Adam Lovell is a communications professional who has worked in news and business journalism, public relations and business development.
A former magazine editor, he started his career in newspapers and later consulted for a number of public relations agencies, in turn advising a broad range of clients of varying scale across an eclectic mix of sectors.
He provides board-level support for strategic communications, brand management, business development and, at times, crisis communications.
Adam is currently plying his trade in local government communications and as a freelance journalist and event host, running business breakfasts, conferences and award ceremonies.
His business journalist career focussed on entrepreneurship, corporate finance and regional development with a particular focus on the North.

Andrew Armstrong is the Development Manager for the Made Smarter Yorkshire & Humber programme at South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. Made Smarter Yorkshire & Humber delivers across South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, East Yorkshire and the York and North Yorkshire regions.

Andrew is an experienced project professional and has worked in a variety of manufacturing roles, recently delivering high end solid round tool solutions to market for Sandvik Coromant, to early research and development civil nuclear projects at the Nuclear AMRC. He has worked on a number of military aerospace programmes; including the on-base maintenance and management of the now retired Tornado fleet, as well as several roles supporting the full production of the Joint Strike Fighter F-35 Lightning programme.

Most people who deal in software see it in code. Jamie sees it in living and breathing opportunities – that if applied in the right way – can not just bring real value, but supercharge any organisation.

Beginning his career writing scripts to automate his own job as a data uploader at one of Sheffield’s (then) largest technology agencies, it is this mindset of ceaseless innovation which gave life to Razor and its mission to always stay on the sharp edge of technology.

At Razor he challenges his team to think bigger. To harness the power of automation, VR, machine learning and focused design thinking to enhance business functions, experiences and intelligence beyond the client’s expectation.

Jamie has worked with major brands including Alfa Romeo, Co-Operative Bank, HCCi Dyson, Virgin Trains and South Staffs Water.

I'm an award-winning journalist who has worked for daily and weekly newspapers, regional magazines, the UK's national news agency and a pioneering news website which earned a place in The Guinness Book of Records. I've won 17 business journalism awards. I've been ranked at 158 in Richtopia's list of the top 250 business journalists in the world. I've also supplied business stories for the national newspaper, the i, (including an obituary of Sir Ken Morrison) which was part of Johnston Press/JPI Media from 2016 to 2020.
The Yorkshire Post's former business editor Mark Casci said: "Greg is one of the finest journalists I have worked with in my career. He embodies the spirit of investigative journalism which The Yorkshire Post has been synonymous with for decades."
James Mitchinson, the editor of The Yorkshire Post, said after I was voted Regional Business Journalist of the Year at the Society of Editors' Awards 2019: "A more worthy winner you will struggle to find. Technically brilliant; tenacious; compassionate."
Kevin Hollinrake MP, the former co-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking, described me as "one of a small number of journalists who have continually highlighted banking scandals and the need for truth and redress".
My role as The Yorkshire Post's deputy business editor has given me the opportunity to chair a wide range of political debates and business seminars with celebrities including Sir Clive Woodward.
I've interviewed the likes of Bob Geldof, George Osborne, Vince Cable, John Smith and John Prescott. I was one of the first journalists to write about the "Calendar Girls" of Rylstone WI, a story which inspired a major film.
During the dotcom boom, I worked on the business desk at Ananova.com, the news service which featured the world's first virtual newscaster.
I've played a major role in developing The Yorkshire Post's award-winning content, and establishing our Excellence in Business Awards and Fastest 50 awards. I've appeared on Sky News and the BBC news channel to discuss business-related topics. I've also been interviewed on talkRadio about the loan charge scandal and the economic success of Ilkley.
I've chaired a childcare coalition fringe event at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester and hosted The Yorkshire Post's Environment Awards, alongside Natalie Bennett, the former leader of the Green Party.

Ben Atha is the founder behind The Developer Academy.
He holds a Bachelor's degree in Business & Management from Sheffield Hallam University.
Where he honed his skills and developed a strong foundation in business principles.
He believes in the transformative power of education. His personal mission? To empower individuals from all walks of life with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities they need to pursue fulfilling careers

Learn more about The Develop Academy: visit www.thedeveloperacademy.com

Sanja Dogramadzi (SD) is Professor of Medical Robotics at the University of Sheffield. She has over 20 years of research experience in robotics, designing and analysing inherently safe physical robotic systems for surgical and assistive robotics applications. She has attracted over £8M in research funding from UK and Europe research councils and published a large portfolio of scientific publications and international patents. Her ambitions are centered on making research impact in socio-economic domains.

Lisa is the Managing Director of Airmaster, the Air Conditioning specialist and has grown into a £9m turnover Mechanical Services Contractor. She has been an active member of Women in Refrigeration Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps Committee for the last 3 years. Lisa was part of the first national cohort of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 small businesses programme. She is an active member of the business community as a STEM Ambassador, a Freeman of The Company of Cutlers of Hallamshire and for 3 years she was the first female president of the combined Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce.

