Adventures in Business - Moreton Hall

Culture & Events

Adventures in Business

Moneypenny co-founder, Rachel Clacher, CBE, and What If! co-founder, Dave Allan, gave an insightful talk to a packed room of business entrepreneurs, Old Moretonians, current pupils, family and friends at Moreton Hall’s annual Business Lunch. The event, which was a sell-out success hosted in The Holroyd Community Theatre, was also live streamed to businesses and schools across the county.

Rachel and Dave delivered an inspirational speech about the ‘Adventures in the New World of Business.’ They focused their talk on three key factors important in modern business: the new world of business, their employees and then purpose. Both speeches were filled with humorous anecdotes, including the moment Dave fell backwards off a stage whilst presenting to 250 leaders of the BBC many years ago.

Rachel, who co-founded Moneypenny with her brother, Ed, talked about how her company grew from one simple idea: who is going to answer the phone calls for a business when there’s no one in office? They discovered telephone answering services, however, Rachel and Ed asked the question: Why can’t there be a telephone answering service where the person who looks after your calls is someone who you know and trust? This was the beginning of Moneypenny.

Rachel said: “Three of my favourite things in life are: family, friends and business. At Moreton’s business lunch these three things collided. Many of you know just how important Moreton has been to my family. It’s been a privilege and pleasure to be involved in the world of business.”

Dave spoke of his beginnings working at Unilever, and how, since then, the world is changing. Big companies don’t have monopoly over one area of business. Dave, and his business partner Matt, set up What If! in 1992 to work with businesses on their growth and innovation strategies. Most notably Dave’s company helped create KFC’s popcorn chicken and Sainsburys ‘Taste The Difference’ range.

Dave offered three pieces of advice on adventures into business, saying: “The world is changing, small businesses now are able to achieve the same as large conglomerates. Always look beyond your business and get out into the world and understand what’s truly going on, and whilst this may seem scary, don’t think you have to do it all at once, run experiments, take risks.”

Something both Dave and Rachel spoke about passionately was their employees. Rachel said: “What I’ve learnt about humanity is that by getting together and providing each other with the human things we need, such as looking after each other and getting the small things right…that can change the world.”

They emphasised the importance of treating employees fairly, stepping into their shoes and understanding their mindset. People aren’t replaceable by AI or technology, they are the ones who turn up every day.

Rachel and Dave weren’t the only speakers at Moreton’s Business Lunch. Moreton Hall’s Sixth Form students, Hattie Maddocks, Rebecca Earl and Anna Ng, opened this year’s Business Lunch by talking about the way in which technology is having an impact on the business landscape, and their roles within the student led business, Moreton Enterprises and the importance of being young women who are the future of business.

Moreton Enterprises operates within the school grounds and produces a healthy turnover each year. It aims to operate much like a normal business, appointing a board of directors who work with external mentors to build upon past successes. The scheme provides invaluable, real-world insight into the aspect of running a business, and encourages pupils to think about the qualities such as teamwork, leadership and communication.

Hattie, Lower Sixth pupil and Moreton Head Girl, said: “The Business Lunch was such an incredible way to hear the experiences of Dave and Rachel. It was so encouraging to hear how they took a wiggly path to their business and it was lovely to understand the most important part of a business: the employees, and how they make working fun!”

Rebecca, Deputy Head Girl and Moreton Enterprises Managing Director said: “Attending the Business Lunch as Managing Director of Moreton Enterprises was such an inspiring experience. The importance of youth entrepreneurship in the business world is a fundamental element that Moreton celebrates, and it was lovely to hear from Dave Allan and Rachel Clacher about their views. As well as being excellent speakers, they were lovely people to meet and talk with. I really appreciated the opportunity to speak alongside other entrepreneurs. I can’t wait to go watch it next year!”

Please contact marketing@moretonhall.com if you would like to attend next year’s Business Lunch.