Spring into Business (Belfast) - How to be Creative in a Changing World

This event is aimed at leaders and managers who wish to explore how they can create advantage for their organisation by ensuring that their creativity endures in a turbulent business environment.

The event is free and includes talks from some of Northern Ireland's leading business people and organisation via a panel discussion Chaired by Nancy Brown. The speakers include Lynne Rainey, PWC; Fiona McLaughlin, Taunt Studios and Clarie Colvin, CDE Global.

This event is part of a wider Spring Into Business festival hosted by Ulster University Business School in April, if you wish to avail of any of the free events at our Belfast or Magee campuses please visit www.ulster.ac.uk/springintobusiness.

8:00 - 8:15 – Coffee/Tea Refreshments

8:15 - 8:25 – Introduction and Warm up by Nancy Brown, Ulster University and Whole Brain Thinking by Claire Colvin, CDE Global

8:25 – 8:45 Panel Discussion with Lynne Rainey, PWC; Claire Colvin, CDE Global and Fiona McLaughlin, Taunt Studios

8:45 – 8:50 Questions for the Panel

8:50 – 9:00 Whole Brain Assessment

9:00 – 9:20 Creativity activity

9:20 – 9:30 Closing and Reflection, Nancy Brown

Speaker Biolgraphies:

Fiona McLaughlin

Fiona McLaughlin is the co-founding director of the animation, VFX and interactive studio, Taunt. As part of creative duo with Tom Getty, Taunt is made up a team of artists and animators who create effective visuals and progressive content for a global audience.

Claire Colvin

Recently appointed to the Board of Directors of CDE in 2017, Claire leads the global talent function of The CDE Group which involves delivering against the company’s global resourcing strategy, learning & organizational growth, performance improvement, engagement and reward. A CIPD member, qualified with an MA in Human Resource Management, Claire brings 20 years’ experience, where she led HR in one of Northern Ireland’s most successful, indigenous and fastest growing Technology businesses. She has since established a fully integrated, robust and results focused talent function fully aligned to the group’s 2020 Vision and focused on maximizing the strength of the team.

Nancy Brown

Nancy has been training, coaching, mentoring and delivering workshops for over 15 years and has first-hand experience in strategy development, enterprise, sales and marketing. Her experience within the private, charity and public sector as well as social enterprise spans the Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe, Middle East and Russia. She has worked within a wide range of businesses reflective of diverse sectors inclusive of start-ups and well established multinationals. Nancy has delivered workshops for a number of organisations and Universities including: Belfast City Council, Business in the Community, Gauge (Now Project), Women in Business and Queens University and is a part time lecturer in the Business School at Ulster University. Nancy has also delivered programmes for the Association of MBAs throughout England at Salford, Cranfield, Bristol etc. and Nancy was on the judge’s panel for Chambers Ireland’s 2016 CSR awards. She currently also delivers an enterprise programme, Generate on Ulster University and manages the Belfast Enterprise Academy for Belfast MET, UU and Queen’s University students interested in starting their own business.

Nancy has worked at a senior level across numerous businesses across the globe. Her roles have included her being involved at creating the strategic direction of organisations and rolling out change transformation programmes. She is an academic and a practitioner. She believes that the two together provide organisations the knowledge and skills of understanding and implementing how to make change and innovation happen to move organisations forward.