From Surviving to Thriving: Leading in Uncertain Times (Bolton)

Alastair is the Founder of EZHR, a HR subscription solution for SMEs that wants to lower barrier of entry to really good advice.

Prior to that he spent 15 years’ working in house for various Blue Chip FMCG and manufacturing businesses along with a number of global BPO organisations. His work was across various areas of specialism including employee relations, organisational change, development, TUPE, and business sale.

Additionally, he hosts The Alternative Business Review. A podcast for early-stage founders that offers an alternative take on what it’s really like founding and growing a business.

Litsa Smith is the founder of Work With Litsa and an IoL Accredited Leadership Coach, with over twenty years of operational leadership experience in fast-moving organisations including L’Oréal, The Hut Group, Tesco, Warner Bros and Universal. She spent seven years at THG reporting directly to the founders and was Head of Supply Chain at L’Oréal, leading large teams through periods of significant change and growth.

Today she works with senior leaders and organisations across the public, private and third sectors, combining that hands-on corporate experience with formal coaching training to help people lead with more clarity and confidence when things feel uncertain. Alongside 1:1 leadership coaching, she runs DiSC workshops for teams who want to understand each other better and communicate and collaborate more effectively. She’s particularly drawn to working with leaders who are stepping up into bigger roles, navigating change, or trying to find their footing while everything around them keeps shifting.

Litsa is based in Greater Manchester and brings a grounded, straight-talking approach shaped by having been there herself – leading teams through scaling businesses, restructures and the kind of pressure that tests how people actually lead.