Yet more high-powered speakers join Invest Midlands conference

Another set of business leaders from across the region have been added to the speaker line-up for our forthcoming landmark Invest Midlands online conference.

Tickets for the all-day event, to be held on Wednesday 26 May, are now available.

Dr Darren Clark, the Midlands Engine Health Board member and CEO of Medilink East Midlands will be joined by Alexis Toft, head of Minerva Business Angels and Dr Faz Chowdhury of CEO – Nemaura Medical on a session called Health and Life Sciences: An Untold Midlands Story.

EY’s Midlands market leader Simon O’Neill will lead a session exploring some of the disruptive trends that are shaping our region, alongside ideas and opportunities that will boost productivity, fuel the recovery and unlock growth across the Midlands. Simon will be joined by specialists across EY’s network including Silvia Rindone, Chris Romans and David Borland to discuss the challenges and opportunities for Midlands businesses presented by shifting consumer trends, the changing entrepreneurial landscape and the transition to electric vehicles.

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Meanwhile, Mac Alonge, founder and CEO of The Equal Group has been added as a panelists on the Making the leaders of tomorrow part of today’s recovery plans session, which will look at how young entrepreneurs are shaping the future of the region.

Fiona Allan, chair of the regional board for tourism and chief executive of Birmingham Hippodrome completes the Selling the Midlands to the World session.

Paul Smith, area director for Leicester at Lloyds Banking Group joins the panel for the Funding the next wave of entrepreneurs and disruptors session.

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Also, Dan Storer, chief investment officer at the West Midlands Growth Company and Richard Eadie, head of strategy, sustainability and group transformation at Severn Trent are added the panel for the Racing Towards the Commonwealth Games session.

These new additions will join an already established, high-powered array of speakers.

You’ll have the chance to listen to keynote speeches from Business Secretary Rt Hon. Kwasi Kwarteng, who will outline the ambition for the Midlands and look towards its post-pandemic future as a real engine of growth.

He will be joined by leaders from across the region, including Midlands Engine chairman Sir John Peace and we’ll also have an exclusive interview with newly-re-elected West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street.

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Robert Franks, managing director of West Midlands 5G and Jane Woods, group nations and regions director at BT, will discuss the digital roadmap of the Midlands.

Shehzad Chaudhary, deputy director – trade and investment Midlands at DIT, Stephen Pratt, director of Godwin Developments, Dafydd Williams, head of policy, communications & economic development (Humber) at Associated British Ports and Pat Doody, chair of Greater Lincolnshire LEP will join a session looking at the two Midlands Freeports as a gateway to growth.

Also, Ian Reid, the chief executive of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, and Gurmit Kler of the University of Birmingham will speak on how the event will showcase the city and region to the wider world.

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Kathrin Enenkel, senior analyst for Centre for Cities, Jo Gideon, MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central and PPS to the Business Energy and Industrial Strategy Department, and Phil Stewardson, director at Stewardson Developments, will join a panel session looking at placemaking with a purpose: the future of towns and cities.

Ken Cooper, managing director at the British Business Bank, will lead a panel discussing how to fund SME growth through post-pandemic recovery.

Meanwhile, Claire James, MD of East Midlands Airport, Dave Penney of Network Rail and Maria Machanchoses of Midlands Connect will debate whether the Midlands Engine is joined up – or two separate islands, in a much-needed debate on transport in the region.

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Serial tech entrepreneur Rob Wilmot, one of the co-founders of Freeserve, development manager at the FSB Natalie Gasson-McKinley and Paul Faulkner, the chief of staff and operations within the group of businesses owned by the Richardson family join a panel chaired by Shakespeare Martineau CEO Sarah Walker-Smith on a session called Diversity in action: Pointing a rainbow of talent towards a bright business future for the Midlands.

Reshma Sheikh of Octavian UK, Sarah King of We Are Radikl, Anita Bhalla OBE of the West Midlands Leadership Commission and Tru Powell of Aston Performing Arts Academy will take a look at the importance of diversity and how businesses should place it at the heart of growth.

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The vastly-important automotive sector will be debated by John Russell of Norton Motorycles, Charlotte Horobin of MAKE UK, Derby entrepreneur Graham Mulholland and Chris Reeves of Horiba Mira.

The Big Ideas to Change the Midlands session will see Matheu Parr of Rolls-Royce, Liz Draper head of corporate partnerships at Coventry City of Culture Trust, Christopher Ware of Conygar and Ricky Sandhu of Urban-Air Port outline their vision for the future of the region.

To see the full agenda for Invest Midlands, click here.

Pictured: Centre: Fiona Allan; clockwise: Mac Alonge, Dan Storer, Silvia Rindone, Dr Darren Clark

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