Kevin Gaskell, who as CEO turned round the fortunes of Porsche, BMW and luxury boat builders Fairline, brought the conference to a finale with a stirring call  to “believe it, inspire it, achiever it”.

First, he said, business leaders should make a positive commitment to change, then connect with teams by implement plans with a visible process that gave people opportunities to contribute and create the magic of shared achievement.

Peppering his presentation with tales of exploits like parachute jumping and journeys to the North and South Poles to raise money for a cancer treatment centre, he urged delegates to “start with the end in mind and work backwards”.  “I believe it starts with a dream,” he said.

One “keep it simpler” technique he shared was his ‘ideas wall’ – a sheet of AO paper on which people could pin their own ideas and suggestions. “It’s better than a PowerPoint presentation because it’s big and can’t be filed and forgotten,” he said.