Following the inaugural event in April, the Young Leaders series is back – this time turning the spotlight on the technology reshaping how the drinks industry works.
London, UK When Fero (formerly Ferovinum) hosted the first Young Leaders gathering in April, the evening produced some important truths about the state of the drinks trade: a generation of ambitious professionals who want to stay, but are asking serious questions about whether the industry is ready to meet them where they are.
One theme that the group was keen to tackle and eager to embrace and it came up in polling on the night, but also in the conversations over wine, and in the feedback afterwards: AI. How to use it. Whether to use it. And frankly, whether the drinks industry is moving fast enough to keep pace with the professionals now entering it.
The next Young Leaders event will take place on 23 July at Fero HQ, and it will tackle that question directly.
The session will feature a hands-on deep dive led by James Grant, co-founder of AI consultancy iwantmore.ai. Grant and his firm of practitioners are working at the sharp end of AI adoption for businesses right now. Rather than a high-level overview of what AI could do, James will focus on what people can actually do. Expect practical, accessible tools and approaches that professionals across sales, operations, buying, logistics and marketing can start applying immediately, regardless of where they are on the learning curve.
Following James's session, the floor will open for discussion: a structured Q&A and open exchange where attendees can share what they're already experimenting with, ask the questions they might not want to ask in front of their managers and learn from peers across different corners of the industry.
Why AI, why now
Olly Lawson, who has helped in shaping the Young Leaders programme, says the choice of topic was straightforward: "AI kept coming up at the April event. Not as abstract future-gazing, but as a real, live concern. People are already using these tools in their day-to-day work, often without any guidance or framework from their employers. This session is about giving young professionals the chance to get practical, honest advice and to learn from each other."
Hamish Kirwan, who is co-leading with Lawson on the Young Leaders initiative at Fero, echoes that: "What struck me about the April event was that the most energised conversations happened when we talked about what the future of the industry actually looks like. AI was right at the centre of that. It's something we want to keep returning to, because it's not going away. If anything, it's moving faster than most businesses in this sector are comfortable admitting. The Young Leaders series is going to keep putting the real questions on the table, and AI adoption is one of the biggest."
The bigger picture
The April event established a clear direction of travel for Young Leaders: a series that doesn't just celebrate the industry, but equips the people building careers in it with the skills and knowledge to do so with more confidence and agency.
Future sessions aim to continue focusing on the practical side of professional development, commercial skills, business literacy, career navigation. AI literacy no doubt will be a recurring thread. The message from April's polling was that young professionals in drinks want to build something new, not just preserve what exists.
The July session is designed to help them do exactly that.
Places are limited. Please register your interest to attend here.
