12:30

Arrival, welcome and introductions

Damian Waters | Director | CBI North West - Update on the latest CBI insights and discussion about market updates.

Conclude

Selina Kirkham

Selina Kirkham is the founder of Board North and an experienced fractional CFO, with a focus on how data, automation and AI can support better decision-making in growing organisations.

Through Board North, Selina supports flexible, de-risked ERP setups through data integration, automation and AI. With over 20 years’ experience, Selina has worked with organisations including RSM and EY. Her work as a fractional CFO provides a strong commercial and governance lens. Selina is a Non-Executive Director at The Growth Company and chairs the North West CFO and FD Insights Group for ICAEW.

Damian Waters | Commercial Director | England, CBI

Damian Waters is the Commercial Director for England at the CBI, leading the organisation’s activity across the English regions. He drives growth in membership, revenue, and influence by ensuring that businesses everywhere have a strong and effective voice in national policy debates.

Damian heads a team focused on representing members, shaping regional strategy, and delivering real value through a modern membership offer. Working across sectors and regions, he builds high-value partnerships and energises commercial teams to deliver results that align local priorities with national ambitions.

Before taking on his current role, Damian served as Regional Director for the North West from 2003 to 2025, and earlier as Assistant Director for the CBI North West and North Wales. Between 2014 and 2017, he also led the CBI’s national business development team.

Damian studied Business and Finance at the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education and the University of Central Lancashire, earning an HND and a BA (Hons). Before joining the CBI, he worked in accounting and manufacturing roles in North Wales.

He serves as an Independent Board Member at Liverpool John Moores University, sitting on its Audit and Risk Committee, and is a member of several regional advisory boards, including the Liverpool City Region Professional Services Board, the United Utilities Customer Challenge Board, the Electricity North West CEO Advisory Panel, and the North West Productivity Forum.

Damian has previously been Vice Chair of the Nuclear Network North and an Advisory Board Member of Gordon Brown’s Joint Economic Council for the North West. For a decade, he was Chair of Governors at Britain’s largest primary school and, as a Director of The Wild Media Foundation, created and managed the Young Ambassador project.

He lives on the Wirral with his wife, Úna, and has two adult children, Martin and Róisín. Outside work, Damian runs a nature photography business; his images and articles have been published internationally, and he contributes as a columnist to several UK magazines.