Joel is a multi-award-winning businessman, thought leader and international business speaker. His core expertise is helping organisations develop inclusive business support models, strategies and ecosystems. 

He is the Founder & CEO of www.gfaexchange.com, an award-winning B2B fintech startup that helps financial lenders predict who your best and least growing customers will be, and why.

Joel’s passion for innovating traditional business support models has to led to a range of regional and national activity, including authoring independent reports on the growth needs of business owners for the government and financial institutions, and launching regional think-tanks on business and social impact. He has lectured at several globally recognised business schools and often speaks on entrepreneurship, inclusive leadership, and diversity within technology. He was also the former Executive for Growing Business and Access to Finance (GBSLEP) and a Start Up Britain Ambassador.

Joel is also the President of the Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce, Board Director of Birmingham Tech, one of the UK’s largest more than profit technology clusters, Chair of youth employment charity, Employability UK and a Fellow of the Centre for Entrepreneurs

Joel was awarded an OBE for Services to Business Support and Enterprise in 2016.