TOPIC: Building a Successful International Business

To succeed in the world of international business today you need to have a strong business plan, that includes planning for the unexpected! Having a successful UK product doesn’t equal having a successful international one. You must have the confidence to react and adapt quickly, thinking “out of the box” to solve problems. 

Hear from some of Essex's most well known brands - Wilkin & Sons, VegTrug & Olympus along with the British Chambers of Commerce's Head of Trade Policy, to discuss the building of a successful international business.

Meet our panellists

Scott Goodfellow - Managing Director of Wilkin & Sons
Scott Goodfellow is the Managing Director of Wilkin & Sons. Scott has been with the business for the past sixteen years, working in sales, marketing, and commercial roles before becoming Joint MD in January 2018. Prior to that, Scott enjoyed a breadth of experience across manufacturing and sales at Unilever and Mars Confectionery. 

The Wilkin family have been farming at Tiptree, Essex, since 1757, and making quality preserves there since 1885. Now an employee-owned business, Wilkin & Sons Ltd. grow a wide range of traditional English fruits and use them to make conserves, condiments, and other treats in their factory by the farm. Tiptree products can be found in over sixty countries across the world, and are available in fine retailers, premium hotels, and quality airlines.  

Joe Denham - Chairman of VegTrug Group
Joe Denham is the Chairman of VegTrug Limited; VegTrug GmbH and VegTrug USA Inc. In a secondary position, Joe is also Chairman of the Board at Gardenex, the Export Trade Association representing British garden product manufacturers. Joe regularly mentors new businesses within his industry and beyond, often giving his time free particularly helping to train new salespeople and advise on export sales strategies.

Joe, together with his business partner Paul Owen started VegTrug in 2009 and it has proven to be a massive success in the garden industry. Now exporting globally, the business has opened a US subsidiary based in Pennsylvania to support sales efforts in America and a second subsidiary in Germany. 

The original VegTrug has now sold more than 1 million units worldwide and has become an iconic design. The VegTrug is a product which appeals to young children, the elderly and everyone in between! It is fair to say that the development of the VegTrug business has helped shape people’s attitude to growing their own food and in some small way contributed to the ‘grow your own’ revolution that has continued to gather momentum over the last 15 years.

Kamaljit Hunjan - Regional Managing Director of Olympus in the UK & Ireland
Kamaljit (Kam) Hunjan is Regional Managing Director of Olympus in the UK & Ireland, and also heads up the EMEA Strategic Management Office within Europe. Olympus specialises in the development, manufacture and supply of medical equipment worldwide.

Kam joined Olympus in September 2020 as Regional Managing Director, having brought with him a strong track record in transformation and sustainable growth.

Prior to joining Olympus, Kam worked with the Movianto Group (subsidiary of Owens & Minor) where he led the business unit as Senior Vice President & Managing Director. Prior to that he was with Ceva Logistics as Senior Vice President & Global Healthcare Sector Head. He assumed the sector responsibility and his primary objective was growth and business improvement. Kam also worked in General Electric Oil & Gas and Healthcare Business where he assumed executive roles
in supply chain transformation.

Kam has lived and worked internationally and has a strong understanding of local/regional and global business environments. He holds a BEng (Hons) in Production Systems, and an MSc in Engineering Business Management from Warwick University.


William Bain - Head of Trade Policy for the British Chambers of Commerce
William Bain is Head of Trade Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce. William has worked for the last 7 years with a range of companies, from global retailers to SMEs to innovative start-ups, advising on EU exit, the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, and the UK’s new trade and investment policies.
 
Previously, William spent over ten years as an academic lawyer specialising in Constitutional and EU law, and 5 and a half years as an MP (Glasgow North East), including roles as Shadow Ministers for Defra, Transport and Scotland and membership of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee. 

 

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All timings are approximate and subject to change. We advise arriving as early as possible to avoid queues and missing any speakers.