IoD Surrey and Berkshire branch events 'Designed by Directors for Directors’

Who is the Committee? We are members of the IoD, business owners / leaders / directors, and specialists in our given industry sector or business specialism field. Serving as IoD Branch Volunteer Ambassadors we’re the local face of the IoD, representatives of the directors in our business community into the IoD sharing views of local business with the IoD. As industry or business experts we are often leveraged for our knowledge, experience and expertise by both the IoD and its members – consider us accessible locally based go-to-experts. Being part of the fabric of the business community we represent, we are highly active and visible attending events, speaking at events, and also shaping and hosting events.

Meet the Surrey & Berkshire Branches committee here.

Below is our full year calendar of baseline events that we’ve designed, that we trust our peers in the local business community across Surrey and Berkshire (and beyond) will enjoy and benefit from attending.

Additional industry or business events taking place in Surrey and Berkshire may be added to this calendar throughout the year, as Ambassador representatives of the IoD Surrey & Berkshire Branches may choose to attend a range of events where they’ll be flying the IoD flag, or they may choose to develop events mapped to their industry or specialism that may be of interest to the broader business community in Surrey and Berkshire.

We believe that better directors build better organisations, and better organisations build a better world.

Embedded in our IoD Surrey & Berkshire Branch calendar of activity, “designed by directors for directors”, are some stand-alone special events alongside regular events. Each event is designed to help our members pause, reflect and think differently to discover complementary ways to support their professional director development journey.

We also believe that the difference between a good director and a great director is the company they keep.

Meet and learn from directors across the branch areas and beyond. Connect with your local branches by attending local branch events to broaden your network, build your career and strengthen your organisation. Develop with us. Advance your skills and knowledge with professional development created “by directors for directors”. Professional Mentoring is an additional way you can support your development. Invest in yourself. Strengthen your business. Be ready for what’s next.

Our events are open to IoD members, and those interested in becoming a member, directors and aspiring directors.

The only event that is currently members only, is our online monthly Coffee and Connect event.

Don’t miss out! Places are limited at our in-person events so be sure to register your attendance as soon as possible.

What our members say about our events…

“Whether it’s an evening social, breakfast, or lunch, the IoD Surrey and Berkshire Branches events consistently deliver valuable networking opportunities and diverse perspectives.”

Geoffrey Kwateng, Director, Fusion Diagnostic Solutions – Business Partnership. (IoD Member)

“As I have recently returned to live in the UK following many years in Asia Pacific, I am looking for new networks to learn from, share with and possibly serve. The Directors Social Networking Meetup event held by the IoD Surrey and Berkshire Branches was exactly the “amuse bouche” I was looking for as I met a very warm and welcoming pool of diverse business leaders. Since then, I have spent more time on the IoD mentoring platform and attending IoD CPD courses. Looking forward to engaging more!”

Pat Dwyer, Founder, The Purpose Business. (IoD Member)

“I had the privilege of attending a Behind the Scenes Director Peer Networking Surrey Branch event visiting Air Ambulance Charity KSS, where I met an incredible crew of true heroes. Their dedication and work ethic inspired me to enhance my Direct to Patient operations. The visit also highlighted the value of IoD South’s peer-to-peer director interactions, which have been invaluable in shaping my leadership approach. These experiences ultimately inspired me to become an ambassador for Life Sciences, Biotech, and Pharma for the IoD Surrey Branch.”

Lina Kaciulis, Head of Sample & Direct to Patient Operations, QuickSTAT, Kuehne and Nagel company. (IoD Member)

“What an amazing way to start the New Year. The IoD Surrey Branch Business breakfast at Penny Hill Park served as a great reminder to all that attended the value of taking time out to learn, share and develop new friendships. Who was to know that 4 months on, the Surrey AI Centre is now entering into a JV with a construction firm that attended.”

Gary Hudson, Founder, Surrey AI Centre. (IoD Member)

“I thoroughly enjoyed attending the recent IoD Surrey and Berkshire Branches Quarterly Briefing Lunch event, where Dr Roger Barker delivered a clear and succinct overview of the IoD’s Annual Policy Outlook —highlighting key trends, risks, and opportunities for business in 2025. It was a valuable opportunity to exchange views on the year ahead and the potential challenges it may bring. As an HR consultant, it was particularly refreshing to see the importance of company culture acknowledged as a vital business priority. A vibrant and engaging discussion all round.”

Laura Cavaliere, Director, Face2FaceHR. (IoD Member)

“The IoD Surrey and Berkshire Branches Quarterly Directors Business Book Club Dinner event was very well arranged, and very engaging with an excellent business author pre dinner talk which was very useful. The meal was excellent and in a wonderful location and it as a great networking opportunity.”

Ian Clements, Executive Chairman, Quadigra Health & Safety Ltd. (IoD Member)

We’re a charitable bunch at the Surrey and Berkshire Branches, and so each event donates our chosen charity the Kent, Surrey, Sussex Air Ambulance Service. By attending our local branch events you will be supporting the life-saving work of KSS. To view a short video about KSS please view here.

Here’s what our Charity Partner says about the collaboration with the IoD…

“Thank you so much for supporting us at the Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex. It’s a pleasure to work with the IoD Surrey Branch Chair Jarmila Yu and the supportive Ambassador team. I am so grateful to you and everyone that this partnership has facilitated meeting. Having chance conversations that lead to people going out of their way to creatively support our life saving work is inspiring and it is individuals like you who can drive that change. I love my role as Corporate Partnerships Manager where I can connect with amazing people to work together collaboratively to make a real-life saving difference in so many surprising ways. Partnerships like this are so important to us because we are an independent lifesaving charity costing £20.4M a year, £56K per day to operate our world-leading, lifesaving service with 88% of our total income raised through the incredible generosity of our supporters. Thank you so much.”

