WHO SHOULD JOIN
- INVESTORS
- SC&L OPERATORS
- TECH INNOVATORS
- KEY PARTNERS
Private Equity & Venture Capital (GPs)
- Investment Partners
- Operating Partners
Corporate Venture Capital & Strategic Investors
- Corporate Venturing Units
- C-level & Corporate Strategy Leaders
Institutional Investors, Family Offices & Lenders (LPs)
- Investment Directors
- Analysts
Startup & SME
- Founders, CEOs & CFOs
- Investor Relations
Mid-market & Growth
- CEOs, CFOs, Strategy & Innovation Heads
- CSCOs, Supply Chain & Logistics Heads
Enterprise
- M&A Leaders, Strategy & Innovation Heads
- COOs, CSCOs, CPOs, Procurement, Supply Chain & Logistics Heads
Startup & SME
- Founders, CEOs & CFOs
- Investor Relations & Commercial Heads
Enterprise tech
- Strategy & Innovation Heads
- Commercial, Supply Chain & Logistics Heads
Logistics tech
- Strategy & Innovation Heads
- Commercial, Supply Chain & Logistics Heads
Deal Facilitators
- Industry Experts & Consultants
- Due Diligence & Legal
Logistics Service Providers
- 3/4PLs & LSPs
- Delivery & Fulfilment
Value Creators
- SC&L Transformation Specialists
- Headhunters & Support Services
Who should attend
- SC&L Tech Innovators
- Investors
- SC&L Operators
- Corporate Venturing
- Ecosystem Partners

- Build an investible business
- Find funding
- Validate commercial proposition

- Identify investment opportunities
- Nurture portcos
- Discover tech innovation

- Validate your SC&L transformation strategy
- Gain insights into a wider and deeper vendor universe
- Optimise your CAPEX budget

- Identify M&A opportunities
- Integrate innovative technologies
- Support investment growth

- Support scaling up
- Discover talent
- Facilitate deals
FEATURED SPEAKERS
SC&L VALUE CREATION LEADERS







Supply Chain & Logistics investment landscape
- Industries, sectors & segments
- Startup, early stage, growth, M&A
- Which sectors and stages of supply chains offer the best value creation opportunities?
- What can be learned from recent exits?
- How will deal flow evolve?
GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS INDUSTRY TRENDS
- Tariffs & trade barriers
- Deglobalisation, near-shoring & resilience
- Network design & footprint
- Supplier selection & risk management
- How will the threat of tariffs impact on the trend to bring production closer to key markets?
- Which locations stand to benefit from deglobalisation?
- How to de-risk your supplier base?
Fundraising, Syndication & investment structures
- LP appetites & perceptions
- Optimum capital structures
- Special purpose investment vehicles
- How should GPs tailor funds for LPs?
- What operational credentials to LPs want to see?
- How are capital structures adapting to interest rates and financial volatility?
- Which structures for which investment categories?
- Lease & revenue-sharing for infrastructure & assets?
- Convertible notes, equity & SAFE agreements for early-stage?
- Co-investments & JVs for growth?
Target discovery & due diligence
- Target sectors & segments
- Developing the investment thesis
- Operational due diligence
- Cultural alignment
- Tech stack integration
- How to identify targets with good fundamentals but lacking capital or expertise?
- What drives value and makes a target attractive for acquisition?
- Which technologies will create most value?
- What is the role of AI in target discovery and due diligence?
- What can Operating Partners add that data and AI can't?
Value Creation
- Validating the investment thesis
- Strategy alignment
- Operational excellence
- Innovation
- Financing
- Talent
- Are there "easy wins" through procurement & cost reduction?
- Longer-term transformations but with greater potential?
- How to assess and prioritise operational excellence improvements?
- How to eliminate siloed thinking for cross-functional alignment for operational value creation?
- How to collaborate with suppliers to support innovation?
- Is vertical integration a winning strategy?
Corporate Venturing & Clienting
- Strategy alignment
- Corporate clienting
- Investment models
- Integrating innovation
- How to long-term visions with innovation needs?
