Speakers

Sam Smith is a trailblazing entrepreneur, board advisor and passionate advocate for inclusive, purposeful business. Best known as the founding CEO of finnCap - the first female-led stockbroking firm in the City - she led the business from a startup within JMFinn to a £50m+ investment bank, supporting hundreds of growth companies along their scale and exit journeys.

Over 24 years, Sam built what became Cavendish Financial on principles she still champions today: empathetic leadership, inclusive culture, and high-impact governance. Her bestselling book, The Secret Sauce, captures the mindset behind superscaling - empowering talent while staying true to purpose. 

Sam now holds multiple NED roles across a range of sectors - from tech and professional services to commodities and private equity - bringing sharp commercial insight with a people-first lens. Her current board roles include Solid State Plc, Sumer Group, Griffin Markets, 55/Redefined and Triple Point VCT. 

In 2023, she co-founded The SuperScalers alongside Rosaleen Blair CBE and Oli Barrett MBE - a global community on a mission to help underrepresented founders grow from £1mn to £50m+ in revenue. By connecting high-potential entrepreneurs with those who've already scale, The SuperScalers is shifting the narrative of who gets to build big.

Sam is also a committed voice for equity in entrepreneurship. She's advised the UK Government's Taskforce for Women-Led High Growth Business, contributes to the ScaleUp Institute's work on female-led scaleups, sits on the Everywomen advisory board, and is a Patron of the Entrepreneurs Network. She's currently campaigning to integrate entrepreneurship into the school curriculum, giving every young person - regardless of background - the tools to shape their own future.