Jeni Smith

Jeni Smith is a networking strategist and researcher who helps leaders and teams transform networking into a strategic skill that builds trust, collaboration and lasting professional relationships. Founder of NetKno and a PhD candidate at Durham University, she has over 20 years' experience developing evidence-based networking models and has been recognised as one of the UK's Future 100 Young Entrepreneurs and The Telegraph and NatWest's 100 Women to Watch. Her engaging, practical sessions equip audiences with immediately applicable tools to strengthen connections, work more effectively across boundaries and create networks that unlock opportunity, innovation and genuine long-term success.

Between 2017 and 2019, Jeni Smith conducted two rounds of academic research with Durham University that would go on to reshape how organisations think about networking as a strategic discipline. What began as an exploration of relationship-building models evolved into the foundation of NetKno, a consultancy dedicated to helping leaders and teams move beyond transactional connections and build networks that unlock genuine opportunity, innovation and long-term value. Now pursuing a PhD at Durham examining how networking can bridge the gap between academia and industry, Jeni has spent over two decades proving that meaningful professional relationships are not a soft skill but a strategic advantage, particularly as digital overload and artificial intelligence reshape the way people connect.

Her credibility rests on a rare combination of rigorous academic inquiry and entrepreneurial success. Jeni has been named one of the UK's Future 100 Young Entrepreneurs, recognised by The Telegraph and NatWest as one of their 100 Women to Watch, and twice shortlisted as a finalist in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards. Her approach is grounded in evidence, drawing on her research to develop bespoke networking strategies that reflect how trust, curiosity and generosity create the conditions for collaboration. She has built and scaled successful businesses, worked across sectors, and consistently demonstrated that effective networking is about intentionality, not volume. Her work challenges the assumption that more contacts mean more success, instead showing that smarter, more purposeful networks deliver better outcomes for individuals, teams and organisations alike.

As a speaker, Jeni addresses the challenges leaders face in fostering human connection in an age dominated by technology, noise and transactional thinking. Her sessions on topics such as high trust in the age of AI, strategic relationship building and cross-sector collaboration are engaging, practical and immediately applicable. Audiences leave with clear tools they can use straight away to strengthen relationships, work more effectively across boundaries and build networks that genuinely support innovation and growth. Whether speaking to corporate teams navigating digital transformation or leaders seeking to foster deeper collaboration, Jeni equips people with the skills to turn networking from an uncomfortable obligation into a genuine source of competitive advantage and lasting professional success.