Speaker Bio

CHRIS BENTLEY
Founder of Notworking Networking and the NOTTY’S, Chris is also a key part of the Building Brands community – happiest when he is bringing people together, he knows a fair bit about networking and will share some pearls with us today.

JOHN HARVEY
With over 30 years’ experience in business development and client management, John is one of the UK’s leading experts in the field of business networking.

Through The Samphire Club he combines his strategic networking skills and extensive bank of connections with a flair for putting together highly enjoyable and imaginative events that create valuable commercial opportunities for its members. The membership, made up of both individual and corporate members working in the private sector and drawn from across the entire South West, benefits from carefully curated, select events designed to initiate specific collaborations, to broader-based, member-wide functions, and all members have access to one-to-one consultations and introductions from John himself.

Building quality, meaningful business relationships and encouraging members to freely share knowledge and contacts is at the heart of The Samphire Club ethos. Club membership is a byword for quality and has proved an invaluable resource for members. Every year, business arising from connections made through the Club, generates significant growth and opportunity across the region.

KATIE ARSCOTT
Katie Arscott is the founder of Sisters & Sequins, a dynamic community championing ambitious women in business through connection, collaboration, and visibility. With a passion for bringing women together, she created the Sisters & Sequins Lounge at BizFest as a vibrant hub where female-led businesses can showcase their expertise, build meaningful relationships, and amplify their voices.

Katie believes collaboration beats competition and is driven by a vision of women confidently taking up space, supporting one another, and building powerful networks that extend far beyond the show floor. Through curated events, networking experiences, and strategic visibility opportunities, she helps women grow their confidence, connections, and commercial impact.

With a background in corporate leadership spanning buying, sales and marketing, Katie blends commercial expertise with deep personal development work. She is also a coach, yoga teacher and speaker specialising in menopause, women’s health, trauma, PTSD, bereavement and cancer support, delivering retreats, workshops and events that incorporate journalling, creative arts and restorative wellbeing practices.