Digital and creative industries gets boost
The Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) has established a new group, the Digital and Creative Business Group (DCBG), to be chaired by Sarah Windrum, the CEO of the IT and communications company the Emerald Group, in order to focus on building the digital and creative sector in their area.
Jonathan Browning, chair of the CWLEP said:”We have companies undertaking cutting edge work in digital industries and that should be reflected through our structure which shapes the investment decisions we make, all designed to help growth. Those companies are spread across a wide range of sectors but we felt it was important to draw them together and harness their capability as a key driver in the area.”
The cluster of digital games businesses based in Leamington – the so-called Silicon Spa – is an example of the kind model for growth that the DCBG wants to support and promote, as Sarah Windrum said:”Digital and creative is not a sector in Coventry and Warwickshire – it is a way of thinking that empowers us to shape the future for our region and the world.”
Windrum is already a board member of the CWLEP and the rest of the membership of the new DCBG is made up of a variety of experts and others already involved in this fast developing industry. Windrum added:”The group includes representatives from businesses working in geo-spatial mapping, in games development, in digital design, in information technology and manufacturing. What brings us together is that we all use creative thinking and the power of technology to evolve the products and services we deliver.”
“We are supported by Economic Development representatives from Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council, the CWLEP Growth Hub and the CWLEP. We will also build better partnerships working with the invaluable academic research and testbed facilities we have at the Universities of Coventry and Warwick which are represented on the group.”
