One of Britain’s most inspiring business leaders is heading to Aberdeen to share stories of her remarkable career.
Baroness Martha Lane Fox is the latest big name to head north for the Ultimate Masterclass Festival, which was created by Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce to boost city centre footfall.
As one of the darlings of the dotcom boom, Baroness Lane Fox rose to prominence with the creation of holiday website lastminute.com in the 1990s, a business which was later sold for $1.1billion in 2005.
However, after securing her big exit, everything changed. A horror car crash in Morocco left her with 28 broken bones and close to death. She spent two years in hospital and is still recovering from her injuries nearly 20 years on.
However, she fought back and has since returned to the top of British business, going on to serve on the boards of WeTransfer, fashion house Chanel and latterly Twitter; a role she left in 2022 during the controversial Elon Musk takeover.
North-east business leaders will be able to hear her incredible story in person at a special dinner taking place at Union Kirk on September 19th.
More than 8,000 people have attended the Ultimate Masterclass Festival since it was launched by the Chamber in 2023.
The festival was created to inspire the region’s business community, and to support the recovery of the city centre with exciting events which bring footfall.
Its headline acts to date have included ‘Diary of a CEO’ star Steven Bartlett, podcaster Elizabeth Day, global AI expert Nina Schick, footballer turned entrepreneur Gary Neville and television great Davina McCall. Broadcaster Louis Theroux will join the festival later this year.
A dinner with Baroness Martha Lane Fox will be hosted by Ryan Crighton, Policy and Marketing Director at the Chamber and one of UMF’s founders.
He said: “The Ultimate Masterclass Festival was created to inspire our business community, and there is nobody with a more exceptional story that Baroness Martha Lane Fox.
“Her remarkable resilience is inspirational, and her ability to seize business opportunities, particularly in the digital space, remains unmatched in the UK.
“This is a one-off opportunity to hear the wisdom and stories of a truly exceptional and inspirational business leader. Don’t miss out!”
“The feedback for UMF so far has been incredible and this promises to be another memorable night.”
The Baroness, as her title suggests, is also now a member of the House of Lords where she sits as a crossbencher and she is also President of the British Chambers of Commerce.
The event is being delivered in partnership with TotalEnergies, CALA Homes, BoConcept and PCL Live.
Tickets are on sale now at umf.events.