Policy Summit

Building Britain for Generations

Family Business UK Policy Summit will provide a unique opportunity for family businesses from across the UK to engage with policymakers, industry leaders, and key stakeholders on the pressing issues shaping the family business sector. It will provide a policy platform for FBUK to present the views of Members and all family businesses to those shaping the policy landscape, and to hear from key figures from across Westminster.

Click here to reserve your place on our booking page

Agenda

09:00-09:30 Arrival, registration and refreshments

09:30-09:50 Welcome and introductory comments

Polly Mackenzie, FBUK Board adviser
Catherine van Weenen, Regional Director, NatWest
Fiona Graham, COO Family Business UK

09:50-10:00 Launch FBUK’s policy platform: Matt Jaffa, Policy and Public Affairs Director

10:00-10:10 Keynote address

10:10-10:45 Panel discussion: Education & Skills: Building a future-ready workforce for UK family businesses

Steve Rigby, Chair FBUK and Co-CEO Rigby Group
Claire Barker, Association of Colleges
Ellie Jobes, Bagnalls
Richard Smith, Head of Insight and Intelligence, Representative from West Midland Combined Authority

10:45-11:10 Keynote address: Daisy Cooper MP, Deputy Leader Liberal Democrats

11:10-11:30 Refreshments and networking

11:30-11:40 Keynote address: Dame Harriett Baldwin MP, Conservative Member of Parliament for West Worcestershire

11:40-12:20 Panel discussion: Elections 2026: What is at stake for UK family businesses?

Anita Boateng, Portland Senior Partner (Chair)
Alison Philips, CEO, Labour Together
John Johnston, POLITICO
Jo Milligan, EMR Group

12:20-12:30 Reflections ahead of the 2026 Welsh Parliament Elections: James Evans MS, Reform party

12:30-13:00 Fireside chat

Polly Mckenzie, FBUK Board Adviser
Iain Anderson, Non-executive Director Department for Business and Trade

13:00 Close, lunch and networking

Polly MacKenzie

FBUK Board Adviser

Polly Mackenzie is a policy leader with a career spanning government, think tanks and innovation.

She served as Director of Policy to the Deputy Prime Minister from 2010 to 2015, shaping major reforms across business, welfare and education before helping set up the Women’s Equality Party, leading the think-tank Demos and founding the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute.

Polly is a regular contributor to Times Radio on matters of politics and public policy and has extensive experience in non-executive roles in the charitable and private sectors. She is also co-founder of a science-focused venture builder, Zinc Innovation Partners.

Iain Anderson

Non-Executive Board Member Department for Business and Trade

Iain Anderson is a senior public policy and communications leader with over 30 years’ experience advising organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors. He was a Founding Partner and long-time Executive Chairman of H/Advisors Cicero, working with major UK and international clients.

He has served as a Non-Executive Board Member at the Department for Business and Trade, providing strategic advice on policy and business engagement, and in 2024 led the independent review A New Partnership, examining how government and industry can work together to boost UK competitiveness and growth.

In 2021, he was appointed the UK Government’s first LGBTQ+ Business Champion, promoting inclusive workplaces and the role of business in advancing equality and opportunity.

Dame Harriett Baldwin MP

Conservative MP for West Worcestershire

Dame Harriett Baldwin MP is the Conservative Member of Parliament for West Worcestershire, first elected in the 2010 general election.

Before entering politics Dame Harriett spent two decades in finance, culminating as a Managing Director at JPMorgan with responsibility for currency and pension fund markets.

In government, Dame Harriett has served as Economic Secretary to the Treasury as well as City Minister. More recently, she was Chair of the Treasury Select Committee (2022-24) and is currently Shadow Minister for Business and Trade.

Speaker

Anita Boateng

Senior Partner, Portland

Anita Boateng is a British government affairs, public policy and communications specialist and Senior Partner at Portland Communications, a leading UK public affairs and strategic communications agency. She advises organisations on navigating regulatory, reputational and political challenges with integrated campaigns spanning policy, media and stakeholder engagement.

