Mastering Management Conference

Louise Conner is Mercia’s Management and Skills Trainer. She has worked in the financial services industry for 24 years,18 of which have been within the Learning and Development arena. This experience has allowed Louise to perfect her motivational coaching model. She offers a diverse range of courses focused on transferable workplace skills. Louise always aims to make her courses as interactive as possible to keep them fun and engaging. Her passion lies within training, and she always gets great job satisfaction from seeing people grow and develop along their career paths.

With four decades of experience driving growth and innovation, Bob Bannister is a veteran business leader. As founder and Managing Director of iManage Performance, Bob provides strategic oversight and hands-on leadership in business development, consulting, training and coaching.

Bob began his career as an engineer, completing an apprenticeship and working with leading manufacturers like Qualcast, DuPont and Philips. He later served as Senior Consultant at a specialist procurement consultancy before founding the training consultancy iManage. As a mature student, Bob earned an MBA from the University of Brighton - a pivotal moment that catalysed his entrepreneurial journey.

Prior to joining Mercia, Roger worked as an audit manager at a regional firm, specialising in the financial reporting and compliance requirements of charities and academy trusts. He managed a varied portfolio, supporting organisations from small local charities to large national bodies.

He has strong sector expertise across both single academy trusts and medium‑sized multi‑academy trusts, with practical insight into academy funding, regulatory standards, and the financial challenges faced within the sector.

Roger has also served as treasurer for a community co‑operative, overseeing statutory reporting and further strengthening his governance experience.

Drawing on experience gained across Sweden, the United States, China, and England, Ulrika Malmros brings a strong international perspective to her work in inclusion.

Her background studying and working in these diverse environments has shaped her practical understanding of cultural differences and what helps people feel able to contribute and succeed.

For the past three years at Wilmington, Ulrika has led initiatives that strengthen inclusive behaviours and support sustainable, long‑term change. She is focused on making inclusion tangible and actionable, helping teams build everyday habits and environments where people feel respected, supported, and part of something meaningful.

Louise has been continuously involved in training and consultancy since 1987 and is a qualified barrister. She provides advice and assistance to employers through a consultancy company, CompleteHR Ltd and has assisted with the preparation of many disciplinary and investigation reports.

Louise has also engaged in CPD training for most of the national accountancy training bodies and district societies in the UK for many years. She is involved in management training, particularly in employment and HR, for many large multinational and national commercial companies. Louise has also published academic papers in refereed journals, chiefly on employment status and corporate manslaughter.

Area Manager for Xeinadin.

Partner at Xeinadin.

After 27 years of service in the British Army, Mark transitioned into the private sector, bringing deep expertise in global IT operations and cyber security leadership. Before joining Buzzacott, he held senior leadership roles at KPMG UK and HFW and now draws on this experience to enhance the firm's technology, digital, and cyber capabilities.

While remaining digitally curious, Mark strives to focus on the future to understand industry trends, the dynamic technology landscape, and prevailing behaviours. By doing so, he hopes to navigate the most complex issues to deliver business outcomes directly impacting revenue growth while instilling a culture of ‘digital exploitation’ into the organisation.

Mark is passionate about helping teams to grow and develop, and uses his knowledge to implement competency frameworks that act as a magnet for talent and address the digital skills gap. He is also a champion and industry commentator for greater diversity and inclusion in technology and is incredibly active in promoting the transition and employability of military veterans.

Mark is a Fellow of the British Computer Society and a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership, as well as being a Freeman in the Worshipful Company of IT.