Still Winning Hall Of Fame ‘25

Supported by our friends at Baggette + Co. Wealth Management

We’re all still here. Still fighting our corners. Still showing up, building, and pushing forward in our businesses. And that’s worth recognising.

Too often, we move on to the next challenge without pausing to acknowledge how far we’ve come. No matter our backgrounds or industries, we all share the same pressures, insecurities, demands, and triumphs that come with running a business.

This journey was never meant to be easy.

At this event, we’ll hear from people who’ve walked this path, some at the same stage as you, others a little further along. However, this isn’t about them. It’s about all of us. It’s about holding up a mirror to our own journeys, taking a breath, and realising that we’re part of something bigger.

Gordon Fong is your host for this event and takes all the credit for the idea as part of the whole Creator Day ’25 occasion.

Like any great story, this event unfolds in four chapters (10 minutes per person):

Someone at the beginning of their journey, full of ambition, navigating the early struggles and small wins.

Take a bow Ella Crossen White, who has recently completed her studies with our friends at Bournemouth & Poole College. Ella has completed her apprenticeship and ready to share her ambitions as she looks to build her career.

This represents a business owner balancing tough decisions, responsibility, and the never-ending challenge of work and life.

This section includes Gellan Watt. Gellan is a powerhouse of the Bournemouth creative scene having built one of the largest independent agencies in the UK before exiting. Today he helps create brands, strategy and campaigns for businesses as well as working with other agencies to avoid the mistakes that he made.

It also includes Lisa Morelli. Lisa heads up an all female business, 4Couture, that supplies ethical well sourced promotional merchandise and branded workwear. Becoming an accredited B-Corp has been transformational for her business journey.

This is when our best efforts come to a point of change or transition. Life and work is never a linear path.

This section is with Matt Desmier who introduced a ground-breaking event called Silicon Beach, which got to a point where Matt had to stop and the toll it took on his wellbeing. Matt hasn’t shared with anyone before, until now.

A transition point. Whether it’s selling, moving on, or evolving into something new, this moment is about reflection and next steps.

This section introduces Arabella Lewis-Smith. Arabella is the MD of Salad Creative, an agency started in 2001 and has become one of the first companies to go down the Employee Ownership Trust route so she can exit a very successful agency in a sustainable and empowering way.

The part of the story also includes Mike Hawkyard. Mike was the MD of Amuzo, a digital games company started before 2000 with clients such as Lego. One of the first to develop games for web and iPhones. He continues his entrepreneurial path by starting further games based businesses.

We’ll close the occasion with words of experience and empathy because we all know that running a business is as much about resilience as it is about success.

This isn’t about focusing on the challenges, it’s about recognising the drive, the commitment, and the community we’re part of.

We’re here to champion each other, celebrate the journey, and take stock of what we’ve built.

For two hours, we step back, connect, and remember that none of this happens in isolation. A strong business community lifts each other up, and this is our time to do just that.

This event is free, but you still need to book, below.

This event forms part of Creator Day ’25. It is the opener to the week of events that coincides with the main occasion on Thursday 15th May. This event is free to attend, but if you haven’t booked for Creator Day, read more and book here.