Meet the Speakers

Nick Morgan is CEO of We Group which is made up of three agencies: The Fair, We Are Placemaking and We Are OPS. Nick has over 25 years of experience working across event production, licensing and health & safety for large-scale events and festivals and within the public realm.

Nick sits is Chair of the UKEVENTS Outdoor Group, Vice-Chair of UKEVENTS, Vice-Chair of AIF (Association of Independent Festivals), and sits on the Advisory Board of NOWIE (Network Of Women In Events). He is also a member of the Festival DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport) Live Workforce, the SAGE (Safety Advisors Group for Events) committee, and the ESA (Event Safety Alliance) – working with organisations to continuously lobby government and encourage more support across the sector.

Nick often speaks on topics that include managing growth, independent festivals, the experience economy, government advocacy, licensing and health & safety, at industry events including the Event Production Show, LAEOG, The All Parliamentary Group for Events, the Institute of Licensing, and FestForums in the US. The independent festival sector is close to Nick’s heart, and The Fair – as one of the largest independent festival production houses in the UK – works across 128 shows, from Boiler Room to Eastern Electrics.

A major presence on the UK festival circuit for over 20 years, the Secret Garden Party’s founder and impresario, The Head Gardener aka Freddie Fellowes, has always sought to push boundaries. In fact, he prefers to call his event a party rather than a festival to highlight his belief that each and every person who performs or attends is a participant not a spectator. To achieve this he prefers to remain independent and indeed Secret Garden Party is the largest outdoor event in the UK with no above-the-line branding, sponsors or brand partners to answer to. The only limits are those of the imagination.

From a broader perspective Fred is not afraid to deal with issues; issues that affect not only live events but all of us. He has shown long-term support for the charity CALM, which offers help to men in crisis. With his wife, and the backing of AIF, he has openly addressed the issue of sexual assault at festivals, calling for a commitment to work together to minimise risk. He has also raised the issue of responsible reporting on this topic. In 2016 he pioneered drug testing in the UK by inviting LOOP and Transform to Secret Garden Party, where attendees could have illegal drugs tested for content. ‘Harm reduction and welfare is a vital part of hosting any event and it’s an area that for too long has seen little development or advancement, ‘he said. This gained national and international publicity and almost universal support from the media.

More recently in the latest addition of the Garden Party he chose to cancel the main stage and transfer the budget to grassroots artists to highlight the disparity in artists fees and industry support for new talent. More controversially he also decided to replace the Main Stage with a full size maquette of the stage that had been ‘taken over’ by a fictitious global entertainment company… this was duly blown up and burnt as part of the (award winning) Saturday night spectacle.

Cathryn Peach-Barnes is the Creative Director for From the Fields Ltd, the award-winning company behind the multi award-winning Kendal Calling, Bluedot, Arts by the Sea, Festival of the Sky and UK spanning light-trails, Christmas at Bute Park, Northern Lights Leeds and Northern Lights Newcastle.

For the past 10 years Cathryn has worked to deliver arts programmes of international quality to the UK, working with national and international artists to curate award-winning programmes for a diversity of audiences.

She now delivers a creative strategy that ensures From the Fields stays at the forefront of creative led experiences for audiences.

Cathryn leads on the creative programmes across the From the Fields portfolio delivering immersive spaces across cities, parks and festivals for a combined audience of over half a million people.

Lynsey Wollaston is the Vice President and General Manager for European Festivals at AEG Europe. She brings over 17 years of commercial and operations experience to oversee the European Festival team’s day-to-day operations and play a key role in developing and supporting the strategic vision for the division alongside the US AEG Presents Senior Leadership Team. Lynsey works across AEG’s renowned roster of festivals, including American Express Presents BST Hyde Park and Luno Presents All Points East in London, Rock en Seine in Paris, and AEG’s newest festival, Bristol-based Forwards.

Prior to joining AEG, Lynsey held the role of Managing Director of Festivals and Events at Vision Nine Group, and previously served as the Global Operations Director at IMG (Arts, Entertainment and Culinary) and Operations Manager for the Royal Horticultural Society. Lynsey is a super strategic, commercially driven leader with a wealth of operations experience spanning the globe.

Paul Dunstan, Ryder Cup Operations Director, has been working within the professional sport events industry for over 18 years delivering golf events on the DP World Tour in the UK & Ireland, across Europe and in the Middle East.

For the last eight years Pauls full time role has been to lead the operational delivery of the Ryder Cup when it has been played in Europe – played on the outskirts of Paris in 2018, Rome in 2023 and currently planning for the 2027 Ryder Cup which will take place in Ireland.

Nicki Seifert is the Head of Operations for Music & The Arts at Silverstone Circuits Ltd, where she leads operational initiatives in music and arts programming since May 2022.

With a background in TV promotions at Sony Music Entertainment, where she spent nearly nine years, she has developed strong expertise in music and event management. Nicki has also worked in brand and event PR with DawBell and The Outside Organisation, managing campaigns for clients like British Summer Time Hyde Park and Comic Relief.

Hannah joined The Jockey Club in 2023 from Liverpool Football Club (LFC) and is a Chartered Accountant. At LFC she was the Vice President of Operations, leading both the Strategy team and the Central Operations departments, including operational oversight of all overseas activity. Hannah also sat on the Board of Women in Football during her time at LFC.

As Chief Operating Officer of The Jockey Club, Hannah leads the Central Operations departments, providing the Site teams with strategic expertise and support across a range of disciplines. Hannah also leads the Strategy & Project Management team, ensuring the Business Strategy and Vision are translated into tangible goals and deliverables.

John Giddings is a renowned British music promoter and agent, best known for his role in reviving the Isle of Wight Festival in 2002, which continues to thrive today. With a career spanning over four decades, he has represented iconic artists and bands, including U2, Madonna, and the Rolling Stones, through his agency, Solo Music Agency. Giddings is respected for his deep connections within the music industry and for pioneering large-scale live music events in the UK, making him a significant figure in concert promotion and festival production.

Hannah is Director of sustainable impact agency betternotstop.  She authored the Industry Report 'More than Music' which laid out frameworks to increase sustainability at Music Festivals. Her award winning Impact work at Kendal Calling has made it one of the UK’s most sustainable music festivals. She is a proud Member of the Association of Festival Organisers and part of the VISION 2025 Steering Committee for the 'Show Must Go On' Report. 

She also founded the Better Business Network, a nationwide membership organisation for hundreds of purpose-led business leaders and thousands of employees, helping them increase their social and environmental impact through community, collective action and courses.

In October 2025 she is running 100 marathons in 100 days across India to raise £1,000,000 for communities impacted by Climate Change through 1% For the Planet on a solo expedition called Project Salt Run.

Ross is a passionate advocate for sustainability and social impact, with 15+ years of experience in the music, media, and entertainment industries. They are driven by a vision of a world where culture and commerce harmoniously promote sustainable lifestyles.

Currently, Ross serves as an Impact Consultant for LIVE Green, leading sustainability initiatives within the UK music industry. They engage with a diverse network of stakeholders, from artists and venues to production companies, driving positive change across the live events sector.

Ross's deep understanding of the industry stems from their experience as founder and CEO of Whole Entertainment and a senior manager at Grade Management.  Working directly with artists provided invaluable insights into the complexities of talent management, record deals, publishing, and brand partnerships.

Furthermore, Ross served as a board director at the Music Managers Forum, representing over 1600 members on climate action and social impact advocacy.  As Chief Strategy Officer at UMA Entertainment Group, a global initiative focused on positive change through benefit concerts, Ross ensures a commitment to sustainability and social impact across all operations and audience engagement strategies.