Greg Nieuwenhuys – Senior Partner, Generative AI Strategy

How to unlock the power of Generative AI for outdoor brands and retailers

Synopsis  

Outdoor consumers are demanding more and more experiences, faster product cycles and sustainability credentials. Generative AI can help with all three, provided you know where to start. Outdoor industry veteran and Generative AI Strategy Senior Partner, Greg Nieuwenhuys, will demystify the technology and show you how to translate it into commercial wins. Greg will give an introduction to Generative AI, its different forms and available tools, and how it can benefit your company’s operations to improve your customer experience.

About Greg

Greg Nieuwenhuys is a seasoned outdoor industry leader with significant experience as CEO of Bever (2011-2015), CEO of the Cotswold Outdoor Group (2016-2019), and CEO and then Chair of Mammut (2021-2024). He has also chaired Wattbike and currently serves as Chair of Nodor, the global leader in darts. Over the last two years, Greg has embraced generative AI, passionately helping over 50 management teams practically integrate this technology with a human-focused approach, delivering impressive, real-world results. Greg, originally from the Netherlands, lives in the UK and is an avid ultra-endurance athlete and father of five.

Jessica Butcher MBE – CEO and Founder, ScrollAware

Brand Responsibility & Opportunity in the Age of Overwhelm, Distraction & Tech Addiction

Synopsis  

Jess provides context on many of the worrying by-products of societal screen-addiction from the dramatic recent rises in loneliness and anxiety to polarisation, attention-deficit and obesity. She shares with us her ‘Less Scroll, More Soul’ rallying call – as all is not lost. We know the value of our industry but how can we better position it as an antidote to all the overwhelm and doom that infects so many today? The tide can turn if all those in the business of real-world antidotes come together to better market the alternatives. This means us.

About Jessica

Jessica Butcher MBE is the CEO and founder of ‘ScrollAware’, a social enterprise dedicated to building a business alliance to advocate for a more ethical approach to the ramifications of the attention (‘addiction’) economy and the launch of a collective-action consumer campaign: ‘Less Scroll, More Soul’.An award-winning tech entrepreneur by background (Fortune’s Most Powerful Female Entrepreneurs, BBC 100 Women, Europe’s Top 50 Inspiring Women in Tech, 3x TedX speaker and MBE recipient), she has also sat on the board of the Government’s Equality and Human Rights Commission.  Now turned social entrepreneur, her ScrollAware alliance has already attracted the interest of many leading global brands and influential personalities for its Q1’26 launch.

Dr Shaunna Burke – Associate Professor, University of Leeds

Dying to Climb: Resilience in Every Step

Synopsis

From a cancer diagnosis to climbing Everest, this talk explores the mindset that turns fear into fuel and shows how resilience can carry you through life’s greatest challenges.

About Shaunna

Shaunna Burke PhD is an Associate Professor at the University of Leeds. Her research focuses on prehabilitation and the ways in which exercise and psychological mindset contribute to improved outcomes among individuals facing cancer.

An accomplished mountaineer, Shaunna became the second Canadian woman to summit Mount Everest. She has also climbed Mount Elbrus (Russia), Mount Aconcagua (Argentina), Island Peak and Lobuche East (Nepal), and completed the Mont Blanc traverse. (Italy to France). Before turning to mountaineering, Shaunna was an elite Alpine Ski Racer.

Diagnosed with incurable breast cancer in 2024, Shaunna turned her mission into one of resilience and purpose. In 2025 she ran the Everest Marathon and climbed Lobuche East, raising vital funds for a cancer charity. In spring 2026, she will return to Everest to attempt the summit, proving that even with incurable cancer, the climb continues.

Jonathan Travers-Smith – CEO & Founder, Hot Pot

400 Million Adventurers: Navigating the Chinese Outdoor Opportunity

Synopsis

China is rapidly shifting from the “World’s Factory” to the “World’s Playground”, with an estimated 400 million active outdoor consumers — a participation-led market shaped by Gen Z and female shoppers. In this keynote, Jonathan will share the key trends – from glamping and winter sports to ‘gorpcore’ – as well as the digital platforms driving them, before translating this into clear, practical opportunities for UK brands, retailers and experience providers looking to engage Chinese consumers and visitors.

About Jonathan

Catherine Flitcroft – Head of Access and Environment at The British Mountaineering Council (BMC)

About Catherine

Having completed a BSc in Environmental Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh, Cath spent many years in the Scottish wilderness as an archaeologist.  She then undertook her PhD at Edinburgh looking at Blanket Peat initiation in south west Scotland.  She moved to the Peak District in 2000 and began working with the Peak District National Park Authority (Moors for the Future) as Research Manager and Blanket Bog expert.

In 2006, Cath joined the BMC as their Access and Conservation Officer. Her work covers a wide range of areas including policy and legislation, providing Secretariat to the Mountaineering APPG, campaign work, and leading on the BMC’s sustainability and climate change work.

