SME Leaders Forum July 2025

Profit or Peril? – What does generative AI mean for UK SMEs. Don't miss this chance to connect with fellow SME leaders from the region and gain valuable insights to help your business.

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Leeds University Business School is delighted to invite local small business owners and senior leaders to join us at our next SME Leaders Forum in July 2025. Our forum events bring together industry experts and business leaders to exchange ideas and strategies for success. Join us for an afternoon filled with insightful discussions, networking opportunities, and knowledge sharing.

Profit or Peril? – GenAI for SMEs

Generative AI (GenAI) is everywhere — but what does it really mean for UK SMEs?

Could it streamline your operations, supercharge productivity, or unlock new services? Or might it expose you to risks like data privacy breaches, bias, or inaccurate outputs?

Join us for this engaging and interactive workshop, bringing together voices from both industry and academia for a candid conversation about the real-world applications (and limitations) of GenAI for SMEs.

What to Expect:

• A practical discussion on GenAI adoption in the SME landscape
• Insights into the risks and opportunities GenAI presents
• Small-group breakouts to explore how GenAI could — or already does — impact your business

Whether you’re already experimenting with GenAI or just curious, this session will offer fresh perspectives and hands-on exploration.

Let’s separate the promise from the peril — and figure out where GenAI fits in your business.

Agenda:

3.00-3.15pm – Welcome & Refreshments

3.15-3.45pm - A conversation with Amy Warburton

3.45-4.15pm - Breakout session

4.15-5.00pm - Discussion / Q&A

5.00-6.00pm – Networking & Drinks

Professor John Palfreyman, Associate Professor at LUBS and Founder of Palfreyman Ventures

John currently combines part time consultancy positions at Palfreyman Ventures with his Associate Professor, Digital Strategy role at Leeds University Business School. John’s full-time career with IBM, which concluded in 2017, mixed leveraging digital technologies into government and public sector organisations around the world with the commercial exploitation of emerging technologies for business benefit.

John’s current interests include the business application of blockchain technologies, strategic agility, digital transformation, Metaverse and the cultural aspects of organisational transformation.

Amy Warburton, Managing Director at Energyline Ltd

Amy has 20 years of experience in the planning and environmental energy sector, striving to deliver high-quality and innovative solutions for energy infrastructure projects. Amy is currently the Managing Director at Energyline Ltd, a growing multi-disciplinary consultancy that specialises in both transmission and distribution level electricity networks projects and is also a Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI).

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