AGENDA
DINNER
Tuesday 10th February 2026
Bulgari Hotel London, Knightsbridge
18.45
Drinks reception
19:50
Opening Remarks
CEO, Fast Growth Icons
19:55
Welcome Address
Jon Dawson
Partner, Head of Sectors & Markets, HaysMac
20.00
Seated Dinner
Enjoy three courses from the Chef’s selection at the Bvlgari
22.30
Carriges
MAIN DAY
Wednesday, 11th February 2026
Claridge’s, Mayfair
08.00
Breakfast & Networking
09.00
Host
Uday Singh
Co-Founder & CEO, Fast Growth Icons
09.10
Opening Remarks from the Chair
Ben Fletcher
Founder & CEO, The Mothership
09.30
Welcome Address By our Lead Sponsor
Terry Shephard
Head of Entrepreneurs, S&W
09.35
From CFO to CEO: Strategic Finance for Scaling Businesses
Luisa Barile
Group CEO and ex-CFO, ManyPets
This session explores what makes a high-impact CFO in high-growth, tech-led SMEs—focusing on the CEO–CFO dynamic, how finance shapes value creation, and practical steps for CFOs aiming to broaden into general leadership. Luisa Barile will share concrete examples from her own transition, advice on board engagement, setting and influencing strategy and demonstrating a credible path to profitable growth.
10.00
Balancing Growth and Profit
Hugh Courtney
CFO, Zilch
How do you support the business to reach their goals while managing the amount of risk they are taking? No one wants to be the CFO that always says no, but you do want to be voice of reason that challenges assumptions and keeps people honest. How do you create a finance team that can effectively partner with the business to engender a risk-based, investment mindset approach to growth, and set the right guardrails?
10.25
Roundtables on Growth Efficiency
Compare notes with your peers on how they decide the appropriate trade-off between growth rate and risk profile, and how they communicate that with the business.
11.10
Morning Break
11.35
Forecasting in an Uncertain World
Rajesh Gupta
CFO, OakNorth Bank
As the saying goes, “the plans are useless, but the planning is essential”. How do you create a rigorous and useful forecast that provides both a useful framework for the business and has the flexibility for people to adapt to the unknown? How useful are these forecasts and scenario plans in managing risk? What is the right cadence for updating the forecast, and how much time should the business be spending on forecasting vs executing?
12.00
Roundtable Networking and Discussion Sessions
Select a topic from the list below to join a group discussion
13.00
Seated Lunch
Enjoy three courses from Claridge’s exclusive menu
14:30
Welcome Address By our Champagne Sponsor
Ben Tompkins
Managing Director & Head Europe, Global Technology Group, Stifel
14.35
The CFO’s Role in Reimagining Organisational Structure
Ben Averis
CFO, Yotoplay
How big should your future team be? As AI accelerates, CFOs must right-size for an uncertain future without losing speed, control, or culture. Drawing from engineering principles, Ben sees the finance team as a product and the company as its customer. He talks about how to build lean, tech-enabled, specialist-supported, high-performing teams and how this is a smarter way for every function to scale without bloat.
15.00
AI for CFOs: Practical Adoption, Auditability and Competitive Advantage
Liz Kistruck
CFO, Motorway
A practical discussion on how finance leaders can adopt AI safely and effectively. We will cover three application areas: product-integrated AI, call-centre automation, and back-office tooling (finance, legal, analytics). We’ll discuss the trade-offs between agility and robustness, auditability requirements, and the need for human-in-the-loop designs.
15.25
Roundtable Networking and Discussion Sessions
Select a topic from the list below to join a group discussion
16.25
Closing Address
Uday Singh
Co-Founder & CEO, Fast Growth Icons
16:30
Champagne Reception
17:30
Close
Roundtable Discussion Topics
Fundraising – Series C, D, E and PE
Exit planning & Execution
Strategic M&A – Planning and Executing Acquisitions
International Expansion & Risk
Venture Debt – Cost, Risk,Timing
Forecasting & Scenario Planning
Managing Investor & Board Expectations
AI & Automation in Finance
Building & Structuring Finance Teams