- How to use corporate clienting to nurture innovation opportunities?
- Which investment models work best?
- How to combine internal ventures with external innovation?
- Exit or integrate?
- How to successfully integrate innovation into a parent company?
Enterprise technology
- Data & digitalisation
- Advanced analytics & process optimisation
- Planning & inventory optimisation
- Procurement & contract management
- Visibility & orchestration
- ESG & risk management
- Is data governance the foundation for all digital transformation?
- Which enterprise technologies offer the most potential for efficiencies, innovation & value creation?
- Which types of supply chains have most to gain and how are technology innovators responding?
- Integrated planning (S&OP / IBP) as the main engine for value creation?
- How will agentic AI impact enterprise roles?
Logistics technology
- Freight tech: multi-modal optimisation, fleet management, electric & autonomous vehicles
- Warehouse tech: automation & robotics, AR, packaging, fulfilment & e-commerce / D2C
- Last mile: autonomous vehicles & drones, delivery & returns
- Asset monitoring, IoT & blockchain
- Which logistics technologies offer the most potential for efficiencies, innovation & value creation?
- Which types of supply chains have most to gain and how are technology innovators responding?
- How can digitalising assets & automating workflows create value?
- What is the full potential for robotics and autonomous vehicles?
- How can you harness transactional data to drive process design, automation & innovation?
Infrastructure
- Deglobalisation & emerging logistics hubs
- Energy infrastructure for freight & cargo
- Multi-modal integration
- Warehouse location & design
- Freeports
- Which regions and countries will rise and fall as logistics hubs?
- How does industrial scale clean energy infrastructure need to adapt to enable sustainable supply chains?
- What investment is needed in UK sea ports, airports, road and rail infrastructure?
- How should warehouse and distribution centre locations adapt to serve customer demand and support sustainability and resilience?
Outsource Partnerships
- Logistics Service Providers & 3/4PLs
- Global Competence Centres / Supply Chain as a Service (SCaaS)
- Outsourced manufacturing & critical suppliers
- What are core competences and value drivers versus what should be outsourced?
- How can key partnerships in logistics and supply chain go beyond transactional, lowest cost calculations to become value drivers?
- How to align incentives with key outsource partners?
Human capital & skills
- Future talent & skills
- Change leadership
- Retaining tacit knowledge
- How will roles evolve with AI and what future skills will be needed?
- How to find leaders able to create value through rapid and lasting change?
- How to capture valuable knowledge and skills before it moves on?
Finance
- CAPEX
- Working capital
- Supply chain & trade finance
- Leading change
- How can finance maximise the deployment of limited CAPEX budgets?
- How to optimise inventory and free up working capital?
- How can FP&A / XP&A processes lead the delivery of value creation and strategy?
- How can blockchain create efficiencies in supply chain and trade finance?
Sustainability & ESG
- Decarbonisation
- Sustainable sourcing
- Circular supply chains
- How to go beyond compliance and leverage sustainability as a competitive advantage?
- Will consumer demand outweigh any regulatory rollback?
Specialist Investors
Supply Chain & Logistics Leaders
Focused Roundtable Discussions
One-to-One Meetings
DAY ONE: OPERATORS & INFRASTRUCTURE
GLOBAL SC&L TRENDS & INVESTMENT LANDSCAPE
GLOBAL SC&L TRENDS
- How will the threat of tariffs impact on the trend to bring production closer to key markets?
- Which locations stand to benefit from deglobalisation?
- How to de-risk your supplier base?
- Deglobalisation & near-shoring > new hubs & diversification
- Volatility & disruption > IoT to embed data capture for universal visibility
- Climate change > protecting critical infrastructure & future-proofing new projects
- ESG & sustainability > decarbonising infrastructure, clean energy and enabling green logistics
INVESTMENT LANDSCAPE
- Which sectors and stages of supply chains offer the best value creation opportunities?
- What can be learned from recent exits
- How will deal flow evolve?
