Business News


Conference to learn how $2bn firm became cream of the crop


By Dan Harrison


The boss of one of the world’s biggest ice cream brands is among the keynote speakers at the Chamber’s first global trade conference this month. Doug Bouton, the CEO of Halo Top


International, will be joining the digital conference on 24 June from his Chicago base to deliver a practical session on innovation and “de- mystifying” how firms think about it. A lower-calorie ice cream alternative, Halo Top


sells to a host of countries including the US, UK, Australia, Mexico, Canada, Germany, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. The brand was founded in 2012 by Doug and


co-founder Justin Woolverton. It recovered from a difficult start – with the co-founders having to plead US supermarkets to keep it in their freezers – and grew into a business that is now reportedly worth $2bn.


‘The goal will be to give a presentation that has practical and tangible takeaways for the other businesses in attendance’


With little money to spend on marketing,


Doug and Justin worked hard to promote the brand on social media and, in 2016, Halo Top was American’s biggest selling ‘pint’ of ice cream, ahead of industry leaders Ben & Jerry’s and Haagen-Dazs. The Chamber conference will be Doug’s first


speaking opportunity outside the United States and he told Chamberlink: “I'm really excited about it. I'm


Doug Bouton


not much for monologues and giving speeches so I hope to engage in a dialogue with those in attendance and make it more of a conversation. “The general plan to is to share how we think


about innovation, including de-mystifying it so you understand that you don't have to be a rocket scientist to do any of this stuff and how your innovation strategy can and should change at various stages in the lifecycle of a company. “The goal will be to give a presentation that


has practical and tangible takeaways for the other businesses in attendance.” Asked about the importance of the UK market


to Halo Top, the 34-year-old says: “It's hard to overstate this one - it's the single biggest and most important market for Halo Top International. “We have a UK office with more than 15


employees, and our entire EMEA (Europe/Middle East/Africa) business is run out of the UK office.” The digital conference – which has a theme of


resuming global trade after Covid-19 - will form part of a week of international activities. RSM duo Simon Hart and Joe Brusuelas have


also been confirmed for the event, having delivered economic updates at the Chamber’s Transatlantic Conferences over the past two years. Former Bloomberg chief economist Mr


Brusuelas has more than 20 years’ experience in finance and economics, while Mr Hart sits on the board of RSM UK as international partner, with responsibilities to promote the firm to the global market. Chamber patron Curium Solutions is also participating in the conference, with co-founder Andy Dawson and Curium US managing director Dan Entwistle discussing business resilience and adapting during the Covid-19 pandemic. Chamber international director Mandy Haque


said: “At the Chamber we promote business resilience, and where better to show this than by adapting our international conference, full of rich content, to a digital platform. “I see this as an opportunity to reach out truly


globally to audiences that we wouldn’t have been able to do on such a scale if it were a physical conference.” The conference is free to attend for Chamber members and non-members.


For more information visit www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com


High-profile firms


support conference The global trade conference has received backing from some high-profile sponsors. Birmingham City University, whose


Robert ‘Woody’ Johnson


Liz Truss Political big-hitters join line-up


Political heavyweights from the UK and US will be joining the Chamber’s inaugural trade conference. Robert ‘Woody’ Johnson has served as the US


ambassador to the UK since August 2017 when he was nominated by President Donald Trump. Ambassador Johnson has served for more


than 30 years as the chairman and CEO of New York-based The Johnson Company, a private asset management firm which was founded in 1978. He is also the owner of the New York Jets American football team. In politics, he has served on the President’s


Export Council, the President’s Commission on White House Fellows and he is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Ambassador Johnson earned a BA from the


University of Arizona and currently lives in London with wife Suzanne and their two sons. Liz Truss is the UK’s Secretary of State for


International Trade and has served in the role since July 2019. The MP for South West Norfolk has held a


number of positions in Government including Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Secretary of Stage for Justice and Chief Secretary to the Treasury.


deputy vice-chancellor Professor Julian Beer is president of the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce, is supporting the event as a headline sponsor. Freight forwarding firm WM International,


accountants RSM and cyber-security experts METCloud are also on board as headline sponsors and will deliver webinars as part of a week of international-themed activities. Meanwhile, global financial services firm


Western Union and Lichfield-based web development agency Cocoonfxmedia have signed up as session sponsors. Western Union will sponsor a ‘Global


Economic Impact’ session and Cocoonfxmedia are supporting a session on ‘International Innovation’.


For more information on sponsorship opportunities contact Russell Ashman on r.ashman@birmingham-chamber.com


June/July 2020 CHAMBERLINK 13


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