The Year The Zebras This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Acumen Business Convetion, an event which has become a mainstay of the local business calendar, and the team at Acumen Business Law pulled out all the stops to ensure that this would be a year to remember.
entrepreneur, revealing his personal struggles and inspirations in a captivating and anecdotal presentation. It was local businesses, however, who ended the day firmly in the spotlight with the presentation of the inaugural Business Acumen Award. Brandon Harris, Director of Active4less Fitness Clubs, scooped the coveted prize after two rounds of intensive judging. Mike Holland, representing the panel of expert judges, highlighted Brandon’s enthusiastic attitude, innovative approach and responsiveness to his market before handing over to Levi Roots to present the Award.
Penina Shepherd, Founder and MD of Acumen Business Law, set the tone of the event by announcing the expansion of the firm into new offices in Gatwick during her opening speech. From thereon inspiration and success stories were the order of the day. As in previous years the speakers at this year’s Convention were of the very highest calibre. Liz Jackson OBE left the audience both humbled and inspired by her personal story of overcoming devastating challenges to develop her business, Great Guns Marketing, which today has an annual turnover of more than £2.5 million. Dr. David Hall, founder of The Ideas Centre, gave an energetic and enlightening talk on how to stimulate innovation within an organisation. Delegates scribbled furiously as he shared top tips on how to release the creative potential within the business environment. This year’s keynote speaker was none other than national treasure and dragon slayer extraordinaire, Levi Roots.The brains and personality behind the hugely popular Reggae Reggae Sauce. Levi took the audience through his fascinating journey from humble beginnings to successful business 76│ Issue 3 � 2014
Runners up, Simon Studd of Clean Cut Gardening Franchise and Stephen Barham of Harvey John Recruitment were also congratulated on their outstanding business acumen and were formally announced as Finalists. The event finished with a champagne reception and delegates partied long into the evening, closing the 2014 Acumen Business Convention in style. Penina Shepherd, Founder and MD of Acumen Business Law said, “I am delighted and honoured to have run five prestigious Acumen Business Conventions and this one has topped them all! There was unprecedented attendance, fantastic speakers, a tasty lunch and the Business Acumen Award too! The entire team has worked relentlessly to make it happen and the feedback has been exceptional.”
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