The business leaders' AI summit
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Extraordinary people. Candid conversations. Inspiring ideas.
AltitudeX is the annual summit for candid conversations with extraordinary business people, where leaders learn how to reach new heights. Now in its fourth year, we’re taking over an iconic Manchester venue for a reimagined AltitudeX experience.
Your AltitudeX 2024 line-up
Take a look at some of the first names to be confirmed for this year’s summit. Watch this space for more announcements coming soon!
Mark Lawson
Broadcast Journalist and Writer
Mark Lawson is one of Britain's most esteemed journalists and arts presenters. Perhaps best known for his work with the BBC, which includes his interview series "Mark Lawson talks to" where has interviewed some of the world's most fascinating people, including Noel Gallagher, Stephen Fry and Succession's Brian Cox. Mark currently writes for The Guardian on various topics including arts, politics, and literature.
Janet Hadley
Head of Supplier Engagement at Co-op
Janet Hadley boasts over 20 years in grocery, delivering in senior category roles at Asda and Co-op Food. For the past eight years, Janet has been responsible for Co-op’s supplier engagement strategy, leading the organisation and its suppliers through major transformational and regulatory changes like Brexit. Janet is passionate about achieving high performance through empathetic leadership. Most recently Janet has launched a social enterprise that helps businesses create Alcohol Safe workplaces.
Niamh Dugdale
Senior Product Operations Manager at Boohoo Group
Niamh Dugdale is something of a rising star. At just 20-years-old, she joined Boohoo Group as a merchandising assistant and her career since has been stratospheric. After being selected for promotion twice in a few years, she led a product category that grew to represent 40% of BoohooMan’s total business. This year, she was featured on Drapers’ 30 under 30 list, which recognises young talent in fashion. She’s achieved so much already, and she’s just getting started. In this session, Niamh shares how you can fashion a future for yourself where you can reach new heights.
Hans Thalbauer
Global Supply Chain Executive at UiPath
Hans is globally responsible for solution management and the go-to-market functions for UiPath’s supply chain solutions. In this role, he is engaged in creative dialogues with businesses and operations worldwide, addressing customer needs and introducing innovative business processes, including the vision of creating an autonomous supply chain by leveraging Artificial Intelligence. Hans was more than 20 years with SAP, and he recently worked at Google Cloud. He is based out of San Francisco, USA. He held positions in product management, go-to-market and sales organizations. Hans holds a degree in Business Information Systems from the University Vienna, Austria.
Richard Potter
CEO and co-founder at Peak
Richard Potter is the CEO and co-founder of Peak, the AI platform that optimizes product inventory and pricing for companies like Speedy Hire, Nike, Pepsico and PrettyLittleThing. Last year, Peak was listed on Bloomberg’s “Top 25 Start Ups to Watch” list. Prior to Peak, Richard worked for the high-growth semiconductor company Wolfson Microelectronics (now Cirrus Logic), where he ran a product line that supplied chips to Apple, Samsung, Amazon, and Sony.
Bethany Ayers
Chief Operating Officer at Peak
Beth is Peak's Chief Operating Officer and has helped raise over $200m from top funds — Softbank, Bessemer, TCV, MCC, Notion and Oxx. She’s built the GTM engines at Peak, NewVoiceMedia and Codilty. She now sits on the boards of AI companies ToffeeAM and DeepOpinion.
Holly Clarke
Product Manager at Peak and AltitudeX host
Holly Clarke is a Product Manager at AI company, Peak. She joined the business in 2019 as an AI Consultant, before running strategic initiatives, special projects and championing Peak’s world-class culture as Chief of Staff. Holly has a keen interest in how technology can shape society and holds a Masters Degree in Engineering.
Agenda
Here’s what we’ve got planned for this year’s business leaders’ AI summit
09:00 – 10:00
Registration and breakfast
Get settled in and grab a bite to eat.
10:05 – 10:30
A better way to make 35,000 decisions a day
Each day is full of decisions. From the little decisions we don’t even think about, to the big consequential decisions that might make or break our careers and businesses. But how often do we stop to think about the decision-making process and how can we make better decisions in the AI era? In this session, we explore the future of decision making in business.
