PRESENTERS

SATPAL PANDAL
SAVAGE SILK 



Satpal Pandal has gained a wealth of experience working for and developing long lasting relationships with entrepreneurs, high net worth individuals and SMEs, nurturing and helping them to grow.

He has detailed knowledge and experience of a wide range of legal issues, on both corporate and commercial matters, delivering solutions to his clients in a commercial and pragmatic way.

He provides a holistic assessment of needs to clients in all sectors, but particularly the property, leisure, retail and healthcare industries.

Satpal’s clients value his commerciality and how he can understand the issue from their perspective as well as delivering positive results. 

ALASDAIR GREIG
NORTHSTAR VENTURES 



Alasdair Greig is a Director of Northstar Ventures, a North East based venture capital firm that invests in ambitious founders who are targeting high growth markets in Healthy Ageing, the Future of Work and Learning, the Future of Place and Climate Tech. 

Alasdair is primarily responsible for Northstar’s investment and fundraising strategy, and is currently raising both institutional and EIS funds that are focused on achieving outsized commercial returns and on driving innovation, impact and prosperity in the North East region.

GRAHAM ROBSON
BUSINESS DOCTORS



Graham is a Regional Director for Business Doctors and a graduate of Hull University’s MBA program achieving distinction. Graham works with SME owners helping them develop and implement strategies for growth. Always an adventurous soul, Graham’s early career was spent in the Merchant Navy joining directly from school and served on deep-sea vessels before moving on to offshore support vessels, progressing to Captain.

He then spent the next 24 years of his career drying out, whilst working for the world’s largest supplier of marine support for the offshore petroleum sector, Tidewater Marine. Still hungry for travel, Graham held a number of international sales and operational roles within the publically listed company, based in New Orleans, Singapore and then Dubai.

In 1996 he took on his first general management role, heading up a joint enterprise between Tidewater and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. Tasked with turning around an underperforming $25 million turnover venture before his employer’s impending departure, Graham of course succeeded, gaining an exit price way above expectation.

After a further three years as vice president of international sales and marketing, back in his old stomping ground of New Orleans, Graham was headhunted and appointed to the board of V Group.

BRENDAN O'GRADY
TIER ONE CAPITAL

Brendan O’Grady is one of the owners of Tier One Capital Financial Services Limited and a Director of Tier One Capital FM Limited, a North East based fund management firm that acts as investment adviser for Develop North Plc, a main market listed investment trust.  Develop North’s remit is to provide development funding to regional developers based in the north of England and Scotland.

As Fund Manager, Brendan is the principal point of contact for new loans to be considered.  Suitable loans are then presented to Tier One’s credit committee with final sanction from the Develop North board.  They have the ability to provide senior and mezzanine loans for residential and commercial developments from £0.5m up to £5.0m. Brendan is a chartered accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and is also an associate member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers.