[T]he third annual Family Business Conference takes place on the 11th October 2018 at The Castle Green in Kendal. Organiser Sue Howorth of The Family Business Network Ltd has started to reveal the line-up of family businesses who will be speaking at the event.
Serial entrepreneur Denys C. Shortt OBE, the family business owner will present his story “From zero to over £200 million sales” Denys Shortt has grown DCS Group, UK’s largest distributor of health, beauty and household brands, every year for 24 years with sales in 2017 reaching £212 million. He has also co-founded three technology companies with Andrew Butt who was 16 when they began Enable.com.
In total he now employs over 400 people. As a former international hockey player Denys is passionate about performance and excellence. His strategy focuses on business growth as well as community giving and his own personal targets. For the past 8 years Denys and his wife have split their time between the Cotswolds and Ambleside. Denys also breeds pedigree Belted Galloway cattle and has a honey farm with 2 million bees!
Sue Howorth explains “I am absolutely delighted that Denys has agreed to speak at the Conference. Cumbria is a special place to Denys and he understands the nuances of life and business in this area. Denys is unarguably an inspirational family businessman, having started from nothing he has created world class businesses with deep rooted family values. He will be sharing his tips for success with us all and there will be huge amounts of insight for people to take away.”
The Family Business Conference, now in its third year has attracted high level speakers since inception and this year is looking for an even stronger sense of family, community and philanthropy. Sue Howorth will be welcoming other family business names who are yet to be announced but to date, John Stevenson MP, Grasmere Gingerbread, Roland Hill Ltd, Thomas Graham, Heart of the Lakes, Pioneer Foodservice, Out Of Eden, and the Westmorland Family have all confirmed their contribution to the day.
The Family Business Conference takes place on the 11th October at the Castle Green Hotel, Kendal. Tickets are £45 plus vat and can be purchased at www.trybooking.co.uk/ELD . Early bird tickets of £38 plus VAT are available until the end of May use code EARLYBIRD.
