IoD East Growth Conference  Beyond Limits

Andrew Morgan is a highly experienced Master of Ceremonies who has supported leading organisations in delivering successful conferences, corporate celebrations, and high-profile events. He is recognised for his professional presence, clear communication, and ability to maintain structure and flow while ensuring stakeholders’ objectives are fully achieved.

Andrew’s role is to provide assurance that events run seamlessly, enabling organisers and speakers to focus on their contributions while delegates experience a polished, engaging, and memorable occasion.

Anna is Chief Economist at the Institute of Directors and has held this role since June 2024.

Anna sits on the steering committee for the Royal Economic Society Women in Economics Network, which seeks to support the career development of women in economics, where she’s responsible for partnerships. She is also on the steering group for the Pissarides Review into the Future of Work and Wellbeing.

Before joining the IoD, Anna was Deputy Chief Economist at the CBI, leading workstreams across macroeconomics, surveys and consulting, and she has also worked in the Government Economic Service, in HM Treasury and DWP.

Louisa Murray is a senior commercial leader and financial markets expert, currently serving as Chief Sales Officer at Railsr, a leading embedded finance platform. With a career spanning global banking, fintech, and entrepreneurial ventures, Louisa combines deep product expertise with a sharp commercial acumen.

She began her career as a high-profile derivatives trader and director at a top-tier UK bank, before transitioning into the startup ecosystem where she helped launch and grow businesses across a range of sectors. Her experience on both sides of the financial services spectrum gives her a unique perspective on innovation, risk, and growth.

At Railsr, Louisa leads global sales strategy and execution, driving customer acquisition, revenue growth, and strategic partnerships. She is known for her ability to blend profit-focused leadership with a collaborative, team-first culture - bringing out the best in people while consistently delivering results.

A trusted voice in the fintech space, Louisa has also served as a board member and advisor, championing responsible innovation and diversity in financial services.

Cllr Louise McKinlay is currently the Deputy Leader of Essex County Council (ECC), following her re-election in May 2021, as well as being the Cabinet Member Communities,

Economic Growth and Prosperity. She is proudly the first female Deputy Leader of ECC.

Known for her vision and strong leadership, Louise is at the forefront of driving change and improvement in the community. For many years, she has been an ardent supporter of the Hutton Community Centre, securing its future and placing it in the hands of local trustees from across Hutton organisations. Louise has attained grants and funding for the Centre, which have helped it to grow and develop the offer for the nearby area. Active and visible, Louise has built strong relationships with groups and organisations in the community across Hutton, Herongate, Ingrave and West Horndon.

Mandie’s kick butt with love fun approach delivers! Bringing a unique experience that enables fast lasting change. With over 30 years experience growing successful businesses, leaders and teams, Mandie’s strategies are based in real results with real clients so you know your time together is valuable.

A well respected, fun, coach, author and speaker empowering success in interactive sessions that really make audiences think, learn and laugh.

With extensive experience in business growth, communication, and resilience, Mandie has worked with Santander, Hospitals, Colleges, Universities, NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme, WH Smith, and the Bank of England, as well as countless entrepreneurs and confidential teams.

A personal belief that you can achieve anything you truly want to enables Mandie to help individuals and teams to overcome adversity and overwhelm, achieve goals,
become resilient and communicate with power getting the results they deserve.

Pam Cox was elected as the new MP for Colchester in the 2024 General Election. Prior to that, she held a range of leadership roles at the University of Essex as a professor of social science, including that of director of a large southeast skills training consortium with strong industry and international links.

Pam has served as a Colchester city councillor since 2021 and as the portfolio holder for heritage and culture from 2022-23. She is connected to a number of All-Party Parliamentary Groups, including the East of England APPG and the Key Cities APPG.

Richard Hagen is co-founder of Immersive Publishing, a strategic consultancy and publishing platform that supports experts, consultants and mission-led businesses in shaping high-impact intellectual property. With a background spanning strategic communications, authorship, transformation design and education (both adult and children), Richard helps businesses transform insight into assets, positioning into platforms and leadership into leverage.

He has worked with clients across multiple sectors to refine their unique value, develop IP-based offerings and build visibility in increasingly saturated markets.

Ryan joined MHA as an Audit Partner in 2023, following 15 years within our Baker Tilly International network, including 10 with Baker Tilly Hong Kong.

Ryan has extensive, in-depth knowledge and experience in International Financial Reporting Standards, having worked closely with a wide range of large multinational clients, providing a global service in audit and other advisory services.

Whilst in Hong Kong, Ryan also Chaired Baker Tilly International’s Asia Pacific Audit and Assurance Committee and was a member of the Global Focus Steering Committee.
Ryan’s broad international experience enables him to deliver seamless, value-added services to clients.

Stuart Rimmer MBE has been appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer at Thames Freeport, bringing over two decades of senior leadership experience across education, economic development, and innovation.

A former Chief Executive of a £40m organisation and Visiting Professor of Leadership at BPP University, Stuart is recognised for his strategic vision, transformational leadership, and deep commitment to social impact. His approach is grounded in values-led, human-centred leadership, with a strong focus on resilience, clarity of purpose, and sustainable performance.

Throughout his career, Stuart has built a reputation for leading organisations through complex change while fostering cultures of trust, inclusion, and high performance. He is a sought-after speaker on leadership, mental well-being, and the future of work, and continues to play an influential role in shaping national conversations on skills and regional growth.

Stuart was awarded an MBE for Services to Education.

An IoD member since 1989, Tim Meadows-Smith brings a wealth of leadership experience spanning corporate, entrepreneurial, and advisory roles. He led the international scaling of Haagen-Dazs, and as CEO of The East India Company, was named UK DTI Exporter of the Year. Tim has since served as non-executive chairman for several businesses, guiding them through growth and transformation. For over 15 years, he has also volunteered his time mentoring founders and entrepreneurs, beginning with the formation of StartUp Britain. Today, through his work at Metapraxis and beyond, he helps mid-market companies unlock productivity, growth, and leadership maturity. His upcoming book, The Entrepreneurial Myth, challenges common misconceptions about entrepreneurship and provides a roadmap for building sustainable, high-performance businesses.

Tim’s leadership mantra: business should serve and liberate its leaders, not enslave them.