The world is now the stage for foremost British-Nigerian FIFA licensed football agent, brand strategist and entrepreneur, Dr Drew Uyi, as he has been headhunted to be one of the distinguished speakers at the Stephen Akintayo Foundation’s 2026 Business Growth Conference, scheduled to take place in London and the United States of America.
Top business owners, entrepreneurs, investors, professionals and aspiring leaders from various parts of the world will descend on London from October 10 and 11, 2026, for the Business Growth Conference 2026.
The London edition is slated as a two-day programme at the Millennium Hotel and Conference Centre Gloucester London, with the event designed to provide participants with access to business leaders, practical growth strategies and opportunities for high-level networking.
The conference is being promoted as a platform for entrepreneurs and professionals seeking to expand their businesses, improve their leadership capabilities, explore investment opportunities and develop connections beyond their immediate markets.
Among the speakers announced for the conference are Dr Stephen Akintayo, Dr Cosmas Maduka, Dr George Fraser, Dr Stella Immanuel, Paul Foh, Dr Olumide Emmanuel, Dr Drew Uyi and Sam Fongho.
The conference’s official website confirms two editions for October 2026, the London edition on October 10–11 and the United States edition in Houston on October 24–25. It also indicates that participants can select either edition.
One of the speakers attracting attention ahead of the London conference is Dr Drew Uyi, a London-based FIFA-licensed football agent, brand strategist and athlete brand educator whose professional career has brought together sports representation, marketing, personal branding and commercial development.
According to Drew Uyi’s official biography, he studied Sports and Events Management at London Metropolitan University and later obtained a postgraduate qualification in Marketing from the University of the Arts London. He is also described as a FIFA-licensed football agent and brand strategist who has worked with prominent figures in African football and entertainment.
Drew Uyi’s experience extends beyond football transfers. His work has increasingly focused on the commercial value of personal branding and how professionals, athletes and entrepreneurs can position themselves for opportunities in competitive international markets.
His philosophy is particularly relevant to a business-growth gathering because he has consistently emphasised the relationship between reputation, visibility, communication and commercial value.
At a 2024 investors’ forum in London organised by property investor Samuel Leeds, Drew Uyi spoke to more than 500 real-estate investors about personal branding. According to The Guardian Nigeria, his presentation addressed self-branding, investment in one’s brand, consistency, reputation, leveraging media and adding value to others.
That places Drew Uyi at an interesting intersection between traditional entrepreneurship and the increasingly important global economy of personal reputation.
Uyi’s career in football provides a practical example of how professional expertise can extend into commercial branding.
His official profile states that he has worked with African football stars including Wilfred Ndidi, Ahmed Musa and Odion Ighalo, while providing services connected to player representation and athlete branding.
His approach is based on the idea that sporting performance and commercial identity can reinforce one another. For athletes, a strong public profile can influence sponsorship opportunities, endorsements and commercial partnerships. For entrepreneurs and professionals, the same principle can apply to how they communicate expertise, establish credibility and build relationships.
That theme has also featured in Uyi’s speaking engagements.
At the Deal Done Serbia football-business summit, where he served as a keynote speaker, Drew Uyi addressed the subject of influence, authority and impact in football business. Vanguard reported that his presentation examined communication in negotiations, authority, storytelling and the role of narrative in commercial discussions.
His participation in the upcoming Business Growth Conference therefore comes against a background of speaking engagements that connect branding with business development.
The London conference is expected to bring together speakers with different areas of experience, creating a programme that cuts across entrepreneurship, investment, leadership, wealth creation, branding and business expansion.
Dr Stephen Akintayo, one of the principal figures behind the conference, has described the event as an environment where entrepreneurs can learn from people with experience in building businesses, developing systems and navigating different markets.
Conference convener , Akintayo has highlighted the importance of moving beyond day-to-day business operations and developing systems, people and leadership structures capable of supporting a growing organisation.
The conference’s speaker lineup also includes Dr Cosmas Maduka, founder of Coscharis Group, and Dr Olumide Emmanuel, alongside Paul Foh, Dr Drew Uyi and Sam Fongho. Akintayo’s announcement specifically identifies these individuals among the featured speakers for the London programme.
The combination of speakers means participants will benefit from perspectives from different sectors rather than a single business discipline.
For many businesses, particularly those competing across international markets, branding has moved beyond logos, advertising and corporate identity.
The reputation of a founder, executive or professional can increasingly influence how customers, investors, partners and the media perceive an organisation.
This is an area where Uyi’s experience becomes particularly important.
His work with athletes illustrates how an individual’s public identity can become part of a broader commercial proposition. The same concept can be applied to entrepreneurs who need to communicate what makes their company distinctive in crowded markets.
Drew Uyi has previously told audiences that personal branding can provide athletes with a competitive advantage and strengthen their negotiating position. His public profile similarly emphasises the commercial importance of reputation and visibility.
With a speaker lineup spanning entrepreneurship, investment, leadership, branding and business development, the London gathering is positioned as a forum where participants can exchange ideas, build professional relationships and examine practical approaches to business expansion.
For Dr Drew Uyi, the conference provides another platform to bring his experience at the intersection of sports, branding, communication and commercial opportunity to a broader business audience.
