A business support group has secured a best-selling business author and noted entrepreneur to speak at its Dorset conference in February. Nicole Yershon will make the keynote address at the STRIDE Dorset Innovation for Business Conference, which is titled ‘Making the Change for Tomorrow’.

She will be among a dozen top speakers at the free event being held in the BattleLab at the Dorset Innovation Park in Wool, near Dorchester, on February 12. Nicole has spent nearly 30 years in the creative communication and innovation sector.

She headed the ‘future thinking’ unit of Ogilvy & Mather Group – now part of WPP – and is the founder of The NYC, a global business inspiration business.

Nicole has worked with some of the world’s biggest marketing agencies as well as brands including Amex, IBM, BP, London Business School, E&Y, Accenture, Pfizer, Great Western Railways, Go Compare, Unilever, BA and Whitbread.

Furthermore, she has written the Number 1 best selling business book called ‘Rough Diamond: Turning Disruption into Advantage in Business and Life'.

Jessica Dennis, who is coordinating the STRIDE Dorset conference, said: “Nicole is a superb speaker who will inform, inspire and entertain in equal measure. Confirming her at the conference was a real coup and delegates will learn a great deal from what she has to say."

“The conference is free and there will be coffee, tea, biscuits and lunch and anyone from a business in the Dorset Council area is welcome. All they have to do is register. The event runs from 9am until 4pm."

“Alongside Nicole we have a number of excellent speakers from different backgrounds and experiences – from the worlds of academia through to digital innovation and finance.”

Other speakers so far include:

• John Acton: Businessman who helped set up ‘peer2peer global’ to support business leaders.

  
  

• Professor Sam Medhat: CEO of the Institute of Innovation and Knowledge Exchange

  
  

• Tony Welch: South West Regional Manager - Innovate UK

  
  

• Sam Baynham: Conex Portal

• Brent Treloar: South West Innovation Fund

  
  

• Rupert Lorraine: Director of the Arts Institute - University of Plymouth

  
  

• Paul Gilbert: Oxford Innovation Advice.

  
  

• Professor Mike Phillips: Director of i-DAT and Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts - University of Plymouth

  
  

• Mike Robertson: Lead Product Development Consultant - STRIDE Dorset