Charles is the Managing Director of Edward Turner and Son Ltd which owns a group of companies in UK and overseas specialising in the manufacture of machines knives and industrial blades for use in the food processing, packaging, plastics, flooring and safety industrial sectors under the Durham-Duplex brand. He is a modern Cutler with the scars to prove it!

He is a Deputy Lieutenant for the County of South Yorkshire and will be Master Cutler for the Company of Cutler’s 400th Anniversary in 2024. He also chairs the Made in Sheffield Mark Steering Committee, on behalf of the Cutlers Company, Sheffield City Council and the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, and is Chairman of the Sheffield Assay Office with a seat on the British Hallmarking Council.

Having completed an Executive MBA with Sheffield University in 2020 he is well versed in utilising advanced manufacturing processes and Durham-Duplex is constantly working on productivity enhancements to keep their “cutting edge” in the global market.

Chris is the Founder and CEO of FourJaw Manufacturing Analytics, an investment-backed tech start-up that spun out from the Advanced Research Centre.
Following an early career as a mechanical design engineer at several UK manufacturers, Chris moved into the role of commercialising manufacturing research at the AMRC.
Three years in, Chris has raised nearly £4 million investment in the business and built a high-performing team that serves manufacturers spanning oil and gas, to food production to textiles.

Summary
Executive MBA specialising in Advanced Manufacturing Management
Background in manufacturing and design engineering
Previously Commercialisation Manager at the AMRC
Yorkshire 42 under 42 (2022)

Available to talk about
Industry 4.0/Smart technology trends/benefits
Productivity Improvement
Software Development/trends
Cultural adoption of Smart Technoloogy

With 25+ years in IT and 15 in manufacturing I lead in Industry 4.0, IoT, and AI. I mentor, teach, and lecture in academic and industry circles, including at Sheffield University and the AMRC training centre. My dedication to learning and data science expertise is enhanced through my time at Developer Academy, giving me the practical skills required for industry projects.

Dame Julie Kenny is a successful South Yorkshire based entrepreneur. Julie was the founder of Pyronix Limited in 1986 - an advanced electronic manufacturing company designing award winning security systems. Only the third security company in the world to commence its design using state of the art manufacturing processes – automated surface mount machines with inline camera systems and inspection in 1986. In 1996 it won a security innovation award for its design of the first condition monitoring system of its burglar systems almost 26 years ago whereby the state of the system could be recorded and downloaded automatically to a computer at the Monitoring Station of the system.

Following the sale in 2016 Julie continues her involvement in serving business and local communities and currently holds several trustee/patron positions for diverse charitable organisations.

Julie has just completed a year as Master Cutler is Chair of Robson Handling Technology Limited, a NED at AES Engineering Limited, Chair of a Multi Academy Trust and Founding Chair of Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust. A true levelling up project of the North.

Julie was honoured in Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in June 2019 with a Damehood for her work with heritage and particularly Wentworth Woodhouse. Julie’s CBE in 2002 and Honorary Doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University in 2005 were conferred in recognition of her contribution to business and young people in the region. Julie was awarded Freewoman of Rotherham in 2020.

Julie has served as a Deputy Lieutenant for South Yorkshire since 2005 and High Sheriff of South Yorkshire 2012/13. Julie was Women of the Year 2013, PWC Private Businesswoman of the year 2014 and received a Special Recognition Judges Award by Northern Power Women in 2018.

Adam Bradley is an experienced, award-winning sales director and business leader with a demonstrated history of working in the oil and gas, aerospace, defence, and industry sectors. He was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and started his career in sales and marketing, after completing his teacher training back in 2006. He has since gone on to lead teams, departments and companies within the specialist materials and steel stockholding sector. He is skilled in negotiation, sales team management, engineering, supply chain management and international sales.

Adam is a strong believer in collaboration and networking to support local businesses and to promote the metals industry worldwide. He has developed a strong online presence and has been featured in many industry articles, podcasts and videos.

He is a promotor and believer in careers education and apprenticeships within manufacturing and engineering and has experience training apprentices, presenting at school assemblies, career events, teaches interview techniques and facilitates work experience. In addition to being a director at Corrosion Resistant Materials, Adam is also currently:

· Board Member of the British Stainless Steel Association
· Board Member for the British Valve and Actuator Association
· Business Mentor and Committee Member for the Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce
· Chairperson for the Materials Working Group – British Valve and Actuator Association
· Committee Member and Freeman for the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire
· Host of Island Networking in Rotherham

Adam has been recognized with the following awards:
· Business Growth Award – Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce - 2019
· Queens Award for Enterprise in International Trade - 2022
· Made in Sheffield Award for Export - 2022
· Business Person of the Year - Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce - 2022
· 50 Most Exciting Companies in Yorkshire - Insider Media - 2023
· 42 under 42 - Insider Media – 2023

Lindsay holds the role of Technical Fellow for Data Science at AMRC, where she leverages her extensive 15+ years of expertise in statistics and machine learning.
Her proficiency lies in applying these techniques to address intricate challenges in manufacturing and climate science domains. Lindsay's impactful work, showcasing the potential of statistics and machine learning in enhancing domain knowledge, has been featured in renowned publications such as Nature, The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and the RSS Significance Magazine.
She is deeply enthusiastic about demystifying the realms of statistics and machine learning and has achieved this through engaging public lectures delivered for esteemed organizations like the Royal Statistical Society and the Royal Meteorological Society.

