We hear about change constantly - new technology, new threats, new ways of working. But for many established SMEs, real change can feel difficult, disruptive and overwhelming. In this opening session, George set the scene with real-world examples of why businesses often feel stuck in a state of paralysis: caught between the agility of a startup and the resources of a large enterprise.

George explored the key barriers that most often prevent change from happening and sticking: a lack of education and awareness, the mindset and people element and a lack of structure and systems for managing change, regardless of the tools or technology involved.

View the slides >

Rolling out new software is rarely the hard part… getting people to adopt it is. In this session, Ryan and George walked through the practical change management process that drives real technology adoption. They explored why projects fail even when the system is right, how to plan for adoption, not just installation, and how to communicate, train and support teams through go-live so the change delivers real outcomes, not resistance, workarounds or quiet non-adoption.

The session also explored the critical go-live period and what happens next, focusing on how to measure success, address issues early and close the loop so new technology becomes part of everyday working, not another system people avoid.

View the slides >

Change is hard when teams aren’t aligned. Even with clear strategy and the right systems in place, progress often stalls when trust is low, communication breaks down, or people pull in different directions. In this session, Cat explored why team alignment is such a critical factor in successful change and what leaders can do to create the conditions for teams to move forward together.

Drawing on her experience working with leadership teams across a wide range of organisations, Cat shared practical insight into building trust, strengthening accountability and creating genuine commitment during times of change. This is an approach The HBP Group has adopted with Cat’s support, offering leaders a proven way to bring people with them, so change becomes something the organisation does together, not something that happens in silos.

View the slides >

The cyber security landscape is changing fast. Attackers are no longer relying on noisy malware alone. They are using AI to impersonate people, manipulate trust and exploit the very security controls businesses rely on every day.

In this session, Sasha Roshan broke down how modern cyber-attacks work in the real world, including how criminals can overcome protections like multi-factor authentication, not by breaking the technology, but by tricking the humans behind it.

Through eye-opening, live demonstrations, Sasha showed how AI powered techniques such as realistic voice cloning and token abuse are used to bypass MFA, gain access to systems and move undetected inside organisations.

Sasha finished with clear, practical steps attendees could take to strengthen their cyber defences, reduce human risk and make their business far harder to compromise.

View the slides >

Most Sage 200 customers don’t have a system problem, they have a usage problem. Over time, teams fall into habits, workarounds and “the way we’ve always done it”, meaning valuable features go unused simply because people don’t know they exist, don’t know how to use them or don’t realise the difference they can make.

In this session, Hayley showed how changing the way Sage 200 is used can transform day-to-day processes, improve visibility and help teams spot issues and deviations earlier, giving greater control when things don’t go to plan. Attendees explored practical ways to use Sage 200 more effectively, including smarter bank processing, improved analysis, better reporting options and features that make it easier for the right people to update information without slowing everything down.

View the slides >

In growing businesses, budgeting can quickly become messy, with multiple versions of the truth, inconsistent assumptions and limited visibility once the year gets underway. This session was designed for Pegasus Opera 3 customers who want a more disciplined, structured approach to budgeting that supports better decisions and stronger financial control.

Kirsty showed how Pegasus Opera 3 can be used to set clear budgets, track performance against plan and adjust forecasts when needed without creating unnecessary complexity.

View the slides >

Over the past 2 years, The HBP Group have been through some significant change internally, changing their finance system from Exchequer to Sage Intacct, implementing HubSpot for sales and marketing and rolling out no less than three new systems in the customer service team.

Joanne Partridge (CEO), Tony Pearson (Chief of Service Delivery) and George Smith (CCO) hosted this roundtable, sharing an honest view and discussion about their experience of change, warts and all.

AI tools like Microsoft Copilot are rapidly becoming part of everyday work, but many organisations still feel unsure where to start. The challenge isn’t access to the technology, it’s knowing how Copilot fits into existing roles, processes and ways of working without creating disruption or confusion.

