A series of master class sessions is coming to Shrewsbury as part of a campaign to inspire business owners and grow the town’s economy. 

The Work in Shrewsbury (WISH) campaign has been created by Shrewsbury BID, and aims to attract inward investment as well as enabling existing businesses to grow and develop.

One of the key elements is providing opportunities for the town’s businesses to upskill, and central to that is the WISH Evolving Business series of events - with the first one due to take place on Thursday, September 12.

The event, with a theme of evolving business culture, will feature talks from two successful business leaders about their journeys as entrepreneurs.

Cally Beaton is a media entrepreneur, podcaster, writer and performer (you may have spotted her on QI or Live at the Apollo) whose career has seen her being the youngest and only female member of the ITV board, and most recently working for 10 years as Senior Vice President at US studio giant Viacom CBS, responsible for brands such as MTV and Paramount Pictures.

Cally will share her unique insights and speak about how evolving business culture and entrepreneurial thinking can take your business to a whole new level.

Alongside Cally will be Shrewsbury-based entrepreneur Vivek Bhatia, who created the hugely popular Dough & Oil restaurant and bar Oil in Castle Street.

The vast majority of Vivek’s career has been spent in the creative industries, working with diverse brands and entrepreneurs. When he moved to Shrewsbury eight years ago he met Aaron Brown, founder of the Bird’s Nest cafe in the Market Hall, together they hatched a plan to bring a slice of the city to town with Dough & Oil, bar Oil, and now BOBBY’s, a new Mexican-inspired restaurant and bar, in Shrewsbury’s Parade.

Vivek will tell the story of Dough & Oil and discuss the entrepreneurial opportunities and challenges he has faced during his career.

Further sessions will take place on October 9, with a focus on evolving business transformation and innovation, and on November 12, looking at evolving business purpose. More information on these events, including the headline speakers, will be announced soon. 

Seb Slater, executive director of Shrewsbury BID, said: “We are really excited about these events and are very grateful to Liza Freudmann, of BLA Sustainability, who is bringing them together.

“Liza is a highly-respected business strategist who herself relocated to Shrewsbury from London recently - a great example which we are hoping others will follow!

“We have some fantastic speakers coming to share their experiences, from international figures like Cally Beaton to local success stories like Vivek Bhatia.

“I would highly recommend any business owner or aspiring entrepreneur to book a place as soon as possible.”

To book, visit Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/evolving-business-culture-tickets-970342329027