PHOTO: From L to R: Elizabeth Fagan, Claire Ward, Geeta Pendse, Nora Senior, Sir Chris Haworth
This week, Team East Midlands has been shining the spotlight on our region, showcasing the wide range of investable propositions across our cities and major towns, and highlighting our key strengths, such as innovation, advanced manufacturing and the green industries, at the UK’s Real Estate Infrastructure and Investment Forum (UKREiiF) in Leeds.
This year’s UKREiiF was the first major opportunity for Team East Midlands to make our case on the national stage following the election of our East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward – and what a show we put on! There was a packed working lunch, with investors, partners and stakeholders hearing a pledge from the Mayor to make ours the best region in the UK.
PHOTO: East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward speaking at the working lunch
The working lunch was followed by our panel discussion ‘Focus on the East Midlands: our time is NOW’, where Mayor Claire shared the stage with Elizabeth Fagan, D2N2 LEP Chair, Nora Senior, Chair of East Midlands Freeport and Sir Chris Haworth, Chair of the East Midlands Development Company, hosted brilliantly by Geeta Pendse. This was a really positive debate about the future of our regional economy in front of an audience of 180 delegates.
PHOTO: Delegates at the UKREiiF panel session focus on the East Midlands: our time is NOW!’
Speaking at UKREiiF, East Midlands Mayor, Claire Ward, said:
“This really is our time, and we’re going to make the most of it. At this event, I’ve been showcasing what we have to offer, the opportunities for investment and building those relationships across the public sector and the private sector. I’ve been explaining how I’m going to be driving that work, working in collaboration across the region, so that we can make this the best place to live in, to work in and to learn in.”
During the panel, Mayor Claire set out her ambitions for the region and our Chair, Elizabeth Fagan, was pleased to launch the D2N2 LEP’s £8m Early Stage Angel Investment Fund for businesses in our region and also focused on the importance of collaboration and partnership working. Nora Senior spoke about the region’s huge potential for attracting global investment for manufacturing, green energy and advanced logistics. Sir Chris Haworth emphasised his priorities for growth and regeneration.
Following the panel session, there was wide recognition of the immense potential of our Freeport during a panel discussion in the Midlands Engine pavilion, chaired by our CEO, Will Morlidge.
And finally, our clean energy future was convincingly mapped out by Co-Chair of East Midlands Hydrogen Will Morlidge and Wayne Bexton of Nottinghamshire County Council at the Team Nottingham reception with a focus on the East Midlands Hydrogen consortium.
It’s been a busy week for Team East Midlands at UKREiiF! More than anything else, we feel that our presence at UKREiiF showed a region brimming with potential and giving out a clear message: we’re driving progress together and Our Time is NOW!
Watch the video of Team East Midlands in action at UKREiiF
D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) covers the Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire region, convening the businesses, universities, colleges and local authorities in our region to drive low carbon, economic growth and productivity, skills & careers, inclusion and delivery excellence. The D2N2 LEP team and functions will transition into the East Midlands Combined County Authority during 2024.
For media enquiries, contact:
Nicola Swaney
Head of External Affairs, D2N2 LEP
Nicola.Swaney@d2n2lep.org
