We are delighted to announce Dave Fishwick, the visionary founder of ‘Bank of Dave,’ as the keynote speaker for our upcoming Unitas Conference in Athens.

Dave Fishwick, a self-made multi-millionaire entrepreneur, serves as an inspiring figure who embarked on a remarkable journey, elevating himself from humble beginnings to challenge the established financial institutions by creating a community bank funded with his personal resources—a journey that even inspired the creation of the Netflix movie, “Bank of Dave.”

Born and raised in Burnley, Dave’s unconventional path led him to success, despite leaving school without formal qualifications. He harnessed his natural charisma and business acumen to become a thriving entrepreneur. Driven by his independence and pride in his roots, Dave recognised the need to provide financial support to his community after the 2008/09 economic crisis, when traditional banks ceased to offer loans to his customers. In response, he took it upon himself to extend loans directly to those in need.

In 2012, Dave’s extraordinary journey became the subject of the Channel 4 documentary series, “Bank of Dave,” which chronicles his quest to establish a profitable bank in just 180 days. The documentary’s success led to a movie adaptation with Rory Kinnear portraying Dave, and a sequel is already in the works. Dave’s book, “Bank of Dave: How I Took on the Banks,” earned acclaim from The Times as “A wonderful tale of David and Goliath.”

“Dave is the perfect choice to conclude our conference’s business sessions. His narrative will undoubtedly strike a chord with our wholesaler members who share the common mission of nurturing significant enterprises while preserving the core values of small business communities. Dave’s community lending initiative mirrors our belief that independent businesses can achieve greater strength through collaboration, resource-sharing, and knowledge exchange,” said John Kinney, Unitas Managing Director.

The 2023 conference – held in Athens, will examine the challenges and opportunities within the wholesale channel across five key areas: Economy, Legislation, People, Technology, and Sustainability. With sessions dedicated to in-depth discussions surrounding retail, foodservice, and the on-trade sector, over 20 Unitas wholesalers will take the stage and contribute their insights to enrich the conference’s program.