From a LinkedIn message to a £50k partnership: how being true to your values should be the basis for your next collaboration

Jessica Glover – Head of Development, Campaign for National Parks

Tessa Holmes – Sustainability and Impact Manager at Canopy & Stars and Sawday’s

About Jessica

Jessica joined Campaign for National Parks in April 2022 and now leads on fundraising, partnerships and income growth. With a background in digital marketing, she discovered her passion for fundraising while helping to deliver a capital appeal to build a new library. Since then, she has held development roles across a range of sectors – from concert halls and dance theatres to independent education and youth homelessness – building a versatile track record across multiple income streams.

At Campaign for National Parks, Jessica has helped expand and diversify the charity’s income, secure large-scale projects and strengthen the organisation’s brand and reach. She also forges partnerships with values-driven organisations, such as Canopy & Stars, to champion the future of the UK’s National Parks.

About Tessa

Tessa Holmes is the Sustainability and Impact Manager for travel brands Canopy & Stars and Sawday’s, where she leads efforts to use business as a force for good. Tessa develops and delivers impact strategies across the brands. She oversees the carbon reduction strategy, manages charitable partnerships, and ensures the company stays true to its ethical commitments. Her work is driven by a deep belief that travel should not only inspire people but also protect and regenerate the natural world that makes it possible.

Darren Whittington – Deputy Director General, Camping and Caravanning Club

About Darren

The Camping and Caravanning Club is the oldest club of its type and is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. Darren has worked at the Club for almost 20 years and has a wealth of experience in all of the Club’s operations, including Club Sites, Membership, and the Service Centre. He is currently the Deputy Director General with additional responsibilities for People, Operations and Property. Additionally, he serves as Secretary to numerous Committees across the Club, including the National Youth Committee, inspiring the next generation of campers and members.

Hayley Skipper – Director of Operations, Commercial Visitor Development, Forestry England

About Hayley

Hayley leads Forestry England’s recreation and leisure business. Since joining the organisation in 2007 she has developed national programmes such as Forest Art Works and the centenary programme, celebrating 100 years of forestry in 2019.

Prior to this Hayley worked in the cultural sector and developed collaborations with private, public and third sector partners. Hayley is a Trustee of Art Gene, a regular judge, selector and advisor to the Royal Horticultural Society and alumna of the Clore Leadership and Creative Climate Leadership programmes.

Mike Seaman – CEO, Raccoon Media Group

About Mike

Mike is the CEO and founder of Raccoon Events, a multi-channel media business that provides content and connections for people who love being active outside, and the company behind the National Running Show, The National Snow Show, The National Cycling Show, The National Outdoor Expo and OutsideAndActive.com. He is a keen runner who loves ultramarathons and generally being outdoors at any opportunity.

Christian Schneidermeier – General Manager, European Outdoor Group

About Christian

After 13 years of successfully leading the German mountain sports brand ORTOVOX as CEO, Christian changed sides and became the Managing Director of the European Outdoor Group (EOG) since February 2025. EOG is the voice of the European Outdoor sector, representing the whole value chain from supplier to brand to retailer and is the platform to facilitate collaboration within the sector, which is the key factor for being future-ready. In his first year at EOG Christian had to deal with some major topics around the Outdoor sector, like transforming the internal organization, developing the market data project OMIS and cancelling the Outdoor trade show 2025 in Munich and setting up a complete new format with the European Outdoor Week in May 2026. Not to forget many projects in sustainability, because the preamble of the new program EOG 2.0 says that there is no business on a dead planet.

Marc Anderman, Head of Cycling & Outdoors & Sporting Insights

About Marc

Marc joined Sporting Insights in 2020 to build on the company’s activities in the cycling and outdoor industries. He brings a deep knowledge of the business and research alongside rich experience across the sports and leisure sector. Marc first worked at Sports Marketing Surveys as it was then called, between 1997 and 2001, where he was heavily involved with the company’s first retail audits and was instrumental in the launch of business in Australia. Marc then moved into the world of major events – which included planning and operating leading Ladies European Tour & European Tour events including the Solheim Cup, before starting his own sports consultancy to provide services to brands, sponsors, rights holders, media, agencies and players. Currently he’s involved in the expansion of the Outdoor Market Intelligence Service (OMIS) into France & Dach and showing how robust, insightful data can help outdoor brands, retailers, and distributors to understand opportunities in challenging market conditions.

Jordan Wright, Head of Communications, EOCA

About Jordan

Jordan leads communications at EOCA, shaping how the organisation shares the story of its conservation work and the collective impact of its members across Europe and beyond.

Her work has consistently centred on one core challenge, about how to communicate clearly when the issues are complex and the stakes are high. She has worked with climate-led organisations at the intersection of climate action, culture and community, helping teams find clarity in their messaging and confidence in their voice.

She has led European-wide communications across multiple country teams, delivered flagship campaigns aligned with major policy moments and global events, and supported boards and senior leaders to navigate narrative clarity, risk and consistency.

At EOCA, she is passionate about translating conservation impact into stories that are both credible and human — stories that connect people to the landscapes and communities they care about. For her, communications is not about visibility for its own sake, but about alignment, trust and long-term impact.

