Skip to content

CEO Secrets: 'Don't just network up, do it with your peers'

Laura Hackney, co-founder and CEO of Silicon Valley company AnnieCannons, which trains victims of human trafficking and gender-based violence in software skills, shares her business advice, for our CEO Secrets series.

Video by James Clayton, Jasmin Dyer and Dougal Shaw

16 February 2022

Women in business

Inspiring stories

Explore More

Photo of former West Brom player

Cap honour for footballer killed in World War One

Birmingham & Black Country

Group of people next to a camper van

Van returns home after epic drive around the world

Woman next to white van which offers showers

Shower van helps Birmingham's homeless

Kerri Williams

Artist keeps alive craft of decorating narrowboats

Birmingham & Black Country

John Cassidy ready to jump

Skydiving pensioner raises £5k in memory of son

Coventry & Warwickshire

Russell Shelton in Wolverhampton

Leaving San Francisco for my beloved Wolverhampton

Birmingham & Black Country

Sarah Warwick

'My brave Neive's positivity shone through'

Coventry & Warwickshire

Teegan Jones

Chefs teaching restaurant-grade meals on a budget

Megan Allen receives 'unsung hero award' at WeSwim disability group

'Unsung hero' awarded for helping disabled swimmers

Nikki Houston

'Abuse victims need to know they are not alone'

Kathryn Jacob

'I don't enter leadership awards, it's not about me'

Jay Williams

'We went from the streets to the stores'

Ewan performing as Freddie Mercury

Ewan's the champion as he marks cancer treatment end

Hereford & Worcester

Arne Schepker

Babbel boss: Baseball taught me a valuable lesson

Rosy and her walking wheels

Sheep's wheels help her overcome broken leg

Coventry & Warwickshire

Andy Yen

CEO: 'Why I take customer service calls'

Alexander hugging his dad Simon

Boy raises £80k for charity after dad's death

Beth Bailey-Pagett

'It's an amazing place and has changed my life'

Vivien Wong

'If you can't see it, you can't be it'

Malcolm Metcalf took to the skies as he tries to complete 90 challenges before he turns 90.

Man pilots aircraft in his 90th birthday challenge

Rachel Reeves

Watch: Reeves 'deeply proud' to be first female chancellor

The Chancellor has presented her first Budget in the Commons.

Twins James and John Makanjuola,

The twins cleaning London's unloved spaces

Entrepreneurs James and John run a cleaning firm, but take it to the next level in their spare time.

Paula Vennells at the Post Office inquiry

Key moments from former Post Office chief's three-day testimony

Paula Vennells faced three days of questions about her role in the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of sub-postmasters.

Paula Vennells reaching for a tissue in the Post Office inqiuiry

Ex-Post Office boss cries while giving evidence

Ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells is speaking about the incident for the first time in ten years.

Santiago Paredes

Whistleblower claims Boeing supplier sent faulty parts

Spirit AeroSystems supplied Boeing with faulty parts, a former quality inspector has told the BBC.

Tatti Lashes

Tatti Lashes: The school friends who built a beauty empire

Charlotte Tiplady and Elliot Barton explain how together they built up their Tatti Lashes beauty empire from Liverpool.

Ocado has added robotic arms to its newest warehouse near Luton.

Watch Ocado robots in action

Ocado has added robotic arms to its newest warehouse near Luton.

Business Headlines

BBC World News business headlines

The latest international business headlines from BBC World News.

Jo Hamilton

'I feel survivor's guilt' says Post Office victim

Former sub-postmaster Jo Hamilton told BBC Breakfast she feels "guilt" after settling with the government over the Horizon IT scandal.

Woman in sunglasses smiling while answering questions related to the Budget

Watch: 'My biggest financial regret is...'

People in Kent share their finance stories ahead of Wednesday's Budget. Would you share yours?

Mohsin Issa

Issa brother to step back after 'fixing' Asda

Mohsin Issa, one half of the so-called "billionaire brothers" who own Asda, says he plans to hand over the running of the UK's third biggest supermarket.

Robots

'We had to adapt our robots to the AI revolution'

Sandy Enoch of Robotical explains why he had to pivot his educational robot company due to AI.

Picsart

'AI won't steal your job, but people using it may'

Hovhannes Avoyan, founder of picture and video editing app Picsart, shares his advice for our CEO Secrets series.

Picture of The Body Shop storefront in the 80s

'They thought it was a sex shop' - The Body Shop in the '80s

Archive footage shows Dame Anita Roddick talking about her company's success, in an 1984 interview.

Raid on Co-op store

CCTV shows violent raid on Co-op store

The retailer gave the footage to the BBC as it warned of a rise in attacks on retail staff.

Sir Howard Davies

Not that difficult to buy a home, says NatWest chair

Sir Howard Davies says he believes it is not currently "that difficult" for people to get on the housing ladder.

Joanna Jensen

'A viral Facebook post nearly blew up our business'

Joanna Jensen, founder of skincare brand Childs Farm, shares advice for start-ups for our CEO Secrets series.

Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes

Broadband rises must be 'clearer', says Ofcom boss

The regulator has plans to make mobile and broadband firms more upfront about mid-contract price rises.

Earring

'This earring helped me build my £4bn business'

Richard Harpin, co-founder of Homeserve, explains how an earring taught him an early business lesson.

Olivia DeRamus and BBC reporter Lora Jones

'Taking control of my abuse story'

Olivia DeRamus set up an app in the wake of her sexual assault. Now she's ready to take on Big Tech.