Adam is founder of GRPZ Sports, a sports socks brand... And in 2025, GRPZ became the FIRST sports socks brand in history to partner with a Premier League football team! He has also partnered with Decathalon Marketplace (Online) where you can but his socks. Adam will be able to provide a unique perspective as a founder at an extremely young age. Uniting sport with business, this guarantees for a unique and empowering standpoint. Adam can also cover unique perspectives such as ageism, discrimination, and other barriers as a young founder, whilst also showing that young boys can use their passion to make a fantastic and successful life for themselves.

Alana is the Continuous Improvements Lead at Aurora Energy Services, her fourth role at the company within two years after joining as a summer intern.

She graduated from the University of St Andrews in 2024 with a First Class joint-subject degree in Sustainable Development and Geography, after having attended high school in the US and England, applying to university from overseas. At St Andrews, she balanced her studies alongside part-time employment and a role as President of the Powerlifting team, helping to grow awareness of the sport and encourage more female involvement.

Following her studies and summer internship, Alana enjoyed 5 months of backpacking in Latin America before moving to Aberdeen to accept a permanent role at Aurora, and has recently joined AYP as Treasurer where she is looking forward to developing her professional and social network in her new home.

Caroline Laurenson is the Managing Director and co-founder of TL Tech, a smart home technology specialist based in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. TL Tech is an award-winning IoT services provider and voice app developer championing accessible technology for the home, working across housing, health and social care as an innovation delivery partner.

Caroline’s main area of interest is in conversational AI. She is the host of the European Chatbot and Conversational AI Summit in Edinburgh, which is held annually in early spring. In 2023, Caroline was named a Top 200 Women in Conversational AI at an international event held in Tennessee.

As well as running her business, Caroline is a Non-Executive Director on the board of North East Scotland College, runs the Women in Tech Aberdeen monthly meet-ups and regularly volunteers as a STEM Ambassador.

Danielle has a background in marketing and communications, holding a BA (Hons) in Management with Marketing (2:1) and an MSc in Corporate Communications and Public Affairs with Distinction. She was also recognised as the top-performing student in her 2024 cohort.

Her experience spans corporate, public sector, and consultancy environments, covering content creation, digital strategy, media relations, and public affairs for clients across the energy, infrastructure, sustainability, and technology sectors.

Currently, Danielle focuses on income generation for a local charity dedicated to improving the lives of neurodivergent individuals and those with additional support needs, while also supporting with marketing, communications, public affairs, and events. She has also recently been appointed Sponsorship Coordinator at Aberdeen Young Professionals.

She is passionate about establishing herself a positive female role model, balancing the demands of building a successful professional career while raising her five-year-old daughter.

We’re delighted to be joined by Davy Shanks as our host for the event. A highly respected journalist and presenter in the North East, Davy has spent over a decade covering major stories across the UK and internationally for leading broadcasters including BBC, STV and ITN, where he currently reports for 5 News.

Alongside his broadcasting work, Davy is a lecturer in journalism at Robert Gordon University, where he supports and inspires the next generation of media talent, teaching news writing, video journalism and public affairs. Davy is passionate about storytelling and connecting with audiences across different platforms, from national news to digital media.

Emma joins us as a 2^nd year (almost 3^rd year) Graduate Apprentice, who is combining her degree qualification in Business Management, whilst holding a full time role within the Finance team at STR Choosing this type of learning has allowed Emma to develop her business principles and theory while applying learning directly in the workplace, opening doors to additional responsibilities and allowing her to become involved in wider commercial activities across the business.

Emma is passionate about professional development and making the most of opportunities available to young professionals. She can discuss the benefits of apprenticeships, the value of continuous learning, and how stepping outside your comfort zone can accelerate both personal and professional growth. Emma's experiences demonstrate that determination, resilience, and a willingness to embrace new challenges can create exciting opportunities for success, regardless of where you start your career journey.

Jack Slessor has experienced an accelerated career in his short time in the workplace since graduating from Robert Gordon University. He has received two promotions and has experience in various departments, now working as a Key Account Manager. Jack began his first role in October 2024 at ESWL as a Sales Administrator, before undertaking a more client facing role as Internal Sales Representative, focusing on business development, and now serving as a KAM managing top ESWL cliental.

Jack has consistently shown a strong willingness to develop himself as a professional, which has led to increased opportunities, reaching highs within the industry in a short period of time and receiving multiple recognitions within his workplace, shown via LinkedIn.

Katie Watson is a Relationship Manager at the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce. She graduated with Honours in Politics and International Relations from the University of Aberdeen in 2023 and is passionate about driving regional growth and creating meaningful opportunities that benefit local communities.

In 2025, Katie was proud to be named the British Chamber of Commerce UK Rising Star and was recognised among the Top 100 Business Women in Scotland by BWS.

Alongside her professional role, Katie serves as Chair of Aberdeen Young Professionals and sits on the board of directors for Culture North East. In 2026, she was nominated for Young Alum of the Year at the University of Aberdeen Alumni Awards. A dedicated advocate for young professionals, Katie regularly contributes as a podcast guest and public speaker across Scotland, championing the voice of the next generation in the North East.

I first developed an interest in business while still at school, which led me to complete a Business Skills Foundation Apprenticeship in my final year. As part of this, I was placed with Odfjell Technology, where I spent two afternoons a week working across a range of departments. During my time there, I helped design a framework for their apprentice programme, as they had not previously employed apprentices. I presented my findings and recommendations with confidence to the senior leadership team, which was a valuable and rewarding experience.

After leaving school, I progressed into a full-time role with KR Group, where I am currently completing a Modern Apprenticeship in Business and Administration. I have been with the company for almost a year and am now around halfway through my apprenticeship. Alongside my day-to-day role, I have particularly enjoyed opportunities such as attending careers fairs, where I’ve been able to support and inspire other young people considering similar pathways.

My name is Theo, and I am 16 years old. I have lived in Peterhead all my life and currently attend Peterhead Academy. From a young age, I have always enjoyed working with numbers, which developed into a strong interest in finance and accountancy. To further pursue this interest and build on the knowledge I gained through National 5 Accounting, I recently completed a Foundation Apprenticeship in Accountancy. I thoroughly enjoyed the course, which broadened my understanding of the profession and introduced me to the many career pathways available within the industry.

One of the highlights of the programme was completing a week-long work placement with AAB. This experience provided valuable insight into the professional working environment and allowed me to gain first-hand experience within the accountancy sector. In particular, I greatly enjoyed my time in the audit department, which confirmed my ambition to pursue a career in audit.

As part of the course, I also completed a professional accountancy examination, giving me an appreciation of the academic and professional requirements involved in becoming a Chartered Accountant. Based on my predicted grades this year, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to choose between attending university and pursuing a Graduate Apprenticeship. I am delighted to have successfully secured a place through AAB’s highly competitive recruitment process. As a result, I will be returning to the firm's audit department to undertake a Graduate Apprenticeship, and I am very much looking forward to beginning this exciting next stage of my career.