Leaders of the Future

Beth Freeman, Executive Vice President, FSI Office

Beth Freeman is the Executive Vice President of FSIoffice and a third generation owner of FSIoffice.  She is committed to taking the company into the next generation with a focus on technology and making the procurement process as simple and pleasant as possible for customers.

Beth plays an important role in the management of large contracts for FSIoffice.  She is responsible for developing areas of new product category growth through her work with product specialists in coordination with the salesforce, as well as overall growth strategies for the company.

Beth earned her Bachelor of Arts degrees in Management & Society and American History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008.  She also holds a MBA from Wingate University.

Beth and her husband, Alan, have two children and live in Mint Hill, NC.

Luke Ambler, Chairman, Andys Man Club

Luke Ambler is a former professional rugby player, dad, entrepreneur, award-winning mental health campaigner, charity chairman, and motivational speaker. He is the co-founder and chair of ANDYSMANCLUB, launching ITSOKAYTOTALK. He will share his journey with our audience.

Raw and real, Luke is one of a kind and his own challenging experiences led to the What’s Next? theory that now underpins his approach to life.

In turning his own corner, Luke has helped thousands around the world to find the strength to take control and improve their own situation, and was recently featured for his achievements in: Stories for Kids who Dare to be Different by Ben Brooks.

Steve Manley, Owner Universal Office Products Ltd / Past President Sheffield Chamber of Commerce

Steve is the joint Managing Director of Universal Office Products Ltd (UOP), the UK’s leading independent single source office supply specialist. UOP is a highly successful business enjoying rapid growth, with a turnover in excess of £7m and a 98% client and staff retention rate. He was the youngest ever Sheffield Chamber of Commerce President, aged 43, from 2018-19 and took the Chamber chains of office on a mission to encourage youth enterprise. He is on the Board for Young Enterprise and is the Founder of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce Enterprise Academy at The Sheffield College.

Adrian Butler, MD, VOW Wholesale

Adrian has worked within the industry for VOW for more than 25 years, starting with Neville and Gladstone and achieving several promotions before becoming Managing Director in 2010. Adrian sits on the Main Operating Board for EVO Group having full responsibility for the VOW wholesale business in the UK.

Elisabete Wells, Acco Brands

Elisabete Wells, Regional Marketing Director leads the marketing operations for ACCO UK & Ireland, with responsibility for the full marketing mix, across all sales channels. She has been with ACCO for 8 years and previously worked for Epson Europe and Kodak EMEA in pan European B2B and B2C marketing and communication roles.

Robert Baldrey, Chief Sales Officer, Office Depot

Robert has worked in the business supplies industry for around 30 years. He worked for Spicers three times between 1982 and 2010, starting out as a trainee accountant in the UK, becoming Finance Director of their French subsidiary and finally taking the role of European CFO from 2001-2009.

In 2010, Robert became CEO of Vasanta Group. He led the transformation of Vasanta into the largest multichannel distributor in the UK, growing to £450m in four years. In 2014, Vasanta acquired office2office plc and became the £660m EVO group with Robert as CEO. He left the group in April 2016 and formed his own consultancy, Prism Advisory, which provided interim assistance and strategic advice to industry players and PE houses.

Robert joined Office Depot in 2019 as Chief Sales Officer for the €300m EU7 Contract Division. He is currently also leading the Viking+ Programme for the Group which will merge Office Depot with Viking to create a single trading entity for the Group.

Simon Drakeford, CEO, EO Group

Simon is CEO of The EO Group which leverages a proprietary e-commerce platform to target small to medium sized businesses in the Office Supplies industry. Through trading their direct channels such as Euroffice and partnering with resellers through Office Power, over the last decade, group revenues have grown from £18m to £50m. As well as Chairing the BOSS Federation, Simon is the Chairman of 15Gifts, a TMT focused software business in Brighton. He has a Henley MBA.