Our Extra Mile Speakers
Meet the Aldermore Group Leadership Team
Steven Cooper CBE, Chief Executive Officer, Aldermore Group
Steven Cooper CBE is the CEO of Aldermore Group, a leading specialist and savings bank.
Previously Steven was CEO of C. Hoare & Co, the UK’s leading Private Bank and prior to that a Senior Executive at Barclays where he held several executive positions including CEO of Personal Banking for UK & Europe and CEO UK Business Banking and Payments.
Stephen Cooper's Background
He has significant experience in both the European and the US markets and spent four years working and living across Africa and India.
Steven is Chairman of Experian UK and is a non-executive director of Cashflows, a private equity backed payments business.
He is a passionate advocate for social mobility; he chairs Business in the Community’s Employment and Skills Leadership Team, is a co-chair of the Equality of Opportunity Coalition with former Cabinet Minister Justine Greening and was formerly Co-Chair of the UK Government’s Social Mobility Commission until 2021.
Steven was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Herriot Watt University and made a CBE in the 2022 Honors List, both for services to banking and social mobility.
Debbie McKay, Director – Distribution, MotoNovo
Debbie McKay is Director – Distribution at MotoNovo Finance, and she has played a prominent role in the impressive growth of the business.
Debbie McKay's background
With over 20 years in motor finance, Debbie has worked hand-in-hand with many of the UK’s most recognisable motor retail groups and major brokers. Drawing on her operational experience and deep knowledge of both the consumer and regulatory landscape, she brings valuable perspective to strategic discussions. Debbie drives high standards while also bringing a sense of fun to the work environment. She is passionate about the personal development of others and equality.
Extra Mile Conference and Awards Speakers
We're delighted to welcome Nick Press and Stephen Whitton as our conference guest speakers, and Penny Mallory who will be joining us for our evening awards ceremony.
Nick Press, AutoTrader
Over the past two decades, Nick has worked across the automotive industry, from franchise retailers to leadership roles in leasing. For the past four years, he has been part of Auto Trader’s Commercial Partnerships team, partnering with lenders and leasing companies to provide market insights and enhance the way they connect with today’s car buyers.
Stephen Whitton, [M]enable
Stephen J. Whitton is a passionate advocate for mental wealth, workplace wellbeing, and culture change. As the founder of [M]enable, he has dedicated his career to creating mentally healthier workplaces where people feel safe, supported, and able to thrive.
Stephen Whitton's Background
With over 35 years of leadership experience, Stephen draws on a rich blend of commercial expertise, lived experience, and a genuine passion for human performance. He has worked with leaders, managers, and teams across sectors — helping organisations unlock the link between wellbeing, engagement, and business success.
Stephen founded [M]enable to challenge stigma, normalise conversations about mental health, and equip leaders with practical tools to build thriving cultures. Through his keynotes, workshops, and the Mental Wealth Champions Programme, he inspires audiences to rethink leadership, redefine success, and create environments where people and performance grow together.
Known for his authentic, energising, and deeply relatable style, Stephen has become a sought-after speaker and facilitator — influencing industry-wide discussions on mental health, leadership, and inclusion. Whether addressing a global conference or an intimate leadership retreat, Stephen’s goal is simple:
To help organisations build cultures where mental wealth is valued as highly as financial wealth.
Penny Mallory, World-class expert in Mental Toughness
Penny Mallory is a world-class expert in Mental Toughness; a person’s ability to manage stress, pressure, challenges and changes. She is one of the most in-demand motivational speakers in the UK.
Penny Mallory's Background
Penny is a former World Rally Championship driver, TV Presenter, Mountaineer, Boxer, Marathon Runner and Atlantic Ocean rowing in training. Her raw, real-life story of turning adversity into high performance isn’t just inspiring - it’s transformational.
Penny defied the odds by achieving her childhood ambition of becoming a Rally Driver, and then surpassed that dream by becoming the first woman to compete in a World Rally Car for Ford in the prestigious World Rally Championship. Remarkably, she remains the only woman to accomplish this.
Her journey is even more remarkable given her tumultuous past as a teenage runaway, enduring 3 years of homelessness in London. Penny attributes her success to her Mental Toughness.
As a child she saw alcoholism and mental illness destroy her family. Fleeing home at 14, homeless and fending for herself in London, her life couldn’t have been more dangerous or bleak. Yet an inner strength and self-belief enabled her to take control of her life and her future. She made impossible possible and has since dedicated her life to helping others do the same.