Before joining Portland, Boateng served as a senior special adviser in the UK Government (2016–2019), working with multiple Cabinet ministers on strategy, policy communication and stakeholder engagement at the heart of Whitehall. She also began her career as a political producer on BBC Question Time, bringing media insight to her communications practice.

Daisy Cooper MP

Deputy Leader Liberal Democrats

Daisy Cooper is the Member of Parliament for St Albans, first elected in December 2019, and re-elected in 2024.

She serves as the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, a role she has held since September 2020, and is the party’s Treasury spokesperson in the House of Commons.

In her Treasury role, Daisy has been a leading voice on economic growth and fiscal policy, campaigning against the Government’s changes to Business Property Relief (BPR) and urging for a fairer business rates system for hospitality, retail and leisure businesses.

James Evans MS

Member of the Senedd for Brecon and Radnorshire

James Evans MS is the Reform Member of the Senedd for Brecon and Radnorshire.

Before his election to the Senedd, James served as a County Councillor and Cabinet Member on Powys County Council, focussing on local economic development and housing.

Prior to joining Reform UK, James served as the Conservatives’ Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs.

James was born and raised on his family farm in Brecon and Radnorshire and has been a vocal critic of the government’s reforms to inheritance tax, including Business Property Relief.

Speaker

Ellie Jobes

HR Director, Bagnalls

Ellie Jobes is HR and SHE (Safety, Health & Environment) Director at Bagnalls Group and a fifth-generation member of the family business.

Since joining in 2011, she has led the company’s people strategy, including its award-winning apprenticeship programme and wider recruitment and skills agenda.
She also represents employers nationally through the Painting & Decorating Association and the Apprentice Ambassador Network, championing workforce development, apprenticeships and long-term talent - priorities closely aligned with the family business model.

John Johnston

Reporter, Politico

John Johnston is London Influence reporter at POLITICO Europe, where he writes the weekly London Influence newsletter covering political campaigning, lobbying, political finance and influence in Westminster and beyond.

Before joining POLITICO, he spent several years as a political correspondent at PoliticsHome, reporting across UK politics and public affairs.

Steve Rigby

Co-CEO Rigby Group and Chair FBUK

Steve Rigby is Co-CEO of the Rigby Group, one of the UK’s largest family-owned business groups operating across technology, real estate, airports, hotels and more. He has more than three decades’ experience leading the company’s growth, strategy and investment activity.

Rigby also plays a prominent role in the wider business community: he is Chair of FBUK, where he champions policies that support long-term business success, and he engages with government, MPs and business leaders on tax, growth and competitiveness for privately owned family firms.

Beyond FBUK, Steve chairs the Private Business Commission, is a patron of the Entrepreneurs Network and chairs the Rigby Foundation, combining business leadership with philanthropy and advocacy for enterprise and inclusive economic growth.

Alison Philips

Chief Executive, Labour Together

Alison Phillips is a former British journalist and Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Mirror – the first woman to hold the position in over a century, where she led Britain’s mass-market daily through major political moments and news campaigns.
Alison currently leads the centre-left think tank Labour Together, following her appointment as CEO in 2025. In her role, Alison oversees the development and publication of research and policy papers that aim to influence Labour policymaking and broader public debate on economic and social issues.

Jo Milligan

Head of Public Affairs at EMR

Jo leads on Government Relations & Public Affairs for EMR Group, a global leader in sustainable metals and materials and in the circular economy.

Prior to joining EMR, Jo led similar activities for Tata Steel in the UK and for the owner of LIBERTY Steel and ALVANCE British Aluminium. Jo has also worked for business interests in the food & drink and rail sectors.

With previous experience in the Scottish and UK Parliaments and in Government, Jo specialises in identifying and advocating for the policy decisions that align government and business interests, optimise operational and commercial environments, and on assessing policy impact to help inform C-suite decisions and business preparedness.