East Midlands needs to ‘carve out a brand’, says leading banker

Ian Rand

The East Midlands must carve out itself a brand in a post-Brexit landscape if it is to thrive, according to a leading banker.

Speaking to TheBusinessDesk.com on a recent trip to Leicester, the chief executive of business banking a Barclays, Ian Rand said the region must “evolve” to continue to be successful.

Rand said: “The East Midlands has a reputation for manufacturing and is the heartland of innovation, but there remains a challenge: it lacks a cornerstone brand to show what it does to the rest of the world.

“Having a brand is incredibly important, and the East Midlands has to evolve so that it has one.”

Rand spent his time in Leicester meeting businesses and figures from the local professional services community and touring the National Space Centre.

He expressed his concerns about the effect the tortuous Brexit process is having on East Midlands businesses.

“Throughout 2018 we say businesses staying relatively confident,” he said. “However, that really started to shift in January. Business owners thought the Brexit issue would be fixed by now, and they’re now ramping up preparations for a hard Brexit; there’s been a marked shift.”

Despite this, Rand lauded the SME community in the East Midlands. He said: “SMEs in the region have never been in better shape to take on what the future throws at them. They’re critical to the story of the region.”

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