OPERATOR - LSP - INFRASTRUCTURE INTERDEPENDENCE
- How to fund longer-term investments in which there are multiple stakeholders?
- Co-investing to accelerate the development of new infrastructure for supply chain & logistics?
BREAKOUT STREAMS
- Operational value creation
- LSPs & infrastructure
- Tech showcases
- Networking
Portcos - Lessons Learned
Panel of business leaders wtih current or recent investments to fund operational value creation share their experiences
- Are CAPEX budgets being wasted on replacing status quo systems and processes?
- Where to focus CAPEX budgets to maximise value creation in 3-5 years?
Business Excellence for Due Diligence & Value Creation
- Why and how did business excellence get a bad name?
- Redefining excellence in the context of AI, advanced analytics, ESG and other megatrends
- Due diligence and assessing current maturity levels and gaps
- Planning, managing and tracking progress of operational value creation programmes
- Examples from private lending and private equity applications
Global Competence Centres
- Outsourcing (captive or non-captive): beyond wage arbitrage towards best practice centralisation & vehicles for value creation
- Which functions and processes should be centralised and which not?
- What can a concentration of expertise bring to supply chain & logistics businesses?
- What are the obstacles related to process redesign & standardisation, integrating GCCs with existing functions & stakeholder engagement?
Data & digital transformation
- The potential for data to unlock value
- Data, data everywhere...where to start
- High value applications of machine learning & artificial intelligence
Sustainability & circularity
- Is sustainability still a source of competitive advantage & value creation
- How to go beyond compliance and leverage sustainability as a competitive advantage?
- Will consumer demand outweigh any regulatory rollback?
- How to make circularity profitable?
Integrated financial planning as a driver of value
- Aligning cross-functional collaboration to strategic goals
- Data integration for enhanced decision-making and ability to respond to challenges and opportunities
- Inventory optimisation (avoiding over- or under-stocks) improves cashflow and profitability
- Improved forecast accuracy for optimal resource allocation
- Integrating processes including FP&A / XP&A with S&OP / IBP for effective budgeting, strategy execution and value creation
Human capital investment
- Assessing current human capital and any gaps to deliver the investment thesis
- Tailoring skills programmes to specific needs and circumstances
- How to develop senior leadership skills
- How to maintain morale if significant restructuring is required?
- The role of employee ownership programmes
- How operating partners connect investors with their portcos to deliver value creation
Near-shoring & emerging hubs
- How is the global supply chain & logistics infrastructure transforming?
- What are the implications for operators and LSPs for their network design / footprint and logistics operations?
Freeports & UK Government's view on SC&L infrastructure investment
- Freeports' role in promoting growth of future industries & advanced supply chain & logistics businesses
- How can Freeports smooth customs and tariffs friction?
- How does supply chain & logistics infrastructure and capability fit into the government's growth agenda?
- How is government supporting extended supply chains including SMEs to meet current and future challenges?
- Does the defence manufacturing supply chain need a dedicated strategy to rapidly build the necessary capability to effectively absorb extra defence spending?
Ports & Maritime
- The role of ports in global trade
- Digitalization and automation in seaports
- Case studies of successful port investments
Air freight
- Air cargo trends & the demand for airport expansions
- Smart airports & tech-driven efficiencies
- Private sector involvement in airport development
Road & rail
- The role of rail in sustainable freight movement
- Government incentives for road & rail projects
- Examples of intermodal transport investments
Pivotal role of LSPs
- To what extent should supply chains outsource logistics and what are the implications for their core competences and internal skills?
- Is there a conflict between short-term cost savings and asset efficiency versus the longer-term strategic need to design, control and invest in your logistics capability?
- Who funds investments in automation, electric vehicles and decarbonisation? Customers have the money and incentive but 3PLs have the expertise
- Reconfiguring partnerships from open-book / low margin toward closed book / co-investment?
- Could a major 3PL vertically integrate by acquiring a retail, reversing the traditional power dynamic?
