Michelle Mone and Brian Blessed announced as YIBC 2010 speakers

The search for a headline speaker in 2010 is now on although two big names have been announced today.

Business Week in the Humber was an idea that followed on from a chance meeting by Paul Sewell (MD at Sewell Group – www.sewell-group.co.uk) and Mike Firth (www.yibc.biz) on a trade mission to China more than six years ago.

At that time, Mike was already running the hugely successful YIBC in Harrogate. The event has drawn some extremely high profile people to the region, including: George Bush Snr, Bill Clinton, Colin Powell, Bob Geldof, Rev Jesse Jackson, Desmond Tutu and many others.  1,500 people from all over Yorkshire flock to Harrogate year after year to see some of the world’s most inspiring speakers.

The YIBC strap line is inspiring people, inspiring people. Mike and YIBC certainly inspired Paul Sewell who, with partners in the public and private sectors, decided to bring their very own version of the event to Hull.  In the early days, YIBC Hull and Humber was a live broadcast from Harrogate attracting over 600 business people – joining the two events via a satellite link. 

However, Paul was keen to build on the good things that had made Harrogate so successful over the previous 10 years and worked hard to create a week-long celebration of business called: Business Week and the YIBC Humber. In its formative years, the week consisted of a few fringe events and incorporated the Chamber Expo, with YIBC finishing the week off.  In 2009, there were more than 30 events, right across the Humber area (including Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Goole and Bridlington) with more than 10,000 attendees overall.  Sir Robin Knox- Johnson, Alastair Campbell, Tony Benn, Professor Peter Spencer, Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham, Martin Bayfield, Hamish Taylor, David Hall, Yogesh Chauhan and Tim Sanders are just a few of the people who participated in 2009.  Business Week Humber is thought to be the only week-long event of its kind in Europe.

YIBC Hull and Humber has been a live event for the last three years, with speakers flown between the two venues and in 2009 it was held at the newly refurbished Bridlington Spa. 650 business people from across the sub-region packed the Spa for to see the likes of John Cleese, Dave Stewart (former Eurythmics guitarist), Matt (cartoonist from the Daily Telegraph), Tim Smit (Eden Project), Tracy Edwards (skippered the first all female crew to victory in a round the world yacht race) and Tim Sanders (a leadership ‘guru’) .  Hailed a huge success at a purpose built venue, YIBC will take place at Bridlington Spa again in 2010.  This year’s event will take place on Friday 11 June 2010.

Michelle Mone

Michelle Mone, 37, is the co-owner of MJM International and creator of Ultimo, the UK’s leading designer lingerie brand. Listed as one of the top three female entrepreneurs in the UK, Michelle has built a hugely successful career on an incredibly simple concept: giving today’s women what they want.

Entrepreneurial spirit was prevalent from an early age in Michelle, who grew up in the east end of Glasgow. Michelle left school at 15 with no qualifications to find full-time employment, after her father was struck down by an illness leaving him confined to a wheelchair. To support her family Michelle took on a job at Labatt Brewers’ and quickly climbed the ranks from office junior to senior manager, running the Sales & Marketing team by the time she was just 20 yrs old.

But it was in 1996 when her idea for Ultimo was born. Whilst attending a dinner dance with her husband Michael, Michelle was wearing a very uncomfortable cleavage enhancing bra and, as a result, had a ‘light bulb’ moment; Michelle decided to invent a bra that was more comfortable, more innovative, more attractive and more cleavage enhancing than any other bra on the market. MJM International was set up in November 1996.

Since launching the business Michelle has established herself as one of Scotland’s biggest exports; in 2000 Ultimo was catapulted into the media limelight when Hollywood actress Julia Roberts wore an Ultimo plunge-bra to enhance her cleavage in Erin Brockovich. Later that year Michelle won the coveted ‘World Young Business Achiever Award’ at the Epcot Centre, Florida, and then ‘Business Woman of the Year’ at the Corporate Elite Awards in London.   

