East Midlands Chamber’s network for young professionals, business leaders and apprentices is hosting its first conference next month to help inspire young entrepreneurs.
The Generation Next event will be held at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground on Monday, October 9, with celebrity chef Jon Watts the keynote speaker, talking about how he overcame adversity to carve out a successful career in hospitality.
After being sentenced to six-and-a-half-years in a young offenders institute as a teenager, he learnt to cook as part of his Duke of Edinburgh Award, becoming the first person in custody to achieve all three bronze, silver and gold accolades.
He worked for Jamie Oliver for five years before setting up his own catering company, which saw him cook for royalty and landing contracts for businesses and events such as ITV’s X Factor.
Jon adapted his business during the pandemic and used his profile to create new recipes, leading to television recognition and a publishing deal. His first cookbook will be released next month.
He will be joined on the conference line-up by Stephen Fern, managing director at 200 Degrees Coffee, which was founded in Nottingham in 2012 and now has 18 coffee shops and six barista schools. It also sells its coffee across the country.
Stephen has more than 20 years’ experience in finance and operational roles, using his financial insights to grow his business while maintaining a focus on his staff, culture and customer experience.
The half-day conference will also mark the launch of a report into the needs of the young generation in the East Midlands business community along with a panel discussion.
East Midlands Chamber director of resources and Generation Next lead Lucy Robinson said: “The conference will be an excellent opportunity for young professionals, and their employers, to learn more about how entrepreneurial thinking can be applied to all areas of working in business.
“We also look forward to sharing the results of our first-ever survey, which will help inform our network’s activity moving into 2024 and beyond.”
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