Nikki is currently the Director of the University of Sheffield’s AMRC Training Centre. Prior to this Nikki was the Assistant Principal for Employer Engagement at a Further Education College and has held senior management roles across the sector.
Nikki holds a degree in Education and an MBA and is a highly experienced leader with more than 20 years’ experience in the education sector. During her career Nikki has also gained extensive experience of the government inspection regime both as a part-time Ofsted inspector and nominee.
She has a passion for education and skills and is particularly interested in collaboration with strategic partners. Nikki has a strong belief in the power of education and skills as a way to transform lives.

Rachel Abbott is CEO Cobra Sport Exhausts & Cobra Manufacturing in Sheffield and joint MD of JP Exhausts Ltd in Cheshire.
The companies are specialist manufacturers of stainless-steel exhausts for the performance, sports, and classic automotive aftermarket and offer light fabrication services of various steel products across many other sectors.
Rachel was Hallamshire Mistress for the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire for 2022-2023 supporting Dame Julie Kenny in her year as Master Cutler.
Shortlisted for the Sheffield Business Award’s Inspirational Leader of the Year 2023, Rachel previously was the Regional Winner of the “Game Changer” award for the Chamber Business Awards and she is shortly starting a new role on SYMCA’s new Business Advisory Board, representing manufacturing in the region.
Rachel is passionate about manufacturing and particularly about promoting careers for women in manufacturing. She is keen to improve employment and training opportunities in the sector for young people and create new jobs in the region.

As National Membership Director at Make UK, Jim and his team help thousands of manufacturers to solve some of their biggest challenges – whether that’s how to benefit from Industry 4.0, actions to take to mitigate supply chain challenges, or how to use the apprenticeship levy to upskill the workforce. A qualified Engineer, Jim has held manufacturing, production engineering and operations roles. He was also senior manufacturing specialist whilst at the Manufacturing Advisory Service where he delivered consultancy support to businesses which enabled them to make huge improvements in their productivity and competitiveness. Jim was also a director of the Engineering Development Trust.

Where others might see problems, ITM Apprentice Joseph sees opportunities and provides intelligent and considered solutions.
He is a dream apprentice and an asset to ITM Power.

Dr Elizabeth Bishop is the Deputy Programme Director for the Electro-Mechanical Engineer Degree Level Apprenticeship at the University Nottingham.
Her background is mechanical engineering with her PhD in Large-Scale Polymer Additive Manufacturing.
Elizabeth is passionate about the Design and Make aspects of engineering, incorporating practical projects into CAD and Design work for the apprentices.

Charlotte is an accomplished professional with a strong academic background, holding an MBA with distinction from Sheffield Hallam University and a First-Class BA (Hons) in Business Studies from the same institution. As a Chartered Manager with CMgr MCMI status from the CMI, Charlotte combines her education with practical expertise.
With a steadfast commitment to sustainability, Charlotte has spent her career in the manufacturing sector, championing eco-friendly practices in both her professional and personal life. Since 2017, she has been serving as the Marketing Manager at Hogen Systems Ltd, a company at the forefront of sustainable water solutions. Her role involves promoting innovative solutions within the manufacturing sector that align with her deep-rooted values in sustainability.

Founded in Sheffield in 1987, Technicut has grown to become a global leader in solid rotary cutting tools for the aerospace industry. The company aims to redefine accepted productivity standards through the continual development of optimised tooling technologies and provide world-class vertically integrated tooling solutions to support our customers evolving needs. Our heritage was carbide tooling, but today we have grown into a leading global supplier of optimised steel, carbide, and diamond tooling derivatives for all aerospace applications, supported by one of the largest complements of dedicated CNC machinery in Europe. Based in Sheffield, our manufacturing hub, we take pride in our unrivalled expertise in aerospace rotary tooling. Our highly skilled engineering team strives to deliver innovative tooling solutions aiming to surpass the expectations of our global aerospace clients.

Warwick is a staunch advocate of education, apprenticeships, and embracing ongoing technological advancements within the manufacturing industry. He has driven the adoption of technology including extensive automation, digitisation, and data analysis to continually improve productivity and sustainability. Warwick has over 20 years’ experience in the manufacturing industry working on both military and civil aerospace programs.