In this session, Ingram Micro explored practical, real-world use cases for Copilot and the common concerns leaders have when introducing AI into the workplace. Attendees gained clarity on how to roll Copilot out in a way that feels supportive, builds confidence and helps teams adapt to changing working patterns, without forcing change for the sake of it.

View the slides >

Many growing businesses reach a point where finance becomes harder to scale. Reporting lives in spreadsheets, processes rely on a few key individuals, and simple changes require manual work, workarounds, or too much time. That becomes a real risk during periods of change and becomes even more visible when leadership teams start thinking seriously about succession planning and the long-term resilience of the business.

In this session, attendees explored how a modern ERP like Sage Intacct helps finance teams build a more adaptable, structured way of working. They saw how real-time dashboards, flexible reporting, dimensions, approvals and workflows, automation and built-in controls make it easier to respond quickly when priorities shift, without losing visibility or control. The focus was on what changes when finance is no longer dependent on individuals and spreadsheets, and how the right system helps businesses stay confident, resilient and ready for what comes next.

View the slides >

Sales order processing is a critical part of day-to-day operations but it can also be one of the biggest sources of friction, delays and manual admin. In this session, Steph explored how Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is evolving to support faster, smarter sales order processing and what this means for businesses looking to improve efficiency without adding complexity.

Attendees saw how AI can support this process in practical ways, including a demonstration of Business Central’s Sales Order Agent and how it helps teams automate routine steps, reduce errors and free up time for higher-value work. The session gave Business Central customers a clearer view of what is now possible and how to introduce these changes in a way that supports people and strengthens processes.

View the slides >

Over the past 2 years, The HBP Group have been through some significant change internally, changing their finance system from Exchequer to Sage Intacct, implementing HubSpot for sales and marketing and rolling out no less than three new systems in the customer service team.

Joanne Partridge (CEO), Tony Pearson (Chief of Service Delivery) and George Smith (CCO) hosted this roundtable, sharing an honest view and discussion about their experience of change, warts and all.

The cyber security landscape is changing fast. Attackers are no longer relying on noisy malware alone. They are using AI to impersonate people, manipulate trust and exploit the very security controls businesses rely on every day.

In this session, Sasha Roshan broke down how modern cyber-attacks work in the real world, including how criminals can overcome protections like multi-factor authentication, not by breaking the technology, but by tricking the humans behind it.

Through eye-opening, live demonstrations, Sasha showed how AI powered techniques such as realistic voice cloning and token abuse are used to bypass MFA, gain access to systems and move undetected inside organisations.

Sasha finished with clear, practical steps attendees could take to strengthen their cyber defences, reduce human risk and make their business far harder to compromise.

View the slides >

Cut through the noise and make decisions with confidence, not chaos. In this session, the Eisenhower Matrix was unpacked as a simple yet powerful framework that helps categorise tasks by urgency and importance.

Attendees discovered how to move beyond overwhelm, focus on what drives real results and build a to-do list that works for them, not against them. Practical examples and actionable tips showed how to stop reacting and start leading time with intention.

View the slides >

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and for many businesses, Excel is the ultimate “old dog”. It’s familiar, trusted and deeply embedded in day-to-day work. But even for confident Excel users, analysis, reporting and data clean-up can still be time-consuming, repetitive and dependent on a small number of “power users”. With Copilot, that has started to change, creating an entirely new way to work with data inside a tool people already know and trust.

In this session, it was demonstrated how Copilot in Microsoft Excel supports everyday work by helping users analyse data faster, uncover insights, build formulas, summarise information and explore trends using natural language. Whether attendees were Excel experts or relied on others for more complex tasks, the session showed how Copilot is reshaping what is possible in Excel and making it easier to get answers and make better decisions with confidence.

Over the past 2 years, The HBP Group have been through some significant change internally, changing their finance system from Exchequer to Sage Intacct, implementing HubSpot for sales and marketing and rolling out no less than three new systems in the customer service team.

Joanne Partridge (CEO), Tony Pearson (Chief of Service Delivery) and George Smith (CCO) hosted this roundtable, sharing an honest view and discussion about their experience of change, warts and all.