Please note that the programme is subject to change

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Helen Griffiths, Royal Shakespeare Company

Helen is the Finance Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (‘RSC’), joining the organisation in September 2019, only six months prior to the pandemic.

As a leading theatre company, whose work begins life in Stratford-upon-Avon and is then shared with audiences around the world, the RSC has been significantly impacted by the pandemic. Theatres have been closed to the public since 17 March losing the RSC over 85% of its box office and associated trading income streams. It has been, and continues to be, an exceptionally challenging period for the entire sector, and one where the finance teams have been at the heart of the response.

Prior to the RSC Helen spent 15 years working in a variety of finance roles within FTSE, AIM and private equity owned businesses. Working in these varied and challenging environments meant she was well equipped to quickly help the RSC through the current period of unprecedented financial uncertainty.

Helen qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte following her graduation from Nottingham University with a first class BSc in Economics and Econometrics.

Craig Tomkinson, 2 Sisters Food Group

Craig is the Group CFO for 2 Sisters Food Group, the largest food manufacturer in the UK (£2.7bn turnover), and one of the UK largest privately owned business. 2 Sisters Food Group have been uniquely positioned during the pandemic, with a critical role in keeping the nation fed despite unprecedented supply chain challenges.

Having graduated from Loughborough University in 2004, Craig qualified with PwC before leaving practice to join Whitbread plc, and then Tesco in a variety of finance roles. In 2010 Craig moved to work directly for Midlands based entrepreneur and owner of 2 Sisters Food Group; Ranjit Singh. After working on the public to private takeover of Northern Foods plc in 2011, Craig was soon appointed as FD of the largest division of the Group.

He left 2 Sisters in 2015 to set up his own business, before returning to 2 Sisters in 2018, as Group CFO, to lead a turnaround of the group’s fortunes. Three years on, the Group has successfully completed six disposals (including the recent sale of Fox’s Biscuits to the Ferrero Group), a refinancing of the Group’s debt, and the turnaround of the core business is well on track.

Craig is a Fellow of the ICAEW, as well as the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment. In 2012 Craig graduated from Oxford University with the Diploma in Financial Strategy. Craig has recently been named as a 2020 Global CFO Excellence Finance Leader of the Year.