In 2001 Prince Charles invited Michelle to join the Board of Directors for The Princes Scottish Youth Business Trust and more recently his Board of Main Council, confirming her status as one of the UK’s leading female entrepreneurs. Michelle also won ‘Best Newcomer’ at the British Apparel Export Awards, presented by HRH the Princess Royal, adding to her long list of awards, accolades and recognitions.

In October 2005 Michelle attended a speaking engagement with former US president Bill Clinton and Mikhail Gorbachev, and went on to support the Sultan of Oman in setting up women’s enterprise in the Middle East. Michelle has since become a high-profile guest at speaking engagements and corporate events all over the world. 

Over the years Michelle’s business has gone from strength-to-strength, developing beyond the original umbrella of Ultimo to encompass Ultimo D-G Cup, Miss Ultimo, Ultimo Black Label, Ultimo Shapewear, Ultimo Swimwear and partner lines including Diamond Boutique for Tesco, Adore Moi for Debenhams and Michelle for George for Asda, named after Michelle.

As well as designing fashion lingerie, Ultimo boasts eight worldwide patented inventions including the Ultimo ‘Miracle’ backless body. In addition to its jointly owned brands, MJM International currently supplies Tesco, Debenhams, Asda, Next, Figleaves and Asos.com, along with a number of independent lingerie stores throughout Europe.

Since launching, Ultimo has established a huge profile and loyal customer base within the UK and contracts with a string of high-profile models and celebrities, including Penny Lancaster, Rachel Hunter, Helena Christensen, Sarah Harding and, currently the face and body of Ultimo, Spice Girl Mel B.  

The past year has been a giant milestone for Michelle professionally; not only was Ultimo the first UK lingerie brand to debut on the catwalk at New York Fashion Week, but she opened 20 ‘shop in shops’ within Debenhams in key cities throughout the UK and landed a mammoth deal with Tesco clothing to develop, design and manufacture ‘Diamond Boutique’ lingerie. Michelle also appeared as a contestant on Comic Relief Does the Apprentice with Sir Alan Sugar and as a regular panelist on The Apprentice: You’re Fired.

Michelle currently lives on the outskirts of Glasgow with her husband Michael and their three children. Michelle has achieved a remarkable level of success to date, juggling the demands of her business, together with motherhood, but in her own words ‘this is only the beginning’.

Brian Blessed

The son of a South Yorkshire coal miner, Brian Blessed was born in 1936 in Mexborough and grew up in the mining village of Goldthorpe. He trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School before beginning a distinguished and varied career, which has encompassed all media. Brian is now one of this country’s best known and most highly respected actors.

Brian created the role of ‘Old Deuteronomy’ in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s highly successful musical, CATS, for which he received a SWET nomination. He also starred as ‘John Freeman’ in the West End musical METROPOLIS. Whilst a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company he played ‘Claudius’ in HAMLET, ‘Exeter’ in HENRY V and ‘Hastings’ in RICHARD III. At the Royal National Theatre he created ‘Maxim Gorky’ in Robert Bolt’s STATE OF REVOLUTION and played the role of ‘Sir Tunbelly Clumsey’ in THE RELAPSE, directed by Trevor Nunn. He also played ‘Henry II’ in THE LION IN WINTER at Basingstoke and he created the role of ‘Baron Bomburst’ in the original cast of the hugely successful musical, CHITTY, BANG, BANG at the London Palladium.

Countless television roles include; ‘Augustus Caesar’ in I CLAUDIUS for which he received the New York Critics Award; ‘PC Fancy Smith’ in Z CARS; ‘Porthos’ in THE THREE MUSKETEERS; ‘Pepone’ in THE LITTLE WORLD OF DON CAMILLO; ‘Spiro’ in MY FAMILY AND OTHER ANIMALS; the title role in THE JOY OF BACH, ‘Richard IV’ in BLACK ADDER; and the larger than life ‘Squire Western’ in the BBC’s classic drama series TOM JONES. More recently the ‘Laughing Cavalier’ in ADAM’S FAMILY TREE (YTV), ‘Mr Scottley’ in THE GREATEST STORE IN THE WORLD,  ‘Sir Morris’ in the award winning animated series THE BIG KNIGHTS (BBC) and ’Max’ in WINTER SOLSTICE ( BBC).