Warehouse & DC investments
- The shift towards automation & smart warehousing
- The rise of e-commerce & demand for last-mile hubs
- Case studies of successful warehouse investments
Supplier sourcing & risk management
10-minute showcases from tech innovators
Network modelling & digital twins
10-minute showcases from tech innovators
Visibility, control towers, track & trace, IoT & blockchain
10-minute showcases from tech innovators
Planning & inventory optimisation
10-minute showcases from tech innovators
WMS & automation
10-minute showcases from tech innovators
Last mile & returns
10-minute showcases from tech innovators
Circularity & sustainability
10-minute showcases from tech innovators
121 networking powered by our match-making app
Drinks & networking
DAY TWO: TECH INNOVATORS
TECH TRENDS & INVESTMENT LANDSCAPE
TECH ADOPTION TRENDS BY OPERATORS & LSPs
- Which technologies are being adopted by operators, LSPs and other end users
- What is the evidence for RoI on different technologies?
- How is technology adoption likely to evolve?
EMERGING SC&L TECHNOLOGIES
- Which emerging technologies will create the next wave of disruption?
- What research is being done into new supply chain & logistics technologies?
HOW ARE SC&L TRENDS SHAPING INVESTMENT?
- AI & machine learning creating cross-enterprise opportunities for tech innovation & value creation
- Deglobalisation & near-shoring > network design, simulation & digital twins
- Tariffs & trade barriers > global trade management & customs management
- Volatility & disruption > visibility, risk management & control towers
- Inflation & working capital constraints > planning & inventory optimisation
- ESG & innovation > customer & supplier collaboration
- Supplier diversification > procurement & contract management
- Cyber security
BREAKOUT STREAMS
- Innovator workshop
- Pre-seed & Seed Showcases
- Series A Showcases
- Series B+ & Growth Innovators
- Networking
MVP & validation
- How to to validate your idea and build a minimum viable product (MVP)
- How investors can help with product development, early & fractional hires and market research
Product - market fit
- Iterating to ensure product-market fit
- Test and validate your business model and revenue engine
- Finding your first reference clients
Scaling & expansion
- Scaling your product and growing your user base
- Optimising and formalising your operating model
Preparing for exit
- Tailoring your business for your exit strategy
- Ensuring that key capabilities are embedded once founders step back
Sustainability & circularity
- Is sustainability still a source of competitive advantage & value creation
- How to go beyond compliance and leverage sustainability as a competitive advantage?
- Will consumer demand outweigh any regulatory rollback?
- How to make circularity profitable?
Planning as a driver of value
- Aligning cross-functional collaboration to strategic goals through S&OP / IBP
- Data integration for enhanced decision-making and ability to respond to challenges and opportunities
- Inventory optimisation (avoiding over- or under-stocks) improves cashflow and profitability
- Improved forecast accuracy for optimal resource allocation
- Integrating financial planning with operational planning for effective budgeting and strategy execution
Human capital investment
- Assessing current human capital and any gaps to deliver the investment thesis
- Tailoring skills programmes to specific needs and circumstances
- How to develop senior leadership skills
- How to maintain morale if significant restructuring is required?
- The role of employee ownership programmes
- How operating partners connect investors with their portcos to deliver value creation
Enterprise & planning innovators
10-minute showcases from tech innovators
Logistics & execution innovators
10-minute showcases from tech innovators
Circularity & sustainability innovators
10-minute showcases from tech innovators
Logistics & execution innovators
10-minute showcases from tech innovators
Circularity & sustainability innovators
10-minute showcases from tech innovators
Enterprise & planning innovators
10-minute showcases from tech innovators
Circularity & sustainability innovators
10-minute showcases from tech innovators
Enterprise & planning innovators
10-minute showcases from tech innovators
Logistics & execution innovators
10-minute showcases from tech innovators
121 networking powered by our match-making app
Closing Drinks & networking
08.00-09.00
Registration & Networking Breakfast
09.00-09.30
Opening Keynote: The Future of Supply Chain & Logistics Investments
- Global supply chain & logistics shifts inc. nearshoring / friend shoring
- Macroeconomic & geopolitical risks inc. tariffs
- Where PE capitalism flowing in the sector
14.30-15.45
Roundtable discussions
- Strategy
- Network
- Planning
- WMS
- Order Management
Ensuring the strategic plan is operationally fit across finance, procurement, production & distribution
Many strategic plans don't survive first contact with reality because they were developed with a top-down process with embedded assumptions that next year will look similar to last year. Value creation implies fundamental transformation of the operating model which requires symbiotic development including all functions with unified metrics across the business.