Richard Potter
CEO and co-founder at Peak
10:30 – 11:05
The power of none
The first year of our lives is defined mostly by curiosity, determination and a constant drive to understand the world. Simon will draw parallels between this natural inquisitiveness and how leaders can foster the same mindset within their teams. By encouraging continuous skill development, a refusal to give up, and a hunger for knowledge, leaders can help their teams stay motivated and perform at their best.
Simon Clarke
Consultant and former director at Coca-Cola and Pernod Ricard
11:20 – 11:50
What we won’t do in the AI era
There are many aspects of human intelligence that AI can’t replace, but what about the tasks AI can tackle even better than humans? Hans Thalbauer, Global Supply Chain Executive at UiPath, is an industry expert and he’s here with answers. In this talk, Hans hones in on the case study of supply chain management, exploring how groundbreaking “agentic AI” will redefine the way we do business and how you can prepare.
Hans Thalbauer
Global Supply Chain Executive at UiPath
11:50 – 13:10
⏸️ Half-time
Grab some food on us. Enjoy a half-time pie and explore the National Football Museum.
12:20 – 12:40
⏸️ Half-time show | Gen AI: Ask the Experts
Generative AI has generated a lot of buzz, but what about business value? AI experts Chris Ashley and Abhinav Singh take the stage for an open Q&A over lunch. No hallucinations, no holding back. Get honest answers to your big questions about the AI taking the world by storm.
Abhinav Singh
Senior AI Product Manager at Peak
Chris Ashley
VP Strategy & Partnerships at Peak
13:10 – 13:50
The questions that change everything
In Mark Lawson’s incredible career, he’s talked to some of the most fascinating people in the world. Whether he’s interviewing Noel Gallagher, Stephen Fry or Miriam Margolyes, Mark has mastered the power of asking the questions that cut through. In this session, AltitudeX talks to Mark Lawson exploring the questions and answers that changed his life — and could change yours, too.
Mark Lawson
Broadcast Journalist and Writer
Helen Craven
Data Scientist at Peak
13:50 – 14:25
Against the odds
Put all the targets, processes and politics aside. What leadership really comes down to is people. But how do you drive high performance in a team? For Janet Hadley, Head of Supplier Engagement at the Co-op, the answer is empathy — building connections of mutual empathy that creates motivation and meaning, even in the hardest of times. In this session, Janet shares how she does it and you can too.
Janet Hadley
Head of Supplier Engagement at Co-op
14:45 – 15:20
Impatience is a virtue
Impatience is often seen as a vice. But impatience also drives urgency. Impatient leaders are the ones who want to move faster, who motivate others to do so. But how do we get the virtues of impatience, while avoiding some of the associated vices? We sit down with Niamh Dugdale, Senior Product Operations Manager at Boohoo Group to explore how impatience has defined her career and business success.
Niamh Dugdale
Senior Product Operations Manager at Boohoo Group
15:20 – 15:45
How to do everything
You’ve probably heard that to succeed, you have to find your focus. But what if you’ve found your focus, but there’s still so much you want to achieve and so little time to do it? Beth Ayers might just have the answer. She’s Peak’s Chief Operating Officer, a board member to multiple companies, the co-host of her own podcast, an advisor to Women in Customer Success and she still finds time for family, friends and hobbies. How does she do it all without burning out? Find out how in this inspiring talk.
Bethany Ayers
Chief Operating Officer at Peak
15:45 – 16:30
Closing keynote: Steve Parry
Steve Parry is an Olympic medalist, a BBC Sports reporter for 15 years and now he’s the director of his own successful business. How did he do it? Why not ask him? In this session, Steve dives into what drives his high performance across an incredibly diverse array of fields. Learn about the Olympic mindset and how it can be applied to your career and business, with the opportunity to put your own questions to him.
Steve Parry
Director and Olympic medal-winning swimmer
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What to expect from AltitudeX 2024
This year, we’re putting a spotlight on business leaders. Gathering inspirational people from across industries and disciplines, we'll be hearing their stories; the big ideas that helped them reach new heights, personally or professionally.
Amazing speakers
World class speakers share their views and their learnings from success (and failure).
Peer to peer learning
Hear inspiring stories from founders and commercial leaders.
Unrivalled networking
AltitudeX brings together a wide range of personas under the one roof.
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