On Film, Brian played ‘Talthybius’ in TROJAN WOMEN in which he was thrilled to co-star with Katherine Hepburn, Irene Papas and Vanessa Redgrave. He played ‘Vultan’ in the ever popular FLASH GORDON; ‘Pedro’ in MAN OF LA MANCHA; ‘Long John Silver’ in RETURN TO TREASURE ISLAND; ‘General Zukov’ in WAR AND REMEMBRANCE and ‘Lord Locksley’ in ROBIN HOOD PRINCE OF THIEVES with Kevin Costner. In Kenneth Branagh’s HENRY V he played ‘Exeter’, in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING he played ‘Antonio’ and in hamlet he played ‘Hamlet’s Father and the Ghost’. He played ‘Boss Nass’ in George Lucas’ STAR WARS, THE PHANTOM MENACE, ‘Pendragon’ in MERLIN - THE LEGEND BEGINS, ‘Clayton’ in Walt Disney’s

TARZAN and ‘Leonidas’ in Oliver Stones’ ALEXANDER. More recently he played ‘Cardinal Piccolomini’ in THE CONCLAVE, ‘Lord Francisco del Ruiz’ in DAY OF WRATH, ‘Duke Frederick/Duke Senior’ in Kenneth Branagh’s version of AS YOU LIKE IT and the role of ‘Trevor Pilkington’ in BACK IN BUSINESS.

Brian has worked with some of this country’s great orchestras. At the Royal Festival Hall he appeared with The London Symphony Orchestra and massed choirs performing Arthur Bliss’ MORNING HEROES. He followed this with the inevitable PETER AND THE WOLF with the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra in Birmingham, Prokofiev’s IVAN THE TERRIBLE with the Royal National Scottish Orchestra in Glasgow and he has recorded A YOUNG PERSONS GUIDE TO THE ORCHESTRA. He ‘Narrated’ KING OLAF with The Danesborough Chorus and TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED/ LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD with The BBC Concert Orchestra.

Brian has written five books; THE TURQUOISE MOUNTAIN, THE DYNAMITE KID, NOTHING’S IMPOSSIBLE, BLESSED EVEREST, an inspiring abbreviated history of Everest, which includes many magnificent photographs and QUEST to the lost world. Brian loves writing and would write a great deal more if he could find the time!

Since the late sixties Brian has had a great love of mountaineering and a great desire to stand on ‘the top of the world’. He has been on three expeditions to Mount Everest. The first to make the film GALAHAD OF EVEREST, a tribute to George Leigh Mallory. In 1993 he returned to Everest, this time to climb the Southern side where he reached a height of 28,000 feet – the highest a man of his age has achieved without oxygen. He returned to the Northern side in 1996 when the climb was filmed by a Channel 4 Television team as part of the ENCOUNTERS series. Brian has also completed a trek to the North Pole, an expedition to The Lost World in Venezuela, a climb to the summit of Mount Ararat in Turkey at 17,000 feet and a climb to the summit of Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia.
 
Most recently Brian played “The Narrator” in a UK Tour of the Prokofiev’s PETER & THE WOLF,  made a Guest Appearance as ‘The Host’ on HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU, filmed ‘THE UNDERDOG SHOW for Mentorn and he fronted the 35 episodes of UNBEATABLE BANUKE for Challenge TV. He also played ‘Captain Goitre’ IN THE CGI SKETCH SHOW for the BBC, and ‘Sir David Fawcett’ in THE ROYAL for ITV.

Brian lives in Surrey with his wife, the actress Hildegard Neil. They share their home with numerous dogs, ponies, cats, ducks and fish!! They have one daughter, Rosalind, who is also an actress.