CATHERINE KELLY HEAD OF RETAIL AND PARTNER, COOPER PARRY

Catherine Kelly is Head of Retail and a Partner at Cooper Parry – an accountancy firm born from the Midlands that has now expanded nationwide. Cat joined Cooper Parry in 2004 and has spent the last 16 years working with a particular focus on retail clients. She speaks regularly at industry events, including co-hosting the Halfords IFRS 16 Forum for Retailers, and she sits on the ICAEW’s Retail Advisory Group. Cat leads the special projects team at Cooper Parry, working alongside management teams on financial reporting projects, reviewing subsidiary audits, looking at royalty and rebate recovery, helping with IFRS transitions and implementing Internal Audit programmes. She brings a commercial approach to projects, identifying areas of business improvement and explaining them in a clear, simple way to manage and exceed stakeholder expectations. 

JAMES SAWLEY HEAD OF RETAIL & LEISURE, HSBC CORPORATE UK

James Sawley is the Head of Retail & Leisure, UK Corporate
Banking at HSBC. With a national coverage mandate, James works with
retailers and leisure operators to fund and advise on event driven activity
including M&A, capital projects, IPOs, as well as fulfilling day to day
banking requirements. HSBC’s international expertise offers James a unique
insight into the challenges and opportunities offered by foreign markets.

‎James has 16 years experience as a corporate banker, working across
leveraged finance, loan syndications and structured debt finance. James
joined the banking industry as a graduate trainee in 2004 after studying
Economics at The University of Sheffield.

UDHI SILVA CO-FOUNDER, SNAFFLING PIG

In 2014, Udhi co-founded Snaffling Pig alongside Nick Coleman. They are a premium food and drink business making awesome flavoured porky snacks, beers, chorizo and sauces. Their products and formats span across  foil packets, gift jars, and even whooping big advent calendars sold in supermarkets, online, in high street retail and down your local pub . 

Last year, Udhi launched Startup logistics supporting the world of Food and Drink with fulfilment services to get their products into the hands of consumers and retailers, working with large volume brands like Camden and Kettle chips all the way down to brand new exciting startups venturing into the world of F&B. 

LUKE OLLY ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGER, CO-OP

Luke gave up the idea of being a guitar rock god to save the planet. He now spends his days looking for problems to solve such as high fuel bills, waste and getting people living more sustainably as Energy & Environment Manager at Central England Co-operative, a regional convenience food retailer and funeral provider, and as Chair of ecobirmingham, a West Midlands based sustainability charity.  

He currently leads on the creation and delivery of a business wide sustainability strategy, including carbon reduction programs across the built environment and refrigeration, and the development innovative ways to deal with traditional waste streams such as food waste and plastics. He is a Full member of the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment and a Chartered Environmentalist with 10 years’ experience working in the sustainability sector.