Midland automotive expert to lecture on sector’s future

A MIDLAND academic and leading expert on the automotive industry is to deliver a lecture on the future of the sector.

David Bailey, Professor of International Business Strategy and Economics at Coventry University Business School, will give a talk about Drivers of Change in the Global Auto Industry at the university’s city centre campus on April 18.

In the lecture, Prof Bailey will investigate what the global automotive industry might look like in the next few years by examining the big drivers for change – the green agenda, economic pressures, shifts in production patterns, new technologies, changing labour needs and different demand patterns.

Prof Bailey is a respected authority on the automotive industry – he recently led an Economic and Social Research Council project on the local impact of the MG Rover closure – and has also written extensively on globalisation, economic restructuring, industrial policy and European integration.

His lecture is the latest in a series being staged by the university. The programme draws on the expertise of its academics and explores a wide range of topical subjects.

Prof Bailey said: “We’ll be looking at the big picture – what is driving change in the industry and what it might look like in the future, as well as what this means for the industry in the UK and the region.

“We’ve seen a recent mini-renaissance of the UK auto industry. We’ll be putting that in a broader perspective of change in the industry and how the UK can fit into that.”

The lecture takes place at 4pm at Square One, The Hub, Coventry University, Jordan Well, Coventry CV1 5QT.

Attendance is free of charge but places must be booked in advance and more details are available at www.coventry.ac.uk/professoriallectures