During the Covid-19 pandemic, a period that brought huge financial challenges for many businesses, the sex toy industry experienced 200%sales growth worldwide. What are the key lessons that aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners can take away from this unprecedented success? 

Most companies will instinctively consolidate and try to weather the storm during times of crisis, but in her award-winning seminar, Fiona Bennett of Sussex Innovation argues that this is exactly the time when small businesses most need to be brave, take risks and seize opportunities.

Fiona highlights and expands on three key strategies for embracing innovation in the face of uncertainty, drawing upon examples of local SexTech entrepreneurs interviewed for Sussex Innovation’s new film series,Sussex Pioneers.

Fiona Bennett is Head of Finance & Systems at Sussex Innovation, and a key contributor to the organisation’s landmark Sussex Pioneers series. As a member of the Professional Speakers Association, she is a finalist in the Speaker Factor competition, taking place at the Global Speakers Summit 2022 in Dublin, with her seminar “SexTech and Toilet Roll: How to Innovate When Life Takes a Dump”.

Fiona has more than 20 years of experience working in tech start-ups, global multinationals, public and third sector organisations, and her programme and project management qualifications include an MBA, Lean SixSigma, PRINCE2 and Agile accreditations. Her role at Sussex Innovation involves sharing this wealth of knowledge with its community of small businesses,applying her business transformation expertise to help them innovate and grow.