DINNER
Monday 18th May 2026
The Bulgari Hotel, Knightsbridge
18.45
Drinks reception
19.50
Opening Remarks
Uday Singh
Co-Founder & CEO, Fast Growth Icons
19.55
Welcome Address by our Dinner Sponsor
James Peterson
Managing Director, Rothschild & Co
20.00
Seated Dinner
Enjoy three courses from The Bvlgari’s exclusive menu
22.30
Carriages
MAIN DAY
Tuesday 19th May 2026
Claridge’s, Mayfair
08.00
Breakfast & Networking
09.00
Host
Uday Singh
Co-Founder & CEO, Fast Growth Icons
09.20
Opening Remarks
Ben Fletcher
Co-Founder & CEO, The Mothership
09.30
Welcome address by our Lead Sponsor
Glen Waters
Head of Tech & Life Sciences, HSBC Innovation Banking
09.35
Raising the Bar: Changing the Culture to Drive Profitability
Luisa Barile
CEO, ManyPets
After transitioning from CFO to CEO, the key challenge for Luisa was getting to profitability, which meant changing the culture. In this session we explore how a mixture of changing personnel, adapting the narrative and focusing on the new behaviours drove change.
10.00
Making ‘Strategy’ Practical and Operational
Ruth Handcock OBE
Former CEO, Octopus
A lot of people misuse words like strategy but don’t actually have a proper articulation of how they expect to win, and a clear mission that motivates people. This interview will discuss how to create a clear and powerful mission and strategy and make it operational. We’ll cover story-telling, linking objectives to the mission, and how to drive accountability.
10.25
Roundtable Networking and Discussion Sessions
How do you articulate your strategy, and how do you operationalise it
11.10
Morning Break
11.35
Building Product Organisations for an AI-Driven Future
Richard Davies
CEO, Allica Bank
This session explores a CEO’s perspective on the practical, human and technical challenges of scaling product and engineering organisations from small cross-functional squads to single-threaded teams that own clear services. We’ll cover the architectural, operating-model and governance moves needed to break dependencies, the “home and away” practices for safe cross-team changes, and the real impact of AI tooling on roles, resourcing and reskilling.
12.00
Roundtable Networking and Discussion Sessions
13.00
Seated lunch
Three-course founders’ lunch at Claridge’s
14.30
Welcome address by our Champagne Sponsor
Dan Turgel
Partner, White & Case
14.35
The Acquirer’s Playbook: How Professional Buyers Value Businesses,
and What to Expect When You Sell
Dave Stevinson
Group CEO, QBS Software
This session will look at how a serial acquirer sources and values businesses through a dispassionate lens. Dave will present their acquisitions process and key considerations on what makes a good target, We’ll then flip the discussion to ask what this means for you when you come to sell and what to expect.
15.00
Learning by Making: Building a Learning Organisation for Maximum Flexibility in an Uncertain World
Raj Khaira
Deputy Global CEO, AutogenAI
Traditional lecture-style learning can be a waste of time, and public courses can date as soon as they are created. This session focuses on practical ways to create a learning-by-making culture: protected time for hands-on projects, clear incentives, iterative planning, and examples of how small experiments unlock new capabilities. AI will be used as the current case study and the session is fundamentally about how to structure learning, accountability and scaling so people deliver results while they upskill.
15.25
Roundtable Networking and Discussion Sessions
Coffee served to the tables
16.25
Closing Address
Uday Singh
Co-Founder & CEO, Fast Growth Icons
16.30
Champagne Reception
17.30
Close
Round Table Discussion Sessions
Meaningful conversations and practical tips are at the heart of an Icons event.
During the day, we will host three intentionally small and highly interactive facilitated roundtable discussions on the most important challenges founders face whilst scaling.
In the mid morning session, everyone in the room discusses the same topic with the people seated
at their table.
At noon, we have break out sessions on different topics. They are all popular, so we host the topics
again in the afternoon allowing you to choose your top two.
The people at your table are navigating similar challenges. These sessions are most valuable when participants share openly, contribute generously, and learn from one another,
drawing on the collective wisdom of the group.
10:25
How do you articulate your strategy, and how do you operationalise it?
12:00 and 15:25
Choose between
International Expansion: Choosing the Right Market and Model
Deciding when you are ready to expand, which market to enter first, and whether to build,
buy or partner and integrate teams without losing control of the core business.
Maximising personal outcomes in a Business Sale
Thinking strategically and practically about exits. How do you get the highest multiple, and what deal structure should you look for? Are you really prepared (financially and psychologically) for an exit?
Growth Through Acquisitions: Do’s and Don’ts
Using acquisitions to accelerate growth, enter new markets or acquire strategic capabilities,
while avoiding the mistakes that destroy value after the deal.
Exits: Pitfalls and Deal Breakers
Identifying the issues that can derail a sale process early, from diligence gaps to negotiation risks,
and fixing them before they damage value or momentum.
Getting Exit Ready – Preparing your Personal Tax Structure
Getting your personal tax planning sorted well before you get into an exit process to maximise
your immediate return and long term income. Understanding tax structures, trusts
and planning your income requirements.
The Hidden Cost of Scaling
Financial risks can quietly erode margins as you expand across markets.
This session explores where value is lost in expansion, how cash flows can be impacted,
and how better FX management can help CEOs regain control.
Understanding PE as Investors and Acquirers
Understanding the practical differences between minority PE, majority PE and strategic investors, including what each offers and what should you expect from a deal?
Venture Debt: Cost, Risk and Timing
Knowing when venture debt is the right tool, what it really costs, and how to manage the risks
alongside equity funding.