Andrew Denton – CEO

As well as welcoming delegates, opening and closing the Summit, Andrew will be presenting the OIA’s Annual Review and apart from presenting his own sessions he is the main moderator for the whole event.

About Andrew

Our Chief Executive, Andrew Denton will take centre stage to deliver The Summit agenda and explain what the OIA had been doing over the last 12 months.

Andrew has been working in the outdoors since 1984, starting his career in outdoor education and then moving on to a series of senior management & ownership roles in businesses such as Rohan, Mountain Equipment, Sprayway, the Outdoor Sports Company and now ownership of several indoor climbing walls.

He is best known as the modern founder and co-owner of the international technical brand Mountain Equipment where he built the brand over 17 years and then sold in 2003 to The Bollin Group. Andrew has been CEO of the OIA since August 2011.

Nick Giles, OBE – Chairperson, OIA Board, and MD, Ordnance Survey

About Nick

In October 2013 Nick took on additional responsibility for retail business at OS and in September 2015 also took on the executive responsibility of Director of Marketing & Communications. He became a Non-Executive Director of Dennis Maps Ltd in December 2015. Nick now leads all consumer activity within OS with the focus on helping more people to get outside more often. In May 2018 Nick also became a Board member of the UK Outdoor Industries Association and is the Chair of the Association. Nick is an avid outdoor enthusiast, an enthusiastic mountain biker and is passionate about the benefits of an active outdoor lifestyle. In January 2022 he was awarded an OBE for his work in improving the health of the nation.

Liz Beverley – Chairperson, OIA Development Board & Sales & Marketing Director, Plas y Brenin

About Liz

Liz has served on the Development Board since 2020, including as Vice-Chairperson. Liz is currently Sales & Marketing Director at Plas y Brenin – National Outdoor Centre, having previously led Ordnance Survey’s (OS) #GetOutside initiative from 2014 to 2024. Passionate about shifting perceptions and driving behavioural change, Liz is committed to promoting the importance of the outdoors, its impact on future generations, and the value of education and skill-building to help people thrive outside.

Dom Winter – Climate Action Consultant, OIA & Head of Advocacy, Protect Our winters (POW)

About Dom

Dom leads education, policy asks, and plays a key part in campaign development, at Protect Our Winters UK – the UK chapter of POW, climate change charity for the outdoors community and industry. He also works part time as an environmental action consultant for the Outdoor Industries Association. He has a wide range of environmental skills and knowledge, with depth in organisational sustainability, outdoor sports, and the implementation of renewable energy. Dom has a First Class Master’s degree in Engineering, with specialisms in renewable energy and systems thinking, and he is a Practitioner member, Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (PIEMA).

Nat Jackson – OIA Development Board, Women’s Network Lead and Development Manager (Corporate Partnerships), The Outward Bound Trust

About Nat

Nat is part of the Outward Bound Trust’s Corporate Partnerships team, helping companies and those working in them to support the work of Outward Bound – showing young people through wild adventure that they can do more than they think. Nat started her career in the legal world, as a Litigation Solicitor and later Director of a law firm in the North of England. Finding herself with a place in the London Marathon (and no prior running experience), she learned that she could do more than she thought she could. Nat left the law to found and run a training company using physical activity to show others that they can probably do more than they think they can too. She ran (pun intended) Totally Runable Ltd for 9 years, working in that time with thousands of women and girls across Yorkshire. She has campaigned to close the gender sport gap in primary schools, been a Director of Barnsley Women’s Football Club, and hosted the See Sporty Be Sporty podcast, interviewing Olympians and adventurers. She continues this work as a Director of non-profit See Sporty Be Sporty CIC, and as a UEFA C football coach with a passion for closing the gender gap in youth football. Nat passionately believes in the stretching of comfort zones and doing more than you think you can.

Philippa Cox – OIA Development Board Member & Corporate Partnerships Manager, Youth Adventure Trust (YAT)

About Phillipa

Philippa has been the Corporate Partnerships Manager at the Youth Adventure Trust since 2017, combining her passion for youth development with her ambition for creating meaningful relationships. In her role, she works to build and sustain corporate partnerships that provide vital support for the trust’s programmes, enabling more vulnerable young people to access outdoor activities that build confidence, resilience, and positive aspirations. Philippa began her career in corporate event management, where she developed her skills in relationship-building and strategic collaboration. Her transition to the Youth Adventure Trust reflects her commitment to creating opportunities that empower young people through adventure and the power of the outdoors. Outside of work, Philippa is a keen long-distance cyclist who is always planning her next destination to explore on two wheels.

Dan Trapp – OIA Development Board Member & Headhunter, Sports+Outdoor Search

About Dan

Dan has been building Hig-performance teams in the Sports and Outdoor industry for more than thirty years.  Thanks to decades of leadership experience in brands and retail, along with a deep multi-industry network, he now sources, nurtures and assesses leadership talent for the clients of his recruitment business Sports+Outdoor Search.

Dan is also the founder of Sports+Outdoor Mentors, a podcast and LinkedIn page providing value to anyone working in the Sporting Goods and Outdoor industries.