Speakers

Karen Darby

Inspirational Serial Entrepreneur. Founder of SimplySwitch. Keynote Business Speaker

Karen Darby is a serial entrepreneur, and has been a leading figure in the call centre industry for over 25 years.

From an inauspicious start (she left school at 16 with one GCSE), Karen embarked on what would become a classic rags to riches story.

She set up her first company, The Decisions Group in 1983. It grew to become the third largest telemarketing bureau in the UK and won the European Service Industry Forum's Award for 'Best Service Company'. She sold her interests in 1990 and Decisions now trades as part of Sitel Inc.

Karen went on to establish a successful training and consultancy business, Karen Darby Direct. Clients included BSkyB, Commercial Union, Direct Line, General Accident, Scottish Widows, Telewest and Zurich Insurance.

Karen then set up her third venture, SimplySwitch, a telephone and web based price comparison service. She secured venture capital funding from Bridges Community Ventures, which was subject to the business meeting certain social criteria such as being based in one of the most deprived areas of the UK. Initially launched as Simply Energy Ltd offering consumers a free and impartial switching service for gas and electricity, it quickly extended its portfolio of products to include home phone, mobile, broadband and a range of financial products and was re-branded SimplySwitch.

SimplySwitch created over 100 jobs in a deprived area (a condition of the Bridges funding), and helped thousands of consumers save over £20m on their household bills. In August 2006 Karen sold SimplySwitch to DMGT (Daily Mail & General Trust) for £22m.

Emma Jones

Emma Jones is founder and editor of Enterprise Nation, the home business company.

The company hosts the UK's largest website for people starting and growing a business from home, runs the Home Business Awards and produces the annual Home Business Report. The site, which launched in January 2006, has attracted national press headlines and monthly readership of more than 40,000 people.

Emma is also author of 'Spare Room Start Up – how to start a business from home'; a Waterstones business book of the month and Amzon best-seller.

Emma has started two businesses herself from home offices in London, Manchester and rural Shropshire. Following a career with an international accountancy firm, Emma started her first business at the age of 27 and successfully sold it just 15 months after launch.

Emma's columns have been syndicated to business start-up websites and customer magazines including for Orange, Viking Direct and Brother. She is regularly called upon by the Government to speak on the subject of home business and she advises Regional Development Agencies on how to encourage and support homeworking.