Sahar Hashemi Keynote Speaker

Sahar Hashemi is a proven leader who transforms bold ideas into industry-defining brands and reawakens entrepreneurial energy where it has been lost. A serial entrepreneur and strategic innovator, she has launched and scaled three disruptive businesses, each rooted in customer insight and driven by purposeful execution.

She co-founded Coffee Republic, the UK’s first US-style coffee chain, which helped shift the nation’s identity from tea drinkers to coffee lovers. She then launched Skinny Candy, pioneering a new category of sugar-free confectionery. Today, she leads Buy Women Built, a high-impact commercial movement reshaping how consumers and retailers engage with women-founded businesses.

What started as a single tweet during the pandemic has become a national platform. With over 2,000 women-built brands generating more than £2.5 billion in turnover, Buy Women Built is actively reshaping consumer behavior. Retailers including Ocado, Whole Foods, QVC, Planet Organic, and TikTok Shop have embraced the initiative, recognizing the value of visibility in driving commercial performance.

Sahar brings deep insight into the systemic blockers that stifle innovation—outdated processes, excessive caution, and an overreliance on certainty. Her bestselling books, Anyone Can Do It and Start-Up Forever, have inspired a global audience by demystifying entrepreneurship and offering practical frameworks for embedding agility, accountability, and customer-centric thinking within established organizations.

She has been recognized globally for her leadership. Named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and honored by Queen Elizabeth II as a Pioneer to the Life of the Nation, Sahar received an OBE for her services to the economy and charity. She has advised government through her roles on the UK Secretary of State for Business’ Entrepreneurs Forum and as Co-Chair of the UK Government Scale Up Taskforce.

Sahar delivers more than inspiration. She equips leaders with the mindset and tools to drive sustained innovation and commercial relevance. Through compelling storytelling and real-world examples, she challenges audiences to rethink legacy habits, reengage with customers, and lead with purpose, clarity, and urgency.

Sahar Hashemi empowers organizations to lead with entrepreneurial energy—and create lasting impact from the inside out.