Speaker: Chris Barrow

Chris Barrow has been active as a consultant, trainer and coach to the UK dental profession for 30 years and will 'celebrate' 55 years of full time work in September 2025. Although age 71, Chris has no plans to retire and promises that he will be working in dentistry for many years to come.

Chris spent the first 17 years of his working life in the corporate sector and followed this with 33 years of running small private businesses. The different dynamics of both worlds have given him the valuable gift of knowing how to operate – and communicate – in both.

In 1993, Chris decided to make the transition from financial services to business coaching and became one of the first UK students at Coach University, from where he graduated as a certified coach.

Recognising the opportunity in the dental profession, 1997 saw the creation of The Dental Business School (DBS) and the development of a 12-month business coaching program for dental practice owners and their teams, delivered to over 1,000 UK dental practices in the following 10 years.

As a sought-after public speaker, he is dynamic, energetic and charismatic. As a writer, his blog enjoys a strong following and he is a regular contributor to the dental press. He has also been a member of the UK’s Dentistry Top 50 list every year since its inception.

Chris has coauthored two books, Profitable Dental Practice with Dr Philip Newsome and The E-Myth Dentist with business guru Michael Gerber. He is also an advisor to the dental charities Bridge2aid and The Mouth Cancer Foundation.

In 2014 he appeared as a 'castaway' in the first season of the popular reality TV show The Island with Bear Grylls. His main professional focus now is through his Extreme Business brand, providing coaching and mentorship to independent dentistry around the world via virtual consultancy, practice visits, a workshop programme and an online learning platform.

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Chris created a regeneration coaching programme, helping practices to survive lockdown and to bounce back higher following their return to work. He now offers The Extreme Business 100 – working with just 100 dental businesses each year to help them grow profits by 100% in 36 months.

Chris is a retired marathon runner (trying to make a come back), an active long-distance cyclist and enjoys extreme adventures, preferably in places where there is no internet available!

Speaker: Laura Horton

Laura worked has worked in Dentistry for 21 years and has an unrivaled passion and enthusiasm for Treatment Coordination, business and team development. In 2008 Laura left her full time practice management role. Ever since, with her years of experience and vast amount of knowledge, Laura has been working with dental practices to help them successfully reach their true potential. Laura is a master at communicating with patients and provides training to dentists with her grass knowledge experience. Every aspect of training comes from real experiences with patients over a period of many years. Horton Consulting work with dental practices through the UK and Europe to motivate and inspire the leaders and the team to deliver the vision of the owner(s) in a patient centered business.

Speaker: Andrew Fenn

Andy has been with Gensmile since it started. He has over 30 years’ clinical experience and a special interest in cosmetic dentistry. He was previously a Squadron Leader in the RAF and was a Clinical Director at IDH for over 15 years. He is also Vice Chair of the Lincolnshire LDC.

Speaker: Simon Turton

Simon Turton is the CEO and Co-Founder of Gensmile and has led it since its inception in 2014. Simon oversees all of the company’s activities and works closely with the practice Principals. He has over 15 years’ experience in healthcare investing with leading venture capital and private equity firms. Simon has a PhD in Pharmacy and an MBA from INSEAD. Before investing, he worked in the pharmaceutical industry in general management roles and has worked in both NHS and retail pharmacy.