Rebecca Ussher, Corporate Partnerships Manager, Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex.

Who knew the Surrey and Berkshire events would prove to be a great way to recruit Ambassadors to support our branch activity? Well, we thought they might be, and indeed they did! Several IoD members have attended and enjoyed the local branch events then went on to apply for vacant Ambassador roles to support us in our mission to complement the IoD National Membership benefits with local activity, supporting Director Development with local peer Director support, boosting business growth and the local economy. Many are now serving as Surrey and Berkshire Branches Ambassadors!

There are more ways to get involved too. We are a non-for-profit organisation and do not receive traditional marketing budgets as you might expect. Therefore, we welcome businesses to come on board as sponsors to support our work in the Surrey and Berkshire Branches areas which supports Director Development and in turn Business Growth in the area. Sponsorship supports the work of the IoD and allows us to reduce the ticket prices of our events making events more accessible to the diverse Director Community. Why not support the Surrey and Berkshire business communities whilst giving your business a valuable profile awareness boost at the same time – great for CSR & ESG credentials.

To discuss vacant ambassador roles or sponsorship opportunities please contact:

Jarmila Yu via email at: [email protected]

IoD Surrey Branch Chair, IoD Berkshire Interim Chair & IoD Ambassador for Marketing, PR & Comms

The Surrey and Berkshire Branch Committee look forward to welcoming you to one of our events soon!

IoD Surrey & Berkshire Branches Event Calendar 2025

Please Kindly Note:

• Dates and locations are subject to change.
• All IoD Surrey and Berkshire Branches events are ticketed, and ticket booking applies.
• Please visit the IoD website to book your tickets. If not yet live, please save the date!
• For in person events tickets must be booked no later than 2 weeks before the event date. This is due to hotel requirements to allow for adequate staffing and food ordering.
• Cancellations with less than 7 days’ notice are non-refundable.
• We thank you for your understanding.

May
• 12th May – 5.00pm to 6.00pm – IoD Committee meeting – Foxhills Club & Resort, Stonehill Road, Ottershaw, Surrey, KT16 0EL

• 12th May – 6.30pm to 8.30pm – IoD Social Networking – Foxhills Club & Resort, Stonehill Road, Ottershaw, Surrey, KT16 0EL

• 23rd May – midday to 2.00pm – IoD Quarterly Directors Briefing Lunch – Royal Berkshire Hotel, London Road, Sunninghill, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 0PP
• 19th May – midday to 1.00pm – IoD Coffee & Connect – Online

June
• 20th June – 7.30-m – 11.00pm – IoD Quarterly Directors Business Book Club Dinner – Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Haig Road, Camberley, Surrey GU15 4PQ

• 30th June – midday to 1.00pm – IoD Coffee & Connect – Online

July
• 7th July – 5.00pm to 6.00pm – IoD Committee meeting – Foxhills Club & Resort, Stonehill Road, Ottershaw, Surrey, KT16 0EL

• 7th July – 6.30pm to 8.30pm – IoD Social Networking – Foxhills Club & Resort, Stonehill Road, Ottershaw, Surrey, KT16 0EL

• 18th July – 7.00am to 9.00am – IoD Quarterly Directors Business Breakfast – Foxhills Club & Resort, Stonehill Road, Ottershaw, Surrey, KT16 0EL

• 28th July – midday to 1.00pm – IoD Coffee & Connect – Online

August
• 22nd August – midday to 2.00pm – IoD Quarterly Directors Briefing Lunch – Royal Berkshire Hotel, London Road, Sunninghill, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 0PP

• 28th August – midday to 1.00pm – IoD Coffee & Connect – Online

September
• 1st September – 5.00pm to 6.00pm – IoD Committee meeting – Foxhills Club & Resort Stonehill Road, Ottershaw, Surrey, KT16 0EL

• 1st September – 6.30pm to 8.30pm – IoD Social Networking – Foxhills Club & Resort Stonehill Road, Ottershaw, Surrey, KT16 0EL

• 19th September – 7.30-pm to 11.00pm – IoD Quarterly Directors Business Book Club Dinner – Foxhills Club & Resort, Stonehill Road, Ottershaw, Surrey, KT16 0EL

• 29th September – midday to 1.00pm – IoD Coffee & Connect – Online

• 30th September – 9.00am – 6.30pm – Director Retreat ‘Building Trust in Business Leadership’ – Royal Berkshire Hotel, London Road, Sunninghill, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 0PP

October
• 24th October – 7.00am to 9.00am – IoD Quarterly Directors Business Breakfast – Foxhills Club & Resort, Stonehill Road, Ottershaw, Surrey, KT16 0EL

• 27th October – midday to 1.00pm – IoD Coffee & Connect – Online

November
• 3rd November – 5.00pm to 6.00pm – IoD Committee meeting – Foxhills Club & Resort, Stonehill Road, Ottershaw, Surrey, KT16 0EL

• 3rd November – 6.30pm to 8.30pm – IoD Social Networking – Foxhills Club & Resort, Stonehill Road, Ottershaw, Surrey, KT16 0EL

• 21st November – midday to 2.00pm IoD Quarterly Directors Briefing Lunch – Royal Berkshire Hotel, London Road, Sunninghill, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 0PP

• 24th November – midday to 1.00pm – IoD Coffee & Connect – Online

December
• 1st December – 6.30pm to 9.30pm – IoD Festive Event* – Pennyhill Park Hotel London Road, Bagshot, Surrey GU19 5EU

*The festive event is the IoD Surrey & Berkshire Branches focal activity in December.