and innovation is the foundation on which he established Cold Banana – a .NET, Umbraco, Kentico, and Sitecore specialist agency delivering integrated online solutions that consistently exceed client expectations.
Luke is deeply committed to driving global growth, fostering collaboration, and helping organisations harness technology to achieve their full potential.
MIKE ADAMS
Mike Adams has been to more than 1,000 networking events in London, and some people call him “The Networking King”, with 30,000 connections on LinkedIn. Mike is a super connector, and loves to introduce relevant people to each other. Mike worked 30 years in technology sales & marketing at 9 companies, including Apple, HP, and Zoom where he was employee number 6 in Europe and built the entire Zoom partner program across Europe, even during Covid! Mike just launched his own startup called introstars, to help millions of people make and receive high-value business introductions, and to monetise every successful referral for high-value deals. Mike has also mentored more than 60 startups founders, and is always happy to share his experience as a networker & connector. As a hobby, Mike is a travel hacker, earning millions of miles to travel for free in first class around the world.
RACHEL WHITE
Rachel White is a Chartered Marketing expert and founder of Studio White Marketing Consultancy, with over 20 years’ experience across agency, in-house and client-side roles. As Director of Pimento Fuse, she partners with Pimento to lead business development and marketing strategy, supporting independent agencies to define their proposition, growth ambitions and overcome market challenges. Working alongside a network of Pimento members, Rachel delivers strategic, practical solutions that accelerate growth, improve performance and open up new revenue opportunities.
LEE WARREN
Having built 3 highly-profitable businesses from scratch, Lee Warren is a passionate advocate for the power of networking and sales skills in growing a strong business. Lee has held leadership roles in sales for Eurotunnel, Hertz and News UK, and has also been a professional magician and a commissioned writer at The Royal Opera House and Almeida Theatre. He is a visiting Faculty member at The University of Oxford, specialising in compelling communication. Lee’s background in sales, business growth and theatre gives him unique insight into persuasive communication and informs his keynotes on sales, communication, presenting and networking.
PADDY WOODS
Paddy brings over 20 years of expertise – gained from working across client, agency and intermediaries – to help agencies get fresh energy into their new business and marketing activity. He has worked in or supported a wide range of both independents and networked agencies across media, branding, creative, digital, experiential, B2B and shopper marketing so is able to bring a unique perspective to marketing and new business processes and approaches.
PHIL BACON
Phil is a marketing strategist with over 20 years of experience spanning in-house roles, agency collaborations and consultancy. His career has taken him across diverse sectors, including education, food, engineering and manufacturing, and primarily technology, where he has been involved in almost every aspect and channel in marketing, whether that has been hands-on or managing multiple agency and freelance relationships. Over the last 5 years, he’s channelled his experience into building a four-stage marketing process and supporting frameworks that have helped clients achieve measurable success.
JO ROGERS
Jo is a seasoned agency leader with over 20 years’ experience growing independent agencies and building client services functions from the ground up. A champion of client-centric thinking, Jo blends operational rigour with a deeply human approach to relationship-building. Her mission is to help agencies scale without losing what makes them special – creating client experiences that drive retention, spark growth, and stand the test of time.
OWEN CATTO
Owen is a highly experienced strategic advisor. He partners with business leaders and owners to unlock growth by defining their position and value proposition, comms strategy and future planning. For 20+ years he held a breadth of leadership roles within marketing and brand agencies. He has developed strategies for international SaaS businesses, FMCG portfolios, marketing services, consumer technology, retail, hospitality and food and drink.
DAVE PLUNKETT
Dave’s a Nearbound specialist who’s developed hundreds of partnerships and given or received thousands of referrals. Growing his membership organisation to 2000 members almost entirely through referrals and strategic partnerships, before his customer engagement agency provided access to the SME market for global brands such as Regus & Volvo, reaching nearly 1 million business owners along the way.
In 2020 he set up Collaboration Junkie. Helping agencies and b2b brands identify, nurture and scale referral & partnership opportunities through coaching, training and consultancy.
BENJAMIN CHILCOTT
Benj spent 25 years running business development for global consultancies and global marketing agencies. In that time he won many multi year, multi country, multi million pound deals, all through building a trusted network.
Benj now spends his time training others to be better at relationship and consultative selling – especially through developing networking skills.
BETHAN VINCENT
Bethan Vincent is the Founder and Managing Partner of Open Velocity, an expert-led marketing strategy consultancy. With over a decade of experience in senior marketing roles, Bethan has led successful go-to-market strategies, repositioned brands and built high-performing teams across competitive global markets.
OFFICIAL TRAVEL PARTNER
Book all your travel for the Festival of New Business with utc.travel and enjoy a 12 month FREE membership, allowing you to book trains, flights, transfers and accommodation at trade prices with the UK’s leading travel subscription club. Subscribe for free here.
Festival of New Business
Thursday 7th October 2025
Secure Your Spot Today – Advanced tickets on sale until 31st August.
Pimento Member discount accessible via the Portal.
LOCATION: One Birdcage Walk, London
DATE: 7th October 2025
DURATION: Full-day conference, 9am-5pm
Refreshments & Lunch provided
WORKING TOGETHER WITH
WOW Group of Companies
Let’s Run Marketing
Where’s Benj
RiskBox
Now Next Why
With Jack
ACC Finance Solutions
Workflow
Agency Works
Open Velocity
Mission HUBS
Creativebrief
Pimento Fuse
