Supplier Summit 2026

Simon Forrester

CEO, SSA UK

Simon joined the Self Storage Association UK in September 2025, having previously led a range of trade associations and professional bodies at the UK and European level across such diverse sectors as jewellery, construction, healthcare, business tourism and public health pest control. He is responsible for the strategic direction of SSA UK and leadership of the staff team. Simon has an MBA from Birmingham City University.

Helen Bourke

SSA UK

Helen is Chief Operating Officer at the Self Storage Association, taking up post in March 2019.  Previously, Helen was Director of Membership Services at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, a not-for-profit, national membership organisation where she spent 8 years working across membership, communications and events. Prior to this, Helen spent 12 additional years in the education, learning and training sector and a number of years working within the corporate sector.

She is passionate about the ‘member’ journey, great customer service and communications.

Rob Dovey

DSOC

Rob is the Managing Director of DSOC, an independent Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) and CCTV monitoring specialist with a leading presence in the self storage sector. DSOC now supports over 800 self storage sites, delivering trusted monitoring services across the UK and Europe. With a deep understanding of the operational and security challenges facing self storage operators, Rob and the DSOC team have established themselves as industry partners recognised for reliability, innovation, and an outstanding commitment to security.

 

Christel Land

Clover 4

English version: Christel Land is a popular business coach/consultant and an experienced sales and marketing trainer with extensive experience working in the self storage industry.  She regularly delivers sales and marketing training sessions for the SSA UK and FEDESSA. She has worked at a store level, local management level (Operations, Marketing) and central management (IT Manager) at City Self-Storage.  She is also certified in various different coaching techniques, has worked as a full time business coach and currently teaches international coaching certifications.  Christel is also the author of the only book to date on sales in the self-storage industry.   Combining her engaging training style with an enormous amount of industry knowledge, Christel will give you all the tools you need to grow your sales skills and improve your performance.

Spanish version:   Christel Land es una conocida coach y consultora de negocios y una formadora en de marketing y ventas con amplia experiencia en el sector del Self Storage. Habitualmente realiza formaciones de ventas y marketing para SSA IK y FEDESSA.  Ha desarrollado su carrera tanto a nivel de tienda ( Operaciones y Marketing) como a nivel de gestión central ( Responsable de Tecnología de la Información)  Al combinar su atractivo estilo de formación con un enorme conocimiento de la industria, Christel le ofrecerá todas las herramientas que necesita para desarrollar sus habilidades de ventas y mejorar trabajo. 

Lee Ali

Expo Stars Interactive

Lee Ali is an international speaker, exhibition performance strategist and Founder and Managing Director of Expo Stars. Since 2007, he has helped exhibitors, organisers and suppliers improve event performance through strategy, training, and specialist staffing. Drawing on experience from more than 4,500 events delivered across 100+ cities and 53 countries, Lee champions a people-first approach built around better conversations, stronger connections, and measurable outcomes. He is also the host of The Expo Factor podcast.

Bryony Pearson

Membership Projects Officer, SSA UK

Bryony is the Membership Projects Officer at the Self Storage Association UK and has been with the organisation since April 2014. During this time, Bryony has held a variety of roles and gained experience across all areas of self storage. Often the first point of contact for members, Bryony regularly takes calls and helps answer questions, providing support and guidance to help members with their businesses. Playing a vital role in creating the awards packs and preparing entries for the judges, Bryony knows just what is needed for an award-winning entry and encourages members to celebrate their achievements by entering each year.