Ensuring the strategic plan is operationally fit across finance, procurement, production & distribution
Many strategic plans don't survive first contact with reality because they were developed with a top-down process with embedded assumptions that next year will look similar to last year. Value creation implies fundamental transformation of the operating model which requires symbiotic development including all functions with unified metrics across the business.
Ensuring the strategic plan is operationally fit across finance, procurement, production & distribution
Many strategic plans don't survive first contact with reality because they were developed with a top-down process with embedded assumptions that next year will look similar to last year. Value creation implies fundamental transformation of the operating model which requires symbiotic development including all functions with unified metrics across the business.
Ensuring the strategic plan is operationally fit across finance, procurement, production & distribution
Many strategic plans don't survive first contact with reality because they were developed with a top-down process with embedded assumptions that next year will look similar to last year. Value creation implies fundamental transformation of the operating model which requires symbiotic development including all functions with unified metrics across the business.
Ensuring the strategic plan is operationally fit across finance, procurement, production & distribution
Many strategic plans don't survive first contact with reality because they were developed with a top-down process with embedded assumptions that next year will look similar to last year. Value creation implies fundamental transformation of the operating model which requires symbiotic development including all functions with unified metrics across the business.
15.45-16.30
121 Meetings & Break
Years of SC&L Events
Leaders Participated
Sessions Delivered
Connections Made
-
Jon Rawcliffe
Inward Investment Lead
EAST MIDLANDS FREEPORT
-
Raul Portela
Inward Investment Lead
SCL INVESTORS
"I really enjoyed the day and thought it was well organised and informative. I did go into this thinking it was going to have some hard sell but that was not the case and the vendors were really part of the discussion"
Stuart Pritchard
RTS Textiles
"Very clear, loved the online personal agenda, time to set up my preferences etc. Had three people from very different industries yet common problems, great to connect and share insights."
Mike Shaverin
Mars
"A good day; glad I made the effort and several follow-ups already in progress"
Iain Harris
KP Snacks
"Numbers of people just right and allowed individuals to properly catch up. Atmosphere was relaxed and liked that the sales pitches from those companies sponsoring was relatively informal"
Neil Brown
Martin Brower
"Another super valuable session with an amazing mix of people who are all solution driven"
Matt Spencer-Skeen
Mundipharma
"A great mix of scale of business, industries and experience. I love the format of structured 121s with peers. I came to this with a real lack of understanding of the potential for AI, so this was an eye opener for me"
Dan Bird
Abcam
"Realised that others are also operating with a high degree of uncertainty following not just external macro economics dynamics but structural changes taking place internally. Clarity on the 3 problems we a trying to solve"
Angelo Bernardinello
LSA International
"[Discussions were the] best bit… Great to share and get each other's input and insight"
Adam Grimwood
AB Agri
"Was a great session and got some good information out of the day"
Lee Crowhurst
Cranfield Aerospace
"Sessions were insightful and good to see a range of speakers from different industries and consultancy as well as practitioners. Personal agenda is very helpful and also seeing who else will be joining the sessions is beneficial"
Matt Normington
LEGO
"Very informative and good to hear real life experiences not just theory. I felt my time was being treated as important and not being wasted. Made some good contacts and shared some valuable tips. Great fun at the end"
Alan Clarke
Landmann
"A very worthwhile day. A really great bunch of attendees and good roundtable discussions. I am going to try and push forward some AI initiatives…start small and grow"
Damian Bates
Atlas Copco









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