Leading tech entrepreneur Michael Wood heads speaker line-up for CLA Next Generation Conference & Dinner

Renowned tech entrepreneur Michael Wood, Founder of Translucent and Co-Founder of Dext (formerly Receipt Bank) has been confirmed as the keynote speaker for this year's CLA Next Generation Conference & Dinner on 28 and 29 April.

As a pioneering founder who built one of the UK’s leading digital accounting platforms, Michael will share insights on scaling innovation, leading through change, and harnessing technology to create smarter, more resilient businesses. His story offers invaluable inspiration for members preparing to take on leadership roles in an increasingly digital rural economy.

As well as hearing Michael’s story of innovation in accounting technology, we will have the opportunity to hear from CLA President Gavin Lane at the dinner on Tuesday 28 April.

Taking place at the beautiful Cripps venue, Thorpe Garden at Thorpe Estate, near Tamworth, this year’s conference promises inspiring keynote speakers, interactive workshops, and practical insights into diversification, resilience, and growth centred on the theme ‘Building Rural Futures: Leadership, Innovation & Opportunity.’

The morning programme features two dynamic sessions: Shaping the Rural Landscape: Reimagined Land Management, which explores how farms and estates are building long‑term resilience through innovative business models, adaptive land‑use strategies and practical examples of diversification and collaboration; and In Their Own Words: The Realities of Stepping Up in Rural Enterprise, which offers honest, real‑life accounts from successors taking on farms, estates and rural enterprises, highlighting both the emotional realities and practical challenges of succession while sharing valuable insights into innovation, responsibility and navigating change and opportunity.

Chaired by CLA Vice President Eliza Ecclestone, speakers include:

• Tim Hopkin, Founder and CEO of Land App. a digital platform that enables land managers to map, measure, and manage their land more efficiently and effectively. Tim will share his farming background, the creation of Land App, and his forward‑looking approach to innovation, culture and collaboration in land management.
• Henry Rossiter, Belmont Estate
• Alice Favre, Chettle Estate
• Emily McVeigh, Kenton Hall Estate

New for this year’s event, the afternoon features a choice of three practical, hands‑on workshops designed to give delegates tools they can immediately apply to their own businesses. Sessions include assessing assets and identifying viable business opportunities; building a strong digital presence through effective social media and online marketing; and understanding funding routes, from lender expectations to grants and alternative finance. Each workshop combines short presentations, guided exercises, group discussion and take‑home resources, offering tailored insights from industry experts Carter Jonas, KOR Communications and CLA Finance provided by Ashbridge Partners.

The CLA Next Generation Conference and Dinner is a must-attend event for ambitious rural entrepreneurs, landowners, and future business leaders, providing the ideal platform discuss personal and future business development, and the opportunities and challenges facing the rural economy.

Don't miss out on this invaluable networking opportunity, which offers a chance to discuss current topics and gain practical strategies to help your business succeed.

Tickets (including VAT):

• £114 per person for CLA members
• £199 per person for non-members

Places are limited and prioritised for next generation members and young rural professionals.

We are delighted to partner with Carter Jonas as headline sponsor, with Albert Goodman joining as supporting partner for the conference dinner.

If you have any questions about this event, please email nextgen@cla.org.uk.