Accelerating Ecommerce Growth in the North West

Katie Gallagher OBE

Managing Director
Manchester Digital

Katie Gallagher OBE is managing director of Manchester Digital, and plays a key role in the development of the region's tech ecosystem. She is also the chair of the UK Tech Cluster Group, which brings together the UK’s regional tech organisations to work together to share knowledge, connections and best practice.

She is an experienced founder and strategist with an entrepreneurial mindset and a deep understanding of tech ecosystems. Katie has more than 15 years’ experience of delivering innovative services, support and guidance to start-ups, scale-ups and corporates as well as managing and creating successful public/private sector partnerships.

Katie was awarded an OBE in the 2024 New Year’s Honours list for her work for the digital and tech industry in the North West. 

David Edmundson-Bird FRSA CMBE SFHEA

Principal Lecturer in Digital Marketing, Faculty Lead for AI & Digital Enhanced Learning
Manchester Metropolitan University Business School

David Edmundson-Bird is Principal Lecturer in Digital Marketing, Faculty Lead for AI & Digital Enhanced Learning at Manchester Met Business School, responsible for developing policy and good practice embedding the use of Digital and AI in teaching, research and business development engagement. He delivers training in digital and AI practice for SMEs as part of the Centre for Enterprise, and core taught modules in SEO, digital strategy and E-Commerce at degree apprentice, undergraduate, and postgraduate level.

David has worked in senior management roles in the digital sector (opening Manchester’s 2nd web design agency (Sozo) in 1995 and taking on his first E-commerce client in 1996) as well as spells in academia. He is co-author of editions 7 and 8 of Pearson’s Digital Business & E-commerce Management with Dave Chaffey and Tanya Hemphill.

Jordan Sullivan 

Head of Economic Policy
Startup Coalition

Jordan Sullivan is leading on economic policy, access to finance, ecosystem growth and anything else that gets money to the founders who need it. Before joining the Startup Coalition, Jordan led work at HM Treasury looking at how to grow business and innovation clusters across the UK. In HMT he also spent over 2 years supporting the largest SpAd team in Whitehall and the Chancellor on all growth-related issues, including access to capital, technology and AI.

Closing the Loop 

Dr. Vikas Shah MBE DL

Dr. Vikas Shah MBE DL is an entrepreneur, investor, non-executive & thought leader with significant experience in founding, leading and exiting businesses to trade, private-equity and listed groups. He is a Non-Executive Board Member of the UK Government’s Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) and also a Non-Executive Director of the Solicitors Regulation Authority, Shoosmiths LLP & Enspec Power. In his career, Vikas has also mentored and coach hundreds of entrepreneurs & leaders.

Vikas was awarded an MBE for Services to Business and the Economy in Her Majesty the Queen’s 2018 New Year’s Honours List and in 2021 became a Deputy Lieutenant of the Greater Manchester Lieutenancy. He holds an Honorary Professorship of Business at The Alliance Business School, University of Manchester (where he is a member of the advisory board) and is an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the Lancaster University Management School (LUMS). He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) by the University of Salford in November, 2022.

Emily Oliver-King

Head of Digital Product & UX
musicMagpie

Emily Oliver-King is Head of Digital Product & UX at musicMagpie looking after the team (or more, they look after her) which sit between stakeholders, customers and the business to create the business roadmap which ensures that new and current experiences meet the expectations of all 3 of those groups.

Em has a passion for Product, Customers and User Experience having started in Customer service, doing a short stint in Marketing, progressing to UX & Experimentation and finally, finding a home in Product. musicMagpie, founded in a garage in Stockport in 2007, has successfully pivoted over time from CDs and DVDs recycling to become the UK’s leading mobile phone recycler. The business aims to take unwanted items from consumers and businesses, give them a new life and resell for a fraction of a new price contributing what it can to the circular economy. The Group has also been trading in the US since 2013 under the ‘decluttr’ brand and is the world’s biggest re-seller in the history of both Amazon and eBay. Having floated on the London Stock Exchange for an initial market cap of over £200m in April 2021, the Group was sold to AO.com in December 2024.

Will Kinghorn

Technology Adoption Specialist
Made Smarter

Will is the automation and robotics specialist for the Made Smarter Adoption Programme in the North West, where he advises and supports manufacturing companies with the adoption of new technologies.

Will is a chartered manufacturing engineer with the IMechE, and his background is in the aerospace industry where he developed and implemented new manufacturing techniques including automation, robotics, advanced machining, inspection, and welding.

He is the author of Digital Transformation in Your Manufacturing Business - A Made Smarter Guide.

Riikka Olli

Head of Circularity
Madeby

Riikka Olli is an entrepreneur and strategist working at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and inclusive ownership. She is Head of Circularity at Madeby, a B2B data platform enabling unit-level traceability and Digital Product Passports across the full product lifecycle—supporting businesses in their transition to circular business models.

With a background in fintech, e-commerce, and impact entrepreneurship, Riikka’s mission is to align business success with planetary boundaries and equitable wealth distribution. She views the Circular Economy not just as an environmental necessity, but as a powerful framework for long-term business resilience and shared value creation. 

Through her work, Riikka advocates for transparency, product longevity, and customer value through connectivity. She also co-leads The Wealth Within Her, a platform empowering women to take ownership and invest in companies shaping a more sustainable and just future.

Ryan Atkins

Co-Founder & CEO
Supercycle

Ryan is co-founder of Supercycle, a circular commerce platform that is allowing merchants to operate circular business models from their existing ecommerce and POS systems.

Beyond the Basket

Mark Leach

Founder Centre Channel Limited
Ecommerce Consultant ARNE

Mark is an eCommerce guy.

For 15 years, he's been helping businesses figure out what to do online, and why they should do it.

At Missguided, he brought in an extra £1M a month by reimagining the checkout.

After, he led a CRO agency to the top of it's niche, before selling it for seven figures.

These days, through his consultancy Centre Channel, Mark helps businesses such as ARNE and Abbott Lyon cut through the nonsense.

Mark's approach bridges the gap between big ideas in the boardroom and what actually works on the ground with eCommerce projects that don't just sound good, they actually deliver.

Sinead Flood

Founder
July Child

Sinead Flood is the founder of July Child Jewellery, a home-grown Manchester brand that has become a powerhouse in playful, 90s-inspired jewellery. Since launching, Sinead has scaled the business to hit over £1 million in sales, building a cult following along the way.

On the Beyond the Basket panel, Sinead will share the creative omnichannel strategies that have fuelled July Child’s rapid growth — from the power of TikTok Shop Live events and pop-up shop success, to building an engaged community through social media, email marketing, and influencer collaborations. Expect insights into how she keeps the brand personal, authentic, and always one step ahead of the curve.

Mina Baghkalayeh

Software Developer
Beauty Bay

Mina is a software developer at Beauty Bay, a leading online beauty retailer. With over 11 years of experience in the tech industry, Mina has navigated diverse career paths, from boot camps to senior roles. As a woman in a male-dominated field, Mina is passionate about inspiring the next generation of female technologists and advocating for diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Using B2B tech at scale to love your clients

Sam Woods

Head of eCommerce Delivery
PushON

Sam has 15+ years of eCommerce experience, initially working client-side for some of the UK's best-known retailers in AO.com and JD Sports, before moving agency-side in 2018. Sam's current role is Head of eCommerce Delivery at PushON, a Manchester based web development and digital marketing agency.