2018 National Conference
The 2018 EWIF National Conference took place on Friday 21st September 2018 at The Best Western Plus Manor Hotel, Solihull.
The event gives members, both new and old, the opportunity to come together, network and share ideas and expert knowledge. Each year the conference grows with us achieving a record number of attendees and are always pleased to welcome so many of our members joining together to celebrate the success of the year!
The 2018 speakers were…
Louise Harris
Former Wilkins Chimney Sweep director Louise Harris has over ten years’ experience in the franchise industry and is dedicated to making the best out of what the franchise sector has to offer. At this year’s EWIF awards in May, she received the EWIF Special Recognition Award.
In 2011, Louise and her husband Peter took on Wilkins Chimney Sweep. The husband and wife team grew their network to 14 national franchisees over seven years. But now, with pastures new on the horizon, they have just sold Wilkins to StumpBusters UK Ltd.
Louise has been on both sides of the franchising fence, as both franchisor and franchisee. She also used to co-chair EWIF, and currently serves on the board of the bfa. An inspiration to others within the franchising family, she is often called upon to share her knowledge and experience right across the sector.
Danni and Ben from Channel 4’s Hunted
If you’ve ever seen the TV reality shows Hunted or Celebrity Hunted you know we’re in for a real treat. This year, we have two of the prestigious team of Hunters speaking to us: Danni Brooke & Ben Owen.
In 2015, Danni and Ben joined Channel 4’s Hunted – a TV show with a team a “fugitives” who have to go off-grid to avoid being caught by the Hunted team, made of the UK’s most elite agents.
Danni, part of the Hunter ground team, is to-date the most deployed female undercover operative in the British Police Service. She joined the force when she was just 18, quickly being recruited to work in the notoriously demanding Undercover Officer Unit at New Scotland Yard. For over a decade, she was involved in some of the most high-risk undercover operations across the UK, working against drugs operations, prostitution, firearms and paedophiles, and leading to countless convictions.
Never turning down any undercover deployment, Danni thrives on this adrenaline-fuelled lifestyle, often pushing herself to physical and mental extremes. Not dissimilar to running a franchise business. Danni now uses her vast experience in the covert world to inspire others by sharing her story of a being a female in high-pressured and high-threat environments.
Ben, on the other hand, is second-in-command for Team:Hunter, coordinating the hunt from Hunter HQ. As a former British Intelligence Officer, he has become an internationally recognised expert in surveillance and covert operations. He has been highly successful in gathering intelligence on some of the most high-profile counterterrorism operations in recent history.
It is his years of experience in high-pressured environments which has made him such a successful Intelligence Officer. Having served in the British military, being deployed across the globe, including acting in the Gulf War II aged just 19 years old, Ben thrives on making split-second decisions based on large quantities of data and complex analysis. He is also an excellent team leader, knowing how best to motivate those he is managing, not so different from motivating a franchise network.
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